Introductions and welcome

What view are you most curious to understand?

How can a good person believe that?

What interests are people really voting for?

Can understanding others better change us too?

How does a red and blue couple make it work?

Closing and credits 

If you knew who someone voted for, would you know everything about them?

We asked dozens of everyday Americans, split evenly between red and blue, one question: What perspective that’s different from yours are you most curious to understand right now?

As the midterm dust settles, this short, special episode introduces you to a liberal who stopped a picnic cold by defending the Trump voters she knows, a conservative Christian who can’t understand why fellow believers won’t make room for LGBTQ people, and a red-and-blue married couple who made the news just for making it work.

**This episode was produced in partnership with photographer Bob Handelman, whose yearlong, 50-state van journey, Americana: Know Thy Neighbor, A Portrait of America, is profiling Americans across divides for America’s 250th anniversary.

Show notes with credits and full transcript can be found here: https://www.reclaimcuriosity.com/post/a-braver-way-episode-33

You can watch this episode on youtube here: https://youtu.be/oDt6DhtPIvM

If you knew who someone voted for, would you know everything about them?
We asked dozens of everyday Americans, split evenly between red and blue, one question: What perspective that&rsquo;s different from yours are you most curious to understand right now?
As the midterm dust settles, this short, special episode introduces you to a liberal who stopped a picnic cold by defending the Trump voters she knows, a conservative Christian who can&rsquo;t understand why fellow believers won&rsquo;t make room for LGBTQ people, and a red-and-blue married couple who made the news just for making it work.
**This episode was produced in partnership with photographer Bob Handelman, whose yearlong, 50-state van journey, Americana: Know Thy Neighbor, A Portrait of America, is profiling Americans across divides for America&rsquo;s 250th anniversary.
Show notes with credits and full transcript can be found here: <a href="https://www.reclaimcuriosity.com/post/a-braver-way-episode-33">https://www.reclaimcuriosity.com/post/a-braver-way-episode-33</a>
You can watch this episode on youtube here: <a href="https://youtu.be/oDt6DhtPIvM">https://youtu.be/oDt6DhtPIvM</a>

With political tensions at a new peak, it can be tough — and exhausting — to find a way forward. So what does it take to stay strong, engaged, and grounded in dangerously divided times?

In each episode, host Mónica Guzmán joins guests from across the political spectrum. Together they’ll share tools, insights, and messy real-life stories to help you navigate the challenging divides in your everyday life without losing heart.

With political tensions at a new peak, it can be tough &mdash; and exhausting &mdash; to find a way forward. So what does it take to stay strong, engaged, and grounded in dangerously divided times?
In each episode, host M&oacute;nica Guzm&aacute;n joins guests from across the political spectrum. Together they&rsquo;ll share tools, insights, and messy real-life stories to help you navigate the challenging divides in your everyday life without losing heart.

A Braver Way

A Braver Way with Mónica Guzmán

Where are we heading into the midterms?

Find agency by doing something with your hands

Maximize impact and connection by going local

Talk to young people for a dose of hope

In victory, defeat or doubt, don’t go it alone

In victory, defeat or doubt (cont’d)

Who do you want to be after the election?

How do I fortify myself against fear?

Protect your rhythms and find your anchors

Keep engaging and give yourself credit

How can I take charge of my news diet?

Moni and April make some midterm resolutions

Closing and credits

How do you get through a midterm season this tense with your integrity intact, whatever the results bring? Moni and April Lawson, your politically red and blue co-hosts, bring a survival guide: practical, evidence-backed tips for the anxiety, distrust, and exhaustion so many of us are carrying into this election.

Don’t go it alone, whether in victory, defeat, or uncertainty. Decide who you’ll be the day after the election. Go local, where twice as many Americans say democracy is working. And learn the one question to ask after every political story you read, the one that helps you take your attention back. Whatever this election brings, you have more power than you think.

Show notes with credits and full transcript can be found here: https://www.reclaimcuriosity.com/post/a-braver-way-episode-32

You can watch this episode on youtube here: https://youtu.be/hb__NWBhlcE

How do you get through a midterm season this tense with your integrity intact, whatever the results bring? Moni and April Lawson, your politically red and blue co-hosts, bring a survival guide: practical, evidence-backed tips for the anxiety, distrust, and exhaustion so many of us are carrying into this election.
Don&rsquo;t go it alone, whether in victory, defeat, or uncertainty. Decide who you&rsquo;ll be the day after the election. Go local, where twice as many Americans say democracy is working. And learn the one question to ask after every political story you read, the one that helps you take your attention back. Whatever this election brings, you have more power than you think.
Show notes with credits and full transcript can be found here: <a href="https://www.reclaimcuriosity.com/post/a-braver-way-episode-32">https://www.reclaimcuriosity.com/post/a-braver-way-episode-32</a>
You can watch this episode on youtube here: https://youtu.be/hb__NWBhlcE

Braving the midterms: Your playbook for whatever comes

What's broken in journalism?

Trusting News and the vision for journalism

Can conflict research help rebuild news trust?

Misinformation and the steelman approach

Why hear out people who believe ‘falsehoods’?

Suspicion, trust and benevolence

Incurious immigration coverage cost trust

Can you show all sides and not platform hate?

Is leaving out ‘wrong words’ causing harm too?

Where are bright spots in plural journalism?

The case for viewpoint diversity in newsrooms

How can I best navigate the media landscape?

Left and right agree on one thing: something’s broken in the news. So what would it take for journalism to serve *everyone* in a divided time? Moni asks two friends and partners in good trouble who’ve spent years on that question: Joy Mayer, founder of Trusting News, and Jonathan Stray, a data journalist turned conflict scholar at UC Berkeley. Together they go where journalists rarely dare. Should newsrooms hire more Trump voters? Can reporters stay curious without platforming hate? And with the midterms closing in, how do the rest of us find news that does more for us than to us?

Guests:
Joy Mayer, Executive Director, Trusting News
Jonathan Stray, Senior Scientist, UC Berkeley Center for Human-compatible AI

Show notes with credits and full transcript can be found here: https://www.reclaimcuriosity.com/post/a-braver-way-episode-31

You can watch this episode on youtube here: https://youtu.be/qGJrM8C8FbU

Left and right agree on one thing: something&rsquo;s broken in the news. So what would it take for journalism to serve *everyone* in a divided time? Moni asks two friends and partners in good trouble who&rsquo;ve spent years on that question: Joy Mayer, founder of Trusting News, and Jonathan Stray, a data journalist turned conflict scholar at UC Berkeley. Together they go where journalists rarely dare. Should newsrooms hire more Trump voters? Can reporters stay curious without platforming hate? And with the midterms closing in, how do the rest of us find news that does more for us than to us?
Guests:
<ul>
<li>Joy Mayer, Executive Director, Trusting News</li>
<li>Jonathan Stray, Senior Scientist, UC Berkeley Center for Human-compatible AI</li>
</ul>
Show notes with credits and full transcript can be found here: <a href="https://www.reclaimcuriosity.com/post/a-braver-way-episode-31">https://www.reclaimcuriosity.com/post/a-braver-way-episode-31</a>
You can watch this episode on youtube here: <a href="https://youtu.be/qGJrM8C8FbU">https://youtu.be/qGJrM8C8FbU</a>

Is the news doing more to you than for you?

Julie and the ups and downs of City Council

Bob Hathcock joins the fight to recall her

Bob and Julie meet face to face

The campaign turns ugly

Election night and the aftermath

From recall to a standing ovation

Bob and Julie put the campaign behind them

Moni and April unpack the lessons

How do you fight hard against someone *and* still care for them?

In Republican Mesa, Arizona, Julie Spilsbury was known for her council seat and her cinnamon rolls. When she endorsed Democrats, friends and neighbors who’d known her for decades launched a historic effort to kick her out of office. The man leading it did what few others would: sit down with her and talk.

In this special episode of A Braver Way, Moni brings you a powerful story from Dispatches from the Divide, a limited podcast series she hosts about ordinary people who make extraordinary choices. Then, she and April Lawson pull out four strategies for anyone navigating pain and conflict this midterm election season — from staying in a community that hurt you to getting close to the people you defeat.

Show notes with credits and full transcript can be found here: https://www.reclaimcuriosity.com/post/a-braver-way-episode-30

Dispatches from the Divide is a co-production of BYUradio, Disagree Better and Braver Angels. You can find the rest of the episodes of this series here: https://www.byuradio.org/dispatches-from-the-divide/episodes

How do you fight hard against someone *and* still care for them?
In Republican Mesa, Arizona, Julie Spilsbury was known for her council seat and her cinnamon rolls. When she endorsed Democrats, friends and neighbors who&rsquo;d known her for decades launched a historic effort to kick her out of office. The man leading it did what few others would: sit down with her and talk.
In this special episode of A Braver Way, Moni brings you a powerful story from Dispatches from the Divide, a limited podcast series she hosts about ordinary people who make extraordinary choices. Then, she and April Lawson pull out four strategies for anyone navigating pain and conflict this midterm election season &mdash; from staying in a community that hurt you to getting close to the people you defeat.
Show notes with credits and full transcript can be found here: <a href="https://www.reclaimcuriosity.com/post/a-braver-way-episode-30">https://www.reclaimcuriosity.com/post/a-braver-way-episode-30</a>
Dispatches from the Divide is a co-production of BYUradio, Disagree Better and Braver Angels. You can find the rest of the episodes of this series here: https://www.byuradio.org/dispatches-from-the-divide/episodes

They betrayed you. Now what?

How can a good person believe that?

In 1 playlist(s)

A Braver Way with Mónica Guzmán

Social links

Follow podcast

Recent clips