They betrayed you. Now what?

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. …

Division isn't the danger. Here's the fix. | Yuval Levin LIVE

What do we owe each other when we can’t stand each other? Recorded live at the Braver Angels Convention 2026 — in front of 1,000 people split evenly between red and blue — this episode brings that key question to a renowned civic scholar whose work gives Moni the most hope. Yuval Levin of the Amer…

Mailbox: Your questions on Trump, ‘privilege’ and compromise

What do you do when someone on your own side lets you down — or a family member says their politics are “none of your business”? In our second mailbox episode, Mónica and producer Jessica Jones tackle listener questions about whether America’s founding was a failure to bridge, how to recognize our …

How to talk politics when your body says ‘run’

Researcher Jaime Settle has found that just anticipating a political conversation with someone who disagrees can send your heart rate soaring — sometimes by as much as it rises during a panic attack. Will this damage a relationship? Will I be judged? Is it safer to hide what I believe? Those calcu…

‘Explain yourself’: A Trump voter and Trump critic let you in

Moni is liberal. Travis Tripodi is conservative libertarian. Much of what he supports terrifies her… and vice versa. But when Trump returned in 2025, they knew they had to talk. In a new A Braver Way experiment, the two friends let you in on what’s become a critical exercise: bringing each other th…

Mailbox: Your questions on hope, betrayal and losing your temper

In this special episode, Mónica and producer Jessica Jones explore questions from curious listeners about fear, family conflict, patriotism when we’re so at odds, and the unforeseeable ways we come to believe what we believe. Also on deck: Advice to a mom caught in a political rift between father a…

Can political disagreement make you happier?

“Happiness” is the last thing many of us expect to find on a call with a stranger from the opposite political side. But when Axel Bouchon and his team placed one very unusual phone booth in deeply liberal San Francisco, California, and another in deeply conservative Abilene, Texas, that was exactly…

‘Can you love me if you don't accept who I love?’

Anne Marie Denman was the “angel” of the family: obedient, attentive, with plans to become a nun. When she came out as gay to her conservative Catholic parents, a deep rupture drove them apart. How do you stay close to people who won’t share your worldview? Can love exist while someone feels rejec…

How to let people offend you

For most of human history, offensive speech was equal to violence, and saying the wrong thing could get your tongue chopped off. Today, we aim to use words instead of violence. But what do you do when those words really hurt? This week on A Braver Way, Moni sits down with Greg Lukianoff, who she f…

Speak out or work it out: What's yours to do right now?

With political tensions at a new peak, the pressure to take a stand — or keep the peace — can be intense. But how do you know the difference between the move that feels right and the one that is right? In our first episode after a long break, Mónica, a liberal, talks with her conservative friend a…