‘Shellacking’: A liberal and a libertarian wrestle with the midterms — and each other

Shellacking. Rout. Whatever you call what Republicans just went through in the midterms, Moni, a liberal, and her friend Travis Tripodi, a conservative libertarian who lost his own statehouse race in the blue wave, had to have it out. No scoring points, no holding back. But can they actually make s…

How can a good person believe that?

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, spec…

Braving the midterms: Your playbook for whatever comes

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…

Is the news doing more to you than for you?

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 jour…

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…