How Do We Fix It?

More than at any time in our nation’s history, news coverage of politics and public events is dominated by national media, but many of the solutions to Americans toxic partisan divides are to be found at the local level.In this episode we hear from Steve Saltwick, the inaugural Senior Fellow of Braver Angels, and founding conservative co-chair of the Braver Angels Central Texas Alliance. Steve is one of the leading lights of Citizen-Led Solutions, a new Braver Angels nationwide initiative that equips communities across the country to find common ground through building trust and solving contentious issues. Citizens of many different backgrounds and opinions are directly involved. “It’s incredible when someone feels they’ve been heard,” Steve tells us. “A whole lot of people are talking at people. There’s not enough people talking with people about solving our problems.”Citizen-Led Solutions helps build civic muscle through action instead of outrage. “We’re not battling over one side vanquishing the other. It’s setting a norm of working together to solve problems our nation is facing,” he says.Steve is a neuroscientist who studies the human brain especially as it relates to artificial intelligence. He brings those skills to his work as a volunteer for Braver Angels.In this episode, we discuss two examples of Citizen-Led Solutions— in Newfield, New York, and Nashville, Tennessee. We also examine specific techniques used by Citizen-Led Solutions.“There’s a personal angle to this, a community angle, and a national angle,” says Steve.Learn more about Braver Angels here.Listen to our "How Do We Fix It?" podcasts about Braver Angels here.Braver Angels is America’s biggest cross-partisan, volunteer-led movement to bridge toxic political divides.

Many people say Thanksgiving is their favorite holiday: No cards to be sent. No presents to be purchased. A pause with family and close friends before the year-end holiday rush. Thanksgiving is about gratitude, but it can also be a time of anxiety, and even dread. What do you say to family members, friends and neighbors who vote for a candidate or political party you despise? How do you react when they launch into a rant or say something that you find offensive? We share tips about how to disagree better with those you love.Our guest is Braver Angels National Advisor Mónica Guzmán, author of the book “I Never Thought of It That Way: How to Have Fearlessly Curious Conversations in Dangerously Divided Times”. Móni is the liberal leaning, loving daughter of conservative parents. She’s had a lot of personal experience of connecting with people not like her. We hear several examples in this episode.Despite rigid political polarization among elites, everyday Americans may have much more in common than many of us believe. A new Gallup poll finds that more than four-in-five adults endorse compromise and reject political violence. Research for More In Common and other groups found that people have a distorted understanding of those on the other side of the political aisle.One-on-one and in-person conversations are the best way for us to overcome polarization in our personal lives, says Mónica. "The only context where we have our full arsenal of communication tools available is the in-person conversation."In our interview, Móni also shares valuable tips about how to listen with curiosity, lean into disagreements and turn them away from awkwardness and misunderstandings.Learn more about how to have better conversations with friends and loved ones who see the world differently than you do here at the Braver Angels website. 

Just over three months into his new role as leader of Braver Angels, we hear from CEO Maury Giles about his hopes, plans and goals for America's largest volunteer-led movement working to bridge partisan divides and disagree better for the common good.America has lost much of its civic muscle, and it's time to get it back, Maury tells our host, Richard Davies. Rising polarization, declining trust in public institutions and the media, the spread of misinformation, the longest-ever government shutdown, and recent political violence are all signs that something is deeply wrong with our public square."We're trying to help people understand first and foremost that the choice you have to make is that of personal agency: To say am I going to act or react?,” Maury says."In this country we all have the ability to express a point of view and to try to work to solve things, and we don't have to rely on our elected officials to do that. But we’ve lost sight of our civic muscle.”Maury Giles came to Braver Angels after a career in journalism, politics, market research, communications strategy, experience design, and business development. Richard asked him about the challenges and opportunities he faces as a bridge builder at a difficult time.We hear about the case for citizen-led solutions, and why the true remedy to our civic challenges isn’t reaction, but action, with neighbors working with their neighbors across divisions and mistrust. Over the past sixteen months, “How Do We Fix It?” has published more than twenty episodes about the people, projects and ideas of Braver Angels. Find them at our website. Like and subscribe to our shows on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about Maury’s work and Braver Angels’ mission here.

Liberals and conservatives are caught in a politically toxic feedback loop. Our guest, Zachary Elwood, argues that when people express contempt for those on the other side, they contribute to a cycle of conflict that weakens our nation.Increasingly, Americans view polarization as a worsening crisis. Two-thirds say the political system is too divided to solve the nation’s problems. A New York Times - Siena University poll found that many more people now believe the system is broken compared with five years ago.Elwood explains that Americans don't just disagree on issues. We increasingly view our political adversaries as immoral, deluded, and dangerous. Our fear and contempt affect our stances on issues, making us more hardened in our views and less willing to compromise. Zachary Elwood is the author of two books on toxic polarization. The first was “Defusing American Anger”. On this podcast we hear all about his latest: “How Contempt Destroys Democracy”. The new book is written by a left-leaning author for members of his own side, who mostly believe that President Trump is a threat to democracy.We discuss evidence that liberal disdain for conservatives and misconceptions about what they actually believe have increased support for Trump by right-leaning voters.“I think it’s very important to separate leaders from people that vote for them,” Elwood tells How Do We Fix It? “My views of Trump have not changed. How I speak and think about people who voted for him have changed a lot.”Toxic polarization means we see political opponents as part of a monolithic movement. “We end up seeing the entire other side as boiling down to the most extreme people on that side… and pointing out the worst antisocial and rude behaviors,” he says. In this episode we discuss the work of More In Common and other groups that explore our misconceptions about political adversaries. We learn why it’s productive yet very difficult to criticize your own political tribe. We find out more about Braver Angels’ creative work to depolarize America.Elwood mentions several authors who help him understand the true nature of political polarization:Erica Etelson - “Beyond Contempt: How Liberals Can Communicate Across the Great Divide”.Taylor Dotson - “The Divide”.Robert Tallise - “Sustaining Democracy”.

How do we help people see their common humanity and find common ground? We discuss this and much more with our guest, independent filmmaker and storyteller, Swati Srivastava.At a time of polarization and deep political divisions in America, growing numbers of citizens are now pushing back against the fear, loathing and distrust that poison our national conversation. Our podcasts report on the people, projects, and ideas of this movement.Swati Srivastava is Director of Visual Media at Crossing Party Lines, a non-profit group that facilitates conversations among Americans of different opinions. She established the group’s Long Island Chapter and is also active with Braver Angels. Her short video, “The Braver Angels Way” is designed to be played at the start of Braver Angels conversations and debates. Find out more about Swati’s film and storytelling projects here. “Absolute certainty is the death of curiosity, conversation, and empathy,” Swati says. “Curiosity is the antidote which says ‘tell me more’… When listening happens almost anything is possible.”Our conversation includes Swati's insights about storytelling, moderating conversations and workshops across party lines, and her compelling life story as an immigrant, film director, producer and creator of innovative media.How Do We Fix It? is hosted by award-winning journalist Richard Davies. For more than three decades he was an ABC News Radio Correspondent. Today he’s a podcast consultant, producer, and media trainer. Over the past decade, we’ve released more than 430 podcast episodes. A constant theme for us is how do we talk more creatively across party lines? If we brought the kind of energy and imagination to fixing our politics that we bring every day to our careers and family life, America would be in much better shape than it is today.

“Our political leaders— left, right, and center— have a thin view of citizenship,” says Braver Angels co-founder Bill Doherty. He argues that everything from healthcare and education to public safety and politics “is the work of we the people. That’s the robust idea of citizenship…Ultimately the big problems are those of all of us”This episode features an interview recorded for “Derate The Hate”, a podcast hosted by Wilk Wilkinson in collaboration with Braver Angels, the nationwide movement that brings citizens together across political divides, and pushes back against grievance, outrage and toxic polarization.As Wilk writes in his show notes about this interview: “This is not about partisan politics—it’s about restoring a sense of shared responsibility in our communities through intentional dialogue and real problem-solving.”Bill and Wilk discuss a new definition of citizenship and other topics, including how structured conversations can transform toxic divides, and why personal accountability is essential in civic life.Bill Doherty is co-founder of Braver Angels, professor at the University of Minnesota, and a nationally recognized expert in family therapy and civic healing. He is Director of the Minnesota Couples on the Brink Project at the University's Department of Family Social Science. Wilk Wilkinson is the new Director of Media Systems and Operations at Braver Angels. He plays a pivotal role in shaping national dialogue through conversations, storytelling and strategic media. His podcast, Derate The Hate, complements this mission by offering practical tools and conversations that inspire personal growth and civil engagement.“How Do We Fix It?” asks questions about critical solutions in public life. We report on the people, projects and ideas of Braver Angels. Our show is hosted by former ABC New Correspondent, podcast consultant and media coach, Richard Davies. Our producer, editor and sound designer is Miranda Shafer.