A Braver Way

Remember Election Day — before we knew the outcome and we were all on pins and needles, worried about what might happen if the other side won?  On that day, dozens of pairs of Trump and Harris voters stood outside polling places in different parts of the country, shoulder to shoulder with their political opposites. With half our country in pain, and the other half feeling relief, what can we learn from six of these Americans and their radically simple experiment? 

How can you navigate this election with integrity? No matter who wins… no matter what? In this special election week episode, Moni and April roll out a survival guide that lends wisdom to all this anxiety. Drawing inspiration from A Braver Way guests like somatic therapist Luis Mojica, trans activist Kai Cheng Thom, conservative podcast host Wilk Wilkinson, and many more, your politically red and blue co-hosts ask what it’ll take to manage the one and only thing we can control this election… ourselves.

Many Americans expect bitterness and mistrust between Democrats and Republicans on Election Day. Here’s something they won’t expect: hundreds of everyday liberals and conservatives pairing off at polling places nationwide to try to show voters — and themselves — that whoever wins, our union can’t lose. What’s motivating these Trump and Harris voters to stand side-by-side in front of anxious voters Nov. 5? We talk to pairs in a red state, a blue state, and a swing state to find out. 

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the flood of election headlines and opinions. But does following the news have to drive us crazy…or drive us even further apart? Mónica talks with Isaac Saul, the founder of Tangle — a political newsletter that’s earned trust across the political spectrum — to ask how we the people can take control of our news habits for a clearer, less polarizing view of the campaigns, the issues, and each other. Then, April and Mónica discuss how our behaviors shape our media and why following the news with a “red” ear and a “blue” ear could help us tune in all the better.

It might have been the prayer, the land acknowledgment, the Pledge of Allegiance, or the moment everyone started sharing their pronouns. But opening rituals that disagree with you can leave you feeling shut out. So what do you do when the culture of a group you want to belong to goes somewhere you can’t follow? We talk with Braver Angels leader Steve Saltwick about the clashes that come up for conservatives in particular, and what it looks like to acknowledge someone else’s framework without abandoning your own.