EPISODE NOTES

In our third episode in the Beyond Polarization series, we talk to two inspiring creators who are bridging the political divide on podcasts, YouTube, and even Instagram! 

Think about an issue that you're passionate about. Imagine sitting in a room with someone just as passionate as you, but on the polar opposite side of that issue. Now, imagine your conversation is being recorded and will be streamed online. What do you think would happen in that room?

Our first guest this episode is a content creator who brings Americans with deeply opposing views together and streams the conversations on YouTube. But he's doing things differently. Larry Rosen is an attorney, a mediator and the host of The Enemies Project, a series where enemies – people who are polar opposites on an issue – participate in a conversation facilitated by Rosen.

Some of the pairs featured include a transgender woman and a right-wing gender fundamentalist, a Black protester and a white police officer, and activists from both sides of the abortion debate.

Over the course of an hour, the shift in the way the “enemies” feel about each other is dramatic and quite moving to watch.

Our next guest widens the lens, asking how we can cultivate that same spirit of curiosity across a broader culture. Monica Guzman is a journalist, and public bridge builder. She's a host of A Braver Way, a podcast that looks for practical ways to bridge political divides in everyday life, and the author of I Never Thought of It That Way: How to Have Fearlessly Curious Conversations in Dangerously Divided Times.

Much of Guzman's bridge-building work happens through online media, including podcasts and social media. We ask her what it takes to do this work on digital platforms that often reward conflict more than consensus. We speak about what bridge builders can and can't accomplish in that environment and how political conversations online might be shifting.

Listen to our earlier conversation with Monica Guzman, recorded just after the 2024 presidential election.