#11 — Karlyn Borysenko — A liberal goes to a Trump rally

Karlyn Borysenko (@DrKarlynB) is an organizational psychologist who helps organizations and teams find happiness and fulfillment at work through her company, Zen Workplace. For episode #10, Karlyn and I had a wide-ranging discussion about her experience in an online knitting group that turned her off to cancel culture, taking part in the New Hampshire primary and meeting every Democrat presidential candidate and her decision to go to a Trump rally to try and understand how her political opponents think. Karlyn came on my radar when my dad told me about a viral medium essay she wrote called “I’ve been a Democrat for 20 years, here’s what I experienced at a Trump Rally” which has been read by over 3 million people. I didn’t read the article initially but when I heard Karlyn interviewed on a talk radio program I occasionally listen to, DMed her on Twitter and she agreed to come on the podcast. What could be more paradoxical than a registered Democrat going to a trump rally? We also talked about the importance of shared values like free speech, thinking for yourself and attributing good intent to you those you disagree with. We recorded this conversation in March as COVID19 was ramping up so we also offered up from fresh takes on how the world was shifting that may or may not age well and that’s ok. It was nice to escape Silicon Valley and talk to someone from a completely different part of the country. I hope you enjoy this episode with Karlyn Borysenko.