High school freshman, Malu Estevam, is used to doing well - very well - in school. So, when she struggled in her advanced math class, she panicked. As a first-generation immigrant, she hoped to make her parents proud and make their sacrifices worth it. But one friend’s determination and example ultimately helped her to see that intelligence and success aren’t just about grades. We’d love to hear about an Uncomfy moment you’ve experienced. Can you think of a time when you felt your perspective or...
Nov 27, 2024•16 min•Season 2024Ep. 23
As a columnist for the New York Times, David French is used to public criticism. And he's used to sometimes getting things wrong, too. “At 55, I want to be a better person than I was when I was 35 or 25 or 15. So, if we're actually growing as human beings, we should be able to point back to multiple things that we concretely got wrong.” French shares the story of changing his mind on a hot button issue and telling the world about it in an article titled, “Why I Changed the Way I Write about Poli...
Nov 20, 2024•23 min•Season 2024Ep. 22
Tracy Saad spent her whole life avoiding politics, until the 2019 Lebanese revolution made her have a change of heart. She joined a nonprofit effort to educate and register voters where she faced the discomfort of realizing she had a lot of learning about politics to make up for and had to get comfortable saying, "Can you simplify that for me, please?" Fueled by this experience, Saad, a lifelong expat and CEO of Commence Games, created Commence Games, which designs card games for political engag...
Nov 13, 2024•15 min•Season 2024Ep. 21
After a series of mistakes on the field led to an embarrassing loss for the middle school boys’ soccer team he coaches, Shawn Tucker found himself wrestling with feelings of shame, self-blame, and the temptation to deflect his discomfort onto others. Rather than giving in to anger or excuses, Shawn chose to sit with his feelings of embarrassment, using the moment to learn and reassess his priorities. Shawn Tucker is a professor of Humanities at Elon University and author of several books, includ...
Nov 06, 2024•14 min•Season 2024Ep. 20
When an articulate critic in a Facebook group challenged his long-held Conservative beliefs, Brian Parrish, exhausted by years of echoing the same arguments and encouraged by his brother, chose to begin engaging openly with opposing perspectives. This encounter sparked a journey of self-reflection and learning, transforming his approach to dialogue with people he once saw as the enemy. Brian Parrish is host of the podcast Parrish the Thought. He listened to Uncomfy and reached out to us to share...
Oct 30, 2024•13 min•Season 2024Ep. 19
Meet the teams behind Top of Mind and Uncomfy in this special crossover episode, where we share stories of sticking with a challenging perspective while working on the shows. We are exposed to a lot of nuanced viewpoints as we put podcast episodes together, which gives us the perfect opportunity to practice what we preach: choosing to lean into discomfort instead of lashing out or shying away. We’ve found clarity about our own beliefs, empathy for the people around us, and also developed the ski...
Oct 28, 2024•36 min
While making plans for his upcoming film, things got a lot more complicated and uncertain for filmmaker Nicholas Ma when his collaborator insisted on carrying out their production in a city that was both unfamiliar and potentially unwelcoming to Ma. Would he choose to walk away? Nicholas Ma is the director of the new film, Leap of Faith, and producer of the award-winning documentary, Won’t You Be My Neighbor. He is also the son of world-renowned cellist, Yo-Yo Ma. We’d love to hear about an Unco...
Oct 23, 2024•21 min•Season 2024Ep. 18
After having had hundreds of conversations with people across the political aisle, one persistent conversation partner would test David Kaufman’s resolve to stick with it. David Kaufman is a Conservative political commentator from South Carolina who has participated in more Braver Angels Red/Blue one-on-one conversations than anyone else. We’d love to hear about an Uncomfy moment you’ve experienced. Can you think of a time when you felt your perspective or worldview challenged and instead of get...
Oct 16, 2024•13 min•Season 2024Ep. 17
While contracting with a nonprofit, Carrie Hill made the choice to stop looking away from the difficult reality of child abuse in her community. Hill, a PR/marketing consultant and co-creator of InPowered, shares her pivotal moment of realization and the importance of educating the public. We’d love to hear about an Uncomfy moment you’ve experienced. Can you think of a time when you felt your perspective or worldview challenged and instead of getting defensive or bailing out, you chose to lean i...
Oct 09, 2024•15 min•Season 2024Ep. 16
At a conference on race, Christine Saxman, a White woman, faced a tough moment when another attendee, who was Black, questioned her intentions and efforts. How did she respond? Saxman, who co-authored Being White Today: A Roadmap for a Positive Anti-racist Life, shares how this conversation sparked deeper self-awareness and shaped her path as a racial justice and equity advocate. We’d love to hear about an Uncomfy moment you’ve experienced. Can you think of a time when you felt your perspective ...
Oct 02, 2024•16 min•Season 2024Ep. 15
After a heated debate left him questioning his approach, Jefferson Shupe attended an immigration rally, where he expected hostility but found something entirely different: people with fears, hopes, and stories that echoed his own. Shupe, author of The Bathwater Brigade, shares the challenges of confronting his own biases and the surprising empathy that emerged from stepping outside his ideological bubble. We’d love to hear about an Uncomfy moment you’ve experienced. Can you think of a time when ...
Sep 25, 2024•15 min•Season 2024Ep. 14
A college research project on Thomas Jefferson, which involved analyzing and defending opposing viewpoints, made Michael Birdyshaw have to face some uncomfortable truths. This experience would shape her teaching methods and her approach to coaching, emphasizing the importance of curiosity, compassion, and critical thinking. Michaela Birdyshaw is a leadership and communication coach and host of the podcast, “And All the Things.” We’d love to hear about an Uncomfy moment you’ve experienced. Can yo...
Sep 18, 2024•13 min•Season 2024Ep. 13
Finding herself in a middle seat on a flight home, Jazzalyn Livingston was engaged in a conversation with her seatmate. What started as a casual conversation quickly shifted to topics like gun rights, community and police violence. Despite initial discomfort and assumptions based on political differences, Livingston, who serves as National Program Director for the One America Movement and co-founder of Black Girls Leadership Academy, chose to listen carefully and set her assumptions aside, leadi...
Sep 11, 2024•12 min•Season 2024Ep. 12
After pouring years of passion and expertise into her latest book in hopes of inspiring a shift in how people collaborate and connect, Diana McLain Smith, organizational behavior expert and author of several books including her latest, Remaking the Space Between Us, was hit with a hard truth from her strategist: "People aren't buying what you're selling." The unexpected critique forced Smith to confront her own assumptions and reconsider her approach. We’d love to hear about an Uncomfy moment yo...
Sep 04, 2024•18 min•Season 2024Ep. 11
Tired and ready to be off her late-night flight, Piper Hendricks, founder of Stories Change Power, was caught off guard when her seatmate initiated an uncomfortable conversation, dismissing her deeply personal practice of writing letters to herself. As the discussion veered towards controversial topics, including political and social issues, Hendricks chose to engage with curiosity rather than defensiveness. We’d love to hear about an Uncomfy moment you’ve experienced. Can you think of a time wh...
Aug 28, 2024•18 min•Season 2024Ep. 10
Despite a successful career on Wall Street, Erik DaRosa lived with severe anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and PTSD. After suffering a dissociative episode, DaRosa made the life-changing decision to seek help, and it wasn’t until he sat across from a therapist for the first time that he began to finally share everything he’d been keeping inside. DaRosa shares how breaking his silence not only led to his healing but also empowered him to help others find their voices. We’d love to hear abo...
Aug 21, 2024•17 min•Season 2024Ep. 9
When James Coan, a Liberal, decided to attend the Conservative Political Action Committee—one of the biggest conservative gatherings in the U.S.—his apprehension was high. Coan, co-founder and executive director of More Like Us, was on a quest to promote the idea that we are more similar than we think, despite our politically charged environment. But just showing up to the event wouldn't be enough. Coan was determined to face a task he found particularly daunting—engaging with conservative media...
Aug 14, 2024•15 min•Season 2024Ep. 8
Just a few months after the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre, the people of Newtown, CT, needed to decide what to do with the old school building. Rich Harwood, the president and founder of the Harwood Institute, was called in to help. Harwood questioned whether he was up to this enormous task, but ultimately accepted the assignment. But the complexity of making that decision was beyond what anyone could have imagined. We’d love to hear about an Uncomfy moment you’ve experienced. Can you th...
Aug 07, 2024•21 min•Season 2024Ep. 7
Meisha Lerato and her all-Black group of friends were relaxing at a hotel pool when a group of rambunctious boys began splashing and rough housing, disrupting their peace. Feeling disrespected and sensing racial undertones, Meisha decided to confront the white man supervising the boys. The encounter had the potential to escalate quickly. What happened ended up changing the trajectory of Meisha's life. Meisha Lerato is the founder of nonprofit I Am We Are. We’d love to hear about an Uncomfy momen...
Jul 31, 2024•18 min•Season 2024Ep. 6
Preston Brightwell and Madeleine Jones, Field Directors at The Dignity Index, found themselves in a heated discussion over the use of a single word in their project's tagline—"patriotism." Preston, a conservative, and Madeleine, a liberal, discuss how their differing views on the term led to a moment of tension, assumptions, and eye-rolling that threatened to derail their project entirely. Hear them discuss how this disagreement ultimately became an opportunity to practice what they preach about...
Jul 24, 2024•16 min•Season 2024Ep. 5
Richard Craft—former healthcare leader and host of The Men of the House podcast—shares a defining moment from his career when a casual remark to some of his employees led to a formal write-up. Richard reflects on his journey of embracing humility and taking ownership of his actions and how this experience transformed his leadership style. We’d love to hear about an Uncomfy moment you’ve experienced. Can you think of a time when you felt your perspective or worldview challenged and instead of get...
Jul 17, 2024•21 min•Season 2024Ep. 4
Lisa Valentine Clark—comedian and host of The Lisa Show—had the perfect gift planned for her friend's 40th birthday. But she couldn't have been farther from the truth. The result was some difficult feedback on their friendship. Lisa shares how she stuck with the discomfort in that moment and what she did ten years later to make up for it. We’d love to hear about an Uncomfy moment you’ve experienced. Can you think of a time when you felt your perspective or worldview challenged and instead of get...
Jul 10, 2024•21 min•Season 2024Ep. 1
Parker Kane—beatboxer and motivational speaker—was facing a deep mental health crisis in college. He wanted to be a professional musician but couldn’t seem to find success. Parker slipped into a deep depression. Then, at his lowest point, he got a call from a friend inviting him out for a late-night run to McDonald’s. Parker didn’t feel up to it and almost said “no.” But that night at McDonald’s led to an experience that changed his life and jumpstarted his career. In this episode Parker talks a...
Jul 10, 2024•19 min•Season 2024Ep. 2
As a young child in Iran, Shima Baughman—criminal law professor and author of The Bail Book—was taught to hate Israel and Jews. She largely left those beliefs behind when she immigrated to the United States with her family. But after graduating from law school, Shima chose to tackle any lingering prejudice she still held by taking on the case of a Hasidic Jewish inmate's right to have a place to pray in prison. Shima shares how the experience taught her to search for the humanity in everyone she...
Jul 10, 2024•22 min•Season 2024Ep. 3
Real stories from guests who dared to get uncomfortable in a moment that challenged their worldview. In the thick of intense emotions, they chose to stay curious and open, rather than lash out or shy away, and came out the other side with stronger relationships, clearer beliefs, and increased confidence. And you can do it too! If you want to engage with others on important topics but aren’t sure how, or are burned out on social media and wish you could bring the humanity back into discussions on...
Jun 12, 2024•2 min
