Best Villagesquare Podcasts (2024)

1
Wisdom from Conflict: Resetting The Table 1:38:40

29d ago1:38:40

1:38:40

Drawing on decades of experience addressing volatile disagreements surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Resetting the Table works to transform toxic polarization and destructive political conflict in the U.S. We’ll be joined by Resetting the Table’s Co-Founding CEO, Melissa Weintraub, a veteran peacebuilder and social entrepreneur who has …

1
God Squad: Seeking High Ground in the School Wars 59:53

1M ago59:53

59:53

In a culturally, religiously and racially diverse society like ours — with a single public school system designed to educate America’s children — maybe we shouldn’t be surprised that the culture wars have Officially Hit Our Schools. When you clear away the noise, at the core of the struggle is this: what should our schools teach our children—and wh…

1
Jonathan Haidt: The Anxious Generation 52:11

2M ago52:11

52:11

We were honored to hang out with our intellectual hero, Dr. Jonathan Haidt, a few weeks before the release of his recent book The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness. Unsurprisingly, since its release, it became an instant #1 New York Times bestseller. If you have kids, if you know kids —…

1
UNUM Series: The Soul of Civility 1:35:52

2M ago1:35:52

1:35:52

Find the program online here: https://tlh.villagesquare.us/event/soul-of-civility/ While our special guest Alexandra O. Hudson, author of “The Soul of Civility: Timeless Principles to Heal Society and Ourselves,” finds the challenges to civility today dire, she thinks they’re not new — and they’re most definitely not about being more polite. Lexi b…

1
Fragile Neighborhoods with Dr. Seth Kaplan 1:24:49

3M ago1:24:49

1:24:49

“Fragile Neighborhoods is an essential and engaging read for everyone who wants to better understand the challenges facing our cities, towns and our nation at large.” Richard Florida – Bestselling Author of “The Rise of the Creative Class” Find the full program online here — https://tlh.villagesquare.us/event/fragile-neighborhoods/ As we continue o…

1
God Squad: Everyone is Canceled! 1:07:34

3M ago1:07:34

1:07:34

Find the full program online here — and meet The God Squad: https://tlh.villagesquare.us/event/canceled/. We’re living in a time when a bad choice of words (much less a deeply held countercultural opinion) can tank your career, in a media environment where some are doing a near-professional job of elevating being offensive to an art form—almost beg…

1
Dr. Jonathan Haidt | After Babel: "The Fragmentation of Everything" 1:42:47

4M ago1:42:47

1:42:47

We wanted you wonderful SquareCast listeners to know that we didn't plan for this episode to drop on Leap Day and we didn't plan on it being (we kid you not) Episode 100. But both things just happened. At the very least, we think that's a sign that you really ought to listen. Were we "the universe has a plan" maximalists, though, we'd say it means …

1
The Big Sort with Bill Bishop 1:10:04

4M ago1:10:04

1:10:04

Pulitzer Prize finalist journalist Bill Bishop joins The Village Square for Dinner at the Square. (See photos from the event here.) Turns out Americans have been sorting ourselves in every aspect of our lives – in the news we watch, the books we read, the churches we attend, even the neighborhoods we live in. Our special guest Pulitzer Prize finali…

1
Being Human in Divided Times: A fireside chat with Village Square founder Liz Joyner 1:26:29

5M ago1:26:29

1:26:29

In this episode of SquareCast Village Square Founder & CEO Liz Joyner let Village SquareCast Corey Nathan talk her into being the guest in an episode. It’s hard to get away from the doom scroll that typifies our life and times right now — we’re clobbered with toxic sludge when we turn on the news, catch up with friends on social media or just try t…

1
Rachel Brown: The Roots of Belonging & The Risks of Othering 1:37:50

5M ago1:37:50

1:37:50

In this episode of SquareCast we're joined by the extraordinary Rachel Brown, the Founder of Over Zero—named in reference to the “zero sum game” that exists in sporting events, but becomes dangerous when it overtakes a society, as it has ours. Over Zero was founded to prevent identity-based violence and other forms of group-targeted harm around the…

1
Stephen P. Kiernan: Authentic Patriotism 51:45

6M ago51:45

51:45

In this age of deep and growing civic divisions, perhaps it's time to revise the comic strip Pogo's iteration of U.S. Navy Master Commandant Oliver Perry's quote from the War of 1812: "We have met the enemy and it is us." From our special Dinner at the Square guest Stephen Kiernan's masterpiece book Authentic Patriotism: “The problems America faces…

1
God Squad: Ending the Cycle of Mean 1:06:42

7M ago1:06:42

1:06:42

Americans are sad and lonely, and we don’t feel like we belong. With depression and “deaths of despair” on the rise, over half of us say that no one knows us well—a truly alarming statistic that doesn’t bode well for our future. As if matters weren’t bad enough, we’re not just sad and alone—we’re becoming more mean to each other, and it’s likely pa…

1
God Squad: Shut Up and (Don't) Sing 1:05:51

8M ago1:05:51

1:05:51

With our culture wars at a full rolling boil, apparently all it takes to send our enmity over the edge is…a good old-fashioned country song?? The furor over Jason Aldean’s “Try That in A Small Town” (and then there’s Oliver Anthony’s “Rich Men North of Richmond”) is reminiscent of the old furor over The Dixie Chicks—only the “sides” have switched u…

1
Dr. Todd Rose | Collective Illusions: Conformity, Complicity and the Science of Why We Make Bad Decisions 1:24:33

8M ago1:24:33

1:24:33

At the core of the deep societal divisions we navigate every day is an assumption that we share little with “those people” with whom we share a country—a belief that leaves us on dangerous ground as a nation. But author and entrepreneur Dr. Todd Rose says we’ve got that all wrong. According to Dr. Rose, not only do we agree more often than we think…

1
Robert Putnam & Shaylyn Romney Garrett | Join or Die: Why you should join a club — and why the fate of America depends on it 1:36:48

9M ago1:36:48

1:36:48

“Our national myths often exaggerate the role of the individual heroes and understate the importance of collective effort. —Robert Putnam This is when you meet a living legend and get the benefit of his thinking on the topic he’s been brilliantly, prophetically right about for more than three decades: the deterioration of our connectedness with eac…

1
The Way Out: Overcoming Toxic Polarization, with Dr. Peter T. Coleman 1:29:26

9M ago1:29:26

1:29:26

“A remarkable combination of scientific insight, practical guidance, and grounded hope.” —Adam Grant, #1 New York Times bestselling author of THINK AGAIN Toxic polarization and conflict is exhausting. Whether it’s in your family, at work or in our perpetually acrimonious civic life, it’s like a suitcase full of big ole rocks we lug around while we …

1
TP&R Feed Drop | Tim Keller and Michael Gerson, A Tribute with Pete Wehner and Jonathan Rauch 25:01

10M ago25:01

25:01

The Village Square is truly delighted to offer you a feed drop episode of Talkin' Politics & Religion Without Killin' Each Other—a podcast we loved so much, we convinced its host to also be our host (that's fandom). Along with Village SquareCast, TP&R is also a proud member of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what's broken i…

1
When the People Decide Feed Drop | Libraries as civic spaces 26:13

10M ago26:13

26:13

The Village Square is truly delighted to offer you a feed drop episode of When The People Decide, a podcast about how everyday people are shaping democracy. Along with Village SquareCast, they're a member of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what's broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it. Listen to When…

1
How Do We Fix It Feed Drop | The Middle 70%. In This Together: Bill Shireman 31:37

11M ago31:37

31:37

The Village Square is truly delighted to offer you a feed drop episode of the "How Do We Fix It?" podcast, from the coolest podcast hosting dynamic duo we know and love, Richard Davies and Jim Meigs. These two have real fun together and with their guests—and we all get to listen. This episode of How Do We Fix It? "The Middle 70%: In This Together" …

1
Let's Find Common Ground Feed Drop | Patriotism: Pride, Race and Reckoning 31:29

12M ago31:29

31:29

The Village Square is truly delighted to offer you a feed drop episode of the "Let's Find Common Ground" podcast, from the extraordinary national leader in bridging divides Common Ground Committee. (Shout out to the co-founders Bruce Bond and Erik Olsen. We're groupie fans.) Meet them: With polarization dominating public discourse, can we find a pa…

1
Democracy Works Feed Drop: Separating News From Noise 49:46

1y ago49:46

49:46

The Village Square is truly delighted to offer you an episode of one of the best podcasts in the democracy space—Democracy Works. Meet them: The Democracy Works podcast seeks to answer that question by examining a different aspect of democratic life each week — from voting to criminal justice to the free press and everything in between. We intervie…

1
TP&R Feed Drop: Bob Cusack, Editor in Chief at THE HILL 59:57

1y ago59:57

59:57

The Village Square is truly delighted to offer our very favorite listeners (you) this feed drop of one of our very favorite podcasts (that isn't Village SquareCast)—Talkin' Politics & Religion Without Killin' Each Other—with its host the one and only Corey Nathan. (Corey just happens to also be our co-host too we like him so much.) In this episode …

1
A Braver Story: The Braver Angels Story of American Citizenship 1:35:08

1y ago1:35:08

1:35:08

The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise with the occasion. —Abraham Lincoln. This episodes tells the story of one group of people who have risen. Built by patriotic volunteers, Braver Angels is a national movement to bridge the partisan divide, equally balanced between conservatives and progressives at every level of leadership…

1
God Squad: Political Football, Inc. 1:08:02

1y ago1:08:02

1:08:02

Is political branding of everything really good for anyone? These days politicians aren’t the only ones who have to state their opinion on every single political disagreement du jour. It seems like practically every religious, nonprofit and for-profit company has to do the same, with everyone from mom-and-pop operations to Fortune 500 companies for…

1
Created Equal | Walking Up Hill Both Ways: Black Women & The Fight for Equality 1:06:34

1y ago1:06:34

1:06:34

Throughout American history, Black women have been expected to serve and support others. Now, what should be done to support Black women? Despite Black women being the anchor for their families, networks, and community, they continue to be disregarded for economic opportunities, dismissed in health care, and deprioritized in society. Black women in…

1
Broken News with Chris Stirewalt 1:27:32

1y ago1:27:32

1:27:32

Don’t miss this warm, funny professional’s guided tour of an industry that is failing us—the "Broken News." You'll laugh, you'll cry. You'll know a thing or two to do to fix it. Our very special guest, Chris Stirewalt—a former Fox News political editor— gives us an inside view of the rage-driven political environment we’ve found ourselves plunged i…

1
God Squad: Love Thy Neighbor. No Exceptions? 1:04:40

1y ago1:04:40

1:04:40

Love Thy Neighbor. No Exceptions? Does the admonition to love one’s neighbor really come without exceptions? Must churches welcome white nationalists? Gay couples? January 6 sympathizers? BLM activists? Is everyone my neighbor? And what does love really mean? Joining us for God Squad are Father Tim Holeda of St. Thomas More Co-Cathedral, Pastor Joe…

1
Peter Kageyama: For the Love of Cities 1:00:06

1+ y ago1:00:06

1:00:06

Why do we connect emotionally with some places and not others? And why does that matter? Author and speaker Peter Kageyama loves cities. Big cities, small cities, villages and small towns. Our special podcast guest is Peter Kageyama on his extraordinary book. Wherever you live, this program is for you. In fact, wherever you live, we think you ought…

1
Local Patriotism: The "David" of local community vs the "Goliath" of national dysfunction 1:30:27

1+ y ago1:30:27

1:30:27

The forces that divide us are big, strong, viral, international in scope and have seemingly infected every system of our body politic. It’s the degree of that rot that has led us back this year to where it all began — to people we’ve come to know over these years — to this place, these people. Through this tumultuous time, we have come to believe t…

1
Hate, Undone. With Daryl Davis. 1:36:17

1+ y ago1:36:17

1:36:17

"WHEN TWO ENEMIES ARE TALKING, THEY'RE NOT FIGHTING." When Daryl Davis was ten, he didn’t understand hate yet. But then he was the only black scout in a parade to honor Paul Revere’s ride to Concord, when he began getting hit by bottles. It was then that he formed a question in his mind that he’s spent much of a lifetime answering: “How can you hat…

1
God Squad: Let Friendship Redeem the Republic 54:30

1+ y ago54:30

54:30

In our year-long celebration of the superpower of healthy friendships across differences, you’ll meet God Squad’s friends who they don’t quite agree with. Then we’ll let friendly disagreement rip (and live to tell). Join us for this chat about how to tackle difficult topics within the relationships that matter to us the most… and how to keep friend…

1
God Squad: Holy Misconceptions, Batman!! 1:07:15

1+ y ago1:07:15

1:07:15

Isn't Hanukkah the most important holiday to Jews? Don't Catholics object to sex unless reproduction is the goal? Don't all religions worship the same God and (more or less) teach the same things? Doesn't the Bible say that God helps those who help themselves? The God Squad will consider many of the myths, truths, and misunderstandings that everyda…

1
Who Stole the American Dream? 1:17:20

1+ y ago1:17:20

1:17:20

Hedrick Smith, Pulitzer Prize-winning former New York Times reporter and editor and Emmy award-winning producer/correspondent, has established himself over the past 50 years as one of America’s premier journalists. His best-seller, “Who Stole the American Dream” is a startling and revealing portrait of the past 30 years of U.S. political and econom…

1
The Theory of Enchantment with Chloé Valdary 1:27:00

1+ y ago1:27:00

1:27:00

“Chloé has an independent cast of mind and a roving curiosity that leads her to ask probing questions, pursue original lines of inquiry, and reach provocative and often brilliant conclusions. Every time I see her, I walk away with my mind buzzing with new ideas—her ideas.”—New York Times columnist Bret Stephens Chloé Valdary has a refreshing and hu…

1
Respect, Rebel, Repeat: Subversive Friendships for Divided Times 40:20

1+ y ago40:20

40:20

Back in the day, many political foes were friends in real life—hanging out for a beer after a tough legislative floor fight, attending their kids’ weddings over the weekends. It’s a sure sign of the times when any across-the-aisle friends that still exist out there in the wild tend to keep their friendship on the down low, in case they’d be accused…

1
“I Never Thought of it That Way" with Mónica Guzmán 1:34:28

1+ y ago1:34:28

1:34:28

‘The way you show people that they matter is aiming your curiosity at them. Ask yourself “what kinds of people do I talk about, but never with?” Whoever is underrepresented in your life will be overrepresented in your imagination.’ —Mónica Guzmán Ready to fight back against the confusion, heartbreak, and madness of our dangerously divided times? Fi…

1
God Squad: Souls to the Polls? 58:34

1+ y ago58:34

58:34

It’s an election year. Should churches have political candidates speak at Sunday services? Should clergy tell congregants how to vote? Should congregations organize political rallies or get-out-the-vote efforts? What are the proper lines for religious involvement in politics? And what are the consequences (to the body politic and to religious commu…

1
Bridge Building + Bipartisanship 1:02:34

1+ y ago1:02:34

1:02:34

Bridge building?! (We’re not talking about the Golden Gate, people.) An industry that was recently unknown and almost nonexistent has exploded in recent years, as average citizens begin to see the sharp growth in political divisions as an emergency that requires our attention. In the midst of a divisive election season, we’ll take a pause to chat w…

1
God Squad: Wanted - A Few Civic Heroes 58:00

1+ y ago58:00

58:00

In celebration of The Village Square’s determination this year to celebrate what’s working and worth emulating (in a world in which so much seems broken), God Squad will kick off their 13th season thinking about our fellow humans who have behaved heroically during these challenging times. But—beware—one person’s hero might be the other’s villain in…

1
How to have better political conversations OR Ending this Zombie Apocalypse 1:18:46

2y ago1:18:46

1:18:46

“There’s people wandering around in packs, not thinking for themselves, seized by this mob mentality trying to spread their disease and destroy society. And you probably think, as I do, that you’re the good guy in the zombie apocalypse movie, and all this hate and polarization, it’s being propagated by the other people, because we’re Brad Pitt, rig…

1
Race to Truth with Neil Phillips 50:59

2y ago50:59

50:59

In the year prior to his assassination, the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King isolated himself in a house in Jamaica where he wrote what was to become his final book. King said he felt at home there: “In Jamaica I feel like a human being.” “One day, here in America,” said King, “I hope that we will see this and we will become one big family of Americ…

1
Seven Deadly Sins: The Decline of Moral Community and the Rise of Public Corruption 1:29:33

2y ago1:29:33

1:29:33

Why don’t liberals seem to care about moral behavior and the moral communities that support it? Why don’t conservatives seem to care about rampant public corruption at the heart of our political system? If we care about doing the right thing, can’t we care about both? There is perhaps nowhere in our civic debate where the conversation has grown so …

1
Flip the Switch: Corey Nathan interviews Liz Joyner and Vanessa Rowse 1:11:55

2y ago1:11:55

1:11:55

Join us as podcast host Corey Nathan of Talkin’ Politics and Religion without Killin’ Each Other flips the switch by interviewing The Village Square's Liz Joyner and Vanessa Rowse about how we make pigs fly. We were fast friends with Corey right from the start because of our shared goal to have constructive and respectful conversations about those …

1
When the People Decide 36:47

2y ago36:47

36:47

On this special edition of Village SquareCast, we’re excited to introduce you to one of our BFFs in the saving democracy space. Jenna Spinelle of the McCourtney Institute for Democracy has a new podcast we think you'll love, so we're sharing episode #1 in our feed. When the People Decide is a new eight-episode narrative series on ballot initiatives…

1
God Squad: Spiritual Lessons of a Pandemic 1:01:08

2y ago1:01:08

1:01:08

It's really easy to be in touch right now with the dark side of human nature that's been so thoroughly highlighted through the pandemic, but is there something else to see? Maybe transcendence, empathy and heroic self-sacrifice? And where there isn't much to look at that's positive, can we turn our trauma into a spiritual evolution — personally or …

1
God Squad: The Skeptics Have Their Say 1:05:45

2y ago1:05:45

1:05:45

Meet "The Skeptics," a DIY lay version of God Squad — they're a group of politically and spiritually diverse group of people who've been meeting once a week for years (in some private location that for some reason they're not letting on to). Lucky us — we'll meet four of the Skeptics (a Catholic, a Protestant, a Mormon, and an atheist) who have for…

1
Talkin' Politics & Religion without Killin' Each Other - featuring Christine Todd Whitman 1:10:32

2y ago1:10:32

1:10:32

On this episode of Village SquareCast, we’re thrilled to introduce you to one of our besties in the saving democracy space. Corey Nathan, host of Talkin’ Politics and Religion without Killin’ Each Other, is committed to taking some airspace back from the screamers who feed off our divisions. He says politics and religion are too important to be lef…

1
Majority Minority with Dr. Justin Gest 1:25:52

2y ago1:25:52

1:25:52

“Trenchant and groundbreaking work.” —Molly Ball, National Political Correspondent, TIME Magazine “The go-to source for understanding how demographic change is impacting American politics.” —Jonathan Capehart, The Washington Post and MSNBC How do societies respond to great demographic change? This question lingers over the contemporary politics of …

1
Intellectual Humility in a Polarized World 1:27:20

2y ago1:27:20

1:27:20

Dr. Kurt Gray of UNC Chapel Hill joins us for this timely and intriguing discussion about intellectual humility. Simply put, we'll be exploring the importance of knowing you might be wrong (gasp! yes, even you), why this is so important, and what we can do about it to help build human connections and bridge our divides. At a time when complex techn…

1
What 100 Coffees can teach us about being human 52:08

2y ago52:08

52:08

100 Coffees. Coffee and people are two of the joys of Alex Workman’s life. He has a long-standing goal of trying to have coffee with someone he’s never met (or doesn’t know very well) once a week. In 2021, Alex embarked on a challenge to meet 100 people for coffee – he reached his goal by May and kept right on going. 163 coffees later he tells us w…

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