Best Tackling The Issues That Divide Us Podcasts (2024)

1
Episode 82:What I Learned from Listening (Year Two) 19:32

4+ y ago19:32

19:32

It’s the last episode of 2019 and Colleen is sharing what she learned this year from listening to all her guests. This year provided so much food for thought as she listened and learned from a variety of people. Find out what were the most popular episodes and which ones have stuck with Colleen long after the microphone was turned off. Colleen also…

1
Episode 80: The Upsides and Pitfalls of the Enneagram with Jenn Batchelor and Anna Jordan 55:48

4+ y ago55:48

55:48

In this episode we talk Enneagram, or rather the pros and cons of this ancient self-knowledge tool. Colleen chats with two friends, Jenn Batchelor and Anna Jordan (from episode 77), about why they love the Enneagram, how its current popularity has effected its use, and what can be problematic about the Enneagram. Whether you’ve been doing a deep di…

1
Episode 79: A Conversation About the Role of Government with Mike Lindberg 52:21

4+ y ago52:21

52:21

This week we’ve got another special conversation. Colleen sits down with her long time friend, Mike Lindberg, to discuss the role of government. Mike and Colleen have spent many an hour discussing all the things they disagree about and over time they’ve come to realize their differences of opinion may root in what they each believe about the truest…

1
Episode 78: A Conversation about "Mismatching" Students to Listen Across Divides 38:51

4+ y ago38:51

38:51

What happens when you use the technology of Match.com to do its opposite? Instead of connecting people in common you try to connect people across differences. And then what would happen if you took that technology into classrooms and allowed students to video conference other students from vastly different socioeconomic, regional, and cultural plac…

1
Episode 77: Transracial Adoption and Parenting with Anna Jordan 52:51

5y ago52:51

52:51

This week’s discussion deals with the topic of transracial adoption and parenting. Guest Anna Jordan is a writer and educator as well as a mom to three, including a son who came to her family through adoption. Anna and Colleen discuss Anna’s family’s story, the unique challenges that face transracial families, and how the conversation around transr…

1
Episode 76: From Listening to Working Together with Graham Bodie and Pearce Godwin 42:07

5y ago42:07

42:07

Today we have two special guests. Graham Bodie and Pearce Godwin are two colleagues who are doing good work to help our country listen across the divide. Graham Bodie is a listening scholar, educator, and consultant. Pearce Godwin is Founder & CEO of Listen First Project, Executive Director of National Conversation Project, and leader of the #Liste…

1
Episode 75: A Conversation about the "Love Anyway" Film 24:53

5y ago24:53

24:53

This week’s episode features a discussion about the new film about the organization Preemptive Love. Jeremy and Jessica started Preemptive Love Coalition during the middle of the Iraq War in in 2008. Over the past decade they have been a non-profit on the front lines, providing relief and serving and working for peace in conflict rich areas of Iraq…

1
Episode 74: A Conversation about Outrage Culture with Tommy Powell 36:29

5y ago36:29

36:29

This week’s episode is a little different. Over the next few months we will be hosting a series of dialogues with friends and listeners around topics of disagreement. In an effort to practice what we preach about engaging polarizing topics with compassion, civility and nuance, we’re going to be doing just that. This week I sat down with my husband …

1
Episode 73: Polyamory with the Triad Family 51:42

5y ago51:42

51:42

This week we the Triad family is here to discuss polyamory and their family. Katie, Luis and Raquel are a polyamorous family From Baltimore, Maryland. We discuss the backlash they received for their choice to pursue this lifestyle, what challenges do they face and why they choose each other despite those challenges. You may not agree with their unc…

1
Episode 72: Listening Across Differences with Tracy Hollister 52:26

5y ago52:26

52:26

Welcome back! Today is the International Day of Listening! We have a special episode today with Tracy Hollister. Tracy works for the organization Listening Room Conversations, an organization attempting to heal divides with a conversational model developed by dialogue experts in order to facilitate connection between people despite their difference…

1
Episode 71: Is Fall the Best or the Worst with Ryann Kehoe 25:58

5y ago25:58

25:58

This week we have a lighter contentious topic to hash out. As the children have now gone back to school and the unofficial end of summer is just around the corner it’s time to answer this most important question once and for all: Is fall the best or the worst? Colleen joins her sister Ryann to debate the merits and drawbacks to this polarizing seas…

1
Episode 70: The Adversity Effect with Kenneth Cheadle 46:56

5y ago46:56

46:56

Adversity is a common theme for everyone. No one is exempt from dealing with adversity in some form or another and yet the universe does not dole out adversity equally. Today’s guest is Kenneth Cheadle, a speaker, certified life and career coach, a millennial leader, entrepreneur, and author. Ken’s own story of success includes beating the odds and…

1
Episode 69: White Supremacy and the Church with Lenny Duncan 56:09

5y ago56:09

56:09

This week addresses the topic of white supremacy and the church. Does the church play a role in white supremacy? What is theirs to do in dismantling it? And what will the cost be if the church doesn’t take on this work? Guest Lenny Duncan helps answer these questions. Lenny is a pastor and a mission developer, a queer black man and the author of De…

1
Episode 68: Free Speech and the Intellectual Dark Web with Freddy Weinberg 51:59

5y ago51:59

51:59

This week we are tackling free speech with a conversation with Freddy Weinberg about the Intellectual Dark Web. Freddy is a thinker, a journalist and the host of the Live Learn Repeat Podcast. Freddy and I discuss what, exactly, the IDW is, and whether or not free speech is at stake in our country. Is political correctness a threat to our country o…

1
Episode 67: Sugar Addiction with Michael Collins 47:42

5y ago47:42

47:42

This week we’re talking about sugar! Is it as bad as some say? Are we going to look back 100 years and be astonished we ever fed it to children? Or is it not that big of a deal? Today’s guest, Michael Collins has been sugar free for 30 years. He is the founder of SugarAddiction.com and Chairman of the Board of the Food Addiction Institute, and …

1
Episode 66: Changing Your Political Ideology with John Wood 50:09

5y ago50:09

50:09

What happens when the political ideologies you once believed don’t hold the weight that they used to? What does it look like to shift from one political party to the other. Our guest today John Wood did just that. At one time John campaigned passionately for Barak Obama. Just a few years later he was running himself as a Republican for the Congress…

1
Episode 65: The Power of Revolutionary Relationships with Rozella White 50:34

5y ago50:34

50:34

This week we are talking about Revolutionary Relationships. Guest Rosella White is the author of the new book Love Big: The Power of Revolutionary Relationships to Heal the World which delves into this concept of revolutionary relationships as relationships that change ourselves and the world around us. Rosella shares what she’s learned about the m…

1
Episode 64: The Foster Care System with Gwen Hicks 47:08

5y ago47:08

47:08

This week we’re talking about the foster care system, the good, the bad and the ugly. Guest Gwen Hicks is an educator, advocate and champion of kids in the foster care system. As the Chief Dreamer of Amarillo Angels, a non-profit designed to support children in foster care and their foster families, she has served those on the front lines within th…

1
Episode 63: Changing Our Opinions with Lyra Repplinger 43:55

5y ago43:55

43:55

We’re back!!! This week's episodes includes a conversation with an old friend. Lyra Repplinger and Colleen discuss a few things that they’ve changed their opinions on over the years. You may remember Lyra from episode 39, a recap episode. This time Lyra and Colleen take turns sharing a few of the big and small things they’ve changed their minds abo…

1
Episode 62: Polarizing Summer Opinions with Marty Finn 36:47

5y ago36:47

36:47

We’ve got another special episode! Every once in a while we take a break from all of our serious conversations for something a little more lighthearted. Last weekend was Memorial Day weekend which is the unofficial start of summer and so we are going to discuss polarizing summer opinions. Our “fun” polarizing opinion episodes can be some of our mos…

1
Episode 61: What We Learned Episodes 52-60 15:33

5y ago15:33

15:33

This week we have a recap episode! Every eight or nine episodes we pause to think about what we’ve learned from our guests. This week it’s just Colleen behind the mic sharing what she's learned from this set of conversations. We’ll be looking at episodes 52-60. This includes Pornography Addiction with Mark Macdonald, Depolarizing Politics with Davi…

1
Episode 60: Reframing the Singular Narrative with Jonathan Brooks 53:53

5y ago53:53

53:53

This week’s conversation covers a multitude of topics. My guest, Jonathan Brooks and I discuss the damaging effects of a singular narrative, what happens when escaping from your neighborhood becomes the definition of success and how falling in love with the place you live is the best hope for effecting change in your community. Jonathan is a lifelo…

1
Episode 59: Sexual Orientation and the Church (part 3) with David Bennett 53:49

5y ago53:49

53:49

This week we are finishing our series around sexual orientation and the Church. My guest is David Bennett. David hails from Sydney, Australia, lives in Oxford, where he is reading for his PhD in theological ethics, and works as an international speaker and research fellow for the Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics, and RZIM. He holds postgradu…

1
Episode 58: Non-Binary Gender Identity with Mason Aid 57:45

5+ y ago57:45

57:45

This week we are tackling a topic many may be unfamiliar or uneducated about. Mason Aid is here to talk about non-binary gender identity. Mason is an LGBTQ educator and advocate who helps educators and mental health professionals know how to better support teens as they come out and/or deal with mental health issues. Mason and I discuss what it mea…

1
Episode 57: The Reality of the American Dream and Upward Mobility with Lindsy Wallace 55:39

5+ y ago55:39

55:39

This week we are talking about the American Dream. What is the American Dream? Is it accessible to everyone? My guest is Lindsy Wallace, a wife and mother who has followed Jesus to the margins of society. We talk about the concept of the American Dream as well as downward and upward mobility, the ways in which our systems are designed with some inh…

1
Episode 56: Trans Identity and the Church with Ellie Dote 53:43

5+ y ago53:43

53:43

This week the topic is the intersection of trans identity and faith. The guest, Ellie Dote, is a deeply faithful Christian who has transitioned from male to female. She is on a mission to start the conversation about how and where trans people can belong in faith communities. Ellie and Colleen chat about her story, theology and the role she sees he…

1
Episode 55: Mass Incarceration and Prison Reform with Dominique Gilliard 1:06:34

5+ y ago1:06:34

1:06:34

In this episode we are continuing with a topic we first explored in episode 46: Post Incarceration Employment and Rehabilitation. Dominique Gilliard and Colleen discuss mass incarceration and prison reform. Dominique DuBois Gilliard is the Director of Racial Righteousness and Reconciliation for the Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC). He is the autho…

1
Episode 54: Sexual Orientation and the Church (part 2) with B.T. Harman 56:27

5+ y ago56:27

56:27

We are continuing our conversation this week around sexual orientation and the church with B.T. Harman. B.T. is the creator and author of the website Blue Babies Pink: A Southern Coming Out Story in 44 episodes. First as a blog, and then later in podcast form, BBP details B.T.’s story as a young man growing up in the church and coming to terms with…

1
Episode 53: Depolarizing Politics with David Lapp 1:01:18

5+ y ago1:01:18

1:01:18

This week’s guest will give you hope for the state of politics in this country. David Lapp is the co-founder of Better Angles, an organization determined to depolarize politics in our country. Better Angels hosts Red and Blue workshops around the country with the goal of promoting respectful dialogue and better understanding between the two politic…

1
Episode 52: Pornography Addiction with Mark MacDonald 51:08

5+ y ago51:08

51:08

This week we are tackling a very taboo topic. Licensed clinical social worker Mark MacDonald and I sit down to talk about pornography. Mark began his private practice about 20 years ago just as high speed internet was coming into homes and he saw his business immediately boom as people struggled to get out from under pornography addiction. Mark and…

1
Episode 51: What We Learned Episodes 43-50 21:39

5+ y ago21:39

21:39

It's a recap week! This time we've crowdsources responses from the Year of Listening community! Listeners sent in voice memos or emails with their thoughts on episodes 43-50. It was interesting to see which episodes struck a nerve and what inspired you all. Keep the conversation going! Head over to the episode show notes page to leave a comment abo…

1
Episode 50: Separating Church and State, God and Politics with Cody Cook 52:15

5+ y ago52:15

52:15

Colleen is talking faith and politics today! Whether or not faith plays a role in your politics, it is impossible to escape the role the Christian faith has played in politics in recent years. And if you’ve never contemplated to what degrees church and state are and should be separated, it’s worth considering. The guest is Cody Cook. Cody is a theo…

1
Episode 49: Coming Out to Living a More Full Life with Heather Vickery 44:49

5+ y ago44:49

44:49

This week’s guest is Heather Vickery. Heather Vickery is an award-winning entrepreneur, business owner, and coach. She is also a mother of four and host of the Brave Files podcast. Heather shares her story of coming out later in life as a married mother of four. We talk about sexual orientation, marriage, divorce, and how sexuality is about so much…

1
Episode 48: Parenting in an Age of Judgement with Meg Tietz 51:07

5+ y ago51:07

51:07

This week we are tackling parenting. While on the surface this may not seem like a hot button issue, anyone who has bumped up against a conflict in parenting methods knows that there are big feelings involved. The guest is Meg Tietz, creator and producer of The Sorta Awesome podcast and writer and creator of the former blog Sorta Crunchy. She is al…

1
Episode 47: Sexual Orientation and the Church (part one) with Nate Collins 53:10

5+ y ago53:10

53:10

This week Colleen is sitting down with Dr. Nate Collins. Dr. Nate Collins is the president and founder of Revoice, an evangelical organization that supports, encourages, and empowers gay, lesbian, and same-sex attracted Christians so they can flourish while observing the historic Christian doctrine of marriage and sexuality. Nate and Colleen talk a…

1
Episode 46: Post-Incarceration Rehabilitation and Employment 54:52

5+ y ago54:52

54:52

This week Colleen sits down with a dear friend and his friend to talk about incarceration, rehabilitation post-incarceration and the employment and mentoring of the formerly incarcerated. Ricky Staub launched Neighborhood Film Co from a homeless shelter in Philadelphia with a mission to mentor and employ men returning home from prison. Marvin is a …

1
Episode 45: Women and Money with Bethany Bayless 45:41

5+ y ago45:41

45:41

Money, power and gender are all pretty taboo cocktail party topics and this week Bethany Bayless and Colleen tackle them all. They talk about why women have a hard time leaning into personal finances and advocating for themselves when it comes to compensation for their work. Bethany Bayless is a professional speaker and emcee. She has a podcast cal…

1
Episode 44: Immigration with Shannon Underwood 58:43

5+ y ago58:43

58:43

Today we’re talking to Shannon Underwood about immigration. Shannon and Colleen talk about why the immigration issue is so complicated, we tackle some of the common arguments against immigration and dive into the issue of immigration and jobs. Shannon’s expertise and common sense wisdom on this topic will really help you wrap your mind around this …

1
Episode 43: Playing Devil's Advocate with Chris Tatem 53:01

5+ y ago53:01

53:01

We’re back! This week's guest is Chris Tatem. By day, Chris works in the criminal justice system and gets to watch lawyers ply their trade in the courtroom. By night, Chris is a podcast host who uses the skills he learns by observing others in the courtroom to improve the way we disagree with one another. Chris hosts the podcast the Cross Examined …

1
Episode 42: What I Learned Year One 27:26

5+ y ago27:26

27:26

It's the last episode of the year and this time it's just Colleen behind the mic, sharing what she's learned this year by having polarizing conversations on the podcast. She also shares some of her episode superlatives and what's ahead for A Year of Listening.By Colleen Powell

1
Episode 41: Polarizing Pop Culture Opinions 45:08

5+ y ago45:08

45:08

It’s another special (fun) episode! This week my dear friend and fellow pop culture enthusiast, Whitney Hudson, and I grabbed a glass of wine (or a G&T in my case) and shared our most polarizing pop culture opinions. Tune in to hear us discuss the movies we hate (that everyone else loves), the celebrities we don’t find attractive, and the ones we d…

1
Episode 40: Are the Harry Potter Books the Greatest Series Ever Written or Terrible? 48:44

5+ y ago48:44

48:44

Hold on to your hats kids, this may be the most contentious conversation we’ve had on the show yet… It’s the holiday season and we’re going to lighten it up around here with a few fun conversations as we wrap up the year. This week I sat down with two friends, Casey Raevsky and Kurt Holt to have a chat about the Harry Potter series. Kurt thinks the…

1
Episode 39: What We Learned (episodes 31-38) 51:00

5+ y ago51:00

51:00

It’s a recap week! This week I sat down with my friend Lyra Repplinger to recap episodes 31-38! We chatted about what we agreed with, what we disagreed with and everything in between. Lyra had great insight and thoughts about these conversations! Connect with Lyra! Come find her on Instagram! Also mentioned in the episode: Hey Ladies! by Michelle M…

1
Episode 38: Cochlear Implants and the Deaf Community with Jason Anderson 56:23

5+ y ago56:23

56:23

Today Colleen sits down with her friend Jason Anderson to talk about a little known polarizing issue! Jason Anderson is a disability services counselor at large university (focus on deaf and hard of hearing students). His personal relationship with deafness, hearing loss, and disability allow him the unique opportunity to see multiple perspectives …

1
Episode 37: The Intersection of Men's Rights and Feminism with Alison Donaghey 55:52

6y ago55:52

55:52

This week Colleen sits down with Alison Donaghey. Alison is a radio host of The Alison Donaghey Show, and author of an international best-selling book, Think Opposite: Using the Domino Effect to Change Your Business, Change the World. Alison is exploring the intersection of feminism and men’s rights and the conversation today will really make you t…

1
Episode 36: Attention, Social Media, and Technology with Neen James (Part 2) 36:43

6y ago36:43

36:43

This week Colleen finishes her conversation with speaker and author Neen James about technology and social media, our addiction and dependency. Part two gets into the nitty gritty- tips to help us curb our own use, and how to have conversations in our community to cultivate a better atmosphere with regards to technology.…

1
Episode 35: Attention, Social Media and Technology with Neen James (Part 1) 45:40

6y ago45:40

45:40

Technology, social media and attention. These are hot button issues that we all struggle with to some extent. This week Colleen chatted with speaker and author Neen James, who wrote the book on attention, about our dependency and in some cases addiction to technology and social media, how we can break the cycle and the graceful reminders we can all…

1
Episode 34: Issues in the Trans Community with Jessica Pettitt 1:03:31

6y ago1:03:31

1:03:31

This week Colleen and author and speaker Jessica Pettitt talk about Trans issues. They tackle everything from how to talk about the topic, definitions and terms, trans kids, legislation affecting the trans community and Jess shares her experience as a lesbian woman married to a transman.By Colleen Powell

1
Episode 33: Work Philosophy and Company Culture with Mike Ganino 49:50

6y ago49:50

49:50

Do you live to work or work to live? On today’s episode work place culture guru Mike Ganino and Colleen sit down to discuss these two philosophies and how work place culture affects all of our lives.By Colleen Powell

1
Episode 32: Climate Change with Terry Quain 57:07

6y ago57:07

57:07

On today’s episode Colleen is chatting with former physics teacher Terry Quain about climate change and an organization she is a part of that has a brilliant, achievable plan to help turn the boat around with regards to the damage climate change is doing to our world. You will learn a lot from today’s conversation.…

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Tackling The Issues That Divide Us Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Quick Reference Guide