Episode
Why Braver Angels Workshops Bring Surprise and Hope. Maryanne Colter
- Podcast
- How Do We Fix It?
- Published
- Apr 10, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 1684
- Processing state
not_requested
Actions
POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/how-do-we-fix-it-667/episodes/why-braver-angels-workshops-bring-surprise-and-hope-maryanne-colter/transcription-requests
Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/how-do-we-fix-it-667/why-braver-angels-workshops-bring-surprise-and-hope-maryanne-colter.md
Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.
Summary
Right now is a really difficult time to convince Americans to come together and listen to the other side. How can we be hopeful at a time of so much anger, division, violence and despair when our political leaders speak with such venom about their opponents? “What we’re doing now is sorting into our tribes and silos,” says our guest Maryanne Colter, state coordinator for Braver Angels of Illinois . With curiosity and humility she works to physically bring people of opposing views together in the same room. “This is where the magic happens, when we can sit across the table and treat people as human beings.” Here we learn about different types of Braver Angels workshops and how they often surprise and change the perspectives of those who take part. “That’s what brings me hope,” Maryanne tells us. “How Do We Fix It?” podcasts report on the people, projects, and ideas of Braver Angels, the national movement that pushes back against toxic polarization and brings reds, blues and independents together to find common ground and gain respect for different points of view. In their workshops, debates, and online events, Braver Angels explores how we can disagree better and choose connection over domination. In this episode we include extracts from a public television documentary by WTTW Chicago about the work of Braver Angels of Illinois. We hear what happened when blue-leaning members of Braver Angels spent an evening with Chicago Young Republicans last September, right after Charlie Kirk was murdered. Maryanne Colter has been a volunteer with Braver Angels since 2019. She has Moderated dozens of Braver Angels Workshops and took on the role of State Coordinator for Illinois in December of 2024. Maryanne recently retired after a long c…