# You Can't Have the I Without the We | Brian Hooks of Stand Together

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/talkin-politics-religion-without-killin-each-other-3353845/you-can-t-have-the-i-without-the-we-brian-hooks-of-stand-together
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/talkin-politics-religion-without-killin-each-other-3353845/you-can-t-have-the-i-without-the-we-brian-hooks-of-stand-together.md
Podcast: [Talkin‘ Politics & Religion Without Killin‘ Each Other](https://stenobird.com/podcast/talkin-politics-religion-without-killin-each-other-3353845)
Published: 2026-04-21T09:34:00+00:00
Episode link: https://www.politicsandreligion.us/e/brianhooks/
Audio file: https://pscrb.fm/rss/p/mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/f83xr934yjxp63a9/BrianHooks_Produced.mp3
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Duration seconds: 4074

## Resource

"We're living in this collective illusion where the extremes are mischaracterizing who we are as a people." More than 70% of Americans — across every demographic — say their deepest aspiration is to contribute to the lives of others. Most of them think they're alone in that. They're not. Brian Hooks, Chairman and CEO of Stand Together, joins the show to make the case that the country's most urgent challenge isn't changing who people are. It's giving them permission to be who they already want to be. Calls to Action ✅ If this conversation resonates, consider sharing it with someone who believes connection across difference still matters. ✅ Subscribe to Corey’s Substack: coreysnathan.substack.com ✅ Leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen: ratethispodcast.com/goodfaithpolitics ✅ Subscribe to Talkin’ Politics & Religion Without Killin’ Each Other on your favorite podcast platform. ✅ Watch the full conversation and subscribe on YouTube: youtube.com/@politicsandreligion Key Takeaways You can't have the I without the We. Hooks challenges the framing that pits individualism against community. Drawing on Abraham Maslow's concept of synergy, he argues the selfish and the selfless aren't in tension — when they merge, you get a flywheel of progress rather than a zero-sum fight. We're living a collective illusion. Neuroscientist Todd Rose's research reveals that most people privately want to contribute to their communities — but assume they're outliers. That self-silencing lets a loud minority misrepresent the country's character. Naming the illusion is the first step to dissolving it. The challenge isn't persuasion. It's permission. Hooks argues Americans don't need to be convinced to be better citizens — they need social permission to act on values t…

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## Transcript

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