Episode
A Perfectly Imperfect Union: Reflecting on America 250 with Maggie Mick
- Published
- Jul 2, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 2258
- Processing state
not_requested- Canonical source
- https://michaelobrienshift.com/whole-again-podcast/
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Summary
The Whole Again Podcast: Mindfulness and Resilience through Kinstugi Wisdom airs every Monday, Wednesday and Friday with Pause Breathe Reflect Microdose Meditations, Growth Mindset and Mindfulness Tips, to help us transform our scars into healing and resilience. And between May and October, I'm sharing a new series I'm calling: A Perfectly Imperfect Union. It's about connecting with every day folks as they reflect on America at 250. Conversations will air every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. ------- What does freedom mean when you've seen what life looks like without it? I recently sat down with Maggie Mick, a Kentucky-based government affairs leader with MultiState, co-host of The Political Life podcast, and a woman whose family history traces back to the first Welsh settlers of Philadelphia. She's traveled the world as a soft diplomat, breaking bread with people in far-flung places, and what she came home with every time was gratitude. But she's also watching something quietly erode: local community. The stickiness, as she calls it, that comes from knowing your neighbor, showing up for a stranger, gathering in shared spaces. Without it, she says, we lose our ability to hold anyone accountable for anything. And then there's Harry. Her great-grandfather, who survived an orphan train, indentured servitude, and an abusive placement only to escape, join the military, raise nine children, build a journalism career, and become so beloved in southeast Nebraska that there's now a statue of him at the Orphan Train Museum. Harry is the American dream, and Maggie carries him with her. You can connect with Maggie via MultiState , The Political Life Podcast , or LinkedIn. And finally, Maggie's question for you and our next guest in our series, Laura Cross, is: If you could live i…