# A Perfectly Imperfect Union: Reflections on America 250 with Susan Snodgrass

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/whole-again-mindfulness-and-resilience-through-kintsugi-wisdom-6642339/a-perfectly-imperfect-union-reflections-on-america-250-with-susan-snodgrass
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/whole-again-mindfulness-and-resilience-through-kintsugi-wisdom-6642339/a-perfectly-imperfect-union-reflections-on-america-250-with-susan-snodgrass.md
Podcast: [Whole Again: Mindfulness and Resilience Through Kintsugi Wisdom](https://stenobird.com/podcast/whole-again-mindfulness-and-resilience-through-kintsugi-wisdom-6642339)
Published: 2026-05-28T11:11:00+00:00
Episode link: https://michaelobrienshift.com/whole-again-podcast/
Audio file: https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/6ffce169-a725-425a-ad6a-c3d96ce4da52.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/whole-again-mindfulness-and-resilience-through-kintsugi-wisdom-6642339/episodes/a-perfectly-imperfect-union-reflections-on-america-250-with-susan-snodgrass
Duration seconds: 1557

## Resource

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 the American Dream look like when you grew up the daughter of a coal miner? That's the question Susan Snodgrass carries into this conversation. Born in West Virginia, raised in eastern Ohio, educated at a land-grant college, Susan has lived the version of America that promised: work hard enough, and you can lift yourself up. She believed it. She still wants to. But she's honest about what the data is telling us now. In this episode of A Perfectly Imperfect Union, Susan shares what's quietly dividing us in ways the red-versus-blue conversation keeps missing. Her answer isn't polarization. It's the K-shaped economy. The ultra-rich are pulling further away at the top, and the people at the bottom are falling further behind. The good people back in West Virginia, she says, are simply being left behind. Her wish for America at 250 is simple and quietly radical: take a minute to find what binds us together. And her personal commitment to get there? Trade the "yeah, but" for "yes, and." She also shares a moment at Muir Woods, standing beneath ancient redwoods where the United Nations once gathered, which helped her connect with the nature within us all. You can connect with Susan through LinkedIn. Here's the link. Before you go, Susan has two questions for the next neig…

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