From Dirt We Grow

He challenged Broadview. He took legal action against an ICE agent. Now, he's speaking out. What happens when a lawyer finds himself at the center of the very legal battles he's fighting? In this episode, Chicago-area attorney Robert Held joins us for a deeper conversation about the legal conflicts surrounding the Broadview facility, restrictions on protest activity, First Amendment rights, and hi...

Who does government really serve — the people who elect its leaders, or the institutions that hold the power? In this episode of From Dirt We Grow , we sit down with Detroit activist and human rights advocate James Chandler to examine the issues he believes are standing between ordinary people and a more just, accountable system. From housing inequality and tenant protections to election reform, g...

What if becoming an informed voter didn't require hours of research, political expertise, or trying to piece together information from a dozen different websites? We're told that voting is our voice. But how can we make informed decisions when we don't know who the candidates are, what certain elected offices actually do, or where to find reliable information about the choices on our ballots? On t...

What if America isn't actually as divided as we think it is? Wesley Warshawer is a Fulbright Scholar, finance professional, and lifelong traveler who has spent years stepping outside the environments that shaped his worldview. At 19, a semester studying abroad in India changed the way he saw the world. Years later, his scholarship took him to South Korea, where he studied alongside hundreds of stu...

A 2028 presidential candidate you've never heard of — and that's exactly the point. Azeem Hussein is running without party machinery and without corporate or AIPAC backing. In this conversation: what's actually broken, what running outside the machine looks like, how he plans to rebuild the U.S., and what you can do to help the cause. *********************************** Follow Azeem on socials: Ti...

For generations, we've been handed expectations about what it means to be a man, what it means to be a woman, how we're supposed to behave, what roles we're supposed to fill, and even whose voice deserves to be heard. But how much of what we consider "normal" is actually natural—and how much was taught to us? In Part 5 of Conversations We Avoid , we're talking about the gender divide and the uncom...

What if the racial divisions we see today make more sense when we understand the history we were never fully taught? In this episode of From Dirt We Grow , we continue with part 4 of the conversations we avoid series with the topic of the racial divide so prominent in society. Before we can have progressive discourse about the subject, we need to be properly informed with the facts. Not the white-...

PART 3 OF THE CONVERSATIONS WE AVOID AS A SOCIETY Why can we openly discuss physical health while mental health still carries so much stigma, shame, and misunderstanding? In Part 1 of this series, we started talking about the subjects society tends to avoid—the uncomfortable conversations that we'd rather ignore than confront. In Part 2, we dug into addiction and what happens when we stop seeing t...

In the last episode of From Dirt We Grow , we started a conversation about the subjects society would rather avoid—the conversations that make us uncomfortable, challenge what we think we know, and force us to look beyond the surface. Addiction is one of those subjects we think we understand because we've seen its consequences. We see the behavior. We see the broken promises. We see the destructio...

There are some conversations we avoid because they're uncomfortable. But people are more complicated than labels. Social issues are more complicated than headlines. And the problems affecting our country don't disappear simply because we don't want to talk about them. This episode of From Dirt We Grow , is just to introduce the taboo topics we avoid that, one at a time in the coming weeks, I'll be...

I'm frustrated. We live in a time where things that once would have shocked us somehow become normal. We're constantly distracted, constantly divided, constantly arguing over which side is right—while bigger questions often get pushed into the background. At what point do we stop saying "that's just the way things are" and start asking whether the way things are is actually the way things should b...

How many names can we hear before we finally stop and ask why? Trey Reed. Javion Magee. Tory Medley. And now, new names have emerged. Since the first episode , I've continued digging into reports of Black Americans found hanging under circumstances that have raised questions for families, communities, journalists, and investigators. In Part 2, we examine several newly reported cases from 2026—incl...

In this episode of  From Dirt We Grow , we're talking with a nonprofit serving people experiencing homelessness in Oklahoma—providing backpacks filled with essential supplies and, just as importantly, a reminder that someone cares. But this conversation goes far beyond what's inside the backpack. We talk about homelessness, dignity, poverty, community responsibility, the gaps that leave people beh...

⚠️ Content Warning: This episode discusses sexual assault, sexual abuse, rape, trauma, consent, and victim-blaming. Some topics may be difficult or triggering for survivors. What happens when a culture becomes so accustomed to sexual harassment, assault, abuse, victim-blaming, and blurred boundaries that we stop questioning the behavior itself?  This episode of From Dirt We Grow brings the convers...

In this episode of From Dirt We Grow , we sit down with Arkansas congressional candidate James Russell to discuss the issues shaping Arkansas and the nation. Whether you agree with every viewpoint or not, this conversation is about hearing ideas, asking tough questions, and encouraging informed civic engagement. Topics include: The future of Arkansas Trust in government The economy and working fam...

What happens when we stop looking at mysterious deaths and disappearances as isolated stories—and start mapping the people, institutions, technologies, and timelines around them? In this first episode, we examine the recent list of scientists, engineers, researchers, and other technical professionals whose deaths or disappearances have taken place but have not drawn much public attention. The goal...

Human trafficking isn't always what people imagine. It often hides in plain sight, affecting people of all ages, backgrounds, and communities. In this episode of From Dirt We Grow , we're joined by an attorney who has worked on sex trafficking cases to separate fact from fiction. We discuss how trafficking actually operates, the legal challenges involved in prosecuting offenders, common misconcept...

America has become increasingly divided, and conversations about race often end before they truly begin. Instead of another shouting match or viral confrontation, this episode of From Dirt We Grow brings together two women from different backgrounds for an honest, respectful conversation. We discuss the Black experience in America, the role history continues to play, personal experiences, media na...

There are stories that remind us just how strong the human spirit can be. After a painful divorce, a devastating motorcycle accident that left him with a traumatic brain injury, and a battle with alcoholism, today's guest reached a point where he believed there was no way forward. Following a suicide attempt that left him blind and deaf in one ear, he somehow survived. Most people would assume tha...

There are stories that remind us just how strong the human spirit can be. After a painful divorce, a devastating motorcycle accident, and a battle with alcoholism, today's guest reached a point where he believed there was no way forward. Following a suicide attempt, he somehow survived. Most people would assume that was the end of the story. It wasn't. Today, Zach Tidwell is an author, motivationa...

The Secret Covenant is rumored to have been written in 1962, often attributed to the Rockefeller family. There has been no evidence we're aware of that this is a verified document, nor any proof of actual authorship. But maybe we're not asking the right questions. Maybe this document isn't fascinating because it's authentic. Maybe it's so fascinating because it places all the pieces of a broken pu...

How can we possibly even begin to understand the other side's perspective if we never see what they're seeing? Today we welcome Howard Polskin, founder of the media site, The Righting - a publication created to help readers stay informed about the conversations taking place across conservative media without requiring them to immerse themselves in it. Rather than asking readers to consume hours of...

What happens when a teacher becomes a civil rights attorney and then decides to run for Congress? Today we welcome Laura Dunn, a NY-12 congressional candidate whose career has been spent fighting for people both inside the classroom and inside the courtroom. We discuss the state of public education, civil rights, government accountability, economic justice, and why so many Americans feel abandoned...

While Americans argue with each other, what does the rest of the world actually see? In this episode of From Dirt We Grow , we welcome an Australian guest for an unfiltered conversation about American politics, division, media, healthcare, freedom, and how the rest of the world views the United States. Sometimes it takes an outsider's perspective to see what we've become. Are Americans too close t...

What happens when addiction and fear rules your every day? In this episode of  From Dirt We Grow , I sit down with a man currently battling addiction, living in fear, and struggling to find a path forward. His story is about isolation, desperation, trauma, survival, and what happens when someone has nowhere left to turn. This conversation sheds light on the human side of addiction and fear of the...