Project Next Media

🚨 ARE ELECTIONS SAFE IN INDIANA? AND HOW DO WE FIX WHAT’S BROKEN? Sarah Blessing sits down with Marcey Wisman, Democratic candidate for Floyd County Clerk, for an eye-opening, honest, and surprisingly fun conversation about elections, government accountability, and the future of Indiana! 🗳️ 572 Floyd County voters were affected by an early voting ballot error that left a county commissioner race...

Jessica Bailey met Sarah Blessing in Palmyra this morning for door knocking and an interview about cleaning up Indiana’s financial problems. If we can help get Jessica elected, can we be more transparent with our tax dollars? This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.projectnextindiana.com

This Project Next is one you need to watch. Sarah sits down with independent journalist Tom LoBianco of 24sight News to catch up on his years-long investigation into Life Church, lead pastor Nathan Peternel, his son Jonathan Peternel, and Indiana Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith. What started as one disturbing criminal case has grown into a much bigger story. Jonathan Peternel pleaded guilty to four felony...

Clark County has been rocked by scandal after scandal. How do we clean it up and earn the public’s trust back? Sarah Blessing sits down with Clark County Sheriff candidate Tim Deeringer to talk about the Jamey Noel scandal, problems with EMS and 911, corruption and accountability, community policing, the ICE detention center, Flock cameras, and mass surveillance. How do we make sure this never hap...

🚨 What happens when technology starts taking away our freedom? Data centers. Flock cameras. Mass surveillance. These issues are showing up in communities across America, including ours. Today on Project Next, Dustin Cerda and Sarah Blessing talk about something even bigger: what regular people can actually do about it. We don’t have to roll over and accept every loss of freedom. We don’t have to...

WE ARE NOT POWERLESS. It may feel like we’ve lost our voice in Washington. In Indiana, it can feel the same way. But locally? We still have power. Sarah Blessing sits down with her close friend Adam Schneider, candidate for Harrison County Council District 3, to talk about something we ALL need to understand: If we want our power back, we start at home. Your town. Your city. Your county. We share...

What does it really mean to serve? Join Sarah Blessing as she sits down with her new friend Kayla, a Navy veteran who served 10 years on active duty as an Aerographer’s Mate (AG), working with weather and ocean conditions to support Navy missions. Kayla shares why she joined, what her job was like, and some of the amazing places her service took her, including Japan and Germany. They also talk abo...

🔥 MEN SHOULD READ MORE ROMANCE NOVELS. There. We said it. 📚 And before you come for us… hear us out. 😂 Sarah Blessing and her book-loving neighbor Ashley Ballard sat down for one of our favorite Project Next conversations yet—and this one went places. Why might reading romance actually help men in their own relationships? Because these books are filled with people trying to figure each other ou...

In July 2025, Sarah Blessing sat down with Oregon farmer Jonathan Tallman to talk about data centers. At the time, most people had barely heard of them. That was only 13 months ago. Now they’re popping up all over Indiana and across the country. Jonathan came back on Project Next to talk about why this is happening so fast and the enormous amount of money behind it. It’s bigger than people simply...

Harrison County Government Used to Work. And It Can Again. This was one of the most fascinating — and hopeful — conversations on Project Next. Sarah Blessing sat down with Terry Miller, who served 17 years as a Harrison County Commissioner, including during the transformational years when casino revenue began coming into the county. Terry described a Harrison County government that might sound alm...

😂 BEATING PERFECTIONISM: Why are we SO mean to ourselves?! This might be one of the most fun Mental Fitness episodes Ellen Morrison Kelley and I have done. We laughed. A LOT. 😂 But we also talked about something that gets into so many of our heads: The pressure to be perfect. Perfect parent. Perfect wife. Perfect employee. Perfect body. Perfect house. Perfect response. Perfect life. And heaven f...

The math ain’t mathing — and sometimes all you can do is laugh at the absurdity. 😂 Sarah Blessing and Ellen Morrison Kelley break down the wild world of local government in Floyd and Harrison Counties, where yearly state audits keep raising the same basic question: Where did all the money go? We laugh, we shake our heads, and we talk about just how crazy it is that local governments can struggle...

🚨 Indiana communities are about to face some very difficult financial decisions — and we need to be paying attention. In this episode of Project Next, Sarah Blessing and James Coogle break down what Senate Enrolled Act 1 means for Harrison County and why our county councils and commissioners need to understand what is coming. With less property-tax revenue available than previously projected, loc...

What is really happening with ICE in Southern Indiana—and why aren’t more people talking about it? Sarah Blessing sits down with Rhiannon Ryan of Do Something Southern Indiana, a nonpartisan community organization working to educate, organize, and empower local residents around issues affecting Southern Indiana. Together, they take a deep dive into Clark County’s agreement to house ICE detainees i...

Jessica Bailey is running for Indiana State Comptroller—and every voter across the state can vote for her. Jessica is a fixer. When she sees a problem, she looks for creative, practical solutions and gets to work making things better. After serving on her local school board, Jessica saw serious problems with how elections were being run in Porter County. It took five days to count the votes in the...

We spend hours every week following national politics, yet many of the decisions that affect our everyday lives are made just a few miles from home. Whether it’s a proposed data center, Flock cameras, public schools, libraries, local development, taxes, or the future of your community, local government is where these decisions often begin. The good news? This is also where your voice can make the...

What does it really take to change a community? Sarah Blessing and Ethan Sweetland-May spent nearly 90 minutes exploring that question during a powerful conversation at the historic All-Wool & A Yard Wide Democratic Club—the oldest Democratic social club in the country. Together, they talked honestly about why so many Hoosiers feel unheard, why Indiana has fallen behind on so many measures, and wh...

What if the biggest problem facing America isn’t politics… it’s that we’ve stopped believing in each other? In this powerful Project Next conversation, Sarah Blessing sits down with Kate Hess Pace, Executive Director of Hoosier Action, to explore how everyday people can create real, lasting change in their communities. This isn’t about telling people what to think. It’s about helping people discov...

No one should have to choose between feeding their family and paying their bills. Across Floyd County, too many of our neighbors are struggling with food insecurity, housing instability, and the rising cost of simply getting by. For years, the Floyd County Library has been more than just a place to borrow books. It has been a place where people found connection, resources, and hope. Today, communi...

NEW PROJECT NEXT EPISODE Sarah Blessing sits down with Rachel, a former LifeWise teacher, and Zach Parrish from the Secular Education Association for an eye-opening conversation about Rachel’s firsthand experience working for LifeWise. Rachel explains:     •    Why she wanted to become a LifeWise teacher.     •    What she hoped to accomplish.     •    The concerns that caused her to question the...

For this episode of Project Next, Sarah sits down with her friend Adam Schneider to talk about Corydon’s Fourth Annual Pride Festival and the Netflix documentary Will & Harper. But this conversation is about much more than a festival or a movie. It’s about friendship, authenticity, and what happens when we choose compassion over judgment. Adam is one of the kindest, most empathetic people Sarah ha...

Sarah interviews her friend Coumba Kebe who is running for Indiana State Treasurer. Coumba is just 31 years old, but she has already built an impressive record of leadership, public service, and financial expertise. We’ll talk about her background, what inspired her to step into public service, and why she believes she’s the right person to serve as Indiana’s next State Treasurer. We’ll also discu...

Project Next: A Conversation with Brad Meyer After a long and demanding election season, Dr. Tim Peck returns to Project Next for the first time since the Democratic primary for Indiana’s 9th Congressional District. Joining Tim and Sarah Blessing is Brad Meyer, the candidate who won that primary and is now preparing to take on incumbent Congresswoman Erin Houchin in November. What makes this conve...

In this episode of Project Next, Sarah Blessing sits down with her friend James Coogle, a chef and candidate for Harrison County Council, for an honest conversation about some of the issues affecting our communities today. They talk about the pressure many people feel to fit in, especially in politics and small towns, and why it can be hard for people to be themselves. Sarah and James also discuss...

In this powerful episode of Project Next, Sarah talks with her former neighbor Phil for a deep and honest conversation about politics, division, and the growing disconnect in America. Phil shares why he once supported Donald Trump, what he still agrees with, and what now deeply concerns him. Together, they discuss: • Immigration and ICE • Fear and division in politics • Trans issues and cultural c...