The Curious Middle

Brandy Shufutinsky is the newly appointed Director of the Education and National Security Program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. In this important conversation, we disciuss how today's ethnic studies curriculum, originally intended to promote understanding among diverse communities, i s instead fueling division, promoting an oppressor-vs-oppressed worldview, and teaching students th...

Stella Escobedo is an Emmy award winning news anchor-reporter with nearly 20 years experience,  a fearless journalist and an advocate who immigrated to the U.S. from Uzbekistan. Stella is currently a news anchor for One American News (OAN). In this conversation, Stella shares how her upbringing shaped her values, her global perspective, and the causes of her disillusionment with mainstream media....

Karen McKinney was a prosecutor working in the gang unit when her path first crossed with Joseph Herrera, a man she would go on to prosecute for murder. Twenty years later, Karen faced Joseph when he was up for parole. Not exactly your classic "how we met" story. What no one could have predicted is that years later, the two would form an extraordinary friendship that would transform both of their...

In this episode, we talk about the value of work with David Bahnsen, Managing Partner and Chief Investment Officer of The Bahnsen Group, a wealth management firm based in Newport Beach, California overseeing $4 billion in client's assets,  David is also a  thought leader, and author of Full-Time: Work and the Meaning of Life. David wants to challenge one of society's most accepted myths: that succ...

Ada Palmer, is a sci-fi writer, historian, and someone who sees the world with an incredibly rare, long lens. If you've ever felt overwhelmed by the headlines, this episode might help. Ada believes we're not living in a uniquely apocalyptic time—just a normally apocalyptic one. "We're living in a moment we must rise to, work hard on, do well where what we do matters," she told me. "We have the abi...

Natasha Sizlo was having a terrible year. Fresh off a divorce, bankruptcy, the end of a passionate relationship, and then the news came about her beloved father's devastating terminal illness. When a friend suggested an astrology reading, Natasha's first instinct was a hard pass. But, Natasha relented, and the reading led her towards a year of magic, the kind of year that turns into a romantic com...

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/meant-for-you/id1036108112?i=1000661332590 Are you living a psychologically rich life? In this episode we discuss what it means to be psychologically rich and how you can generate more richness. In " Life in Three Dimensions: How Curiosity, Exploration, and Experience Make a Fuller, Better Life" , Shigehiro Oishi, Professor of Psychology at the University of C...

Filmmakers Courtney and Ted Balaker discuss their latest documentary surrounding the mental health crisis among Gen Z.  Their film based on the  book, The Coddling of the American Mind, by Jonathan Haidt   and Greg Lukianoff , was made to spark critical discussions, including conversations across college campuses. We discuss the alarming trends in Gen Z's mental health, the role of social media, a...

Yardena Shwartz, an award-winning journalist and Emmy-nominated producer, joins us to discuss her book, Ghosts of a Holy War. Yardena's book focuses on the 1929 Hebron massacre, allowing us to see the shocking parallels between the historical events of 1929 and the October 7th massacre in Israel. Hebron, an ancient city with archeological finds going back some 5,000 years, is in the controlled ter...

When it comes to understanding our government, we often find ourselves asking, "What would Sharon say?" So we did. We invited Sharon McMahon, America's favorite government teacher and the force behind @SharonSaysS, to help us unpack why civics education in the U.S. has been defunded, sidelined, and under-taught for decades. Sharon shares eye-opening insights about a troubling reality: many student...

Like both of us (your co-hosts Polina and Yelena) Viktoria was born in the Soviet Union. VIktoria immigrated to the USA from Kiev with her family when she was 10. After getting interested in politics a few years ago, Viktoria started a highly successful Instagram page (communistsurivivor) , as a place to share her experiences and political opinions. Viktoria's childhood in the former Soviet Union...

We are thrilled to share our conversation with respected broadcaster Erin Molan . Throughout the world, many people have discovered Erin for fearless commentary and stance on the Israel-Gaza conflict.  As she does in her videos,  Erin discusses the importance of condemning Hamas and standing against terrorism, emphasizing that true support for children in Gaza means advocating for the eradication...

Jeannie Ralston is the founder of  Next Tribe, a travel company that offers transformative retreats for women over 45. Jeannie shares how she leapt from adventure to adventure starting as a journalist in New York City to a lavender farmer in Texas, and eventually to a globetrotting entrepreneur. Her adventures have taken her from the rolling hills of rural Texas to the vibrant streets of San Migue...

This conversation is about reversing the trend of cynicism and erosion of trust in our government through education. Lindsay Cormack, an associate professor of political science and author of "How to Raise a Citizen" , joins us to discuss the state of US Government education in our schools. You may be surprised to learn that every state decides how much time to devote to this topic, and how to tes...

If you have ever felt insecure about your education, or if your lack of a degree has held you back from pursuing the life you wanted, this conversation is for you. Christopher Zara , Senior Editor at Fast Company and author of "Uneducated: A Memoir of Flunking Out, Falling Apart, and Finding My Worth", is proof that traditional paths aren't the only routes to success. Despite  dropping out of high...

Ron Alvarez, a CNN Hero finalist, musician and educator is transforming lives through teaching kids to play music in The Dream Orchestra .. Ron shares he went from a childhood in Caracas, Venezuela to changing the lives of refugee children in Sweden. Ron's story begins when he joined El Sistema, a musical and social program in Venezuela, set the course of his life. Ron realized he wanted to pay it...

In this episode, we are honored to speak with Dumisani Washington, the founder and CEO of the Institute for Black Solidarity with Israel Dumisani Washington is a gifted Pastor, musician, author,  speaker and a passionate advocate for the unity and solidarity between the Church and Israel. His  book, "Zionism & the Black Church: Why Standing with Israel Will be a Defining Issue for Christians of Co...

Sharon McMahon, America's favorite government teacher and bestselling author of "The Small and the Mighty." shares how she went from a classroom government teacher to a social media success with over a million followers on Instagram. Once you hear this episode you will understand why Shaon's  nonpartisan videos on the electoral college and other political processes captured the hearts and attentio...

Tracy McCubbin is a professional declutterer, but what she really does is help people manage their relationship to stuff. When Tracy realized she had a talent for helping people organize their stuff, she turned it into dCluttefly , a thriving business.   In our part 2 of our conversation with Tracy, we discuss the 7 emotional clutter blocks people us to  avoid their emotions or problems. We discus...

Hear how  Tracy McCubbin took her biggest pyschic wound and turned it into her life's work. Tracy helps people destress, save money and. precious time.. If you want to focus on what you can control, buying less stuff is something you can immediately start doing to mprove your life. We aren't saying you shoudn't buy those shoes, or that item that makes you happy (yes, buy the shoes)   but be intent...

In one of the most important and timely conversations on our podcast, Izabella Tabarovsky shares her research in tracing the roots of anti-zionism rhetoric to the Soviet Union. Izabella's article,  "Zombie Anti-Zionism" for Tablet magazine shares the striking similarities between today's anti-Israel language and Soviet propaganda from the 1960s to the 1980s, revealing a dangerous connection that m...

In this life deeply soulful conversation we speak with  Nicole Avant to discuss her  tribute to her mom in her new book  "Think You'll Be Happy." We explore themes from Nicole's book including living a life centered around  love of family, community, the arts, gratitude and serving others. Nicole's mindset is an example of the power of  positive energy and the importance of being a blessing to oth...

Are you tired of the constant stream of bad news? Angus Hervey shares his story of being a depressed news junkie overwhelmed by negativity to a source of hope through his good news site,  Fix the News. Angus discusses the negativity bias in the media and how it skews our perception of the world. He explains that while the news often focuses on what's wrong, there's a wealth of positive progress ha...

Sophia Khalifa, an engineer, working on AI at Amazon AWS, has a story we need to hear. Sophia is a muslim Bedouin Arab,  born and raised in Israel. In Sophia's culture and community,  girls traditionally do not receive an education, but Israeli policies mandating schooling for all children, changed her entire life. Sophia graduated from Tel Aviv University with a BS in Electrical Engineering, move...

In this episode,  Susan Griffin-Black, co-founder of EO Products , shares her story.  Susan tells us about her path from her early days in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to becoming a pioneer in the natural products industry. Raised by a father who was an early feminist and advocate for women's economic empowerment, Susan's entrepreneurial spirit was nurtured from a young age. She recounts her experien...