The Lean to the Left Podcast

Today on the Lean to the Left podcast we’re talking politics with a focus on the past election and what’s still ahead, and with me are my pals, Arthur Hill, from North Carolina, and Robert Thompson, from Georgia. Arthur is communications chair of the Brunswick County, North Carolina, Democratic party. He and I both worked in PR and as freelance writers in Washington, DC. And, on Capitol Hill befor...

An estimated 6.5 million Americans age 65 and older are living with Alzheimer's today. Seventy-three percent are age 75 or older, and altogether, about 1 in 9 age 65 and older, or 10.7% of that group, has Alzheimer's. As the population of Americans with this disease continues to increase, so does the burden of caring for them. This year alone, the cost for healthcare, long-term care and hospice se...

As we honor those who have served our nation, our Lean to the Left podcast guest is Allen B. Clark, a heroic Army officer who shed his blood for our country during the Vietnam War, and who continues to this day to work to help our veterans. In 1967, as a young captain in Special Forces, Clark was part of clandestine intelligence operations in Vietnam when an enemy mortar attacked his camp, critica...

Rich Jacobs works inside one of the largest maximum-security prisons in the United States. He began his career 20 years ago as a corrections officer and has been a teacher to the inmates for the past 15 years. For thousands of hours, Jacobs has listened to the stories of hundreds of incarcerated men. Despite the darkness behind the walls of concrete, steel, and paint, Jacobs has witnessed many sto...

The World Series is now over and for baseball fans, we’re in that never-never land where all we can hope for is a bit of news from our favorite team while we’re sitting out the long offseason until spring training begins in February. But I’ve got an idea about something that can help you pass the time. Pick up a new book by today’s guest, Bob Wilber. It’s called “How Far,” and it explores the incr...

Christian conservatives, led by a cabal of wealthy, influential Republicans, have executed a long, drawn out coup that now gives them virtually ironclad control of the U.S. Supreme Court, which is supposed to be the final legal arbiter in our country that protects freedom for us all. Instead, according to Andrew L. Seidel, an author and attorney who's defended the First Amendment for more than a d...

One day Roger Smith was on his hands and knees looking for hours for a sliver of crack cocaine in the carpet. Then, in desperation, he walked into the Pacific Ocean fully intending to take his own life. But something stopped him, and the next day he searched out a rehabilitation clinic. And then, through sheer guts and determination, he straightened himself out, applied himself at work, and eventu...

Today the Lean to the Left Podcast takes a look at a 2016 murder in Florida, one that ripped away the life of a young man who’s mistake was to celebrate a possible new job and then mistake somebody else’s apartment for his own. Since then, this young man’s father has been seeking justice, but in Ron DeSantis’ Florida, that is not to be found. With us today is Sandy Modell, and he’s here to tell th...

The penchant for many Americans to virtually worship a would-be strong-man leader, Donald J. Trump, and for much of the Republican Party to defer to him, has taken our nation to the precipice of a constitutional crisis that could mean an end to liberal democracy. And the upcoming mid-term elections could send us over the cliff. "We are big two centimeters from the precipice," warns political scien...

Today we’re talking politics, and with me are my political pals, Arthur Hill, from North Carolina, and Robert Thompson, from Georgia, plus a special guest, Michael McDonald, from Florida. Arthur is communications chair of the Brunswick County, North Carolina, Democratic party. He and I both worked in PR and as freelance writers in Washington, DC. And, we both worked on Capitol Hill, back in the da...

Ebony Parson, 28, died September 14, 2013 in a Conway, S.C Bingo parlor, shot to death by an estranged lover who then killed himself with his own shotgun. Ebony was one of nearly 20 people per minute who are physically abused by an intimate partner in the United States. Unfortunately, her abuser, a jealous former boyfriend, took her life. In Ebony’s case, there were warning signs that she was in t...

On October 13, the January 6th House Committee made it crystal clear that Donald Trump knew he had lost the 2020 election to Joe Biden, but still deliberately pushed the lie that he had really won because the election was rigged. And so, he spawned the riotous insurrection that resulted in the U.S. Capitol being ransacked, several deaths, and delays in the eventual certification of the election re...

Kim Sorrelle and her husband Richard were happily married, successful in business, and parents of terrific kids. Then one day it all fell apart. First, Kim was diagnosed with breast cancer, but four months later the doctors told Richard that he had pancreatic cancer, and within six weeks, he was gone. Kim is our guest on the Lean to the Left podcast, where she tells her story with great sensitivit...

Healthcare seems to be getting more and more complicated. In fact, sometimes it’s as though we, as patients, must do our own research to make sure what our doctor is recommending is the right approach. Should that be? Do we have the tools to do that? We’re going to talk about that with Harry Glorikian, a global business expert, healthcare entrepreneur, podcaster and author. Glorikian is a General...

On April 16, 2009, Kim Hamer watched her 44-yr-old husband take his last breath. During his illness and after his death, she was amazed by the helpful ways their coworkers, bosses, friends, and family supported them. Kim started calling their kind actions "acts of love". After the death of her husband, Kim, an HR leader, noticed how little guidance leaders received when navigating cancer, health c...

Ernest Carson, the Democratic candidate for the South Carolina House of Representatives, District 68, is a man of long experience who brings fresh approaches to solving the problems that affect our communities. "Wake up, Everybody" is his campaign slogan, and he means it. He says it's the duty of all citizens to serve their communities, and that's why he's stepping up to seek election to the SC Ho...

Alan Hesse is a climate biologist living in Ecuador, and he's now focusing much of his work on educating young people about climate change. A writer and illustrator. Alan's creation, Captain Polo is working to preserve the future of our earth for our youth, The generations who will be increasingly impacted by climate change for years to come. Captain Polo is a polar bear that was introduced in nov...

In February 2020, attorney Joseph Fawbush wrote a piece for Findlaw.com entitled “Good News! People Think Lawyers Have an Average Amount of Integrity Now.” Just average? It's an old cliche. We often deride lawyers, often calling them "ambulance chasers," and it's no wonder given the seemingly never ending plethora of ads for law firms promising big payoffs if you're in an accident or are mistreate...

Ryan Thompson, Democratic candidate for State House of Representatives, District 106, kicked off his election campaign celebrating his 22nd birthday, on July 6, 2022 in Myrtle Beach, SC. He's our guest on this special South Carolina Elections Edition of the Lean to the Left podcast, and during our conversation is candid about the challenges and the uphill battle he's facing, demonstrating a "never...

Meet Dan Balmer. He’s a self-proclaimed “racist in recovery,” who once hid behind the comfortable claim that he was “not racist.” Then, one day he had an epiphany and posted this on TikTok: "Hi, my name is Dan and I'm a racist. I have been in recovery for 30-plus years. Would anyone else like to share?" Now Dan is doing what he can to help others understand what racism really is and how they can o...

Political pundits Bob Gatty, South Carolina; Robert Thompson, Georgia; and Arthur Hill, North Carolina talk about gains Democrats are making as Republican candidates sputter, including those hand-picked by Trump. Will some red seats turn blue in those states, shocking as that may seem? Arthur is communications chair of the Brunswick County, North Carolina, Democratic party. He and I both worked in...

Ever wonder what it would be like to work at a job where you would actually be helping the environment and fighting climate change? That’s our topic on the Lean to the Left podcast. Our guest is Joseph Gelfer, founder of Ecotopian Careers, a company that helps people become part of the solution to climate change, instead of part of the problem – while at work. Ecotopian Careers helps people who wa...

Hey guys, welcome. Our guest today is another podcaster…Alex Wait…he’s a lot younger than me (of course most people are)…but he’s dedicated his show to giving people who are different from him a platform to be heard. Alex describes himself as a straight white guy with a lot to learn. And that’s the reason he launched Epics Podcast and is helping people tell their stories. I love this idea. In fact...

Hate speech. Divisive rhetoric. Insurrection. Today Americans are divided, perhaps more than ever...at least since the civil war. But how did the country get this way? In The Second Civil War: A citizens’ guide to healing our fractured nation, bestselling author Peter Montoya dissects how fear-based messaging and highly accessible technology have resulted in what he says is the early stages of a s...

Spencer Bishins, a former Social Security Administration attorney, says administrative law judges often are "incentivized" to decline disability claims in order to keep the agency's "pay rate" low resulting in only about 50 percent of disability requests being approved. On the Lean to the Left podcast, Bishins reveals the common practices used by the agency to discourage approval of disability cla...