You Need To Listen

Steve and Kristin ask a big question: are we living through the "death of expertise?" Inspired by a conversation from Point Taken, they discuss why audiences increasingly trust influencers and personalities over experts, what that means for politics, science, and media, and whether we've become too comfortable surrounding ourselves with voices that simply reinforce our own beliefs. Along the way,...

Point Taken contributors Bill McCoshen and Joe Zepecki joined Kristin Brey and Steve Scaffidi for a special hour reflecting on America's 250th as the nation celebrates over the July 4th Independence Day weekend. Covering 250 years of our nation's tumultuous political history, with a nod to our nation's founders and our first President George Washington, they explore where we've been, challenges to...

Pete Davidson's emotional conversation with John Cena about his Make-A-Wish work sparked a much bigger discussion than either Steve or Kristin expected. They talk about masculinity, vulnerability, fatherhood, and why some of the most meaningful conversations can happen in the most unexpected places. Kristin challenges Steve on how men communicate with one another, while Steve reflects on how raisi...

As the United States approaches its 250th birthday, Steve and Kristin take a step back and ask a big question: where is the country headed? Steve reflects on experiencing the bicentennial in 1976 and how dramatically America has changed in the 50 years since. Kristin explores the generational divide around patriotism and whether younger Americans connect with the country differently than previous...

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert may have ended, but Steve and Kristin decided to spend this week's episode of Overtime taking his famous Colbert Questionert (yes it's spelled that way); 15 questions he would ask celebrity guests on his show. How will they answer? Listen and find out!

Do political beliefs influence parenting — or is it all about style? Steve and Kristin react to a study suggesting conservatives may raise “better” kids, and dig into what actually matters when it comes to parenting: discipline, expectations, and consistency. Plus, a fresh round of Ask Us Anything — from politics to pop culture to Milwaukee food.

The NFL is under investigation — but not for what happens on the field. Steve and Kristin break down the DOJ probe into the league’s broadcast rights and the growing frustration of fans trying to keep up with games across multiple streaming platforms. Is this just the future of sports media, or are consumers getting squeezed? Plus, where they actually agree: watching your hometown team shouldn’t b...

Steve and Kristin dive into a surprisingly real question: does how politicians look actually matter? Inspired by a USA Today article pushing for “hotter” candidates, they debate whether appearance, charisma, and “cool factor” play a role in winning elections — or if it’s all superficial compared to policy. It’s part political analysis, part pop culture, and fully Overtime.

Steve and Kristin take some Over Time on this bonus, unfiltered podcast. What is "Looksmaxing" and why are so many young men hitting themselves in the face with hammers? The conversation takes a deep dive into this movement and what it says about gender, beauty standards and self-confidence.

Whatever happened to the You Need to Listen Podcast? Well, Steve Scaffidi and Kristin Brey took a break for the holidays-and Steve’s excessive vacation schedule, to take a pause, and do a bit of rebranding. But, It’s back, with a hot topic, and their always smart takes! In this episode, Steve and Kristin continued the Bad Bunny Super Bowl Halftime conversation on an extended version of a segment t...

That New York Times interview that set women’s group chats on fire last week — the one that asked, “Did Liberal Feminism Ruin the Workplace?” Well, technically, the original headline — the one quietly changed after an appropriate amount of hellfire rained down from every corner of the internet — read: “Did Women Ruin the Workplace?” You could argue that the Times knew exactly what it was doing. Th...

How can Democrats capture the popularity and voter appeal of economic populism? In certain parts of the country, like the "Rust Belt", the Democratic brand has been increasingly viewed as toxic by working-class voters, creating a barrier to victory in elections, and for some voters, exemplifying the party's sharp left turn on issues like culture, climate, and immigration. On this week's episode of...

In a world where political discourse feels heavier than ever, Kristin Brey and Steve Scaffidi dive deep into their personal experiences with "Trump exhaustion" in the latest episode of You Need To Listen. While acknowledging the complexities of discussing this Trump administration, they confront the challenges of maintaining civil discourse while addressing the unprecedented political climate. Fro...

In 2022, social psychologist and author Jonathan Haidt wrote a piece for The Atlantic entitled “Why the past ten years of American life have been uniquely stupid”. Since that time, the country has seen the continue rise of unregulated social media, intense, and often violent political partisanship, and a further erosion of public civility played out at school board meetings, sporting events, and e...

Utah Governor Spencer Cox, speaking to the press in the aftermath of the assassination of conservative activist and podcaster Charlie Kirk, called social media a “cancer” and said it “played a direct role in political violence”. In the hours and days after the killing, millions of social media users posted content on their own pages both condemning, and in some cases, celebrating, the death of Kir...

Add a new word to your dating vernacular. Shrekking, which is, for lack of a better description, the lowering of your dating standards in the attempt to be treated better, only to experience relationship disappointment still. Inspired by the movie Shrek, this is just one of the dating trend that exemplifies the superficial nature of modern dating. Another example? The 666 rule, which refers to men...

Professional football player Travis Kelce and his brother Jason host the popular podcast New Heights. Travis is also the boyfriend of pop music superstar Taylor Swift. On a recent episode, Swift joined the two brothers for a conversation about her music , their lives, and offered a glimpse into what may be a re-defining moment in the dynamics between men and women. Can a football player known for...

In an interview with Mike Wallace of 60 Minutes fame, legendary talk show host Johnny Carson uttered these words. "Why do you think that just because you have a Tonight Show, that you have to deal with serious issues?", telling Wallace why he chose to stay out of politics on his show, which aired on NBC from 1962 to 1992. Jay Leno, in a much more recent interview with the Ronald Reagan Presidentia...

Just prior to winning The Open Championship in Ireland, professional Golfer Scottie Scheffler surprised a group of reporters with a lengthy, heartfelt answer about fulfillment and the point of being the best at what he does. He's repeatedly said that faith and family are his top priorities and golf comes in third. What does fulfillment actually mean and how does it change as we mature? Does profes...

A new Pew Research survey https://www.deseret.com/business/2025/07/07/americans-wont-pay-for-news/ says only 1% of people will pay for a news service that requires a payment up front. Is this creating a news and information desert or are people finding other ways to get their “news”? Kristin Brey and Steve Scaffidi take on the real question on this week’s edition of the You Need to Listen Podcast....

On this week’s episode of the You Need to Listen Podcast, Kristin Brey and Steve Scaffidi go back to the future and a look at a political world without Donald Trump in it. Who will step up for Republicans and where will their party go next? It’s the You Need to Listen Podcast, available wherever you get your podcasts, or at WTMJ.com. Steve Scaffidi and Kristin Brey are also the cohosts of Point Ta...

The definition of empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of others. Except, of course, when it comes to politics. Recently, Elon Musk, tech titan and the richest person in the world, said this, "the fundamental weakness of Western civilization is empathy". Some leaders of the Christian Right have said that empathy could be a sin. Have we lost our way when it comes to understan...

An estimated 80% of US television viewers watch Reality TV shows, with 65% of us engaging with these shows online. What’s the impact of this viewership on our culture and on our understanding of what is, and more significantly, what isn’t important in our daily lives? You Need to Listen’s Kristen Brey and Steve Scaffidi explore the underbelly of Reality TV, from our incessant desire to see the wor...

Recent studies show that Americans have fewer close friends than they used to, and many psychologists correlate that decline to growing concerns over mental health and physical well -being. META CEO Mark Zuckerberg has an idea on how to fix that problem, and it's designed to make it easier for people to establish friend relationships using artificial intelligence. Zuckerberg told podcaster Dwarkes...

In Episode 8 of the You Need to Listen Podcast, Kristin Brey and Steve Scaffidi explore their own journeys of faith and the opportunities and challenges ahead for Catholics after the passing of Pope Francis. What legacy does Pope Francis leave to members of his faith? Do Catholics move forward with a more inclusive and accepting doctrine, or does his passing signal a return to the more conservativ...