About this podcast
A show that takes the big ideas in civic life and democracy and turns them into action items for everyday people.
Join host Mila Atmos for in-depth conversations with citizen changemakers that inspire civic action and hope. Citizen participation is fundamental to a thriving democracy. Now more than ever, our engagement is critical.
Episodes
The newest 50 of 441 episodes
- Decoding the Midterms: Daniel Nichanian · 45 min · Season 21 Episode 421We discuss the results of state and local elections of the 2026 midterms, the impact of secretaries of state in the 2028 presidential election, and the various issues that drove…
- Affordability Is Anti-Fascist: Isabella Weber · 55 min · Season 21 Episode 420We discuss combatting the fascist virus through economics, the role of government to ensure the affordability of essential goods, and the benefits of full employment in a…
- A Citizen’s Guide to Power: Skye Perryman · 36 min · Season 21 Episode 419We discuss why the courts alone can’t protect our democracy, the myth of a “hopelessly divided country,” and the steps everyday people can take to reclaim their power, fight for…
- Billionaires OR Democracy: Gil Duran · 49 min · Season 21 Episode 418We discuss the inner workings of tech fascism, the toxic beliefs of billionaire extremists, and the role of cryptocurrency to facilitate the demise of democracy. As always, the…
- Optimist Economy: Young Americans Should Be Raising Hell About Social Security · 47 min · Season 21 Episode 417This week, we're sharing a really great episode from our friends at Optimist Economy! Nobody has more riding on any changes to Social Security than people under 40. The trust…
- Guardian of Your Ballot: Cisco Aguilar · 37 min · Season 21 Episode 416We discuss the president’s meddling in universal mail in ballots, the stakes of the 2026 election, and election integrity in Nevada. Cisco’s civic action toolkit recommendations…
- Free Market Capitalism Erodes Democracy: Mordecai Kurz · 40 min · Season 21 Episode 415We discuss the transformation of free market capitalism into a techno-winner-take-all system. Reaganomics and advances in technology have supercharged the market power of…
- The PR Machine is Destroying Reality: Amy Westervelt · 51 min · Season 21 Episode 414We discuss how the interlocking web of public relations, think tanks, and university research funding by private actors and corporations have polluted the information ecosphere…
- Our Constitution, Our Laws: Julie Suk · 41 min · Season 21 Episode 413We discuss an innovative framework to reclaim our constitutional future from a Supreme Court that has amassed power for itself and undermined how we govern ourselves. Julie’s…
- Take Down Super PACs: Lawrence Lessig · 46 min · Season 21 Episode 412We discuss how the SpeechNow v. FEC decision in 2010 created Super PACs and how combating corruption in American politics starts with getting rid of Super PACs. Larry’s civic…
- Build Power by Organizing: Michael Ansara · 44 min · Season 21 Episode 411We discuss the basics of organizing and the fruits of that work. Michael reminds us that “organizers organize organizations.” Michael’s civic action toolkit recommendations are…
- Be a Practical Radical: Stephanie Luce · 40 min · Season 21 Episode 410Let’s connect! Follow Future Hindsight on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/futurehindsightpod/ Listen to Occupy! An Unfinished Uprising…
- Who is the Working Families Party?: Maurice Mitchell · 49 min · Season 21 Episode 409We discuss why now is the time for a third political party to really take center stage in American democracy. Maurice’s civic action toolkit recommendations are: Organize! Join…
- Episode 6: You Can't Evict an Idea · 42 min · Season 22 Episode 408In the middle of the night, the police move in to raid the encampment. What follows is chaotic, emotional, and unforgettable. But the story doesn't end when the tents come down…
- Episode 5: The Question of Safety · 38 min · Season 22 Episode 407As the weather gets colder and tents go up, life inside the encampment grows more complicated. Questions of safety and accountability become increasingly urgent, but occupiers…
- Episode 4: They Walk Among Us · 40 min · Season 22 Episode 406A month in, the Occupy movement goes global, but pressure is mounting from every direction. A hipster cop confirms that police have infiltrated. Rumors of sabotage are…
- Episode 3: A Fork in the Road · 43 min · Season 22 Episode 405When a march reaches the Brooklyn Bridge, a split-second decision changes everything. Hundreds of people face arrest – and deeper questions emerge about the power dynamics and…
- Episode 2: Occupy Goes Viral · 44 min · Season 22 Episode 404The encampment grows as anarchist organizers introduce radical new ways of making decisions and taking action. Armed with livestreams, smartphones, and social media, participants…
- Episode 1: The Invitation · 40 min · Season 22 Episode 403In 2011, a handful of skeptical New Yorkers answer a call to Occupy Wall Street. What they find feels less like a protest and more like a glimpse of a different world—one where…
- Introducing Occupy! An Unfinished Uprising · 3 minOccupy Wall Street is the story of the improbable becoming possible. In 2008, millions of people were devastated by an economic crash caused by Wall Street greed, but it wasn’t…
- Democracy's Unfinished Promise: Alex Hertel-Fernandez · 41 min · Season 21 Episode 402We discuss the intersection of policymaking on economics and democracy, the harm of intense concentration of wealth, and the need for building durable civil society. Alex's…
- Right-Wing Women Are Mobilized: Katie Gaddini · 43 min · Season 21 Episode 401We discuss the enthusiasm for civic engagement by right-wing women, which translates to power and victory at the ballot box. Katie's civic action toolkit recommendations are…
- The Gerontocracy Problem: Samuel Moyn · 43 min · Season 21 Episode 400We discuss the overlooked and insidious complications from gerontocracy in American democracy. Sam's civic action toolkit recommendations are: 1) Think of democracy as a…
- Activism vs. Majority Rule: Brian Adams · 42 min · Season 21 Episode 399We discuss the balance of influence between activists and the majority in local politics and how we can reinvigorate democracy at the local level. Brian's civic action toolkit…
- Playing Offense for Democracy: Steve Phillips · 46 min · Season 21 Episode 398We discuss the case for SWAMP audits, how we can truly build a multiracial democracy, and why we're going to have to fight for it. Steve's civic action toolkit recommendations…
- The People's Document: Melissa Murray · 50 min · Season 21 Episode 397We discuss the hidden power inside the U.S. Constitution, what it was designed to protect against, and how it can fortify American democracy today. Melissa's civic action…
- Your Climate Superpower: Katharine Wilkinson · 49 min · Season 21 Episode 396We discuss how each of us is a node of possibility for change in the climate crisis, taking us from overwhelm to participation. Katharine's civic action toolkit recommendations…
- Unsticking Congress: Maya Kornberg · 48 min · Season 21 Episode 395We discuss the myriad of ways to fix Congress, ranging from campaign finance reform and age limits to town hall meetings and stopping violence against members of Congress…
- The Freedom of Dissent: Gal Beckerman · 39 min · Season 21 Episode 394We discuss the radical idea that dissidence belongs to all of us. Living with truth is the starting point to being a citizen changemaker and to taking impactful civic action…
- Everyone a Changemaker: Michael Zakaras · 44 min · Season 21 Episode 393We discuss the vision of an everyone-a-changemaker society. Now is the moment to step up to protect healthy civil society in America by making the mechanisms and the rituals for…
- Doctor for the Senate: Abdul El-Sayed · 42 min · Season 21 Episode 392We discuss why Dr. Abdul El-Sayed is running for Senate in Michigan and what kind of Senator he aspires to be. A public health expert with deep understanding of the healthcare…
- The Lost Cause Lie: Ann Bausum · 43 min · Season 21 Episode 391We discuss the foundational lies of the Lost Cause, the organic nature of more recent lies, and the constant vigilance necessary to defend democracy. Ann's civic action toolkit…
- See Through Copaganda: Alec Karakatsanis · 50 min · Season 21 Episode 390We discuss the main goals of copaganda: narrowing our conception of safety and threat, constantly warning us that those harms are increasing, and telling us that the solution to…
- The Authoritarian Playbook: Yelena V. Litvinov & Tatyana Margolin · 51 min · Season 21 Episode 389We discuss the building blocks of the authoritarian playbook, the strategy behind intersectional solidarity, and the power of knowing your neighbor. Yelena & Tatyana's civic…
- Economic Populists: Adam Green · 44 min · Season 21 Episode 388We discuss the strategy for electing from-the-gut economic populists who exude outsider vibes and who acknowledge that our system is broken. They are often outsiders who believe…
- Superpower Showdown: Jane Perlez · 39 min · Season 21 Episode 387We discuss the influence of the U.S.-China relationship on American democracy, on issues ranging from "garbage time" to soft power to geopolitical dominance of the South China…
- The Politics of Corruption: Tiffany Muller · 38 min · Season 21 Episode 386We discuss the corrupting effect of the Citizens United decision on policymaking and elections. Tiffany's civic action toolkit recommendations are: Go to town halls and hold…
- The Offline Candidate: Carleigh Beriont · 40 min · Season 21 Episode 385We discuss the power of showing up for local politics and the benefits of running an in-person campaign without relying on social media. Carleigh's civic action toolkit…
- Governors Can Defend You: Julia Spiegel · 36 min · Season 21 Episode 384We discuss the work of governors across several states to defend the rights of their residents. GovAct serves as an innovation hub for policies on democracy, public health, and…
- How Gen Z Does Democracy: Raj Vinnakota · 40 min · Season 21 Episode 383We discuss the investments to foster civic participation on college campuses, voter behavior among young people, and getting ready for the midterms. Raj's civic action toolkit…
- Democracy Without Politicians: Hélène Landemore · 45 min · Season 21 Episode 382We discuss the concept of deliberative representative democracy by ordinary citizens, which means representing and being represented in turn. Hélène's civic action toolkit…
- Get Real About Elections: Anjali Enjeti · 35 min · Season 21 Episode 381We discuss grassroots organizing, voting rights for U.S. territories and First Nations, and the state of elections in Georgia. Anjali's civic action toolkit recommendations are…
- Resist and Organize: Daniel Hunter · 47 min · Season 21 Episode 380We discuss how our everyday choices to resist, organize, and act collectively can stop authoritarian takeovers. Feeling powerless does not mean that we're actually powerless!…
- Educating for Democracy: James Traub · 45 min · Season 21 Episode 379We discuss the role of schools to form effective citizens in our democracy. It's necessary to prioritize the teaching of our history and our government. James's civic action…
- The Library Changemaker: Amanda Jones · 37 min · Season 21 Episode 378We discuss the dangers of book bans and censorship, the power of civic action on the local level, and the intersection of libraries and human rights. Amanda's civic action…
- Your Hidden Political Power: Michael Brownstein · 47 min · Season 20 Episode 377We discuss orienting our personal choices toward the collective in order to make the changes in the systems that organize our world. Michael's civic action toolkit…
- On Being Pro-Democracy: Rick Wilson · 45 min · Season 20 Episode 376We discuss how being pro-democracy is a big tent coalition. In fact, it is our national identity. Rick's civic action toolkit recommendations are: 1) Meet your your neighbors…
- Equal Freedom: Alex Zakaras · 40 min · Season 20 Episode 375We discuss the promise of radical liberalism to deliver equal freedom for all. Alex's civic action toolkit recommendations are: 1) Join the fight for democracy 2) Put pressure…
- Shifting Terrain: What the Manosphere Tells Us About Working Class Politics · 44 min · Season 20 Episode 374In this episode of Shifting Terrain, Colin Davis and Reece Peck discuss why liberal messaging continues to fail, where to find the Joe Rogan of the left, and how to actually…
- Storytelling For Change: Shanelle Matthews · 40 min · Season 20 Episode 373We discuss the building blocks of narrative power and the strategies to succeed in changing hearts and minds. Shanelle's civic action toolkit recommendations are: 1) Share your…
