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Show Notes

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🚗 On the Road with Us United: How Sheriffs Spark Community Connection – DTH Episode 277 with Adam Mizel

What happens when we take the work of bridging divides out of the classroom and into America’s backroads, small towns, and sheriff’s offices? That’s exactly what Adam Mizel and his organization Us United are doing. In this episode of the Derate The Hate Podcast, Wilk Wilkinson sits down with Adam to unpack what it means to go on the road for unity in an age of polarization.

Through a nationwide road trip, Adam and his team are meeting with sheriffs, local leaders, and everyday citizens—listening to their experiences, encouraging dialogue, and fostering connections that politics alone can’t deliver. Along the way, they’re proving that unity is not a theory; it’s a practice lived out in communities every day.

🔑 What You’ll Hear in This Episode

✅ The role sheriffs play as trusted connectors in local communities
✅ Why identity politics and labels create walls instead of bridges
✅ Real stories from Us United’s journey across America
✅ How sports and community events serve as natural unifiers
✅ Lessons for anyone who wants to build respect across divides
✅ The parallels between Us United’s work and the mission of Braver Angels
✅ Why hope, listening, and personal experiences are key to civic renewal

🌟 Why This Matters

When neighbors come together, when sheriffs open their doors, when communities choose dialogue over division—we start to see the outlines of a cultural shift. Adam Mizel’s work shows us that the tools for unity aren’t abstract. They’re concrete, they’re local, and they’re within reach of every one of us.

At Braver Angels and here at Derate The Hate, we know that bridging divides isn’t about agreement—it’s about creating space for respect and real human connection. Adam’s journey with Us United proves that this work can inspire hope, transform communities, and point us all toward a healthier, more unified future.

🎧 Listen in and be encouraged to take the first step in your own community—because the road to unity starts right where you are.

🌐 Connect with Adam Mizel

🔗 Website: https://www.us-united.org/#home
📘 Facebook: facebook.com/USUnited.org
💼 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/adammizel
📸 Instagram: instagram.com/us_united_org

 

🙌 Join the Movement

This episode of Derate The Hate is produced in collaboration with Braver Angels — America’s largest cross-partisan, grassroots organization working to bridge the political divide and foster a more united country.

The world is a better place if we are better people. That begins with each of us as individuals. Be kind to one another. Be grateful for all you’ve got. Make every day the day that you want it to be!

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Subscribe to us wherever you enjoy your audio or from our site. Please leave us a rating and feedback on Apple podcasts or other platforms. You can share your thoughts or request Wilk for a speaking engagement on our contact page: DerateTheHate.com/Contact

The Derate The Hate podcast is proudly produced in collaboration with Braver Angels — America’s largest grassroots, cross-partisan organization working toward civic renewal and bridging partisan divides. Learn more: BraverAngels.org

Welcome to the Derate The Hate Podcast!

*The views expressed by Wilk, his guest hosts &/or guests on the Derate The Hate podcast are their own and should not be attributed to any organization they may otherwise be affiliated with.

Show Transcript

00:00:00:00 - 00:00:22:12

Wilk Wilkinson

What if unity wasn't just a buzzword, but something we could actually live out in our communities? If you've been listening for a while, you know that I spend a lot of my time working with Braver Angels to bridge divides and renew trust in our communities. My guest this week, Adam Mizel is walking a very similar path as co-founder and CEO of US United.

 

00:00:23:02 - 00:00:43:09

Wilk Wilkinson

Adam's on a nationwide journey. Sitting down with sheriffs and community members, breaking through the noise of labels and politics, and proving that unity is built through respect and real conversation, our work runs on parallel tracks with the same destination, a more connected and hopeful America.

 

00:00:43:09 - 00:00:48:16

Adam Mizel

we started to do events with Chris and with other sheriffs and build relationships.

 

00:00:48:18 - 00:01:07:22

Adam Mizel

I started to see, here's a network of people who are elected. Yes, they are in law enforcement, but because they're elected, they spend so much time building bridges and bringing their communities together because they report to the people. They don't report to a mayor or city council governor. They report to the people. And it took me a little while.

 

00:01:07:22 - 00:01:24:11

Adam Mizel

Sometimes you're - I’m not the smartest tack in the bunch, but I was like, we kept doing more. And I'm like, this is an interesting group. And so we let me after last year, we did the 12 sheriffs all on our holiday spectacular in December for the fifth time. I said we should do more. And that led to this idea of the Sheriff Unity Network.

 

00:01:24:11 - 00:01:25:07

Adam Mizel

And,

 

00:01:25:07 - 00:01:33:19

Adam Mizel

it's spread like wildfire. I mean, the sheriffs love it. As we go around talking to people, and we've hit into a vein that I think is really powerful.

 

00:01:34:18 - 00:01:40:16

Wilk Wilkinson

Stick around friend. It's another episode you won't want to miss. Roll that intro.

 

00:01:40:16 - 00:02:30:01

Wilk Wilkinson

Welcome back, my friends, for the Derate the Hate podcast. I'm your host, Wilk Wilkinson, your blue collar sage calming outrage and helping to navigate a world divided by fog. And those who would spread that fear, outrage and grievance. The Derate the Hate podcast is proudly produced in collaboration with Braver Angels, America's largest grassroots cross Partizan organization working towards civic renewal.

 

00:02:30:03 - 00:02:57:07

Wilk Wilkinson

This podcast amplifies the mission that we share to foster a more respectful and united America where civic friendship thrives even when we disagree. Each week, through the power of story, conversation, and connection with incredible guests, we work to build bridges instead of barriers, not to change minds on the issues, but to change how we see one another when we differ.

 

00:02:57:09 - 00:03:21:16

Wilk Wilkinson

Because friends, it really is about bettering the world one attitude at a time. We did not create the hate, but together we can Derate the Hate. So be sure to subscribe wherever you get your podcast. Share it with a friend and visit Braver angels.org to learn how you can get involved in the movement to bridge the partizan divide.

 

00:03:21:18 - 00:03:30:12

Wilk Wilkinson

Friends, I am so incredibly grateful that you have joined me for another powerful Derate the Hate episode. So let's get to it.

 

00:03:31:02 - 00:03:48:08

Wilk Wilkinson

One of the many things that I've learned through my work with Braver Angels is that unity does not happen in theory or by accident. It happens when people step out, engage across differences, and build trust in their communities. My guest today, Adam Mizel

 

00:03:48:08 - 00:03:49:10

Wilk Wilkinson

is doing just that.

 

00:03:49:10 - 00:03:49:20

Wilk Wilkinson

Adam's

 

00:03:49:20 - 00:03:59:06

Wilk Wilkinson

crisscrossing the country, engaging with sheriffs, local leaders and everyday Americans to foster understanding and collaboration.

 

00:03:59:06 - 00:04:33:09

Wilk Wilkinson

demonstrating that the antidote to toxic polarization is not found in labels, identity politics, or waiting for someone in Washington. It's found in the personal connections that we create face to face in our conversation. Adam and I dive into the shared vision between us, united and braver angels. Building bridges through dialog. Shifting culture from division to respect and creating opportunity where sports, community events and personal experiences spark empathy and real connection.

 

00:04:33:10 - 00:04:53:17

Wilk Wilkinson

Adam brings both the perspective of a seasoned leader and the heart of someone deeply committed to America's civic renewal. So if you believe, like I do, that this cultural shift starts with us neighbors, friends, and fellow citizens willing to show up and listen. You won't want to miss this conversation.

 

00:04:53:17 - 00:04:57:05

Wilk Wilkinson

Let's get into it with my friend Adam Mizel

 

00:04:57:07 - 00:04:57:18

Wilk Wilkinson

Here we go.

 

00:04:57:18 - 00:05:03:08

Wilk Wilkinson

Adam Mizel, Welcome to the Derate the Hate podcast man. Good to see you today.

 

00:05:03:10 - 00:05:11:02

Adam Mizel

Good to see you. I apologize I'm out in public on the corner in front of one of the oldest taverns in Charlestown, Massachusetts, in Boston on a road trip, as

 

00:05:11:02 - 00:05:15:08

Adam Mizel

So I apologize for a little bit of background noise, but we get some local color.

 

00:05:15:10 - 00:05:17:04

Wilk Wilkinson

Hey, that's all right. That's all right.

 

00:05:17:04 - 00:05:20:22

Wilk Wilkinson

road trips are fun. I mean, one of my favorite things to do, Adam, is road trips.

 

00:05:20:22 - 00:05:26:08

Wilk Wilkinson

And I haven't been to Boston in a very long time, so at least now I get to experience that a little bit.

 

00:05:26:09 - 00:05:28:02

Adam Mizel

You got it.

 

00:05:28:04 - 00:05:30:20

Wilk Wilkinson

All right, so, speaking of this road trip,

 

00:05:30:20 - 00:05:32:20

Wilk Wilkinson

you were introduced to me, Adam, by,

 

00:05:32:20 - 00:05:35:22

Wilk Wilkinson

by a common friend of our Neil Ghosh, and he,

 

00:05:35:22 - 00:05:37:01

Wilk Wilkinson

he told me,

 

00:05:37:01 - 00:05:37:20

Wilk Wilkinson

about,

 

00:05:37:20 - 00:05:41:09

Wilk Wilkinson

you doing this road trip and going around and

 

00:05:41:09 - 00:05:44:11

Wilk Wilkinson

you're organization us United is,

 

00:05:44:11 - 00:05:51:16

Wilk Wilkinson

is is doing a lot of different things and a lot of really cool things in the, in the bridge building space and the unity kind of space.

 

00:05:51:16 - 00:05:59:23

Wilk Wilkinson

So so let's I want to start. Well, let's start first of all by telling the DTH listeners what is US United and

 

00:05:59:23 - 00:06:07:04

Wilk Wilkinson

how did you find yourself getting into this bridge building and unity space?

 

00:06:07:05 - 00:06:15:01

Adam Mizel

So US United is a movement for unity, it gives the Americans the tools and resources they need to reunite the country. It's short and sweet,

 

00:06:15:01 - 00:06:26:20

Adam Mizel

simple. It's not coming from politicians, really, not from media right now. It's up to us, the everyday Americans at a grassroots level, to take the steps, make the changes that are going to reunite the country.

 

00:06:27:01 - 00:06:29:13

Adam Mizel

And what that means to us,

 

00:06:29:13 - 00:06:49:19

Adam Mizel

is that I think we define stronger. The problem is so many people live and work and social media and ever shrinking bubbles and outside of those bubbles, process the world and categorize the world with labels. Again, none of that is bad, but the result of it is, I don't know very many people who will sympathize or compromise on the label.

 

00:06:49:22 - 00:07:09:07

Adam Mizel

You do that with another person, and we've lost the ability to really interact with people with different experiences and backgrounds than our own. And if you don't do that, you don't see the gray, you don't see different ideas. And it's hard to find common ground because the way you and I are going to understand anything and maybe modify our view, is because we hear about someone's personal experience.

 

00:07:09:07 - 00:07:26:15

Adam Mizel

We see through their eyes, we understand what they're seeing and say, hey, I never thought of that because we are going to think through our own lenses and we need other lenses. And so at the chorus, United is trying to do that. We do a lot with digital connectivity. We do it in LA online, we do it in person with real experiences and events.

 

00:07:26:15 - 00:07:29:00

Adam Mizel

And one of the things we've created,

 

00:07:29:00 - 00:07:48:22

Adam Mizel

is something called the Sheriff's Unity Network. We've been working with sheriffs along the way. There's 3086 of them in this country, almost all of them elected, and they're a backbone of a network. They build unity. And so we decided to get on a road trip and go across the country and visit a sheriff or two in every state, just about in America.

 

00:07:49:00 - 00:07:49:13

Adam Mizel

And,

 

00:07:49:13 - 00:07:59:15

Adam Mizel

hear what they have to say. I understand the work they're doing and go with them into their communities and talk to everyday Americans. And we've talked to hundreds of people over the last month and,

 

00:07:59:15 - 00:08:08:05

Adam Mizel

I think 22 states so far. So we're not yet halfway through our trip living, learning, and finding out what Americans think and believe and what they're doing to build unity.

 

00:08:08:07 - 00:08:09:00

Wilk Wilkinson

Awesome,

 

00:08:09:00 - 00:08:10:05

Wilk Wilkinson

so, Adam,

 

00:08:10:05 - 00:08:14:14

Wilk Wilkinson

let's get into that a little bit because because how did you decide,

 

00:08:14:14 - 00:08:17:01

Wilk Wilkinson

that sheriffs were going to be a

 

00:08:17:01 - 00:08:20:00

Wilk Wilkinson

kind of a bridging pin in, in,

 

00:08:20:00 - 00:08:23:19

Wilk Wilkinson

taking us united and and getting into,

 

00:08:23:19 - 00:08:29:13

Wilk Wilkinson

different communities and things like that. I know, I know, it's wonderful because sheriffs are elected, but

 

00:08:29:13 - 00:08:34:04

Wilk Wilkinson

how did that, I guess how where did that idea kind of manifest from?

 

00:08:34:04 - 00:08:36:11

Wilk Wilkinson

Or what was the genesis for that?

 

00:08:36:12 - 00:08:48:13

Adam Mizel

Well, I believe everything happens for a reason along the way. And one of my co-founders and now really close friends, a gentleman named Sheriff Chris Swanson in Genesee County, Michigan, where Flint is,

 

00:08:48:13 - 00:08:57:03

Adam Mizel

and I met him early in the journey that eventually led to us united. We hit it off along with our third co-founder and started doing all kinds of things.

 

00:08:57:03 - 00:09:03:15

Adam Mizel

And through that, I mean, I said I didn't know what a sheriff was and what the different of a sheriff and a police officer was.

 

00:09:03:15 - 00:09:16:15

Adam Mizel

four and a half years ago. And I think that's true of most Americans today. And that's not a criticism nor a bad thing. But we started to do events with Chris and with other sheriffs and build relationships.

 

00:09:16:17 - 00:09:35:21

Adam Mizel

I started to see, here's a network of people who are elected. Yes, they are in law enforcement, but because they're elected, they spend so much time building bridges and bringing their communities together because they report to the people. They don't report to a mayor or city council governor. They report to the people. And it took me a little while.

 

00:09:35:21 - 00:09:52:10

Adam Mizel

Sometimes you're - I’m not the smartest tack in the bunch, but I was like, we kept doing more. And I'm like, this is an interesting group. And so we let me after last year, we did the 12 sheriffs all on our holiday spectacular in December for the fifth time. I said we should do more. And that led to this idea of the Sheriff Unity Network.

 

00:09:52:10 - 00:09:53:06

Adam Mizel

And,

 

00:09:53:06 - 00:10:04:05

Adam Mizel

it's spread like wildfire. I mean, the sheriffs love it. As we go around talking to people, and we've hit into a vein that I think is really powerful. So that's where the idea came from.

 

00:10:04:05 - 00:10:06:19

Wilk Wilkinson

that's fantastic. I mean, one of the, one of the great things,

 

00:10:06:19 - 00:10:08:04

Wilk Wilkinson

with, with sheriffs being

 

00:10:08:04 - 00:10:09:22

Wilk Wilkinson

an elected position,

 

00:10:09:22 - 00:10:17:05

Wilk Wilkinson

but it's not a Partizan elected position, which is what I really like about this concept. Right? I mean, and,

 

00:10:17:05 - 00:10:18:22

Wilk Wilkinson

or it certainly shouldn't be,

 

00:10:18:22 - 00:10:23:21

Wilk Wilkinson

I mean, I don't think we want to elect the sheriff or of our,

 

00:10:23:21 - 00:10:26:12

Wilk Wilkinson

respective counties on, on,

 

00:10:26:12 - 00:10:29:13

Wilk Wilkinson

whether they're a Democrat or a Republican or an independent,

 

00:10:29:13 - 00:10:31:00

Wilk Wilkinson

sheriffs now.

 

00:10:31:00 - 00:10:35:16

Wilk Wilkinson

Well, I would contend that that most politicians should be serving all the people.

 

00:10:35:16 - 00:10:38:23

Wilk Wilkinson

A sheriff is definitely one of those people that no matter,

 

00:10:38:23 - 00:10:41:10

Wilk Wilkinson

no matter what it is,

 

00:10:41:10 - 00:10:43:17

Wilk Wilkinson

whatever situation that they are in,

 

00:10:43:17 - 00:10:50:16

Wilk Wilkinson

the, the whole equal protection under the law thing has to come into place, and it's not like I'm going to treat you differently because you're a,

 

00:10:50:16 - 00:10:54:23

Wilk Wilkinson

a Republican or treat you different because you're a Democrat or whatever.

 

00:10:55:01 - 00:11:00:09

Wilk Wilkinson

Sheriff, more than anybody I think needs to be one of those people that's completely,

 

00:11:00:09 - 00:11:01:08

Wilk Wilkinson

outside of,

 

00:11:01:08 - 00:11:05:21

Wilk Wilkinson

of partizan bounds. Hey, I want to I want to go back to to something and then,

 

00:11:05:21 - 00:11:07:10

Wilk Wilkinson

maybe we can talk a little bit about that,

 

00:11:07:10 - 00:11:11:00

Wilk Wilkinson

more again. But I want to go back to something that you had said,

 

00:11:11:00 - 00:11:11:11

Wilk Wilkinson

earlier.

 

00:11:11:11 - 00:11:19:11

Wilk Wilkinson

Adam and and I want to talk about labels because because you had mentioned labels and the idea that that,

 

00:11:19:11 - 00:11:27:10

Wilk Wilkinson

people continue to put labels on people. It's something that I've talked about quite a bit on the Derate the Hate podcast and how,

 

00:11:27:10 - 00:11:38:06

Wilk Wilkinson

especially when it comes to politics. Right. But people people tend to put other people in boxes and then put a label on that box and then put them up on that shelf and, and until they're needed,

 

00:11:38:06 - 00:11:41:00

Wilk Wilkinson

and then that's when the pandering begins and they,

 

00:11:41:00 - 00:11:42:23

Wilk Wilkinson

talk to me a little bit about,

 

00:11:42:23 - 00:11:49:19

Wilk Wilkinson

what you seen in your travels and, and how, how ugly that whole concept

 

00:11:49:19 - 00:11:52:14

Wilk Wilkinson

of labels or if you want to get into,

 

00:11:52:14 - 00:11:53:23

Wilk Wilkinson

be it,

 

00:11:53:23 - 00:11:55:22

Wilk Wilkinson

identity politics, which is,

 

00:11:55:22 - 00:11:58:16

Wilk Wilkinson

probably the biggest instigator of,

 

00:11:58:16 - 00:12:00:13

Wilk Wilkinson

labels and things.

 

00:12:00:13 - 00:12:08:06

Wilk Wilkinson

this is one of the big problems that I see in our country is that whole labels, boxes, pandering,

 

00:12:08:06 - 00:12:12:02

Wilk Wilkinson

things like that. And it's just it doesn't really serve anybody well.

 

00:12:12:02 - 00:12:18:09

Wilk Wilkinson

And, and it just, it does more to separate us than bring us together. So talk a little bit more about,

 

00:12:18:09 - 00:12:21:12

Wilk Wilkinson

dive a little bit deeper into that labels thing.

 

00:12:21:14 - 00:12:44:10

Adam Mizel

Well, you're spot on. I mean it's it's I start as I said before, it's not a bad thing that people label. We have to process an incredibly complicated world. And the bad thing is that we assume we know everything from those labels. And that's where the key is having those conversations so that you don't assume you can judge judge the book by the cover.

 

00:12:44:12 - 00:12:50:15

Adam Mizel

And what I can tell you, and talking to hundreds of people, like when we started Michigan, when I went to Texas to practice all these,

 

00:12:50:15 - 00:13:02:21

Adam Mizel

made it up the northeast and in Boston today, everybody that I've spoken with, almost everybody understands that. They're like, we don't want to be divided. We don't want to be assuming we know everything.

 

00:13:03:02 - 00:13:03:21

Adam Mizel

We need

 

00:13:03:21 - 00:13:25:10

Adam Mizel

common words. We need to communicate more with everybody. Even if they have, we think they're different than us. We need to respect people. We need to have those discussions and get beneath the label. And I've been I've been inspired and surprised and inspired by that. But that's what I've heard. And I've talked to people who've you looked at them, they said, take your label on the red or pick your label on the blue.

 

00:13:25:12 - 00:13:27:19

Adam Mizel

And sometimes I got to help a little bit of,

 

00:13:27:19 - 00:13:34:21

Adam Mizel

the hell those people don't listen. Those people have an opinion. I'm like, well, if you're saying that you're part of the problem, right, right. That,

 

00:13:34:21 - 00:13:42:14

Adam Mizel

and so we talk a lot about that. But I think people want to break through those labels and they all talk about we need to communicate and they all complain.

 

00:13:42:14 - 00:13:53:08

Adam Mizel

The technology and social media has exacerbated labels. And so I got a lot of hope that people are are actually more aligned on this than you might have thought before I went on this track.

 

00:13:53:10 - 00:14:06:18

Wilk Wilkinson

Yeah. Well, and that's great. I mean, that that is so encouraging to hear that, Adam, because one of the things I mean, one of the things that I always go back to when I think about the labels and, and the problems that arise because of the labels,

 

00:14:06:18 - 00:14:09:10

Wilk Wilkinson

I mean, and I'll agree with you in the sense that,

 

00:14:09:10 - 00:14:16:11

Wilk Wilkinson

labels aren't always bad, but it seems like the only time those labels are highlighted is for bad reasons.

 

00:14:16:13 - 00:14:25:18

Wilk Wilkinson

But the big thing that stands out for me when it comes to labels or identity politics or things like that, is the idea that no individual group,

 

00:14:25:18 - 00:14:27:21

Wilk Wilkinson

is a is a monolith,

 

00:14:27:21 - 00:14:45:19

Wilk Wilkinson

And far too often when when people are using these labels, they're then made to believe or people are made to believe when speaking about that label, that everybody within their is a is a monolith when it comes to the way that they're thinking and the way they're doing things.

 

00:14:45:21 - 00:15:15:19

Wilk Wilkinson

When that happens. And this is where we run into the biggest problems when when that happens, it tends to set people on a course of, well, these people that label things this way. So since they think this way, I'm not going to have anything to do with them. I'm not going to have anything to do with them. I'm going to stay over here in my silo because this is where I'm comfortable, and I'm going to stay away from those people because there are those people and they all think this way.

 

00:15:15:20 - 00:15:21:18

Wilk Wilkinson

It's a it's a horrible way to think about it because and this is,

 

00:15:21:18 - 00:15:43:11

Wilk Wilkinson

when we think about siloing and separation and, and, and things like that, I mean, I always go back to and it's, it's one of the best lines that I've ever heard since I started doing this work in the depolarization space was from Monica Guzman when she says those who are underrepresented in our life will be overrepresented in our minds and in our imaginations.

 

00:15:43:13 - 00:16:04:02

Wilk Wilkinson

And and then I take that one step further in the sense that, okay, if those people in that particular group or people that I'm going to stay away from now, I'm going to continue to make up things in my mind about them, in my mind and in my imagination. And those things are typically not the best things. Right.

 

00:16:04:04 - 00:16:10:20

Wilk Wilkinson

It's not like we're thinking, oh yeah, those people are awesome. They're baking cakes and they're playing on the swingset with their kids and and they're doing all that.

 

00:16:10:20 - 00:16:21:08

Wilk Wilkinson

that that's not the one thing that we're thinking. We're thinking the bad things. And then all of a sudden that imagination part that we're using is turning them into a worse person than they actually are.

 

00:16:21:14 - 00:16:41:21

Wilk Wilkinson

So we're inclined to stay further away from them. The further separated we are, it's this perpetual exponential cycle of ugliness that that just continues to get worse, worse, and worse until it finally becomes a situation where we hate them and we're going to deal with that hate through anger and violence. It's a big old mess.

 

00:16:41:23 - 00:16:43:13

Adam Mizel

Yes, but I

 

00:16:43:13 - 00:17:02:02

Adam Mizel

will give you hope. This so I don't think that is as prevalent as you fear from all of my travels and conversations. And I think part of why we started United was to give people tools and resources to break away from that, because you got to create these opportunities to interact with those labels. Right.

 

00:17:02:02 - 00:17:02:17

Adam Mizel

And so,

 

00:17:02:17 - 00:17:19:23

Adam Mizel

for instance, we do something every month, the first Thursday of the month, we do a big zoom. We call it 30 for us. Or anyone in America can join. We provide a all structure in a topic, but then we put you in a breakout room with five random Americans. I don't know who you're talking to either, but I just got you out of your bubble and out of your comfort zone talking to people.

 

00:17:19:23 - 00:17:37:07

Adam Mizel

And that's a beauty. That's where technology can be terrific, right? Similarly, we do all kinds of events, like from service days to other kinds of events. If you volunteer with someone, you don't ask them whether they vote in red or blue. You don't ask or they think on abortion or drugs. You ask them for life and you work together.

 

00:17:37:07 - 00:17:56:15

Adam Mizel

And then if you get to those conversations, the labels God, right. So we we try to do more and more things like that. We use sports. I mean, I think sports is one of the unifier. And we can be rivals on the field and rivals cheering, but we can come together off of it and find through our love of whatever that sport is, common ground.

 

00:17:56:17 - 00:18:16:18

Adam Mizel

Then the label disappears. So you got to find those resources and those tools to break the cycle that you just described. And what I'm hearing for everyone is either we're doing it or we want to do it. Please show us how to do it. And I think that's a big piece of fighting culture and media that is not in telling that story.

 

00:18:16:20 - 00:18:33:09

Adam Mizel

That's right. We and others have to tell those stories. That's why we're on the road. That's why we're posting all this on social media. That's why we're making a movie about it, because you got to show a different narrative, because then people realize they're not alone in this view. That's why most people agree with them. And then people do a little more and a little more.

 

00:18:33:11 - 00:18:43:13

Wilk Wilkinson

No, that's absolutely right. I mean, one of the big things and and you kind of alluded to it a couple times here, but but one of the big things that I've learned doing this work, Adam, and this is,

 

00:18:43:13 - 00:18:52:02

Wilk Wilkinson

to your point, and you've seen several examples of it in your travels, is we are not nearly as divided as those in politics.

 

00:18:52:02 - 00:18:54:05

Wilk Wilkinson

And those in the media would have you believe,

 

00:18:54:05 - 00:19:07:14

Wilk Wilkinson

when when it comes down to Main Street and kitchen table talks and, and living room conversations, things like this that we are doing, and when we get together in these communities, we're finding, or,

 

00:19:07:14 - 00:19:11:22

Wilk Wilkinson

sometimes it just takes a little nudge. And you talked about the tools and the structure and things like that.

 

00:19:12:04 - 00:19:19:01

Wilk Wilkinson

One of the big things that Braver Angels that we do is we provide an excellent structure by which people can bring,

 

00:19:19:01 - 00:19:24:21

Wilk Wilkinson

come together within their communities, and they then find out that,

 

00:19:24:21 - 00:19:30:01

Wilk Wilkinson

all these things that I'm hearing about this particular group is is not actually true.

 

00:19:30:01 - 00:19:31:01

Wilk Wilkinson

the things

 

00:19:31:01 - 00:19:32:05

Wilk Wilkinson

I'm told I can't,

 

00:19:32:05 - 00:19:38:16

Wilk Wilkinson

I can't possibly be friends with this particular person or this particular group because they think this way.

 

00:19:38:18 - 00:19:48:20

Wilk Wilkinson

But the reality is, is when you do bring these people, I love that. I want to hear more about that. 30 for us, too, because, it just sounds like a fascinating, easy,

 

00:19:48:20 - 00:19:54:14

Wilk Wilkinson

structure and, and and. Yeah, that's that's the problem is, again,

 

00:19:54:14 - 00:19:55:14

Wilk Wilkinson

when we think about,

 

00:19:55:14 - 00:20:06:07

Wilk Wilkinson

we are not as a, as a people, we are not as a country, nearly as divided as the politicians and the media would have you believe, and how important.

 

00:20:06:07 - 00:20:12:17

Wilk Wilkinson

And that stresses the importance of what we do in this, this depolarization and and bridge building space. But

 

00:20:12:17 - 00:20:23:07

Wilk Wilkinson

the idea that we must have the right structure and show people that there are tools available to them to actually make this happen because it's not,

 

00:20:23:07 - 00:20:29:04

Wilk Wilkinson

this is not a problem. Polarization. It a polarization is obviously not a problem that the government's got to fix.

 

00:20:29:09 - 00:20:34:04

Wilk Wilkinson

I mean, we we just know that it's we, the people that are going to make this happen.

 

00:20:34:04 - 00:20:35:10

Wilk Wilkinson

I love the old phrase I was,

 

00:20:35:10 - 00:20:37:08

Wilk Wilkinson

spent so many years in business

 

00:20:37:08 - 00:20:42:20

Wilk Wilkinson

and one of the things that, that we do here quite often is you cannot fix a problem with the same,

 

00:20:42:20 - 00:20:44:20

Wilk Wilkinson

thinking or the same ideas that created it.

 

00:20:45:00 - 00:20:49:02

Wilk Wilkinson

Right. And for people to believe that,

 

00:20:49:02 - 00:20:51:09

Wilk Wilkinson

there's going to be some,

 

00:20:51:09 - 00:20:55:03

Wilk Wilkinson

politician that's going to swoop in and and fix this thing.

 

00:20:55:03 - 00:20:56:21

Wilk Wilkinson

It's just not going to happen,

 

00:20:56:21 - 00:21:03:14

Wilk Wilkinson

when I think of another fantastic line from a great friend of mine at Braver Angels, John Wood Jr, says,

 

00:21:03:15 - 00:21:23:06

Wilk Wilkinson

polarization is the one problem that insurers other all other problems will not be solved. Right? Well, we can't continue to believe that that our problems as a people are going to be solved by the government, especially when those who represent us are far too often not the best of us. Talk a little bit about that.

 

00:21:23:08 - 00:21:39:21

Adam Mizel

Well, sure. Well, I mean, first of all, I really do think, and this will sound negative for a second, the government is a reflection of where our culture is and who we are as a people. At that moment in time, we get the government we deserve and we ask for, for sure,

 

00:21:39:21 - 00:21:41:21

Adam Mizel

so we can bash it all we want.

 

00:21:41:21 - 00:22:02:23

Adam Mizel

But that's true. One but two. I think part of it is, and this is, I think the work you're doing and we're trying to do rough numbers. I say there's about 15% of the people on each side of the broad political divide who are incredibly invested in the vision. They don't want it to change identity, power, innovation, whatever it may be.

 

00:22:03:01 - 00:22:08:08

Adam Mizel

The vast majority of 65, 70% don't feel that way. But they're quiet

 

00:22:08:08 - 00:22:21:14

Adam Mizel

and like I'm disgusted by what I see. I'm going to go back to work. I'm going to go back to school, I'm gonna go back to TikTok, whatever. And I'll tune in every 2 or 4 years for an election. And it's only gotten worse because they become more withdrawn and it becomes a spiraling cycle of,

 

00:22:21:14 - 00:22:23:00

Adam Mizel

extremism.

 

00:22:23:02 - 00:22:43:00

Adam Mizel

We have to engage. And look, not they don't have to be as engages. You might be or I might be, but we need people that pay attention and express their views where they want to see more moderation and be enough. Engage in the political process as an audience to talk to different people ultimately may be elected or will get again the government that reflects where the people are.

 

00:22:43:02 - 00:22:57:08

Adam Mizel

So I don't blame them. Government, they're they're likely to do something else. And those people are great. People are going to use the tools investing to get where they want to be. We have to have our view of what the conflict should look like. And so that's a big one for me.

 

00:22:57:08 - 00:23:00:07

Adam Mizel

I think unity comes well before politics.

 

00:23:00:07 - 00:23:23:19

Adam Mizel

You can't get to changing anything unless you get the culture to believe that we should approach the questions differently and one of the things I always say is unity does not mean unanimity. We're not we shouldn't all agree. We're never all going to agree. That's fine. But unity does mean things like respect and communication and civil discourse and patience and just talking.

 

00:23:23:21 - 00:23:52:20

Adam Mizel

This is unity, right? When we don't agree, it's still unity if we're talking about it. And I think we have to. So part of what I spend a lot of energy on is trying to really look at the levers of culture that can change people's focus and opinion on it. And that's why I come back to sports and I come back to music, food, but big things, because we're taking on big media and big politics, and the one person at a time approach is important, but it needs to be match sort of ground game, air game.

 

00:23:52:20 - 00:24:08:09

Adam Mizel

We've got to really drive things through and culture, and then we have a lot of ideas and ways to do that that we want to roll out, especially leveraging sports and music. Right. Because yeah, those are things that we come together over. So let's figure let's reward that and emphasize that more.

 

00:24:08:11 - 00:24:08:20

Wilk Wilkinson

Yeah.

 

00:24:08:20 - 00:24:10:19

Wilk Wilkinson

I think you're absolutely right. And, and

 

00:24:10:19 - 00:24:17:06

Wilk Wilkinson

it makes me think I had a, had a great conversation this past week and with a guy who's going to be on,

 

00:24:17:06 - 00:24:19:21

Wilk Wilkinson

on the podcast soon.

 

00:24:19:21 - 00:24:25:16

Wilk Wilkinson

His name is is Jim Place, and he's a, he's a long time football coach and,

 

00:24:25:16 - 00:24:27:04

Wilk Wilkinson

high school football coach, award winning.

 

00:24:27:04 - 00:24:30:06

Wilk Wilkinson

He's like a coach for, for 50 some years. In fact, he was,

 

00:24:30:06 - 00:24:38:12

Wilk Wilkinson

friends with Herman Boone, the guy that was depicted in the movie. Remember the Titans and him and I were talking about that, and, and,

 

00:24:38:12 - 00:24:42:03

Wilk Wilkinson

and he does a does huge football camp. We'll definitely get more on,

 

00:24:42:03 - 00:24:46:03

Wilk Wilkinson

on the podcast here in the coming weeks on that with Jim Place and

 

00:24:46:03 - 00:24:56:07

Wilk Wilkinson

his partner that have used sports as a as a huge unifier and bringing people together from different backgrounds and, and things like that.

 

00:24:56:07 - 00:24:58:14

Wilk Wilkinson

So why don't you talk a little bit then about,

 

00:24:58:14 - 00:25:01:20

Wilk Wilkinson

what us United is doing on that front,

 

00:25:01:20 - 00:25:08:22

Wilk Wilkinson

with sports and, and how, how we can use sports as a unifier, music as well. I mean, music,

 

00:25:08:22 - 00:25:11:07

Wilk Wilkinson

you mentioned music, sports, food.

 

00:25:11:07 - 00:25:17:20

Wilk Wilkinson

Those are always I mean, whenever we can sit down and break bread with people that that aren't necessarily like us,

 

00:25:17:20 - 00:25:18:15

Wilk Wilkinson

or,

 

00:25:18:15 - 00:25:20:11

Wilk Wilkinson

think differently than we do.

 

00:25:20:13 - 00:25:23:02

Wilk Wilkinson

There's always a great opportunity there.

 

00:25:23:02 - 00:25:26:01

Wilk Wilkinson

And music, music brings people together from all different,

 

00:25:26:01 - 00:25:31:04

Wilk Wilkinson

walks of life. But talk a little bit about let's focus in a little bit more on the,

 

00:25:31:04 - 00:25:34:02

Wilk Wilkinson

the sports aspect of it and what you guys are doing to us.

 

00:25:35:08 - 00:25:49:17

Adam Mizel

A range of things. So, I mean, we have, for instance, to your point, we've run the youth police community flag football tournaments and bringing kids with their parents and the law enforcement together as coaches and players. And

 

00:25:49:17 - 00:25:54:08

Adam Mizel

building bonds, building trust, building relationships. We do that frequently. We have

 

00:25:54:08 - 00:25:54:16

Adam Mizel

and,

 

00:25:54:16 - 00:26:01:15

Adam Mizel

we've done unity seats. Imagine you've done a football game and there's two, four seats, 16 reserve.

 

00:26:01:17 - 00:26:16:06

Adam Mizel

And we invite two different families who never would interact. And for whatever reason, there's a thousand reasons. Come, come watch your favorite team together. Figure out you didn't know each other before. By the end, you're going to be good friends. And that's what unity looks like. And by the way, in that case, the division didn't get me football seats.

 

00:26:16:06 - 00:26:18:04

Adam Mizel

Community got me football seats. Depict,

 

00:26:18:04 - 00:26:33:08

Adam Mizel

whatever team you want to see. But like now I'm I'm sharing all that and I'm changing culture. Right. Similarly that 30 plus I talked to you right before that we do on zoom. We also do it in person. So we go around. We do have only editions of 30 for us, whether it's professional or college sports.

 

00:26:33:10 - 00:26:44:08

Adam Mizel

Get athletes, players, coaches and fans together and say, hey, we just had Michigan play Ohio State Blood War, but we can come together afterwards and have a really good conversation.

 

00:26:44:08 - 00:26:52:15

Adam Mizel

That's what unity looks like and that's what sports can do. So we do all of those kinds of things and then we share that content and say look at what you're seeing right.

 

00:26:52:15 - 00:27:02:23

Adam Mizel

You thought that these people hated each other because of a game. No. They could really hate each other for three hours, but not afterwards and not before it. That's a lesson for all of us.

 

00:27:03:00 - 00:27:08:05

Wilk Wilkinson

Oh, yeah. No, it absolutely is now. And and that's a beautiful thing. So. So, Adam, tell me about,

 

00:27:08:05 - 00:27:11:22

Wilk Wilkinson

on this road trip that you've been on, you've how many states did you say you've been to?

 

00:27:12:02 - 00:27:18:01

Adam Mizel

21. Somewhere in the low 20s. I haven't done the math recently, but.

 

00:27:18:03 - 00:27:18:10

Wilk Wilkinson

Knowing.

 

00:27:18:11 - 00:27:20:13

Adam Mizel

That way to go in. Yeah, we got a long way to go.

 

00:27:20:13 - 00:27:23:03

Wilk Wilkinson

But no. And I'm definitely looking forward when,

 

00:27:23:03 - 00:27:28:07

Wilk Wilkinson

forward to when you make it up my way and we can get together in person. But but talk to me about,

 

00:27:28:07 - 00:27:30:22

Wilk Wilkinson

some of the stories that you've seen,

 

00:27:30:22 - 00:27:33:08

Wilk Wilkinson

in, in your travels and, and,

 

00:27:33:08 - 00:27:36:02

Wilk Wilkinson

maybe kind of a breakout moment or an

 

00:27:36:02 - 00:27:37:20

Wilk Wilkinson

moment that somebody had,

 

00:27:37:20 - 00:27:39:02

Wilk Wilkinson

in, in one of your,

 

00:27:39:02 - 00:27:40:23

Wilk Wilkinson

interactions.

 

00:27:40:23 - 00:27:44:19

Wilk Wilkinson

Right? Because that's always what it, what it means for me.

 

00:27:44:19 - 00:27:50:09

Wilk Wilkinson

what I, what I love about this business was not really a business. This movement,

 

00:27:50:09 - 00:27:58:15

Wilk Wilkinson

this bridge building depolarization movement is when I see somebody for the first time and all of a sudden it's like, kind of like a light switch,

 

00:27:58:15 - 00:28:01:00

Wilk Wilkinson

And you can see that.

 

00:28:01:02 - 00:28:04:10

Wilk Wilkinson

Oh, now it just it really clicked for somebody,

 

00:28:04:10 - 00:28:07:12

Wilk Wilkinson

and they, they, they're, they're then,

 

00:28:07:12 - 00:28:18:02

Wilk Wilkinson

that now they're going to be part of the movement. Tell me about some of the stories or some of the things that you've seen in your travels that that have really kind of stood out for you like that?

 

00:28:18:04 - 00:28:33:01

Adam Mizel

There's so many, but I'll give you a few when you first. One of the best ideas that I've heard, and we posted this on our socials the other day because we're sharing as much as we can and who come across it. Wonderful woman in Birmingham, Alabama. She and her mom,

 

00:28:33:01 - 00:28:35:22

Adam Mizel

to two little restaurants together called Yo Mamas.

 

00:28:36:00 - 00:29:00:07

Adam Mizel

And we talked about, hey, what are some of the tools use or ideas you had to build? And she said, I got the five mile rule. If everybody within five miles in their home was nice, respectful, and contributed to their community just within five miles, their immediate radius, she's like, basically we're done because your five miles and my five miles will eventually overlap because everywhere we go across, that's changing culture.

 

00:29:00:09 - 00:29:04:12

Adam Mizel

And if we're respectful and kind and then five miles, I don't have to get in my head.

 

00:29:04:12 - 00:29:18:07

Adam Mizel

I can't be kind to someone in Minnesota. I can't be tied to someone in California because they're different than me. Back to your labels. If I just start being kind within five miles, eventually every one of those five miles overlaps and I ended up being kind to someone in California without even knowing it.

 

00:29:18:09 - 00:29:39:09

Adam Mizel

Right? Yeah, I thought that was I thought that was beautiful. And then me. So that was one of my favorites. Then another time I'll give you two stories of where I, I've become a little more at aggressive and engaged, and those are pushing people when they're kind of seeming to get divided. So we had a wonderful conversation with a couple in front of the Campbell Stadium, a Florida State,

 

00:29:39:09 - 00:29:45:21

Adam Mizel

in posted part of this and talking to a gentleman who'd been in the military and very much about how we can build unity and,

 

00:29:45:21 - 00:29:47:21

Adam Mizel

family and respect, he said.

 

00:29:47:21 - 00:30:01:08

Adam Mizel

But he basically I kind of push and say, well, what do you do when it gets hard? He's like, if you burn the flag, I can't unify with you basically a little bit. My was like, but hey, you were in the military. You fought for the right to burn the flag. It's like, I know, but it's not right.

 

00:30:01:09 - 00:30:24:19

Adam Mizel

It's you shouldn't do it. It's okay, I hear you. But if someone got to the point that they were doing that, isn't it more helpful to ask them what spurred that? Why do they feel that way? And you can tell them why? It really bothers me. But let me understand why. Because maybe in that question you learn a little bit about something, add something else.

 

00:30:24:19 - 00:30:31:18

Adam Mizel

You hadn't thought of that. Again, it doesn't have to make burning. It's like right to you, but it gives you context. And we talked back and forth and he said,

 

00:30:31:18 - 00:30:36:21

Adam Mizel

what? You're right. I don't have to like it, but I need to ask the question. Right. Yeah. And

 

00:30:36:21 - 00:30:42:08

Adam Mizel

that and similarly had that conversation with a woman,

 

00:30:42:08 - 00:30:46:03

Adam Mizel

when we were in a rural county in Pennsylvania who was like quietly like,

 

00:30:46:03 - 00:30:47:20

Adam Mizel

I'm it's one person.

 

00:30:47:20 - 00:30:49:08

Adam Mizel

It's a problem of all this. I'm the only,

 

00:30:49:08 - 00:31:04:08

Adam Mizel

job. I'm the only Democrat people. My family won't talk to me. We're just like those people won't listen to me. I said, what do you mean, you're not? But you presume that you can't talk to them either. You're. I mean, and this was not labeled because she knew the people in your community.

 

00:31:04:10 - 00:31:10:20

Adam Mizel

She's like, I can't. They don't. I was like. How do you how about asking more questions.

 

00:31:10:20 - 00:31:36:19

Adam Mizel

Right. Don't don't tell someone you're right or you're, they're wrong. You're right or ask questions as I said. And then if you don't agree and these tools that I use and you use them to like explain an experience that you've a friend or family member that is different than their interpretation of that issue, whatever it may be, it's because, no, if you tell someone, hey, I'm right, you're wrong.

 

00:31:36:21 - 00:31:52:19

Adam Mizel

This doesn't work, right? If I tell you ten times and louder, you're wrong, you're not going to listen to me. That's right. If you say, hey, this happened to me or my daughter and my husband, and it's different than what you think. They can't tell you your experience is wrong because it's your experience. It happened to you. Yeah.

 

00:31:52:20 - 00:32:13:13

Adam Mizel

I'm. You're not going to change someone's mind. But if you move at 10% where they said, boy, I never thought of that. I didn't realize that that could happen. They might they might not did it to you, but you, you've that's unity. Right? That's how we move. That's right, that's right. So those are a few examples of when that happened.

 

00:32:13:13 - 00:32:32:18

Adam Mizel

I can give you if you have a second more I mean, a story where literally it's a 31st story when we were first did it with five people on on this is a person in a room and the topic was, hey, if you were president for the day, what's one change you would make? So each person had to answer in a couple minutes their idea.

 

00:32:32:18 - 00:32:36:08

Adam Mizel

And then there was an open discussion like the third person to speak,

 

00:32:36:08 - 00:32:37:21

Adam Mizel

26 year old,

 

00:32:37:21 - 00:32:52:03

Adam Mizel

black woman who was going back premed before going back to school for medical school. And she said, if I were president for the day, I would really ban and really get rid of redlining, which is an interesting answer. But what happened next is what was really interesting.

 

00:32:52:08 - 00:33:20:01

Adam Mizel

The other four people, all of them were white. And what's redlining? They didn't know what it is. She then explained, in a very personal and deep way how over 30, 40 years redlining for her family near Detroit, she had destroyed their homes, taken things away from them, left them more impoverished and not. And at the end and then they all had this open discussion at the end of it.

 

00:33:20:02 - 00:33:38:10

Adam Mizel

The other four people, they all said at the end we agree. If we were present today, we outlined redlining based on what we agree. That doesn't happen. If you hear a political speech or if you watch someone on TV talking about redlining, you go to your corner, see, basically explained how it destroyed,

 

00:33:38:10 - 00:33:40:05

Adam Mizel

the wealth and the fabric of her family.

 

00:33:40:05 - 00:33:48:11

Adam Mizel

And people said, that's wrong. We won't let that happen. If we were present. That's the magic of what I hear and what I see.

 

00:33:48:13 - 00:33:53:00

Wilk Wilkinson

No, that's that's that is fantastic. And it's stories like this,

 

00:33:53:00 - 00:34:04:06

Wilk Wilkinson

Adam, that that really drive it home for people, how important this is and how there are actual tangible results that come out of this work and how we can move the needle.

 

00:34:04:06 - 00:34:04:15

Wilk Wilkinson

I quite,

 

00:34:04:15 - 00:34:05:23

Wilk Wilkinson

quite often I say that,

 

00:34:05:23 - 00:34:08:03

Wilk Wilkinson

I'm not out here to change people's minds on anything.

 

00:34:08:03 - 00:34:16:03

Wilk Wilkinson

I'm just here to open them to to other ideas. What you're talking about here is, is again, going back to my friend Monica Guzman,

 

00:34:16:03 - 00:34:19:20

Wilk Wilkinson

having fearlessly curious conversations. And then,

 

00:34:19:20 - 00:34:25:02

Wilk Wilkinson

people will tend to listen to you when they know that you're listening to them.

 

00:34:25:02 - 00:34:28:02

Wilk Wilkinson

it's it's through conversation. It's through,

 

00:34:28:06 - 00:34:30:01

Wilk Wilkinson

listening to understand not to,

 

00:34:30:01 - 00:34:32:08

Wilk Wilkinson

not to not to respond.

 

00:34:32:11 - 00:35:02:11

Wilk Wilkinson

when people really understand that you are listening to them, hoping to understand. And then I want to drive home the point that you made that is so important here. And that that when you actually tell people or show people that, that your lived experience is how you came to believe what you believe, or you listen to them telling you what

 

00:35:02:11 - 00:35:04:07

Wilk Wilkinson

what their lived experience is,

 

00:35:04:07 - 00:35:06:13

Wilk Wilkinson

the example with the guy burning the flag and everything.

 

00:35:06:18 - 00:35:09:22

Wilk Wilkinson

I think a lot of people like like myself,

 

00:35:09:22 - 00:35:11:19

Wilk Wilkinson

who who are veterans or or,

 

00:35:11:19 - 00:35:25:18

Wilk Wilkinson

like, consider ourselves true patriots of this country do get infuriated when we see somebody burning the flag. But instead of letting our outrage over that particular act, which I think is disgusting, I, I,

 

00:35:25:18 - 00:35:27:16

Wilk Wilkinson

I too would get very,

 

00:35:27:16 - 00:35:30:06

Wilk Wilkinson

bothered by that happening.

 

00:35:30:08 - 00:35:34:02

Wilk Wilkinson

But to step back out of our emotions for a second and say,

 

00:35:34:02 - 00:35:39:23

Wilk Wilkinson

what did it? What is it about this person's life? What is it about this person's lived experience?

 

00:35:39:23 - 00:35:50:13

Wilk Wilkinson

me wanting to understand what it is about their lived experience that got them to the point that they would do such a heinous thing? Does that change the dynamic of that interaction?

 

00:35:50:16 - 00:36:05:02

Wilk Wilkinson

It changes everything about that. And and I think if we did that more, not allow our emotions to dictate our actions. Another thing that I preach constantly, not allow our emotions to dictate our actions, but actually dive into that with a fairly,

 

00:36:05:02 - 00:36:21:04

Wilk Wilkinson

fearlessly curious conversation and say, what is it about your lived experience that made you do this thing that is just so ugly and knowing that it's going to it's going to have a very big effect on a lot of the people around you.

 

00:36:21:06 - 00:36:26:05

Wilk Wilkinson

Adam. Well, this has been a fantastic conversation. And man, I, I,

 

00:36:26:05 - 00:36:27:21

Wilk Wilkinson

I thank you for sharing,

 

00:36:27:21 - 00:36:29:17

Wilk Wilkinson

more about us united,

 

00:36:29:17 - 00:36:32:20

Wilk Wilkinson

with us here at the Derate the Hate podcast. And,

 

00:36:32:20 - 00:36:36:14

Wilk Wilkinson

I know there's going to be room for more conversations between us in the future.

 

00:36:36:14 - 00:36:37:06

Wilk Wilkinson

thank you for,

 

00:36:37:06 - 00:36:39:16

Wilk Wilkinson

stepping out of your road trip for a second and

 

00:36:39:16 - 00:36:40:14

Wilk Wilkinson

take a little bit of time.

 

00:36:40:14 - 00:36:42:12

Wilk Wilkinson

Man, I appreciate it.

 

00:36:42:14 - 00:36:43:19

Adam Mizel

Wilk. My pleasure.

 

00:36:43:19 - 00:37:06:02

Adam Mizel

Loan. Like you talking about this topic and hopefully giving people some ideas and some support. That's what I've seen. People have said we need hope, we need inspiration. And when this crazy human need shows up driving across the country, they're like, wow, you can do that. I can do something and the same work you're doing, and you can do this podcast and tell more people and you get out there doing the work.

 

00:37:06:04 - 00:37:14:11

Adam Mizel

People just need a little of that. And so keep up that hard work and that inspiration. The timing was perfect and a loud truck is about to turn on the street. So we got,

 

00:37:14:11 - 00:37:20:22

Adam Mizel

God smiling on us with giving us about 30 minutes of relative quiet and so awesome to be here and look forward to seeing you in person.

 

00:37:21:00 - 00:37:24:16

Wilk Wilkinson

Excellent, man, I appreciate it, Adam. Take care of yourself. Safe travels.

 

00:37:25:06 - 00:37:26:11

Adam Mizel

Fabulous.

 

00:37:26:11 - 00:37:56:07

Wilk Wilkinson

Friends, I want to thank you so much for tuning in. And if there's anything in this episode that provided exceptional value to you, please make sure to hit that share button. If you haven't done so already, please be sure to subscribe to get the Derate the Hate podcast sent to your email inbox every week. We really are better together, so please take a moment to visit Braver angels.org and consider joining the movement towards civic renewal and bridging our political divides.

 

00:37:56:09 - 00:38:19:15

Wilk Wilkinson

This is Wilk wrapping up for the week saying get out there. Be kind to one another. Be grateful for everything you've got. And remember it's up to you to make every day the day that you want it to be. With that, my friends, I'm going to back on out of here and we will catch you next week. Take care.

 

 

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