“The Americans have all a lively faith in the perfectibility of man, they judge that the diffusion of knowledge must necessarily be advantageous, and the consequences of ignorance fatal; they all consider society as a body in a state of improvement, humanity as a changing scene, in which nothing is or ought to be permanent; and they admit that what appears to them today to be good, may be superseded by something better tomorrow."
— Alexis de Toqueville, Democracy in America
In the coming weeks we will be sharing more information and opportunities to become involved as participants and partners.
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A 12-episode pilot podcast concept
Somewhere among the podcasts about how to succeed, scale, invest, eat, and even how to fail, something is missing – something that helps shine a light on the beliefs, experiences, faith and values that comprise the most hopeful, inclusive and optimistic view of our contemporary American experience.
What’s missing is an exploration of Optimistic America, and, particularly, the stories of the people who are combining principles, faith, personal responsibility and community to create better lives for themselves, their families and their communities. These optimistic Americans are generally not the people who are writing the “big think” books on the New York Times bestseller list or talking about the ethereal ideas of the “thought leader” podcast circuit. They are the individuals who work every day on the frontlines of the American experience fighting the crude cycle of poverty and homelessness. They are optimists who are leveraging the value of industry and inquiry to create new possibilities and better lives. They are local leaders who ground themselves with focus and faith to advance positivity and prosperity, with wisdom that is hard-earned and lessons that are sometimes are hard to hear.
Far too often podcasts serve as surface exploration of ideas that are popular and products that are sellable. They touch on things that sound inspirational on the surface but don’t really get to the core of what motivates people. They don’t address what really matters.
What really matters? What matters isn’t just what we tell others on the blurbs of book jackets and in exquisitely-produced TED talks – what matters is what we tell ourselves. It’s what motivates us act, the purpose we feel, and the faith we have. What matters is what makes us optimistic and what helps us (and others) change the world around us.
The Optimistic America podcast (and related multi-channel content) will explore what matters to the people and the communities that are shaping the future of an Optimistic America – a place where the best possible future is available to all of us if we ground ourselves in what matters. By diving into the the experiences, beliefs and stories of Americans from across the country, and exploring how their experiences, motivations, and beliefs shape their understanding of what matters, the audience will gain insights and acquire the tools they need to explore what matters to them.
And what keeps America the most optimistic country in the world.
In the spirit of This American Life and NPR’s This I Believe, along with the practical orientation of Masters of Scale and How I Built This, and the conversational approach of the New York Time’s The Daily and Krista Tippet’s On Being, the Optimistic America podcast is the next chapter of how uniquely American stories can help a national audience understand the potential of their uniquely optimistic country.
The format of the show will be interview-based, capturing our subjects and their professional and personal stories in their native environments. Basic episode format will be approximately thirty minutes, with an opening overview of the guest(s) background(s) [what makes them relatable], their personal stories of challenge/growth [what makes them interesting], ultimately, their optimistic experience of what’s possible [what makes them inspiring], and a preview of the story that is coming next [why our audience should continue to tune in]. Questions will not be superficial. The podcasts will dive deep, exploring guests’ life lessons, the things that make them tick, and then moving on to address how the two together have shaped their ideals about what matters. Each episode will end with a selection of advice from the guest(s) and a reference to the episode page where other resources/links can be found of how to help with the specific initiative/organization that is discussed, as well as links to related leading resources.
Going from Prison to Possibility: A Conversation with Dave Durocher of The Other Side Academy and Jon Ponder of HOPE for Prisoners
Trading in Guns for Gardening: The Story of Bonton Farms
Community First: How Mobile ‘Loaves and Fishes’ Feed More Than Just Stomachs
Phoenix Rising: How Sport Puts the “S” in Sober
A Gang of Good: How Urban Specialists Change Communities Through Conversation
From Jail to Gym: How Cos Marte and Con Body Helps Get Lives in Shape
Mentorship Matters: How the Arthur Project is Redefining Youth Mentorship
The Power of (Inter)Faith: A Conversation with Eboo Patel of Interfaith Youth Core
Retaking the Corner: How Utech is Turning Boston Street Gangs into Whole Food Chefs
The Road from Amman to Atlanta: The Fugees Family Story
In addition to the podcast, the conversations and episode-related content will appear on an “Optimistic America” website.
Seth Cohen
Seth Cohen is the founder of Applied Optimism, a community and experience design lab that helps companies, nonprofits, grantmakers, and leaders design and apply optimistic solutions to complex organizational, communal and individual challenges.
Prior to founding Applied Optimism, for seven and a half years Seth was part of the senior leadership team of the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation, Seth served as a Senior Director, leading the Foundation’s global efforts to identify, connect and support networks of young adults to enable them to create experiences and communities for themselves and their peers. As part of this work, Seth helped establish REALITY Israel as a leading travel experience for global leaders and changemakers.
Prior to Schusterman, Seth previously worked for 13 years as a nationally recognized Atlanta-based corporate attorney, most recently as a partner at the international law firm of Holland & Knight LLP, leading its Atlanta corporate and M&A team. In addition to representing clients ranging from start-ups to Fortune 10 telecommunications companies, Seth also received recognition for his commitment to pro bono legal services, including his work as one of the lead attorneys in a successful federal civil rights lawsuit protecting the voting rights of Georgia citizens.
Kristi Kendall
Kristi Kendall, founder of Kristi Kendall & Co., is an expert in content production, messaging and storytelling. Throughout the course of her 20+ year career, Kristi has developed an expertise in leveraging the power of story to bring people together to work synergistically on projects that help shape public opinion and create impact.
Kristi began her career in 1997 at the ABC News magazine 20/20 where she produced nearly a hundred pieces and specialized in humanizing and communicating engaging narratives about complex policy and economic ideas. In 2009 she became John Stossel’s executive producer at Fox News and Fox Business, where she launched his highly-rated weekly show and oversaw more than a dozen documentary hours for Stossel and others. In 2014 she became the EVP at New Balloon, the cross-platform media company launched by Elizabeth Koch that leverages moving picture content as a means of encouraging connectivity, compassion, and conversation. Notable projects include: The Creative Brain with David Eagleman, Kasi Lemmon’s, Harriet, Cary Fukunaga’s, Beasts of No Nation and Rodrigo Garcia’s, Last Days in the Desert.
Kristi is the recipient of the Paul Mongerson Prize for Investigative Reporting, the Michael DeBakey Journalism Award, the NLGJA/Siegenthaler Excellence in Journalism Award, the Templeton-Cambridge fellowship and was recognized by the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences for her role in ABC's coverage of September 11, 2001.
Kristi lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her husband, two kids, dog and cat. More at kristikendall.com.
Have an idea for collaboration or sponsorhip? Get in touch at America@appliedoptimism.com.
