Reimagining Us

Reimagining Us

Reimagining Us is not just another conversation series—it’s a vital tool for healing divisions, designing our lives and communities for belonging, and empowering a movement of “builders.” Hosted by two distinguished leaders from the fields of psychology and equity-building, the show takes a nuanced look at the forces that fuel division and highlights actionable paths toward reconnection. As the nation navigates a post-election landscape rife with challenges, Reimagining Us offers a timely and necessary space for discovery, dialogue, and change. Throughout America, our neighborhoods and local communities find themselves at an unprecedented moment. Pundits and political leaders roil us in toxically polarized, "us vs. them" narratives. In many places, our communities are marked by mistrust, fear of or inability to engage neighbors across differences, and loneliness & isolation. What can make us resilient? The answer is easy but profound: Each other. Our communities thrive when they are places of belonging for all. It’s time to rebuild the “we” – a bigger sense of “we” than what we see around us today. And no moment could be more critical to do this than now: Regardless who emerges victorious in November, half the country will feel left behind, or worse, betrayed. Local communities are the life force of democracy, but belonging doesn’t just happen by default. The way for folks to begin to imagine a feasible/fair future is to begin to experience themselves as mattering, as belonging in their communities, now – in their families, their neighborhoods, their grocery stores, their town halls, in all aspects of their daily lives. And we’re not talking about being “nice” or polite. We–all of us— need to design our lives and communities for belonging, to be intentional about how we show up, and how we create spaces for others to show up—both through our interactions and the structures and systems we put in place. And we need to start at home, in our communities. HOSTS: Nichole Argo is the Founder and Executive Director of TogetherUp Institute Scott Hutcheson is the Executive Director of E Pluribus Unum Produced by Next Chapter Podcasts

Episodes

January 30, 2025 52 mins
In this episode, Nichole and Scott explore how philanthropy is getting behind work to connect and collaborate across differences at the local level with Kristen Scott Kennedy of the Council on Foundations. They then highlight a scalable example of this work: The Needham Resilience Network (NRN) brings town officials, diverse residents, and key stakeholders together to build relationships, anchor in the concept of belonging, learn s...
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In this episode, Nichole and Scott talk about how individual and group efforts to revitalize connection in communities are necessary---but may not be sufficient for sustained change. Once we have the mindset and skills of pluralism, we need spaces and institutions that enable us to practice them. We need local governments and community stakeholders to invest in policies that foster “civic infrastructure.” Special guests Sam Pressle...
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Imagine that four experts on bridging divides came together to advise you on how to handle your next challenging conversation…Voila! Meet the “Be The Change” tool chest! On this episode of Reimagining Us, hosts Nichole Argo and Scott Hutcheson ask questions such as: What strategies can I use to build my curiosity muscle? How do I prepare for a conversation across differences? Do I need to bridge with everyone? How do you engage...
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In Part I, Nichole and Scott invite three top thought leaders to share foundational insights that can help listeners connect across differences.  Curiosity is a bridge to connection, an essential tool allowing us to explore the stories, values, and perspectives of others, says Scott Shigeoka, author of SEEK. It strengthens personal, work and civic relationships…“People who feel seen, stay.” Activating curiosity also generates dopam...
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In this episode, Nichole and Scott are joined by john a. powell, who leads them in an exploration of belonging while contrasting it with the damaging effects of othering.  By understanding and addressing the dynamics of belonging and othering, communities can create spaces where everyone thrives. Belonging is a fundamental human need that reflects feeling seen, heard, and valued in a community. Othering is when we fail to see other...
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In this episode, Nichole and Scott begin with a startling figure from Amanda Ripley’s book, Unthinkable: 90 percent of counties in the U. S. were declared federal disaster zones over a 10 year period from 2011 to 2021. These disasters, which largely represented extreme weather, are here to stay – how can our local communities become resilient? International research says the most important factor is strong, pre-existing relationshi...
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In this episode of Reimagining Us, co-hosts Nichole Argo and Scott Hutcheson delve deeper into the pervasive dynamics of toxic polarization, exploring how societal divisions manifest as "us versus them" thinking in our own lives and communities, and how awareness and intentionality enables us to counter it. They are joined by Dr. Peter Coleman, author of The Way Out: How to Overcome Toxic Polarization and a renowned expert in confl...
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On this episode of Reimagining Us, co hosts Nichole Argo and Scott Hutcheson have a conversation with Daniel Stid focused on toxic polarization and the importance of pluralism in countering it. In contrast to ideological polarization, where people disagree with each other but can still work together, toxic polarization refers to when people dislike and even dehumanize their political opponents, seeing each other as a threat not jus...
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On the debut episode of Reimagining Us, Nichole and Scott share their personal stories, explain how they came together to cohost the show and relay their vision and the purpose for the series answering the question: 'Why this podcast, now?' Reimagining Us is not just another conversation series—it’s a vital tool for healing divisions, designing our lives and communities for belonging, and empowering a movement of “builders.” Hosted...
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November 22, 2024 1 min
Reimagining Us is a podcast series that "lifts the hood" to uncover what's behind our feelings of division today, identify how we can rebuild connection and collaboration across differences in communities. The show is hosted by behavioral scientist Nichole Argo, the Founder and Executive Director of the TogetherUp Institute & Scott Hutcheson, Executive Director of E Pluribus Unum. HOSTS: Nichole Argo is the Founder and Director of ...
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