Saving Democracy Means Ending Extreme Inequality

Saving Democracy Means Ending Extreme Inequality

Author: Bioneers August 5, 2026 Duration: 32:17
Labor organizer Saru Jayaraman makes a clarion call to action: support workers across the United States who are saying there’s always been an affordability crisis and are asking politicians what has democracy done for me lately? Addressing inequality worse than the infamous Gilded Age requires ensuring living wages for all.  Featuring Saru Jayaraman (JD, Yale, MPP Harvard), an academic at UC Berkeley and a renowned labor activist, is President of One Fair Wage, which organizes to raise wages and end sub-minimum wages nationwide. She is author of: Behind the Kitchen Door; Forked: A New Standard for American Dining; and One Fair Wage: Ending Subminimum Pay in America. Resources Take This Job and Shove It: The Great Resignation or The Great Revolt?⁠ | Bioneers Podcast ⁠Saru Jayaraman – What has Democracy Done For Me Lately? Engaging Working People in the Fight to Save Democracy⁠ | Bioneers 2026 Keynote ⁠Living Wage for All⁠ Executive Producer & Writer: Kenny Ausubel Senior Producer and Station Relations: Stephanie Welch Associate Producer & Program Engineer: Emily Harris Host & Consulting Producer: Neil Harvey Graphics: Megan Howe This is an episode of the Bioneers: Revolution from the Heart of Nature series. Visit the ⁠radio and podcast homepage⁠ to learn more.

There's a quiet revolution unfolding, one that draws its most profound ideas not from boardrooms or labs alone, but from the living world itself. Bioneers: Revolution From the Heart of Nature gives voice to that movement, presenting conversations that feel both urgent and deeply grounded. This award-winning podcast, curated by Bioneers, acts as a gathering place for some of the most compelling social and scientific thinkers of our era. Each episode explores how the genius of natural systems can inform our approach to modern crises. You’ll hear detailed discussions on topics ranging from practical biomimicry and ecological design to the interconnected realms of social justice, indigenous wisdom, and restorative psychology. The series refuses to silo these subjects, instead weaving them into a coherent vision for transformation. What emerges is a kaleidoscopic view of solutions that are as much about healing our communities as they are about restoring the planet. Tuning in, you encounter a rare depth of perspective, where the separation between ecological and social health dissolves. It’s a space where leading-edge ideas feel less like abstract concepts and more like a viable path forward, all explored through genuine dialogue and a celebration of human ingenuity working in concert with nature’s intelligence. This is a podcast for those looking to move beyond the headlines and into the heart of what it means to build a truly regenerative future.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 50

Bioneers: Revolution From the Heart of Nature
Podcast Episodes
Toward a More Perfect Union [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:15
In this time of radical upheaval and change, fulfilling the promise of a “more perfect union” in the United States means building a multi-racial democracy through transformative solidarity. As the Founder-in-Residence at…
Got Dirt? Get Soil! The Benefits of Regenerative Agriculture [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:15
The profit-hungry agribusiness empire of the 20th century institutionalized farming practices that continue to degrade soils across the U.S. and globally. We face a fork in the road: collapse or regeneration? The good ne…
The Power of Art for Healing and Justice | Joy Harjo & Cara Romero [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:43
In this program, we drop in on a remarkable conversation between two world-renowned Native American women artists. National Poet Laureate and musician Joy Harjo riffs with distinguished photographer Cara Romero. They dis…
Poetic Justice: Joy Harjo’s Artistic Journey in the Story Field [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:15
National Poet Laureate and musician Joy Harjo shares her artistic journey as a Native American woman into what she calls the “story field.” She says that in these times of radical disruption, chaos and disturbance, great…
Seeing the Forest for the Trees [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:11
We trek into the ancient old-growth forest where the trees reveal an ecological parable: A forest is a mightily interwoven community of diverse life that runs on symbiosis. With: Doctors Suzanne Simard and Teresa Ryan, e…
The Universe Beneath Our Feet: Mapping the Mycelial Web of Life [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:05
Imagine an underground web of mind-boggling complexity, a bustling cosmopolis beneath your feet. Quadrillions of miles of tiny threads in the soil pulsate with real-time messages, trade vital nutrients, and form life-giv…