The true story of who we really are

The true story of who we really are

Author: iHeartPodcasts May 1, 2025 Duration: 5:41

This is our wrap of our Week of Citizening that I've been doing with Jon Alexander. We found 8 stories from across the U.S. — across sectors, communities, and divides — where people are coming together to make life better, together. See them all here.

See the visuals for this story and all our Week of Citizening stories here: https://linktr.ee/weekofcitizening 

Join our mailing list and share the stories you’re seeing. stories.howtocitizen.com 

The story is everywhere.

It’s happening in libraries, tech hubs, small towns, and fire-stricken neighborhoods.
It’s happening in real politics, real businesses, and real lives.
It’s what humans do — when given the chance.

🌎 We believe it’s time to tell a bigger, truer story about who we are.
💥 We’re just getting started — and we need you with us.

👉🏽 Sign up to get all 8 films + hear what’s next.

Let’s tell this story. Let’s be this story.

Video Produced by: Chilli.app and Summer Solstice

Week of Citizening Collaborators: Baratunde Thurston, Jon Alexander, Shira Abramowitz, Elizabeth Stewart

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.


Finding your place in a world that often feels broken can be disorienting. How To Citizen with Baratunde, from iHeartPodcasts, tackles that confusion head-on by treating "citizen" not as a static label but as a series of actions we can all learn. This podcast moves beyond the headlines and the outrage to explore the tangible, often surprising ways we can participate in shaping our communities and systems. Each episode is a deep dive into the mechanics of collective power, featuring conversations that span society, culture, technology, and news. You'll hear from people who are actively redefining what it means to belong and contribute, offering practical insights that replace helplessness with agency. The discussions remind us that while voting is crucial, a functioning democracy requires much more from all of us. This isn't about abstract theory; it's about the real-world application of citizenship. Tune in for a thought-provoking and actionable guide to wielding your influence, discovering how to move from being overwhelmed to being effectively engaged. The entire premise of this podcast is built on the idea that we can learn to citizen better, together.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 69

How To Citizen with Baratunde
Podcast Episodes
BONUS: Baratunde On Peril and Promise of AI [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:17
Welcome to a special bonus episode of How To Citizen. We are sharing Baratunde's appearance on the What Could Go Right? podcast, created by The Progress Network. Baratunde discusses technology, and specifically generativ…
Citizening at The Source (Sam Rader) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:13:50
So much of the conversation around democracy focuses on the external: from elections and policy to protests and organizing. While getting active is important...what could happen if we ALSO turn inwards? When we shift our…
First, You Bring Them Cake (Christian Vanizette) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:28
There’s no shortage of volunteer opportunities or organizations offering them. But how often are the communities meant to benefit from all of this volunteer work determining what help is truly needed, and which issues ar…
A How to Citizen Huddle (Coach Steve Kerr & Friends) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:28
Whether you’re a sports fanatic, or you’ve never stepped foot on a court or field—there’s a lot we can learn about citizening from the lens of coaches and athletes. To show us how sports can help us with teamwork, discip…
Fewer Debates, More Dunk Tanks (Priya Parker) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:06:04
How we gather matters. A lot. And what is a nation but a big ol’ gathering of gatherings? Baratunde talks with Priya Parker, facilitator and author of The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why it Matters, about how we ca…
To End Conflict, We Must Transform It (Tim Phillips) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:25:00
The intensifying political division and violence in our country is concerning — but it’s not unique. And few know that better than Tim Phillips. For 30 years, his organization Beyond Conflict has been bringing people fro…
Justice Begins with Imagination (Ruha Benjamin) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:21
According to Ruha Benjamin, we’re living inside someone else’s imagination. An imagination that limits our ability to build a more just, liberated world. So, how do we take back our agency and begin to seed something dif…
A New Shape for the Economy (Kate Raworth) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 51:47
It’s no secret that our economy only works for a select few. But what would our economy look like if we prioritized people and the planet, instead of profit? Economist Kate Raworth says it might look like a doughnut and…
DAO-mocracy (Alex Zhang) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:25:00
Imagine if the members of your group chat shared more than memes but also shared a bank account, or if the early users of a social media app helped decide how that app grew, made money, and moderated content. How does th…
Democracy without Politicians (Claudia Chwalisz) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:08:30
Instead of electing politicians to represent us…what if we just represented ourselves? Peer to peer. Neighbor to neighbor. Baratunde talks with Claudia Chwalisz about citizens’ assemblies—groups randomly-selected by lott…