In this timely episode of The Space In Between, host Leigh Morgan sits down with John Wood Jr. — a national leader in the American depolarization movement, former GOP candidate for Congress and an inspiring voice for principled bridge-building — to explore one of the most pressing tensions of our time: how to hold strong convictions without becoming self-righteous or contributing to deeper division. John's personal story as the son of a conservative, white southernor and a liberal, black mom from LA is a testament to how differences can mold character, insight, understanding, and acceptance.

At a moment when many of us feel morally awake — and highly motivated to ‘do good’ while also navigating a culture shaped by low trust, shifting of democratic norms, and polarization—this conversation asks some complicated and difficult questions:

• how do we pursue justice and accountability without reinforcing the very brokenness we are trying to address? and
• how can we embody love and do so at a time of so much unneeded suffering?

This episode is a salve for the soul and offers practice insights on how to create a more perfect union at home, at work, and across the country.

Check out The Space In Between website for detailed show notes at https://spaceinbetweenpodcast.com/how-not-to-harden-in-hard-times-with-john-wood-jr/. And if you love the show - leave a review and pass this link along!

Anger is having a moment. You feel it. I feel it.

Everyone seems to be carrying around a lit match… just waiting for something to burn.

But here’s the uncomfortable question: What if the biggest problem isn’t anger itself… but how we’re using it?

In this solo episode, I take on something most of us don’t want to admit: That the same anger we believe is justified… can quietly turn into something else entirely.

Something sharper.

More self-righteous.

More dehumanizing.

And once it crosses that line, i starts feeding the very thing we say we’re against: injustice.

I also wrestle with my own anger in real time—offering a raw, honest look at what it actually takes to navigate this tension when it’s deeply personal.

Check out all the Space In Between website for detailed show notes at www.spaceinbetween.com. Please leave a review, share this episode and enjoy!

In this timely episode of The Space In Between, host Leigh Morgan sits down with Deb Roy, director of the MIT Center for Constructive Communication, to explore how the modern information ecosystem is reshaping democracy, trust, and our relationships with one another. At a time when misinformation, algorithmic amplification, and fragmented media environments are fueling polarization, Deb offers a powerful framework for understanding what he calls our information architecture—the invisible systems that determine what we see, what we believe, and how shared meaning either forms or breaks down.

But this conversation goes deeper than technology or media systems. It is ultimately about our humanness—the ways we see, hear, and relate to one another. Deb’s work reminds us that when information systems distort reality, they also weaken the relational fabric that allows diverse societies to function. As a world-leading researcher, Deb brings rigorous insight into how information systems shape civic life. Drawing on both modern research and what he calls “ancient wisdoms,” he reminds us that renewing democracy may begin with something profoundly simple: re-invigorating relational connection through listening, storytelling, and shared human experience.

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