A Perfectly Imperfect Union: Conversations with Everyday Americans
By Michael OBrien
Categories: Society & Culture, Education, Self-Improvement, Health & Fitness, Mental Health
The headlines say we’re hopelessly divided. Our neighbors tell a different story. A Perfectly Imperfect Union is a podcast of reflection, resilience, and conversations with everyday Americans: people with different perspectives, backgrounds, and life experiences who choose like-heartedness over like-mindedness. This isn’t a political debate show; the world has enough of those. It’s real people sharing what connects us, what’s broken, and how we repair it together. In a time of polarization, these conversations remind us that common ground is closer than we think. The show is inspired by my 2022 bike ride across America and by kintsugi, the Japanese art of mending broken pottery with gold. Instead of hiding America’s scars, we look at them honestly, as the places where healing, connection, and trust can begin. The conversation began in 2026 as a special series for America’s 250th birthday on the Whole Again podcast, with 79 everyday people from all 50 states and D.C. Now it continues for the weary hopefulists: people who haven’t given up on us, but who are tired of the noise and division. If you’re looking for conversations about bridging divides, finding common ground, civil dialogue, kindness, community, and rebuilding trust, pull up a chair. Michael O’Brien, executive coach, mindfulness teacher, and author, hosts. New episodes every Sunday.
12 episodes indexed on PodSearch.
Recent episodes
- Why We Need to Talk: A Muffin, a Latte, and a Divided America
On a scorching summer morning in 2022, Michael rolled his bike into the Mocha Mousse Cafe & Antiques in Rushville, Indiana, sweaty and in full cycling gear. He was clearly not a local. A table of nine or ten regulars called him over and asked him questions for 15 minutes. When he left, the whole…
- Welcome to A Perfectly Imperfect Union
The headlines say we’re hopelessly divided. Our neighbors tell a different story.A Perfectly Imperfect Union features honest conversations with everyday Americans who see the world differently and still choose to listen. Inspired by kintsugi, the Japanese art of mending broken pottery with gold…
- Jeff from South Dakota: Americans Have Always Argued, and That’s the Story
Please meet Jeff Gould. What if the biggest regret people carry isn't something they did, but a road trip they never took?In an episode from season one of A Perfectly Imperfect Union, I travel to the Mount Rushmore State to connect with Jeff Gould on this question.Jeffrey believes America is a…
- Jerry from Colorado: Sit Down Together, and We Want the Same Things
Please meet Jerry Colonna from Colorado. What are you willing to give up in order for us to unite?That's the question Jerry leaves us with in this conversation for A Perfectly Imperfect Union.Jerry is an executive coach of 25 years, former investor, author of Reboot and Reunion, and a previous…
- Taylor from Texas: We Can Fix This Together
Meet Taylor Lopez from Texas.In this episode from season one of A Perfectly Imperfect Union, we travel to Texas and visit with Taylor Lopez.Taylor opens up about breaking her life apart in 2019 and rebuilding it into something more beautiful than she could have imagined. She first learned about…
- Demetria from Florida: For Better or Worse, Home
Please meet Demetria Sloan from Florida. What are you choosing every day: joy or the weight of the world?In this episode from season one of A Perfectly Imperfect Union, Demetria traces her family's tangled American story, including a DNA surprise that revealed their earliest known maternal…
- Maggie from Kentucky: The Freedom We Take for Granted
Meet Maggie Mick from Kentucky. I recently sat down with Maggie Mick, a Kentucky-based government affairs leader with MultiState, co-host of The Political Life podcast, and a woman whose family history traces back to the first Welsh settlers of Philadelphia.She's traveled the world as a soft…
- Lloyd from Minnesota: Trade the Comment Section for a Coffee Table
Meet Lloyd Owen Banwart. What would it take to just sit down with someone you disagree with and share a meal?That's the quiet but powerful question at the heart of this conversation with Lloyd Owen Banwart, a Midwestern farm kid turned humanitarian worker, now living in his beloved Minnesota and…
- Becky from Iowa: We’re Not Fighting, It’s a Disagreement
Meet Becky Smooke from Iowa. In this episode from season 1 of A Perfectly Imperfect Union, Becky shares what she sees as the root of our communication breakdown. The subtle mental traps that make us argue in circles, attack people instead of ideas, and believe there are only two options when there…
- Jayanta from Washington: Show Sides, Don’t Take Sides
Please meet Jayanta Jenkins from Washington.He pulled himself up from very basic beginnings to lead creative organizations at Apple, Disney, Twitter, and Starbucks, and spent 14 years at Wieden+Kennedy and TBWA\Chiat\Day learning how stories either bring people together or drive them apart.In this…
- Morty from Delware: The Kintsugi Artist
Meet Morty Bachar from Delaware.What would happen if Americans spent less time debating each other and more time truly listening?In season one of A Perfectly Imperfect Union, a heartfelt new series exploring the beauty, wounds, and shared humanity that shape our country, Michael speaks with…
- Dean from North Carolina: The United States, Not the Divided States
Please meet Dean Otto from North Carolina. What if the real solution to division isn’t louder opinions but deeper understanding?In a time when polarization, fast reactions, and surface-level conversations dominate, it’s easy to feel disconnected from one another. This episode explores how stepping…
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