Breaking The Meta

Mike Winson
  • 5.0 (2)
  • SOCIETY & CULTURE

Welcome to Breaking The Meta, where we dive headfirst into the heart of difficult conversations. In a world filled with noise and division, we refuse to shy away from the tough topics. Whether it's politics, religion, or social issues, we confront the complexities with open minds and dialogue. Hosted by Mike Winson, each episode brings together diverse perspectives, fostering an environment where authenticity and empathy reign supreme. So grab a seat at the table, buckle up, and prepare to confront the issues that matter.

  1. 1D AGO

    Air Force Vet Runs for Missouri State House to Fight for Healthcare & Affordability | Jewel Kelly

    Breaking the Meta sits down with Jewel Kelly, a 10-year Air Force veteran, real estate professional, and mental health advocate running for Missouri State House District 106. Jewel shares a deeply personal story — from growing up as the eldest of 18 siblings in poverty, to losing his bonus daughter to suicide in 2018, to founding the Fighting Chance mental health foundation. Now he's channeling that experience into a campaign focused on affordability, healthcare access, housing, and government accountability. In this episode: - Why Jewel decided to run and what his district is saying - The impact of ACA subsidy losses and hospital closures in Missouri - His framework for building bipartisan common ground - What "leave no one behind" means in civilian politics - Truth in pricing as a Day 1 legislative priority - His vision for mental health access and reducing stigma If you're tired of career politicians who serve corporations instead of constituents, this is the kind of candidate Breaking the Meta exists to amplify. Learn more about Jewel Kelly: https://jewelkelly.com Facebook: Jewel Kelly for Missouri --- Breaking the Meta is an independent podcast giving a platform to grassroots candidates that mainstream media ignores. No corporate money. No gatekeepers. Just real conversations.

    24 min

  2. 2D AGO

    She Reported a Colonel at 20 and Paid For It. Now She's Running for Congress. | Maura Keller

    Army veteran and nuclear medicine technologist Maura Keller joins Breaking the Meta to talk about her run for Georgia's 3rd Congressional District and why she says she can't be bought. Maura spent 26 years in the military, rising from enlisted military policewoman to Lieutenant Colonel, then spent over a decade as an independent contractor for the Department of Defense before becoming a nuclear medicine technologist at the VA. She's running because the problems she kept bringing to leadership kept going nowhere. In this episode we get into: → The OB-GYN desert crisis in rural Georgia — 6 of her 15 counties have zero OB-GYNs → Rural hospital closures and what that means for everyday Georgians → Affordability: housing, groceries, and what it means to live paycheck to paycheck → What accountability actually looks like from inside government → Whether veterans in office can break partisan gridlock → The John Lewis Voting Rights Act and Equal Rights Amendment → The story of when she reported illegal military activity as a young lieutenant — and what it cost her No PAC money. No lobbyist money. Just a retired Lt. Col. who says wrong is wrong. 🌐 Learn more & donate: maurakeller.com 📌 Breaking the Meta is an independent podcast platforming grassroots candidates that mainstream media ignores. If you believe money should be out of politics and people deserve real representation, this is your show. 🔔 Subscribe | 👍 Like | 📤 Share — especially if you know someone in Georgia's 3rd District.

    26 min

  3. 3D AGO

    She Hunted Terrorists & Traffickers. Now She's Running for Senate in Montana. | Alani Bankhead

    Alani Bankhead is a retired Air Force Lieutenant Colonel, counterintelligence agent, and supervisory special agent who spent her career hunting terrorists, spies, and child sex traffickers across every continent. Now she's running as a Democrat for the U.S. Senate in Montana. She's running because she's seen what broken government looks like from the inside. In this conversation, Alani breaks down why accountability is the foundation of everything, from the 2008 housing crisis to the Epstein files to the Iran conflict. She talks about what Montanans are actually asking for (housing and healthcare, full stop), why their current senator stopped showing up, and how she'd fight to claw back hundreds of billions from Pentagon waste without raising taxes. She also gets real about Schumer, the filibuster, rebuilding trust with U.S. allies, and what it means to be a mouthpiece for the federal employees who can't legally speak out right now. This is one of the most substantive, credential-packed conversations we've had on this show. Don't miss it. —— 🔗 Learn more & support Alani: Website: https://alani4mt.com Social: @Alani4MT (all platforms) Podcast: Montana Matters Podcast

    45 min

  4. 4D AGO

    Army Combat Medic Running Against Victoria Spartz Wants to Fix the "Wealth Care System" | IN-5

    Jackson Franklin is an Army combat medic, National Guardsman, and paramedic running in Indiana's 5th Congressional District and taking on incumbent Victoria Spartz in one of 2026's most closely watched grassroots races. Jackson has seen firsthand what he calls the "wealth care system", a for-profit structure that puts corporate middlemen between patients and doctors. He's calling for Medicare for All, an end to Citizens United, term limits, and a complete ban on congressional stock trading. On the campaign trail, he's hearing concerns about the war in Iran, ICE raids, education funding, data centers, and rising energy costs. He's engaging both disillusioned Democrats and disaffected Republicans who feel lied to by Trump. As a current National Guardsman with friends deployed overseas, Jackson brings a veteran's perspective to foreign policy, opposing the Iran conflict, cutting military aid to Israel, rejoining the Iran nuclear agreement, and getting the U.S. back into compliance with international treaties. He's also one of the leading voices in his area calling to abolish ICE, comparing its current role to a private enforcement army targeting minority communities. Jackson's campaign is 100% grassroots, no corporate PAC money, no APAC money. His platform covers more than 20 policy positions, from universal broadband and pre-K to ranked choice voting and ballot referendums. Learn more and support the campaign: 🌐 JacksonFranklinforCongress.com 📱 @JacksonFranklinforCongress on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Twitter/X & Bluesky --- Breaking the Meta is an independent podcast interviewing grassroots and progressive candidates that mainstream media overlooks. New episodes every day.

    35 min

  5. 5D AGO

    East Texas Deserves Better: A Dairy Farm Kid Challenges Congress | Dax Alexander for TX-01

    Dax Alexander grew up on a dairy farm in Martins Mill, TX. One of the reddest corners of one of the reddest states in America. No name recognition, no PAC money, no political dynasty behind him. Just a software developer, a group of Young Democrat friends, and a decision that if no one else was going to run, he would. In Texas's 1st Congressional District, recently in a runoff after pulling 22% of the primary vote. Dax is making the case that East Texas has been failed by its representation for too long. In this conversation, we go deep on what that actually means: the food pantries quietly losing federal funding, the rural counties without a single hospital, the broadband dead zones trapping workers from remote opportunities, and the AI data centers being sold as "job creation" while draining water from communities that already have Flint-level quality concerns. We also talk about why the 2026 moment feels different, why voters who've never listened to a Democrat before are suddenly curious, why Trump's broken promises on prices and wars are cracking the surface in deep-red territory, and why Dax thinks the biggest untapped voting bloc in Texas isn't red or blue, it's the people who stopped voting altogether. If you're in TX-01: the runoff is May 26th. Go vote. — 🔗 Learn more & get involved: daxforcongress.com 📱 Facebook & Instagram: @DaxForCongress — Breaking the Meta is an independent podcast covering grassroots and progressive candidates that mainstream media overlooks — because democracy only works when people have a real choice.

    48 min

  6. 6D AGO

    She's a Public Defender Running Against Indiana's Rigged System | Victoria Martz

    Victoria Martz is a criminal defense attorney and public defender running for Indiana State House District 55 a rural stretch of southeastern Indiana where the nearest Walmart requires a 20-minute drive and the nearest labor unit is now 30 to 45 minutes away. She's running as a grassroots Democrat in deeply conservative territory, and she's finding common ground with Republican voters on the issues that actually matter: fiscal accountability, worker rights, and a state government that seems far more interested in helipads and Escalades than in the people footing the bill. In this episode, Victoria breaks down: — The real impact of Indiana's Right to Work law on unionized workers in her district — Why ACA subsidy cuts are forcing rural residents to drop insurance entirely — and what happens when the local hospital closes — Her plan to raise the minimum wage while protecting small businesses through targeted subsidies — Why Indiana is hemorrhaging cannabis tax revenue to every state on its border — and why that needs to end — How she's connecting with conservative voters on fiscal accountability and workers' rights — What she'd do on Day 1 if elected to the State House in November This is exactly the kind of race Breaking the Meta exists to cover — a grassroots candidate, a winnable district, and a system that's counting on voters not paying attention. 📣 Support Victoria's campaign: 🌐 votevictoriamartz.org 📱 Instagram & TikTok: @martz4indiana 📘 Facebook: Victoria Martz for District 55

    29 min

  7. MAR 27

    ICE Took His Neighbors. Now He's Running for Congress. | Justin Douglas PA-10

    ICE took Justin Douglas's neighbors — Bhutanese Nepali refugees who survived ethnic cleansing and spent two decades in camps before America welcomed them in. That moment pushed this Pennsylvania County Commissioner to run for Congress in PA's 10th District. In this episode of Breaking the Meta, Justin Douglas (candidate for Pennsylvania's 10th Congressional District) sits down for a full interview covering: why ICE's current operations amount to secret police tactics, what accountability in Congress actually looks like, how the war in Iran started without a single vote from Congress, and why a $23 average donation campaign can beat a PAC-funded machine. 🔗 FIND JUSTIN DOUGLAS Website: JustinDouglas.us TikTok / Instagram / Facebook: @JustinDouglasPA Breaking the Meta is an independent podcast built on hard conversations, breaking the status quo, and defending the dignity and rights of all people — no matter your race, religion, gender, or identity. New episodes every week. Subscribe so you don't miss them. #Pennsylvania #Congress2026 #JustinDouglas #PA10 #BreakingTheMeta #ICE #IranWar #CongressionalRace #ProgressivePolitics #GrassrootsCampaign

    29 min

  8. MAR 26

    She Googled How to Run for Congress, Then Moved Her Family to the Front Lines | Esther Kim-Varet

    After the 2024 elections, Esther Kim-Varet did something almost nobody does: she Googled how to run for Congress, convinced her husband, pulled her kids out of school, and moved her family into a Republican district in Orange County to flip it. Now she's one of the top three Democratic fundraising challengers in the country — in what may be the only congressional race in America where two incumbents are running for the same seat. One of them hasn't held a town hall since 1997. In this episode of Breaking the Meta, Mike Winson sits down with Esther to talk about: – Why she left a comfortable life to run for CA's 40th congressional district – The bizarre Prop 50 redistricting that merged two Republican seats – How TSA workers at John Wayne Airport are quietly relying on food banks right now – Why the arts & humanities are America's most undervalued asset in the age of AI – Her take on accountability, career politicians, and why Democrats need better storytellers – What she'd actually DO on day one in Congress (small business, education, housing loopholes) – "Bitches in the Middle" — her case for why being a centrist is actually the most radical position right now This is not a polished political interview. This is a real conversation with an everyday person who got fed up and decided to do something about it. 🔔 Subscribe so you don't miss upcoming candidate interviews and hard conversations. ────────────────────────────── 👤 ABOUT ESTHER KIM-VARET Running for California's 40th Congressional District (2026 Midterms) 📲 Instagram / All platforms: @EstherForCongress 🌐 Website: estherForCongress.com ────────────────────────────── 🎙️ BREAKING THE META Hard conversations. Breaking the status quo. Fighting for the dignity and rights of all people — regardless of race, religion, gender, or identity.

    47 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

Welcome to Breaking The Meta, where we dive headfirst into the heart of difficult conversations. In a world filled with noise and division, we refuse to shy away from the tough topics. Whether it's politics, religion, or social issues, we confront the complexities with open minds and dialogue. Hosted by Mike Winson, each episode brings together diverse perspectives, fostering an environment where authenticity and empathy reign supreme. So grab a seat at the table, buckle up, and prepare to confront the issues that matter.

Information

  • Creator
    Mike Winson
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    85
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Mike Winson
  • Show Website
    Breaking The Meta

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