How My View Grew

Amiel Handelsman
  • 5.0 (47)
  • SELF-IMPROVEMENT
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

If you’re weary of political polarization, nothing is more refreshing than nuanced thinking: ideas that reveal the complexity of what’s wrong in the world and how to make it better. But where does such thinking come from? Often, it’s from someone changing their mind—letting go of an old perspective and growing into a new one. Join executive coach Amiel Handelsman as he interviews nuanced thinkers about the origin stories of their big ideas. Each story offers a window into one of humanity’s greatest challenges like climate change, democracy, the culture wars, the wealth gap, Ukraine, and Israel. In weeks between interviews, Amiel offers tips for training your mind to navigate complex topics and difficult conversations.

  1. Reclaiming Power and Agency When Everyone's Depressed (with David Storey)

    11/12/2025

    Reclaiming Power and Agency When Everyone's Depressed (with David Storey)

    Another engaging riff with David Storey, Boston College philosophy professor and Spartan Race athlete. This time I take center stage. We explore why Americans are collectively depressed, why Democrats ignore power politics, why turning off phones and turning toward each other feels great, and how all of this is related. I make a case for phone-free schools. Dave helps me see even bigger benefits. We get political. We get personal. We refuse to give advice or answer the question, "What should the average person do?" **Key takeaways** 11:00 Feeling bottled up? Recapture the oomph and lock arms with others15:00 The Tit-for-Tat strategy from the Prisoner's Dilemma21:00 Reclaiming power. "Don't step on me."23:00 Two reasons Democrats get complacent about power politics28:00 Want advice on what to do? Instead, ask yourself these four questions32:00 Conscious phone use through PSAs and intentional points of friction35:00 It's time to make public spaces public again38:00 Stricter phone policies in schools free teachers to teach, not police41:00 Adults exerting their agency. "Trust your moral compass."45:00 Moving beyond the hyper-individualistic story of America47:00 Laughter is something we create together **Resources** David's web site, including his podcast, Wisdom@Work **Subscribe to the podcast** To hear the origin stories of more big ideas, subscribe to How My View Grew on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. **Share the love** Leave me a rating or review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts.

    49 min

  2. 10/08/2025

    Six Ideas for Democrats Who Have Not Given Up

    In this five-minute episode of How My View Grew, I offer six ideas for Democrats and Never-Trumpers who haven't given up: Doing something is better than doing nothing.We're lousy at predicting the outcomes of our actions.The 2026 mid-terms are super-important.Winning in 2026 requires two distinct tasks.Dems and Never Trumpers need a new mood.Biden-to-Trump voters need permission structures, not shaming. **Subscribe to the podcast** To hear the origin stories of more big ideas, subscribe to How My View Grew on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. **Share the love** Leave me a rating or review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts.

    5 min

  3. 09/24/2025

    Status Differences Matter

    Status differences, real and perceived, and the resentment that comes with them. Republicans use them to fire up voters and win elections. Democrats largely ignore them. To regain power and reverse the authoritarian tide, Democrats will need to take status differences seriously. My five-minute take. **Subscribe to the podcast** To hear the origin stories of more big ideas, subscribe to How My View Grew on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. **Share the love** Leave me a rating or review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts.

    5 min

  4. 07/31/2025

    Five Thoughts That Are Not Profound Or Useful

    In this five-minute episode, which concludes season three, I share five thoughts that I think you will enjoy even though they're neither profound nor useful. Co-ed SleepoversLove OverestimatedPronouns EverywhereWhat Men DoA Bold Child **Subscribe to the podcast** To hear the origin stories of more big ideas, subscribe to How My View Grew on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. **Share the love** Leave me a rating or review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts.

    5 min
  5. David Storey (Part 2): Alpha Energy Plus Economic Populism Plus Christianity Equals?

    07/16/2025

    David Storey (Part 2): Alpha Energy Plus Economic Populism Plus Christianity Equals?

    Part two of a provocative conversation with David Storey, associate professor of philosophy at Boston College. **Key takeaways** 0:45 The right has coded expertise as feminine2:45 How ironic: the manosphere exists in disembodied cyberspace6:00 What Fight Club was all about11:00 The retro-romantic part of MAGA13:00 The war on terror was a weak halfway house between the Cold War and MAGA17:00 The tech right as Nietzschean supermen19:00 Funneling alpha energy into a mass movement against Big Tech21:00 Can Democrats become more fluent in Christianity as they embrace economic populism? **Resources** David's web site, including his podcast, Wisdom@Work **Subscribe to the podcast** To hear the origin stories of more big ideas, subscribe to How My View Grew on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. **Share the love** Leave me a rating or review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts.

    27 min
  6. David Storey (Part 1): Raw Egg Nationalists and the Rise of the Manosphere

    07/02/2025

    David Storey (Part 1): Raw Egg Nationalists and the Rise of the Manosphere

    Part one of a fascinating and just plain fun conversation about the manosphere with David Storey, associate professor of philosophy at Boston College. Our first experiment in doing a "high-brow brocast." Big ideas with a casual vibe. **Key takeaways** 4:00 Beards, mustaches, and the aesthetics of Trumpism7:15 When my mask threatens your identity12:10 Why this philosophy professor competes in Spartan races17:00 The laptop class manipulates bits, not its19:00 The economics behind the rise of the manosphere 24:00 The impact on young men of #metoo and the rise of girl-boss culture26:00 When the male body feels stuck, where does testosterone go? **Resources** David's web site, including his podcast, Wisdom@Work **Subscribe to the podcast** To hear the origin stories of more big ideas, subscribe to How My View Grew on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. **Share the love** Leave me a rating or review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts.

    28 min

  7. 06/18/2025

    No Kings Protest—Kudos and Disappointment

    This past Saturday, I attended the No Kings protest in a Midwestern college town. I walked in with a spring in my step, yet left early with a frown on my face. In this 5-minute episode of How My View Grew, I explain why. It's a good-news, bad-news tale. **Subscribe to the podcast** To hear the origin stories of more big ideas, subscribe to How My View Grew on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. **Share the love** Leave me a rating or review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts.

    5 min
  8. Greg Thomas: Can Injustice Catalyze a Hero's Journey?

    05/28/2025

    Greg Thomas: Can Injustice Catalyze a Hero's Journey?

    In this episode of How My View Grew, Greg Thomas describes how jazz saved him from hating so-called "white people" and how he learned to see the Black American experience as a hero's journey that is central to American history and culture. **Key takeaways** 3:00 Early-life learning about rabid southern racists9:00 "I gotta pick up an instrument"13:30 The pathologizing of Black Americans by "white" liberals16:00 The depth and wisdom of Albert Murray, Ralph Ellison, and Stanley Crouch19:00 "This history has got my back" and the artificiality of "whiteness"22:00 The hero's journey23:30 Amiel's reflections **Resources** Jazz Leadership ProjectOmni-American Future Project“King of Cats,” Henry Louis Gates Jr’s long profile of Murray in The New YorkerThe Omni-Americans: Some Alternatives to the Folklore of White Supremacy by Albert Murray **Subscribe to the podcast** To hear the origin stories of more big ideas, subscribe to How My View Grew on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. **Share the love** Leave me a rating or review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts.

    27 min
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Trailer

5
out of 5
47 Ratings

About

If you’re weary of political polarization, nothing is more refreshing than nuanced thinking: ideas that reveal the complexity of what’s wrong in the world and how to make it better. But where does such thinking come from? Often, it’s from someone changing their mind—letting go of an old perspective and growing into a new one. Join executive coach Amiel Handelsman as he interviews nuanced thinkers about the origin stories of their big ideas. Each story offers a window into one of humanity’s greatest challenges like climate change, democracy, the culture wars, the wealth gap, Ukraine, and Israel. In weeks between interviews, Amiel offers tips for training your mind to navigate complex topics and difficult conversations.

Information

  • Creator
    Amiel Handelsman
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2025
  • Episodes
    41
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2025 Amiel Handelsman
  • Show Website
    How My View Grew

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