Revolutionary Optimism Podcast

Dr. Paul Zeitz
  • 4.9 (10)
  • EDUCATION
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

To respond to the challenging times we are living through, physician, humanitarian and social justice advocate Dr. Paul Zeitz has identified “Revolutionary Optimism” as a new cure for hopelessness, despair, and cynicism. Revolutionary Optimism is itself an infectious, contagious, self-created way of living and connecting with others on the path of love. Once you commit yourself as a Revolutionary Optimist, you can bravely unleash your personal power, #unify with others, and accelerate action for our collective repair, justice, and peace, always keeping love at the center.

  1. 12/01/2025

    Peacebuilding and Democracy to Overcome Information Chaos with Danielle M. Reiff

    We’re living in the first generation of a digital era that’s designed to divide us, and most of us don’t even realize it. In this episode, Dr. Paul Zeitz sits down with peacebuilder and diplomat Danielle M. Reiff, author and editor of Overcoming Information Chaos, to explore how our digital world is fueling division and how we can reclaim peace, connection, truth, and democracy. Drawing from her decades of work in global conflict zones and national democracy movements, Danielle shares deeply personal stories—from her childhood longing for peace to her frontline experience supporting a national dialogue between the Government of Uganda and the Lord’s Resistance Army. She applies her wisdom to the United States and explains how information disorder is accelerating polarization and destabilizing our democracy.  Danielle shares her vision for a national consultation and a National Citizen’s Assembly to imagine a renewal of American democracy in 2026. She offers practical tips for how each of us can restore information integrity in our lives and nation. Get your copy of Overcoming Information Chaos: https://www.amazon.com/Overcoming-Information-Chaos-Cultivating-Communities-ebook/dp/B0DYNKVNX1  Learn more about Danielle and connect with her on socials: https://peacebuildersunite.com/. Are you ready to join #unifyUSA? Learn more about the transformational movement at https://unify-usa.org/ Get your copy of Hit Refresh on the U.S. Constitution: A Revolutionary Roadmap for Fulfilling the Promise of Democracy here! Get your copy of Revolutionary Optimism: Seven Steps for Living as a Love-Centered-Activist here. Revolutionary Optimism is hosted by Dr. Paul Zeitz.

    49 min

  2. 11/17/2025

    Deliberative Polling® Can Save Democracy: Vision of James Fishkin

    Dr. Paul Zeitz sits down with Professor James S. Fishkin of Stanford University—the mind behind Deliberative Polling®—to explore whether informed dialogue can heal democracy’s divisions. Fishkin shares how a single “eureka” moment in 1988 led to a global movement transforming how citizens think, talk, and decide together. From Texas to Mongolia, and now through AI-assisted platforms, deliberative polling is proving that when people have space to learn and listen, polarization can melt away. In this episode, you’ll learn: How deliberative polling bridges divides and builds mutual respectWhy “America in One Room” changed what’s possible for civic engagementHow AI is helping scale democratic participation to millions worldwideWhat a truly deliberative society could look like in the U.S.Get James’ new book, Can Deliberation Cure the Ills of Democracy?, here: https://www.amazon.com/Can-Deliberation-Cure-Ills-Democracy/dp/0198944411  Are you ready to join #unifyUSA? Learn more about the transformational movement at https://unify-usa.org/ Get your copy of Hit Refresh on the U.S. Constitution: A Revolutionary Roadmap for Fulfilling the Promise of Democracy here! Get your copy of Revolutionary Optimism: Seven Steps for Living as a Love-Centered-Activist here. Revolutionary Optimism is hosted by Dr. Paul Zeitz.

    51 min

  3. 11/03/2025

    Jeannette Rankin Defied All Odds as America’s First Congresswoman

    What can the first woman ever elected to Congress teach us about courage, peace, and the fight for democracy? In this episode, Dr. Paul Zeitz talks with historian and author Lorissa Rinehart about her book, Winning the Earthquake: How Jeannette Rankin Defied All Odds to Become America’s First Congresswoman.  Together, they explore how Rankin’s radical vision—for women’s suffrage, peace over war, and a truly representative democracy—remains just as urgent today. Hear how Rankin’s legacy can guide us through our own “earthquake moment,” and what it really means to prepare for peace instead of war. Get your copy of Winning the Earthquake here. Are you ready to join #unifyUSA? Learn more about the transformational movement at https://unify-usa.org/ Get your copy of Hit Refresh on the U.S. Constitution: A Revolutionary Roadmap for Fulfilling the Promise of Democracy here! Get your copy of Revolutionary Optimism: Seven Steps for Living as a Love-Centered-Activist here. Revolutionary Optimism is hosted by Dr. Paul Zeitz.

    51 min

  4. 10/20/2025

    Vote with Your Phone: Bradley Tusk’s Bold Plan to Save Democracy

    Venture capitalist, political strategist, and philanthropist Bradley Tusk believes our democracy is running out of time—and that the solution fits in your pocket. In this episode, Bradley shares the story behind his new book, Vote With Your Phone, and how mobile voting could be the “final shot” at saving American democracy. From his early work in politics and Uber’s fight for legitimacy, to his philanthropic push for hunger relief and secure mobile voting technology, Bradley breaks down how ordinary citizens can reclaim power in a system dominated by special interests and low-turnout primaries. Can technology revive civic participation before it’s too late? Bradley says yes, and he’s betting millions on it. Learn more at www.mobilevoting.org. Are you ready to join #unifyUSA? Learn more about the transformational movement at https://unify-usa.org/ Get your copy of Hit Refresh on the U.S. Constitution: A Revolutionary Roadmap for Fulfilling the Promise of Democracy here! Get your copy of Revolutionary Optimism: Seven Steps for Living as a Love-Centered-Activist here. Revolutionary Optimism is hosted by Dr. Paul Zeitz.

    48 min

  5. 09/15/2025

    Healing Racism to Strengthen the U.S. Constitution with Susan Sturm

    What does it take to confront racism without falling into despair and instead transform our institutions for equity and justice? In this episode, Dr. Zeitz speaks with Professor Susan Sturm of Columbia Law School, a leading scholar and changemaker whose work bridges law, education, and community action. Drawing from her new book, What Might Be: Confronting Racism to Transform Our Institutions, Sturm unpacks the paradoxes at the heart of American democracy, the persistence of racial caste, and the urgent need for participatory democracy. Together, they explore: How personal history and contradictions can fuel a lifelong commitment to justiceThe Constitution’s paradox of freedom and slavery and why it still matters todayWhy movements, not laws, are the true drivers of changeHow “linked fate” reveals our interdependence across race, class, and identityThe potential of citizens’ assemblies and local democracy to reimagine our futureAt a time when progress is under attack, Sturm offers a hopeful call to action: despair is not a strategy. Are you ready to join #unifyUSA? Learn more about the transformational movement at https://unify-usa.org/ Get your copy of Hit Refresh on the U.S. Constitution: A Revolutionary Roadmap for Fulfilling the Promise of Democracy here! Get your copy of Revolutionary Optimism: Seven Steps for Living as a Love-Centered-Activist here. Revolutionary Optimism is hosted by Dr. Paul Zeitz.

    57 min

  6. 09/02/2025 · BONUS

    Action Alert: Join Emergency Mobilization to Renew Democracy

    Trust in our democracy is collapsing, but history shows that when ordinary people rise up, real change becomes inevitable. In this episode, Dr. Paul Zeitz issues a bold call to action: join a nationwide movement to refresh and renew American democracy before it’s too late. From the Freedom Charter to the vision of a National Citizens Assembly, Dr. Zeitz lays out a concrete plan for how everyday Americans—not politicians or lobbyists—can lead the charge. Tune in to learn how you can take part in this urgent mobilization for democratic renewal and help shape the future of our nation. Sign #unifyUSA's Freedom Charter here: www.unify-usa.org/freedom_charter Are you ready to join #unifyUSA? Learn more about the transformational movement at https://unify-usa.org/ Get your copy of Hit Refresh on the U.S. Constitution: A Revolutionary Roadmap for Fulfilling the Promise of Democracy here! Get your copy of Revolutionary Optimism: Seven Steps for Living as a Love-Centered-Activist here. Revolutionary Optimism is hosted by Dr. Paul Zeitz.

    15 min

  7. 08/18/2025

    The Right of the People: Is it Time for a Constitutional and Economic Revolution? with Osita Nwanevu

    Journalist and author Osita Nwanevu joins Dr. Paul Zeitz to unpack a hard truth: the United States was never designed to be an authentic democracy. Drawing from his book The Right of the People: Democracy and the Case for a New American Founding, Osita explains why our system fails the tests of equality, responsiveness, and majority rule—and how we might reinvent it for the 21st century. The conversation dives deep into the history of America’s anti-democratic foundations, the promise of citizens’ assemblies, the role of economic democracy, and the collective wisdom of ordinary people. Get Osita's book here: penguinrandomhouse.com/the-right-of-the-people-by-osita-nwanevu/ Sign #unifyUSA's Freedom Charter here: www.unify-usa.org/freedom_charter Are you ready to join #unifyUSA? Learn more about the transformational movement at https://unify-usa.org/ Get your copy of Hit Refresh on the U.S. Constitution: A Revolutionary Roadmap for Fulfilling the Promise of Democracy here! Get your copy of Revolutionary Optimism: Seven Steps for Living as a Love-Centered-Activist here. Revolutionary Optimism is hosted by Dr. Paul Zeitz.

    1h 3m

  8. 05/26/2025

    Roadmap for How We Can Reclaim Our Democracy

    In this episode, Dr. Zeitz is joined by Vinay Orekondy, an Australian-born attorney, mediator, and democracy innovator now working at the heart of America’s civic renewal movement.  Vinay wears multiple hats as he serves as the Partnerships Director, Better Together America; Co-Chair, Braver Network (Braver Angels); and the Director of Programs and Engagement, Grand Bargain Project.  Vinay takes us on a journey from his early political work in Australia, through his disillusionment with the U.S. electoral system, to his leading-edge efforts to create an inter-partisan citizen-driven democracy rooted in community, deliberation, and shared power. Together, they unpack the failures of winner-takes-all politics, the transformational potential of ranked choice voting and proportional representation, and the rising movement of civic hubs that are stitching together a new fabric of democracy—one that isn't driven by dark money or partisan games, but by everyday people. Are you ready to join #unifyUSA? Learn more about the transformational movement at https://unify-usa.org/ Get your copy of Hit Refresh on the U.S. Constitution: A Revolutionary Roadmap for Fulfilling the Promise of Democracy here! Get your copy of Revolutionary Optimism: Seven Steps for Living as a Love-Centered-Activist here. Revolutionary Optimism is hosted by Dr. Paul Zeitz.

    59 min
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Ratings & Reviews

4.9
out of 5
10 Ratings

About

To respond to the challenging times we are living through, physician, humanitarian and social justice advocate Dr. Paul Zeitz has identified “Revolutionary Optimism” as a new cure for hopelessness, despair, and cynicism. Revolutionary Optimism is itself an infectious, contagious, self-created way of living and connecting with others on the path of love. Once you commit yourself as a Revolutionary Optimist, you can bravely unleash your personal power, #unify with others, and accelerate action for our collective repair, justice, and peace, always keeping love at the center.

Information

  • Creator
    Dr. Paul Zeitz
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2025
  • Episodes
    40
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2025 Dr. Paul Zeitz