The Public Foundry

Erik Terwey
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  • Politics

Conversations forging better ideas for public life. My name is Erik Terwey and I spent more a decade in education, teaching French in middle school, high school, and university settings. During that time, I became increasingly interested in a simple question: Why do so many of our biggest public conversations generate more problems than solutions? That question eventually led me to run for Congress, where I met people across Oklahoma who disagreed on almost everything, but still shared many of the same hopes for their families and communities. This podcast is the continuation of that journey. Rather than just focusing on political horse races or partisan talking points, each episode explores the ideas, institutions, and people shaping our future. You'll hear conversations with educators, business leaders, researchers, elected officials, and everyday citizens who are wrestling with real problems and searching for practical solutions. The goal isn't to tell you what to think. It's to ask better questions, surface thoughtful ideas, and leave all of us a little better equipped to build what comes next.

Episodes

  1. Aug 27

    Episode 3- Rosie Lynch asks "How Do We Do Good In Our Hood?"

    What does it actually mean to serve your community when your community feels forgotten? In this candid episode of The Public Foundry, host Erik Terwey sits down with Oklahoma House District 16 candidate Rosie Lynch for a wide-ranging conversation about rural Oklahoma, homelessness, mental health, and the people who too often feel invisible in their own communities. From growing up in rural Pennsylvania with food insecurity to working with people experiencing homelessness in Oklahoma, Rosie and Erik trace the experiences that shaped her belief that public service is ultimately about one thing: taking care of your neighbors. They talk about why rural homelessness often looks nothing like the tent cities people associate with homelessness, how a lack of transportation and affordable childcare can keep people trapped in poverty, and why Oklahoma's emergency rooms and jails should not be our default mental health system. In this episode, you'll discover: The Rural Homelessness Problem: Why homelessness in rural Oklahoma often means living in a house without electricity or water, staying in a barn or shack, or being one missed paycheck away from losing everything.The Five-County Shelter: What Rosie learned while running the only homeless shelter serving five counties, and how combining housing with mental health care, healthcare, and job training helped more than 150 people find housing and employment.The Mental Health Gap: Why Rosie believes Oklahoma needs to invest in preventative mental health care before people reach a crisis, and what rural communities could learn from programs that send mental health professionals alongside law enforcement.The Oklahoma Nobody Sees: Why Rosie believes rural Oklahomans have been ignored for decades, how that sense of invisibility has shaped our politics, and why Pete Buttigieg listens when she says Oklahoma is not a "flyover state."Serving Across the Divide: A conversation about tribal sovereignty, the Muscogee Creek Nation, and why Rosie believes Oklahoma communities need to approach tribal nations as partners rather than simply asking what they can provide.The Politics of Hope: Why Rosie thinks voter apathy is less about people not caring and more about people becoming convinced that nothing will change, and why rebuilding a sense of community may be the first step toward rebuilding political participation.How We Do Good in Our Hood: The simple idea at the center of Rosie's approach to public service: strip away the political labels, find your neighbors, and figure out how to help. Whether you're living in a rural Oklahoma town, working with people experiencing homelessness, worried about the lack of mental health services in your community, or simply wondering how we got so far away from the idea of neighbors helping neighbors, this conversation offers a deeply personal look at what public service can look like when it starts with people rather than politics.

  2. Aug 17

    Episode 2- Christopher Wier on Wages, Affordability, Education, and Oklahoma's Data Center Boom

    What does it actually take to run for office while working two jobs, standing in a food assistance line, and still showing up every day to teach? In this candid episode of The Public Foundry, host Erik Terwey sits down with part-time teacher, paraprofessional, and Oklahoma House District 4 candidate Christopher Wier for an unflinching conversation about what it means to be working class in rural Oklahoma right now. From food bank lines in Tahlequah to the true cost of a bag of apples, Christopher and Erik dig into what "affordability" actually looks like when rent, groceries, and insurance premiums are eating away at families who are doing everything right. They trace the throughline connecting stagnant wages, crumbling school infrastructure, and the data centers reshaping rural land and water use, and challenge some of the easy talking points used to defend all three. In this episode, you'll discover: Who Counts as Working Class: Why Christopher rejects the blue-collar/working class divide and argues the real dividing line is between people who trade labor for wages and people who don't.The Livable Wage Gap: Why Tahlequah's real cost of living sits well above $21 an hour, and the research showing higher wages help small businesses instead of hurting them.A Tale of Two Towns: What a side-by-side comparison of two small Kansas towns reveals about what happens to a locally-owned grocery store once a Dollar General moves in.The Chromebook Problem: How a pandemic-era tech fix became a daily obstacle to learning, and why Chris calls Oklahoma's education crisis a twelve-year fix, not a one-year one.The Data Center Reckoning: A hard look at the land, water, and job numbers behind Oklahoma's AI data center boom, and why Chris argues the math doesn't add up for the communities hosting them.Whether you're a teacher, a small business owner, or a neighbor watching your grocery bill climb every week, this conversation offers a grounded, firsthand look at what's actually breaking in rural Oklahoma, and what one candidate believes it will take to fix it.

    Episode 2- Christopher Wier on Wages, Affordability, Education, and Oklahoma's Data Center Boom

  3. Aug 9

    Inside Oklahoma’s Classrooms with Tiffany Prater

    When the bell rings and the classroom door closes, what really happens between teachers and students? In this eye-opening episode of The Public Foundry, host Erik Terwey sits down with middle school teacher, adjunct professor, and Oklahoma House District 12 candidate Tiffany Prater to go far beyond the surface of modern public education. From managing executive functioning skills in middle schoolers to teaching political science at the college level, Tiffany shares an unfiltered, behind-the-scenes look at the everyday realities educators face. Together, Erik and Tiffany dismantle persistent myths—from "summer vacations" and standardized testing metrics to the systemic funding disparities shaping Oklahoma's schools based on zip code. In this episode, you’ll discover:What Non-Educators Miss: Why running a middle school classroom is like leading seven high-stakes business meetings a day while navigating complex emotions.Testing vs. Growth: Why judging schools on one-day state tests misses the mark, and how focusing on student growth and executive functioning builds true adult preparedness.Systemic Disparities: The stark contrasts between well-funded district resources and underfunded classrooms—and why all students deserve equal investment regardless of zip code.Trauma-Informed Teaching: How home environments impact learning and why empathy and grace are a teacher’s most powerful tools.A Vision for Reform: Practical, realistic policy priorities that support public education, retain passionate educators, and prioritize student wellbeing.Whether you are a parent, an educator, or a community member invested in the future of public schools, this conversation delivers a powerful, compassionate, and practical look at what it takes to forge meaningful educational change.

    Inside Oklahoma’s Classrooms with Tiffany Prater

  4. Aug 6

    Episode 0- Welcome!

    Welcome to The Public Foundry. Why another podcast? In this brief introduction, I explain what this show is all about and what you can expect from future conversations with candidates, experts, and everyday people about the issues that shape our communities.

    Episode 0- Welcome!

Trailer

About

Conversations forging better ideas for public life. My name is Erik Terwey and I spent more a decade in education, teaching French in middle school, high school, and university settings. During that time, I became increasingly interested in a simple question: Why do so many of our biggest public conversations generate more problems than solutions? That question eventually led me to run for Congress, where I met people across Oklahoma who disagreed on almost everything, but still shared many of the same hopes for their families and communities. This podcast is the continuation of that journey. Rather than just focusing on political horse races or partisan talking points, each episode explores the ideas, institutions, and people shaping our future. You'll hear conversations with educators, business leaders, researchers, elected officials, and everyday citizens who are wrestling with real problems and searching for practical solutions. The goal isn't to tell you what to think. It's to ask better questions, surface thoughtful ideas, and leave all of us a little better equipped to build what comes next.

Information

  • Creator
    Erik Terwey
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    4
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Erik Terwey