Meet Podcast Podners Steve Bhaerman and Michael Maxsenti

From Political Battlefields to Cooperative Playing Fields

To introduce their new podcast, Front and Center, co-hosts Michael Maxsenti and Steve Bhaerman sat down for a Zoom conversation to discuss their own political backgrounds and evolution. Steve, who – as he puts it – spent his “deformative years” in Brooklyn, New York, grew up in a Democrat New Deal household, and has been a lifelong progressive. Michael, who grew up in Torrance, in Los Angeles County, was a member of SDS in college, but once out in the work world, became a “Reagan Republican.” To find out how their paths evolved and came to work together, please watch the video.

They also introduce the podcast – its purpose and intention, the kinds of guests they will invite, and how and why the Locals platform is perfect for building the “sane and sacred community” needed to shift our focus away from the issues that divide us so we can develop a vision of “the more beautiful world our hearts know is possible.”

Live transcript: https://otter.ai/u/2xDACNC_Zl3qQsOM8-sMQUmekq4