In a previous episode, I talk about the need to talk about politics differently. What are some ways to make that real and act on that concept? Give me a few minutes

Have you noticed the trend in the way we talk about politics these days? Have you noticed how every conversation seems to take an our-team-vs-their team approach? We have to change this. Here's why. Give me a few minutes.

Why did Donald Trump beat Hillary Clinton? It may have less to do with either candidate than the pundits would like you to believe. In fact, it may have more to do with a growing gap between leaders and communities both in and beyond government at all levels. Give me a few minutes.

We live in a country where 1 in 5 children go to bed hungry every night and 200,000 veterans are homeless. Our presidential debates should be smart, fun, funny, collaborative, introspective -- and they're far from that. Our population engages with their government once every 2-4 years, if they vote at all. We are not living in a democracy. Our democracy is an illusion. Give me a few minutes.

The left-right mindset defines a lot of our conversations today. The echo chambers and bubbles of each side operate in the left-center and the right-center, but the further left/right you get in your politics, the more they become very similar. The left-right mindset entraps us, and we need to break free of it. Give me a few minutes.

Transparency is important for building trust. Without transparency, we can't have accountability. Without accountability, trust falls, engagement decreases, injustices prevail, and the oligarchy arises. Dashcam and bodycam footage should be released. Each time it's not released, an amateur video comes up and creates a different (and not necessarily unbiased) narrative. And, in the process, trust in law enforcement decreases. We must work to build trust by being more transparent as leaders. Give me a few minutes.

The Sunlight Foundation is going through an identity crisis. It's done great work for open government, but its theory of change must evolve to go beyond radical transparency and include radical engagement. We are living in a tech-driven world. If we don't have tech that helps people organize and channel their social pressure in response to what transparency initiatives reveal, no meaningful action will take place. Give me a few minutes.

A disturbing scenario played out this past weekend with simultaneous terrorist attacks in New Jersey and in New York. Both political parties started reacting in a very political manner. Did you catch it? Their reactions aligned with how you would expect the party in-power to respond compared the party not-in-power to respond. Give me a few minutes.

Are we entering a pseudo 'cold civil war' or is this new era of distrust between ordinary citizens just a passing phase? As the two major presidential candidates ramp up their attacks on each other, people will become increasingly turned off from politics at a time when we need people to be more engaged than ever. But leaders can help reverse this trend. Give me a few minutes.

Editors, producers, ad creatives, and a number of other "content creators" for mass media consumption shape your world. Someone makes Bieber and Kardashian more important in your newsfeed than the millions of people being left behind by our current system. Intentionally or not, their choices determine what issues are discussed, what perspectives are covered, the wording of the headlines, etc. - and this impacts our democracy, our self-image, and our society in far greater ways than we realize. Give me a few minutes.