Project Next Media

🔥 MEN SHOULD READ MORE ROMANCE NOVELS. There. We said it. 📚

And before you come for us… hear us out. 😂

Sarah Blessing and her book-loving neighbor Ashley Ballard sat down for one of our favorite Project Next conversations yet—and this one went places.

Why might reading romance actually help men in their own relationships?

Because these books are filled with people trying to figure each other out. Communication. Attraction. Conflict. Vulnerability. Consent. Friendship. Trauma. Trust. What makes someone feel loved—and what makes them feel unheard.

And maybe there’s something we can all learn from that.

We also need to talk about the way our culture treats the things women enjoy.

Why is reading a romance novel a “guilty pleasure”? Why should someone hide the book they’re reading because another person might think it’s silly, trashy, unrealistic or too spicy?

Read the book. Enjoy the book. You don’t need to feel guilty.

And partners: your spouse reading a romance novel isn’t necessarily a critique of you or your relationship. Sometimes a dragon is just a dragon. 😂🐉

We get into fantasy romance, Twilight, Fifty Shades of Grey, Ali Hazelwood, the enormous variety within romance, the books we love—and why we love them.

But this conversation becomes about something much bigger than romance novels.

It’s about being less judgmental of one another.

Just because you don’t understand why someone loves something doesn’t mean there’s something wrong with it.

People are stressed. People are carrying trauma. Money is tight. Life can be exhausting.

And sometimes having a book waiting for you at the end of a hard day is exactly what you need.

Reading can be an escape. It can be entertainment. It can build empathy. It can expose us to people and experiences different from our own. And after thousands of books between us, Ashley and Sarah talk about how reading has helped them better understand people and communicate with the world around them.

So let’s stop calling books a guilty pleasure.

Let’s stop the stigma. Let’s stop the shame. And let’s start talking about what we’re actually reading.

📖 WHAT ARE YOU READING RIGHT NOW?

Show us your book in the comments. Seriously. Take a picture and post it.

And MEN—we especially want to hear from you.

Are there men out there reading romance novels? 👀

We KNOW some of you are.

Tell us what you’re reading. Tell us what you think. And if you’ve never picked up a romance novel before…

maybe it’s time. 😉📚

👇 Drop your current read below.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.projectnextindiana.com

In July 2025, Sarah Blessing sat down with Oregon farmer Jonathan Tallman to talk about data centers. At the time, most people had barely heard of them.

That was only 13 months ago.

Now they’re popping up all over Indiana and across the country.

Jonathan came back on Project Next to talk about why this is happening so fast and the enormous amount of money behind it.

It’s bigger than people simply using AI. There is a huge race happening over who controls the technology, the computing power, and ultimately the money.

Meanwhile, local communities are left dealing with the land, water, electricity, noise, tax breaks, and other impacts these massive projects can bring.

Sarah and Jonathan talk about what regular people can actually do, why local government matters, and why we have to work together if we want to protect our communities.

Pay attention. Work together. Follow the money.

#ProjectNext #DataCenters #Indiana #FollowTheMoney

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.projectnextindiana.com

Harrison County Government Used to Work. And It Can Again.

This was one of the most fascinating — and hopeful — conversations on Project Next.

Sarah Blessing sat down with Terry Miller, who served 17 years as a Harrison County Commissioner, including during the transformational years when casino revenue began coming into the county.

Terry described a Harrison County government that might sound almost foreign today.

Republicans and Democrats didn’t always agree. They questioned each other. They held each other accountable. But they also worked together.

They had plans for the county’s money. They balanced budgets. They told the public what they were doing. People could ask questions — and instead of treating questions like an attack, they wanted people to ask.

Compare that to where Harrison County is today.

The last five State Board of Accounts audit periods have documented recurring financial reporting, internal-control, recordkeeping, and transparency problems. There have been errors involving millions of dollars in county financial reports and findings that continued from one audit to the next.

Our tax dollars deserve better accountability.

And that’s why this conversation matters.

Terry Miller is now running for Harrison County Auditor.

During his 17 years as Commissioner — including time serving as president of the Commission — Terry helped govern through some of the most consequential financial decisions in Harrison County’s history.

Now he wants to bring that experience to the Auditor’s office with a very simple goal:

Account for every single penny of the taxpayers’ money.

Watch this episode and hear Terry explain what Harrison County government used to look like. How Democrats and Republicans worked together. How they planned. How they handled the casino money. How they communicated with the public. And what he believes needs to change today.

Most importantly, this conversation is hopeful.

Because it proves something important:

Harrison County government doesn’t have to operate the way it does today.

We’ve done better before.

We can do better again.

But collectively, as a county, we have to decide that it’s time for change.

🎥 Watch this episode of Project Next with Terry Miller, then share it with another Harrison County resident.

People deserve to know what a functioning, transparent, and accountable local government can look like.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.projectnextindiana.com

😂 BEATING PERFECTIONISM: Why are we SO mean to ourselves?!

This might be one of the most fun Mental Fitness episodes Ellen Morrison Kelley and I have done.

We laughed. A LOT. 😂 But we also talked about something that gets into so many of our heads:

The pressure to be perfect.

Perfect parent.

Perfect wife.

Perfect employee.

Perfect body.

Perfect house.

Perfect response.

Perfect life.

And heaven forbid you make a mistake — especially where other people can see it. 😬

But here’s the problem:

Human beings are messy. Life is complicated. Most things are gray, not black and white — and NONE of us are perfect.

So why do we expect ourselves to be?

In this episode, we talk about the toxic messages we absorb from our culture and how easily they become the voice inside our own heads.

I share what I’ve learned from being heavily judged online — and how I’ve had to learn to let some of it go.

Ellen shares a story about a man who said something absolutely SHOCKING to her while she was walking in a parade. 😳

And we talk about the expectations placed on women — especially the generations of women who came before us — and how much of that baggage we’re still carrying around without even realizing it.

Thankfully, Ellen is a retired therapist, because at several points we basically had to ask:

WHY DO WE DO THIS TO OURSELVES?! 😂

One idea kept coming back:

❤️ What if we talked to ourselves the way we would talk to our best friend?

We would never expect our best friend to be perfect. We wouldn’t tear her apart over every mistake. We’d remind her she’s human, tell her to learn from it, laugh when appropriate, and KEEP GOING.

Maybe we deserve that same kindness.

This episode is funny, honest, messy and VERY relatable — and I think a lot of people are going to see themselves in this conversation.

🎥 Watch “Beating Perfectionism” and then tell us:

What pressure did you spend years putting on yourself that you finally realized you could LET GO?

And what do you do when that little voice in your head starts demanding perfection again?

👇 We really want to hear your answers.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.projectnextindiana.com

The math ain’t mathing — and sometimes all you can do is laugh at the absurdity. 😂

Sarah Blessing and Ellen Morrison Kelley break down the wild world of local government in Floyd and Harrison Counties, where yearly state audits keep raising the same basic question:

Where did all the money go?

We laugh, we shake our heads, and we talk about just how crazy it is that local governments can struggle to clearly account for taxpayer dollars year after year.

But we also get into what regular people can actually do about it.

You don’t have to run for office. Grab a friend, go to a local meeting, get dinner afterward, ask questions, and start paying attention to where your money is going.

National politics gets all the attention, but local government affects our everyday lives — and it’s one place where showing up can actually make a difference.

Come for the ridiculous audit stories. Stay for some surprisingly simple ways we can all help make local government better.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.projectnextindiana.com

🚨 Indiana communities are about to face some very difficult financial decisions — and we need to be paying attention.

In this episode of Project Next, Sarah Blessing and James Coogle break down what Senate Enrolled Act 1 means for Harrison County and why our county councils and commissioners need to understand what is coming.

With less property-tax revenue available than previously projected, local governments, schools, libraries, fire protection and other community services will be competing for increasingly limited dollars.

That means now is not the time for careless spending.

We talk about Harrison County’s numbers, multimillion-dollar building purchases, and a question taxpayers should always be able to ask:

Do we actually need this — and can we afford it?

If millions of taxpayer dollars are going toward a building, the public deserves to see the need, the true cost, the alternatives considered, and the long-term impact on our community.

SEA 1 is changing the financial reality for local government. Our local leaders need to understand it, plan for it, and start being extremely careful with our money.

🎥 Watch this episode of Project Next. This is one local-government conversation every Hoosier should understand.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.projectnextindiana.com

What is really happening with ICE in Southern Indiana—and why aren’t more people talking about it?

Sarah Blessing sits down with Rhiannon Ryan of Do Something Southern Indiana, a nonpartisan community organization working to educate, organize, and empower local residents around issues affecting Southern Indiana.

Together, they take a deep dive into Clark County’s agreement to house ICE detainees in the Clark County Jail, the questions surrounding federal funding for that agreement, and why transparency matters. Reports have raised questions about whether the county is receiving the funding originally expected, making public records requests more important than ever to understand how the program is operating and what taxpayers should know.

The conversation also examines the recent ICE operation in Clark County, where at least 28 people were detained over two days—Wednesday and Thursday, July 8-9, 2026—an event that many Southern Indiana residents still know very little about.  

Sarah and Rhiannon discuss concerns about local law enforcement’s role, why the upcoming Clark County sheriff’s race could shape the future of the jail’s ICE partnership, and why local elections often have a much bigger impact on our communities than many people realize.

Most importantly, this episode is about refusing to give in to hopelessness. Whether you agree or disagree on immigration policy, democracy works best when people stay informed, ask questions, and get involved. Rhiannon shares how organizations like Do Something Southern Indiana—and groups like Indivisible, with chapters across the country—give ordinary people a way to make a difference close to home.

If you’ve ever wondered, “What can I actually do?” this conversation is a reminder that change begins locally—and that every community needs people willing to show up, learn the facts, and care about their neighbors.

Don’t tune out. Get informed. Get involved. Be part of the solution.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.projectnextindiana.com

Jessica Bailey is running for Indiana State Comptroller—and every voter across the state can vote for her. Jessica is a fixer. When she sees a problem, she looks for creative, practical solutions and gets to work making things better.

After serving on her local school board, Jessica saw serious problems with how elections were being run in Porter County. It took five days to count the votes in the election she won. She ran for Porter County Clerk, won, and is now finishing her second term.

Jessica transformed the clerk’s office, improved election operations and helped develop an app that showed voters wait times at early-voting and Election Day locations. Her team’s work earned statewide and national recognition.

Now she wants to bring that same innovation and accountability to the Comptroller’s office, helping Hoosiers clearly understand how our tax dollars are being spent.

Jessica is part of an outstanding statewide team with Beau Bayh for Secretary of State and Coumba Kebe for State Treasurer. Watch this episode, meet Jessica and see why she is ready to help clean up Indiana state government.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.projectnextindiana.com

We spend hours every week following national politics, yet many of the decisions that affect our everyday lives are made just a few miles from home.

Whether it’s a proposed data center, Flock cameras, public schools, libraries, local development, taxes, or the future of your community, local government is where these decisions often begin. The good news? This is also where your voice can make the biggest difference.

In this episode, Sarah Blessing is joined by Floyd County Commissioner candidate Ellen Morrison Kelly to pull back the curtain on how local government really works. Together, they explain why attending a meeting, asking questions, speaking during public comment, or simply staying informed can have a real impact on the future of your town.

If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by national politics or wondered if one person can really make a difference, this conversation is for you. Stop doom scrolling and start discovering where your time and energy can create real change. What matters most to you—protecting farmland, supporting public schools, strengthening libraries, lowering utility costs, protecting privacy, helping your neighbors, or encouraging responsible growth? Whatever your passion, there’s a place to get involved.

Real change doesn’t begin in Washington. It begins with neighbors showing up, paying attention, and working together. Watch this episode to learn why local government matters more than ever—and how you can become part of the solution.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.projectnextindiana.com

What does it really take to change a community?

Sarah Blessing and Ethan Sweetland-May spent nearly 90 minutes exploring that question during a powerful conversation at the historic All-Wool & A Yard Wide Democratic Club—the oldest Democratic social club in the country.

Together, they talked honestly about why so many Hoosiers feel unheard, why Indiana has fallen behind on so many measures, and why giving up isn’t an option if we want a better future for our children and grandchildren.

This wasn’t about political talking points. It was about people. About hope. About courage. About what everyday citizens can do to build stronger communities and a stronger Indiana.

The evening ended with thoughtful audience questions and an inspiring conversation about working together—even when we don’t all agree.

If you care about Indiana, your community, and the future we’re leaving the next generation, this is a conversation worth watching.

🎥 Watch, share, and join the conversation. What stood out to you? What do you think it will take to build a better Indiana?

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.projectnextindiana.com