Author and New York Times columnist Frank Bruni joins Michael to talk about some of the misconceptions surrounding "college acceptance mania" as well as the hidden value of community college. Frank also answers questions about the Supreme Court decision on marriage equality, the 2016 presidential election and the art of writing. Plus, the former NYT food critic offers one of his top restaurant recommendations!

In this episode of The Golden Mean, legendary strategist David Axelrod talks about his path to the White House, the parallels between the Chicago Cubs' incredible season and a well-run campaign, as well as a look back to his years as a journalist covering City Hall and the late Mayor Richard J. Daley. Take a ride with "The Axe" and I!

There is a huge movement afoot which is empowering everyday Americans to make decisions about the way our government performs - and not just on Election Day! Adam Hecktman, Director of Technology and Civic Innovation at Microsoft Chicago, talks about how anyone can use civic tech to influence our democracy. We talk about how the use of data can improve transparency, accountability and efficiency (how the government spends YOUR MONEY). Join us at Microsoft Headquarters in Chicago for a commonsense conversation about civic tech!

Mark McKinnon first dreamed up the idea for a behind-the-scenes documentary series about the grueling nature of a presidential campaign back in 2002. Fourteen years later, "The Circus " is a smash hit on Showtime! In this episode of The Golden Mean, Mark joins Michael to talk about producing the show, this crazy political season, the upcoming presidential debates - and the hidden meaning behind his ubiquitous Open Road Stetson!

In 1998, at the age of 18, Jarrett Adams was wrongly convicted and sentenced to 28 years in a maximum security prison. After losing nearly a decade of his life to confinement, Jarrett not only won his exoneration, he went on to graduate from Loyola Law School and recently passed the New York State Bar Exam. He is now serving as the first ever Post-Conviction Fellow at the National Innocence Project.

In this maiden episode, I'll explain what The Golden Mean podcast is going to be all about, followed by our interview. The journey that Jarrett's been traveling on is an extraordinary story of fortitude, survival and success. I hope you'll enjoy listening to our conversation as much as we enjoyed having it.