"We examine stories and issues from around the globe to reveal important nuance, expand empathy, and break the binary."
Latest Episodes
Episode 37
Surveillance, censorship, and algorithmic control in modern governance — how information itself became the new frontier of power.
ListenEpisode 36
Exploring the first proposed constitutional amendment regarding House representation — a piece of history hiding in plain sight.
ListenEpisode 35
A conversation on political polarization, bridge-building, and what it takes to have an honest conversation across the divide.
ListenEpisode 34
Pulitzer Prize winner Joseph Ellis discusses America's founding generation — who they were, what they got right, and where they fell short.
ListenEpisode 33
Religion, reform, and tolerance within Muslim societies — Mustafa Akyol on what the Islamic tradition says about coexistence and liberalism.
ListenEpisode 32
Documentary filmmaker Jeff Gibbs digs into the contradictions of the green energy industry — and why the conversation we're having might be the wrong one.
ListenAbout the Show
What We Were is a podcast that goes beyond the headline and the hot take. Each episode examines stories and issues from around the globe — seeking the important nuance that gets lost when everything is reduced to two sides.
Hosted by Dan, the show brings together historians, journalists, scientists, activists, and everyday thinkers to unpack the complexity behind the stories that matter — and to expand our empathy for perspectives we don't often hear.
With 37+ episodes and a 4.7-star rating, What We Were is a space for the kind of conversations that actually move us forward.