What If Hope Became A Habit In America

Frame of Reference - Profiles in Leadership

Send us a text

Outrage is easy. Unity is a choice—and a craft. I sat down with Adam Mizel, co-founder of Us United, to map out how everyday people can shift our culture from division to respect without waiting on politicians or viral headlines. Adam shares the origin story sparked by Sheriff Chris Swanson’s powerful decision during the George Floyd protests to remove his riot gear and walk with the crowd in Flint. That moment reframed what leadership can look like: disarm with respect, listen to lived experience, and turn down the temperature before it spikes.
We get practical about building unity as a brand and a habit. Adam breaks down why symbols matter—purple hats, a clear logo, visible rituals—because division already has its own marketing machine. He offers a field-tested playbook from a cross-country listening tour: trade arguments for personal stories, listen to understand, and step back when respect drops. We explore how sports, music, food, and even our dogs create instant common ground, and why a stadium of strangers can model the collaboration our politics often lacks.
The episode also introduces National Unity Day, recognized on the second Saturday in December, designed to make action simple and contagious: wear purple, take the Unity Pledge, post a positive story, or call the friend or relative you cut off over politics. These small weekly acts add up, especially when shared. Hope isn’t naïve here; it’s a system. By making unity visible and easy to join, we give the quiet majority tools to re-engage and reset the tone in their homes, workplaces, and feeds.
If you’re ready to stop doomscrolling and start doing, this conversation gives you a starting line and a community. Subscribe, share this with someone across your aisle, and leave a review telling us the one unity action you’ll take this week. Then grab something purple and tag us to keep the momentum going.

Thanks for listening. Please check out our website at www.forsauk.com to hear great conversations on topics that need to be talked about. In these times of intense polarization we all need to find time to expand our Frame of Reference.

فصول

1. Setting The Table For Unity (00:00:00)

2. Adam’s Pivot And Us United’s Mission (00:01:46)

3. Why Unity Needs A Brand (00:05:24)

4. Humanizing Adam: Favorites And Values (00:07:22)

5. Founding Story With Sheriff Chris Swanson (00:12:16)

6. Tools To Bridge Divides: Stories Over Arguments (00:18:12)

7. Respect As The Ground Rule (00:23:20)

8. Culture Changers: Sports, Music, Dogs (00:27:14)

9. Road Trip Lessons From Red And Blue America (00:31:24)

10. National Unity Day And Everyday Actions (00:36:20)

11. Overcoming “It’s Too Big” With Hope (00:41:10)

12. How To Get Involved And Stay Engaged (00:45:28)

13. Closing Reflections And Next Milestones (00:59:30)