Holiday Special: Talking With People You Love, Whose Views You Don’t.

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Same family, different politics? Hear personal stories and smart tips for minimizing conflict.

The holiday season is here but many people across the country may be dreading sitting down with their nearest and dearest— all because of politics.

In this episode of Let’s Find Common Ground, we discuss political differences with a father and daughter who have different ways of seeing the world. Clare Ashcraft and her dad Brian live in Ohio. He’s an engineer and a conservative. She is a liberal-leaning college student.

We also speak with well-known psychologist Tania Israel, author of Beyond Your Bubble: How to Connect Across The Political Divide. Skills and Strategies That Work. Just in time for Thanksgiving, we share smart tips to minimize conflict and maximize cooperation with parents, family and friends.

Read the Episode Transcript

Ep 72 – Holiday Special: Talking With People You Love, Whose Views You Don’t.

Brian Ashcraft

Brian Ashcraft lives in Dayton, Ohio and is an engineer for a medical manufacturing company. He’s husband to one fabulous wife and father to two independent, intelligent children.

He and his wife are both runners and have been active in their running community. He has been a race director for numerous events and put on races to support children with special disabilities. He believes we need to leave the world a better place than we found it.

Clare Ashcraft

Clare Ashcraft is an English and philosophy student at Capital University in Columbus, Ohio. At Capital, she leads a chapter of BridgeUSA, is involved with student government, Sigma Tau Delta, and ReCap Literary Magazine. She also builds sets in the Cabaret theater. Outside of class, she works as a bridging & bias assistant for AllSides. She enjoys listening to podcasts and cooking in her free time.

Tania Israel

Tania Israel is a Professor in the Department of Counseling, Clinical, and School Psychology at the University of California, Santa Barbara. She holds a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology and is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association. Her book Beyond Your Bubble: How to Connect Across the Political Divide, Skills and Strategies for Conversations That Work grew out of a skill-building workshop she developed and delivered to hundreds of participants following the 2016 election.

Want to hear more? Check out our podcast page to see all the discussions!