Grounded, Not Divided is a podcast about leaders who are getting important things done in the real world. It is hosted by Matt Burgess, an economics professor at the University of Wyoming.
Our guests are leaders in business, government, non-profits and civil society, who are making progress on some of society’s hardest problems, like poverty, disease, innovation, environmental protection, and education.
Society's deepest divisions come from the virtual world: social media, online and cable news, and the pundit class. It’s easy to oversimplify, misinform, and demonize people when we’re trying to sell a narrative and get clicks. But when we’re working to get things done in the real world, reality keeps us honest. In other words, when we're more grounded, we're less divided. Our guests' stories show us how much we can accomplish if we’re willing to learn from each other, work hard, and work together.
guidedcivicrevival.substack.com (https://guidedcivicrevival.substack.com/s/grounded-not-divided?utm_medium=podcast)
Episode 19: Simon Cullen: Helping young people disagree better with AI
Show notes:
Today’s guest is Simon Cullen (https://www.simoncullen.org/). Simon Cullen is co-founder and CEO of Disagree Wisely (https://www.disagreewisely.org/), a research and education non-profit promoting constructive disagreement and civil discourse, and he’s the co-creator of Sway (https://swaybeta.ai/), an AI-powered chat platform that pairs students who disagree with each other on an issue and facilitates one-on-one discussions between them. Cullen started his career as a polymathic academic philosopher. He currently serves as a Faculty Research Fellow at Heterodox Academy’s Segal Center for Academic Pluralism (https://heterodoxacademy.org/segal-center-for-academic-pluralism/), and a Visiting Research Professor of Artificial Intelligence and Civil Discourse at UNC Chapel Hill’s School of Civic Life and Leadership (https://civiclife.unc.edu/). He was previously an Assistant Teaching Professor of philosophy at Carnegie Mellon University, where he taught a popular and award-winning class called “Dangerous Ideas in Science and Society”. We discuss his career and current work, as well as broader issues related to AI, higher education, and civil discourse. We also discuss what it’s like to start a non-profit.
Don’t miss our next episode!
Make sure to subscribe, and stay tuned for our next episode, Episode 20, with Wesley Warshawer (https://wesleywarshawer.com/). Wesley Warshawer is an analyst in the semiconductor industry, a Fulbright scholar, and the University of Arizona W.A. Franke Honors College Young Alumni of the Year for 2025-26 (https://frankehonors.arizona.edu/news/we-celebrate-franke-honors-fall-25-convocation-awardees). During the COVID pandemic, Wesley became a digital nomad—traveling first around the central United States in order to try to better understand communities that differed politically from his “San Francisco bubble”, and later to South America and Africa. We discuss his travels and what they have taught him about our society’s divisions and what can unite us.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit guidedcivicrevival.substack.com (https://guidedcivicrevival.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)
7 Jul 2026
Episode 18: Scott Beaulier: Business schools in a changing landscape
Show notes:
Today’s guest is Scott Beaulier (https://www.uwyo.edu/business/about-us/directory/beaulier-scott.html). Scott Beaulier is the H.A. (Dave) True Family Dean of Business at the University of Wyoming. He was previously Dean of Business at North Dakota State University, and he was the youngest business dean in the country at the time. He has written about higher-education reform, and he writes The Arena Substack (https://arenainstitutions.substack.com/) about “institutions that shape economic and public life”. We discuss the challenges facing business schools and higher education in general, his approach to leadership, and marathon running—he just ran Boston for the fifth time.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit guidedcivicrevival.substack.com (https://guidedcivicrevival.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)
28 May 2026
Episode 17: Skip York: War in the Middle East and energy security
Show notes:
Energy security is one of the vital issues in the news lately, with the war in Iran and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz restricting energy supplies and driving up prices. Today’s episode aims to demystify what the war is doing to energy markets, and what the future might look like if the war drags on.
Our guest is Harold “Skip” York. Skip York (https://www.bakerinstitute.org/expert/harold-skip-york) is a Nonresident Fellow in Energy and Global Oil at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, and he is chief energy strategist at Turner Mason & Company, an energy consulting and advisory firm. Dr. York was formerly head of Commodity Strategy for Petroleum at BHP, and he has experience working with ExxonMobil, McKinsey & Company, Charles River Associates, and Wood Mackenzie. Dr. York received his undergraduate degree in economics from University of Wyoming, and he holds a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Virginia.
Our conversation was recorded live at the University of Wyoming on May 4, 2026.
Don’t miss our next episode!
Make sure to subscribe, and stay tuned for our next episode, Episode 18, with Scott Beaulier. Scott Beaulier (https://www.uwyo.edu/business/about-us/directory/beaulier-scott.html) is the H.A. (Dave) True Family Dean of Business at the University of Wyoming. He was previously Dean of Business at North Dakota State University, and he was the youngest business dean in the country at the time. He has written about higher-education reform, and he writes The Arena Substack (https://arenainstitutions.substack.com/) about “institutions that shape economic and public life”. We discuss the challenges facing business schools and higher education in general, his approach to leadership, and marathon running—he just ran Boston for the fifth time.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit guidedcivicrevival.substack.com (https://guidedcivicrevival.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)
Who has been a guest on Grounded, Not Divided
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Ron Rabou
Shaka Mitchell
Karen Vaites
Michael Chambers
Podcast Authority Score: 9 / 100
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