Unsettled

About Unsettled

On Season 4 of Unsettled, we’ll dive into “The Great Divide.” According to the American Psychological Association, the majority of adults in America say that societal division is a significant source of stress in their lives. We’ll find out how we feel it on a personal level in our communities and families. The divide between rich and poor continues to expand. We’ll explore how the growing wealth gap is shaping our future. These days we don’t just disagree with each other, we’re living in separate realities — we'll find out how we got here. We’ll go to church, and find out where political influence and power intersects with faith. Then we’ll meet people who are building bridges and bringing people together in powerful and creative ways.

Publisher

Iowa Public Radio

Category

health & fitness · science · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

9 Nov 2018

Latest episode

15 May 2026

Latest episodes

31 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   15 May 2026

   Meet the community builders bringing people together

   The Corinthian Baptist Church, a majority Black congregation, sits just three miles away from Plymouth Congregational Church, a majority white congregation. Two members of each decided to cross the racial divide, bring the congregations together and build relationships. Now, the church members hold joint Bible studies, watch sporting events and sing in choirs together. In this episode, we meet Caroline Peterson and Leslie Jackson, the women who made this happen, plus other community builders from across Iowa.

2. 

   14 May 2026

   One nation, under God, divisible

   The United States was explicitly founded with religious freedom as a core value. But a rise in Christian nationalism has inserted religion into politics. We talk to journalist Katherine Stewart about this movement, what the goals of the leaders are and how those goals are different from typical religiously-motivated voters. Then, we gather Christian faith leaders for a conversation about religion, politics and how the two relate in their congregations.

3. 

   13 May 2026

   Media echo chambers create competing realities

   Poynter’s Jon Greenberg remembers watching news reporters during the Vietnam War on television as a 12-year-old kid. He said when there were only three networks they had to appeal to a broader market with a more vague political consensus. Today, there are endless channels, publications and accounts to get information from, and it’s easy to consume news in a way that doesn’t challenge your beliefs — or to avoid consuming news altogether. In this episode, we look at today’s media landscape and consider how a lack of trust and fractured realities in media have sowed division.

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

174,186

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

3.9 / 5

29 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

1 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 38 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

22

Social presence

0

YouTube

86

Engagement

50

Contact Unsettled

Guest appearances

Does not typically book guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.