Ep. 44 - Building a New Civic Path: Rich Harwood on Restoring Trust & Reclaiming Human Connection
At a time when trust feels fractured, conversations feel increasingly reactive, and many people feel disconnected from institutions, leadership, and even one another — what does meaningful progress actually look like?
In this episode of the CivilTalk Podcast, we sit down with Rich Harwood, founder and president of The Harwood Institute for Public Innovation — a nonpartisan organization dedicated to helping communities, institutions, and leaders create meaningful public change through deeper listening, civic engagement, and collective action. For decades, Rich’s work has focused on helping communities move beyond division and rediscover their ability to solve problems together through what he calls “turning outward” — placing people, aspirations, and shared purpose at the center of change.
Together, we explore what happens when leadership becomes less about winning arguments and more about creating conditions where people feel heard, connected, and capable of shaping the future.
Drawing from his newest book, The New Civic Path, Rich discusses what he describes as a growing “crisis of belief” — a loss of trust not only in systems and institutions, but in one another and our collective ability to make progress. The book offers a practical and hopeful framework for restoring agency, strengthening civic culture, and moving forward amid real differences.
We also discuss themes from Stepping Forward, where Rich introduces the idea that transformation begins locally — by rediscovering common ground, turning outward toward one another, and creating tangible momentum through everyday action rather than waiting for top-down solutions.
In this conversation, we discuss:
• Why so many people feel disconnected despite being more connected than ever
• The hidden cost of living in reaction instead of intention
• What Rich means by “turning outward” and how communities can apply it
• How leaders can rebuild trust through listening and everyday action
• Why emotional intelligence and civic responsibility are deeply connected
• How local action creates larger societal change
• Restoring hope without ignoring complexity
• What it means to reclaim agency in uncertain times
This episode is for leaders, educators, founders, community builders, and anyone asking:
How do we create healthier conversations — and healthier communities — in a world that often rewards outrage over understanding?
If you’ve ever felt discouraged by polarization or wondered whether meaningful change is still possible, this conversation offers a thoughtful and practical reminder: transformation often begins closer to home than we think.
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About CivilTalk:
CivilTalk is more than a podcast. It’s a platform dedicated to helping people and organizations strengthen how they communicate through conversational intelligence, emotional intelligence, and more intentional dialogue. CivilTalk is the home to Clarion CI — our conversational intelligence platform designed to help individuals understand not just what is said in meetings, but how people communicate by surfacing insights around listening, alignment, tone, and interaction patterns through private post-meeting reports.
Learn more at the link below, explore our latest episodes at Latest Episodes, and discover how better conversations create better outcomes.
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