Polarized Politics + Relationships: How to Bridge The Divide | Dr. Bill Doherty | E477

Love, Happiness and Success with Dr. Lisa Marie Bobby

YAP Media Network | Dr. Lisa Marie Bobby

Relationships, Society & Culture, Health & Fitness, Mental Health

4.7 • 890 Ratings

🗓️ 9 October 2025

⏱️ 52 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

What do you do when someone you love sees the world so differently from you that every conversation feels tense? When your values and beliefs clash so deeply that you start wondering if you can stay close at all? If you’ve ever found yourself in that tension, between wanting to stay connected and wanting to stay true to yourself, you are not alone. In this episode, I’m talking with Dr. Bill Doherty, a professor, therapist, and co-founder of Braver Angels, about how to navigate hard conversations when politics, cultural influences, or deeply held beliefs divide us. Dr. Doherty shares how the same tools that heal intimate relationships can also strengthen our political communication, especially with the people we care about most. We talk about emotional self-regulation, listening with genuine curiosity, and the courage it takes to connect before you correct. You’ll hear how story and empathy can shift defensiveness into understanding, and how choosing calm over control can keep love alive across even the deepest divides. Episode Breakdown: 00:00 Introduction with Dr. Bill Doherty and Braver Angels 02:16 The Origin of Braver Angels Workshops 10:30 Affective Polarization and Its Impact on Relationships 16:07 Media, Social Media, and the Angertainment Industry 21:46 Emotional Regulation and Communication Strategies 30:39 Choosing Whether to Engage or Step Back 32:05 Connect Before You Disagree 37:13 Using “I” Statements and Sharing Personal Stories 42:29 The Stories Behind Our Beliefs 50:21 You Can’t Fight Someone the Same Way When You Know Their Heart Take a moment with me: who in your life do you find hard to talk to about what really matters? What might happen if you stopped trying to convince them and started listening for the experiences that shaped their beliefs? How might that change the way you show up in those moments? If listening today brought up memories of your own hard conversations, especially that ache of wanting to stay close when your differences feel impossible, I have something that can help. My Communication That Connects Free Masterclass is designed to help you move past power struggles and into real understanding. Inside, I’ll walk you through the exact skills that turn tense moments into opportunities for empathy and connection. You’ll learn how to calm reactivity, communicate from the heart, and create emotionally safe conversations - the kind that honor both your truth and your relationship. If this episode got you thinking (or feeling) about your own relationships, come hang out with me on Instagram, Facebook, or YouTube. I’m there every week sharing new insights, tools, and little reminders to help you stay grounded and connected - even when life gets messy! And if something from today’s conversation sparked a question or story you want to share, I’d love to hear from you. Let’s keep this conversation going. xoxo, Dr. Lisa Marie BobbyGrowing Self

Transcript

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0:00.0	the people on the other side are bad. They want what's worse for the country. I and my people,
0:06.0	we want what's best for the country. You and Europe, you know, it's clear. So you have, I don't get you,
0:12.2	I don't like you, and I think you're a bad person. That's a lot. Then it comes into,
0:19.1	not just how we think about the political leaders, but people in our families,
0:24.9	our friends, you know, from high school.
0:27.9	We find out how they voted and how they're thinking.
0:30.8	And then we see them as strangers.
0:33.6	We don't like them as much and we think they are morally bad.
0:38.7	What do you do when someone you love believe something that you think is actually destroying the world?
0:47.3	Well, I am Dr. Lisa Marie Bobby.
0:49.7	This is love happiness and success.
0:51.6	And today I am talking with Dr. Bill Doherty, the marriage and family
0:56.8	therapist who pioneered innovative ways to help couples on the brink of divorce, heal deeply
1:04.7	fractured relationships, and who is now using these same superpowers to help us heal our fractured society through his organization
1:15.6	braver angels. If you are in a situation where you are navigating very, very difficult,
1:23.8	fraught relationships, hard conversations with people who you care a lot about, this is going to help
1:30.4	you find some directions so that you don't have to choose between your beliefs and your relationships.
1:38.2	And this is important for all of us to be thinking about, especially now.
1:42.3	Dr. Bill Doherty is one of these huge leaders in my profession, literally changing the way therapists
1:52.0	do therapy.
1:53.0	You saw a problem in our world as a result of different political and cultural belief systems that were causing some of the same
2:04.1	fractures and disconnects that we see in intimate relationships.
	...

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