Commonwealth Club of California Podcast

Latest Episodes:

San Francisco Pride Third Annual Human Rights Summit Segment 6 Jul 10, 2025

Show notes

On June 26, join us for the third annual Human Rights Summit from San Francisco Pride and The Michelle Meow Show at Commonwealth Club World Affairs.

Segment. 6

“I Feel That Way Too” live podcast taping with activist Michelle Mijung Kim

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San Francisco Pride Third Annual Human Rights Summit Segment 4 Jul 10, 2025

Show notes

On June 26, join us for the third annual Human Rights Summit from San Francisco Pride and The Michelle Meow Show at Commonwealth Club World Affairs.

Segment. 4

Keynote
City Attorney David Chiu

Plenary: LGBTQIA in Politics
Moderator: Evan Low of Victory Fund
Speakers: Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, Melissa Hernandez (Harvey Milk Democratic Club), Khilynn Fowler

See more ⁠Michelle Meow Show⁠ programs at Commonwealth Club World Affairs of California.

This program contains EXPLICIT language.

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Discussion on Cuts to U.S. Foreign Aid—and the Future of Foreign Aid Jul 09, 2025

Show notes

The beginning of 2025 saw significant cuts to US foreign aid, most notably with the dismantling of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Since its establishment in 1961, USAID has implemented programs in global health, disaster relief, socioeconomic development, environmental protection, democratic governance and education. What are the implications of the sharp funding cuts and other changes to U.S. foreign aid efforts both for the countries that USAID worked in as well as the U.S.' strategic interests and leadership around the world?

This program will feature several panelists with extensive expertise and experience working on development and humanitarian projects for USAID in countries around the world such as Haiti, Sri Lanka, Uganda and Kenya. The speakers will share their insights on the recent changes and cuts to U.S. foreign aid and perspectives on the future of foreign aid.

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CLIMATE ONE ENCORE: Drag Queen Pattie Gonia on Bringing Joy to Climate Action Jul 04, 2025

Show notes

When individuals want to take action on climate, it’s often in the form of electrifying a home, voting, or maybe even traditional activism. Those are very important, but we often overlook how individual skills and talents can also make a difference.

This week we’re highlighting creative forms of climate action. Pattie Gonia is a drag queen, environmentalist and advocate for inclusivity and diversity in the outdoors who struts their message through national parks, in Pride events, and through the halls of Congress. Mike Roberts and Will Hammond Jr. wrote a sultry R&B song that will change the way you think about heat pumps… and an equally stimulating song about the power of geothermal energy. Together, they remind us that we don’t always have to take ourselves too seriously in order for our work to be meaningful and have impact.

This episode originally aired on February 7, 2025.

Guests:

Pattie Gonia, Drag queen; Environmentalist

Mike Roberts, Musician; Climate advocate

Will Hammond Jr., Educator; Musician

Pattie Gonia image credits Mitchell Overton and Maxwell Poth.

On July 31, Climate One is hosting Premal Shah and Kinari Webb for a live episode recording! With years of experience navigating the global climate movement, the two are sure to offer unparalleled insights during their conversation with Co-Host Greg Dalton. Tickets for the show, which will be held at The Commonwealth Club in San Francisco, are available now through our website.

Support Climate One by going ad-free! By subscribing to Climate One on Patreon, you’ll receive exclusive access to all future episodes free of ads, opportunities to connect with fellow Climate One listeners, and access to the Climate One Discord. Sign up today.

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General Stanley McChrystal: Choices That Define a Life Jul 03, 2025

Show notes

“When I die, how will I be measured?”

For Stanley McChrystal, the answer could be obvious. As a retired four-star general, McChrystal might be measured by his stars (four), commands held, wars fought, or awards and medals received (numerous).

But when McChrystal looked back on his life and his current status, he focused on the importance of character, a topic he explores in his new book aptly titled On Character: Choices that Define a Life. Character is, he says, the key to living with purpose and integrity. He says character isn’t something you are born with, nor do you automatically accrue it through education, position, or experience. Instead, he says it is the result of a succession of choices, sometimes mundane ones, sometimes hugely important ones, that together reveal our capacity for virtue.

At a time when virtue and character are sometimes hard to identify in leaders, come hear McChrystal in his return to Commonwealth Club World Affairs for a rallying cry to become our best selves—as individual people and as Americans.

Note: This Podcast Contains Explicit Language.

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The Confluence of Technology, Traditional Painting, and Interactive Art Jul 03, 2025

Show notes

Join us for a conversation with author and new media artist Scott Snibbe. Snibbe will introduce us to the history of his pioneering use of new technology and his exploration of traditional art forms. His artwork has been featured in leading institutions, from MoMA, SFMOMA, and The Whitney Museum of American Art to London’s Institute of Contemporary Art, Tokyo’s Intercommunications Center, and beyond.

Snibbe has collaborated with renowned artists and creators throughout his career, including multiplatinum recording artist Björk on the groundbreaking “app album” Biophilia, filmmaker James Cameron, musician Beck, and composer Philip Glass. He is the author of How to Train A Happy Mind, featuring a forward written by the Dalai Lama.

In his latest work, Snibbe draws from centuries-old Tibetan thangka painting techniques he studied in Nepal, which inspired him to explore the intersections of digital media and ancient craftsmanship. At the confluence of technology, traditional painting, and interactive design, Snibbe creates participatory experiences that push the boundaries of contemporary art and invite audiences to engage with it in new and unexpected ways.

A Technology & Society Member-led Forum program. Forums at the Club are organized and run by volunteer programmers who are members of The Commonwealth Club, and they cover a diverse range of topics. Learn more about our Forums.

OrganizerGerald Anthony Harris

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Shannon Watts: Fired Up! Jul 02, 2025

Show notes

Since she started Moms Demand Action in 2012 following the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, Shannon Watts has drawn thousands of women from the sidelines and gotten them involved, helping them realize the power they had. Now she brings that approach to helping people more broadly stand up and achieve their potential.

Whether it’s launching your dream business, leaving a bad relationship, or standing up for yourself at the office, Watts has an approach to “identify, light, and feed the fire inside you.” She explores that in her new book Fired Up, and she returns to the Commonwealth Club World Affairs stage to share her inspiration with women everywhere. She says it will not only transform your life, but it can transform the world.

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CLIMATE ONE BONUS: He Started Tesla Employees Against Elon. Then Got Fired. Jul 01, 2025

Show notes

Matt LaBrot was the Tesla sales manager who got so fed up with how Elon Musk’s public persona affected the brand that he published a website called “Tesla Employees Against Elon.” He was subsequently fired, allegedly for "using company resources to build a website that did not align with the company’s perspective."

For our pod audience, we’re dropping this extended version of Greg Dalton’s conversation with Matt LaBrot. A portion of this interview aired in our episode “Is The EV Transition Stuck in Neutral?” on June 27th.

Guest:

Matthew LaBrot, Former Tesla sales employee

For show notes and related links, visit our website.

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The Biology of Behavior: The Science of Desire and Faith Jun 30, 2025

Show notes

The prevailing scientific view of the fundamental nature of homosexuality has undergone a significant evolution in the last several decades. Where once the scientific and medical establishment maintained an unqualified belief that homosexuality was a form of psychological deviance, today a solid majority of psychiatrists and psychologists themselves believe that biological factors (genes, brain, prenatal chemistry) also play an important role.

Dr. Dean Hamer’s research for the first time examined at a molecular level how our sexual identities are rooted in our biology. He has gone on to study the role that biology plays in our faith. In his works and books, Dr. Hamer reveals that inclination toward religious faith is in part due to our genes and may even offer an evolutionary advantage by reducing stress, preventing disease, and extending life. We will discuss these and other works that bring in the role of culture, such as transgender identities in Polynesia.

Dean Hamer is an American geneticist, author, and filmmaker and the among the first scientists to demonstrate a linkage between genes and sexual orientation. He is known for his research on the role of genetics in sexual orientation and for a series of popular books and films that have changed scientific and public understandings of human sexuality and gender. He was the chief of the Gene Structure and Regulation Section at the U.S. National Cancer Institute; upon retirement in 2011 he was designated scientist emeritus. Hamer has won numerous awards, including the Trinity College Thompson History Prize, Maryland Distinguished Young Scientist Award, Ariens Kappers Award for Neurobiology, New York Times book-of-the year author, and an Emmy Award.

An Asia-Pacific Affairs Member-led Forum program. Forums and chapters at the Club are organized and run by volunteer programmers who are members of The Commonwealth Club, and they cover a diverse range of topics. Learn more about our Forums.

OrganizerKalidip Choudhury

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CLIMATE ONE: Is the EV Transition Stuck in Neutral? Jun 27, 2025

Show notes

In 2024, BloombergNEF predicted electric vehicles would make up nearly half of U.S. new car sales by 2030. Now, they’ve revised their projection down to less than 30%, just one year later.

In a time when we need to be speeding up the energy transition, EV sales in the U.S. are stagnating. Sales of Teslas, once the king of electric vehicles, are collapsing. What’s behind the slowing demand? And with China’s growing electric car industry growing, how much should we worry?

Guests:

Camila Domonoske, Correspondent, NPR Business Desk

Dan Bowerson, Vice President, Energy and Environment Policy, Alliance for Automotive Innovation

Matthew LaBrot, Former Tesla sales employee

Mike Murphy, CEO, EV Politics Project

For show notes and related links, visit our website.

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