Hey Friends,

This month, we’re exploring friendship as a tool for rebuilding democracy and peace. So I’m dusting off something from our archives—an episode I recorded before Everyday Ambassador existed as a Substack. A lot of you have never heard it, and honestly? It might be one of the most practical conversations I’ve ever had about what friendship actually requires.

In this episode, I sit down with two remarkable people:

Richard Haass, the former Special Envoy to Northern Ireland, talks about the Good Friday Agreement—and how personal relationships between former adversaries changed the course of history. He shares the risks people took, the trust they built when it would have been easier to stay apart.

Lois Anderson, my longtime friend and Executive Director of Oregon Right to Life, talks about our own friendship—and what we have learned from each other despite having very different political perspectives.

The conversation is a masterclass in what it takes and why it matters.

If you’re thinking about your own relationships across divides right now, this one’s for you.

Listen above.

Shout out to Toby Susan Goldbach who has recruited three friends to the Everyday Ambassador community! Thank you so much Toby! I am so grateful for all your support.

Did you know you can earn an opportunity to join the Everyday Ambassador Salons at no cost when ten of your friends subscribe? All you have to do is to click on the share button below or forward or restack a post. Substack will credit you for those subscriptions.

So if this interview lands for you, share it with your friends. And thank you for all you do!

Hibakusha leader and physician Masao Tomonaga joins Everyday Ambassador to share a lifetime shaped by the atomic bombing of Nagasaki. Drawing on decades of medical research, he explains how radiation exposure led to leukemia, cancer, and lasting psychological trauma among survivors. The conversation offers a rare firsthand account of nuclear weapons’ human consequences—and a sober reflection on the limits of deterrence and disarmament today.