Upcoming Events, Week of February 9
Welcome to new subscribers! Scroll down to see the guest speakers, book club authors, and happy hour guests coming up, as well as a link to this week’s It’s Complicated podcast!
ON COMPLICITY AND COURAGE
The new focus for my Substack has been off to a great start in 2026! If you are new to my Substack, I am doing research for my book, Uncompromised: Activating Your Moral Compass in an Age of Complicity, and using this platform to showcase some of the authors and research I am learning from to understand what makes people complicit in bad behavior, and learning from the people who take a stand against it.
To this end, I’ll be writing free posts on these topics each month, in addition to my weekly Round Ups, on the topics of complicity and courage. Each month I’ll have one person — like a psychologist, professor, leadership expert — explain the science and theory behind complicity and courage. And then I will also bring in a real-time moral rebel who can talk about what led them to take a stand — despite the personal and professional risks they faced (and often still face). Studies show that people are better able to resist pressure and stand up for their beliefs when they can reflect on their own values and see models of moral courage in action, so I hope you will tune in and take some knowledge and inspiration from my guests! (You can find past guests, as well as posts on the topic, under the Complicity & Courage tab on the homepage.)
Zoom links for guest speakers are sent three hours before the event, and the discussions will be recorded and posted for those who cannot make it live. You can always access past guest speakers here and book club authors here.
THIS WEEK!
On Courage: , Wednesday, February 11, 12 p.m. EST. If there is one person who knows about standing up and speaking out in the current moment, it’s Judge Luttig. I look forward to also getting the Judge’s insights into how we can extricate ourselves from the constitutional crisis we and ourselves in. I always come away from talking to the Judge having learned something new.
It’s Complicated Cruise Happy Hour/Info Session, Thursday, February 12 at 5 p.m. EST. Come join me and Renato as we explore the stunning beauty of Alaska and discuss how we can work together to protect our democracy! It’s a small ship, and there will be lots of opportunities to talk to us both, plus we will have an opening and closing reception and dedicated democracy discussion tables throughout the cruise. RSVP here or you can find out more at this link, and fill out your info here to have an agent call you with more information.
Coming Up:
February Happy Hour with Allison Gill! Friday, February 20, 6-7 p.m. EST. Like many of you, I follow and to keep up with all the insanity (none of us can do it alone!). I am SO excited that she will join us to discuss…whatever the $#%&! is happening then.
On Complicity: Dr. Alexander Stein, psychoanalyst and expert on ethical decision making, Wednesday, March 4, 1-2 p.m. EST. I came across Dr. Stein on my friend and colleague ’s Substack and have had the fortune of talking with him about his work for my book. I am VERY excited to have a conversation about “complicit ecosystems,” the importance of empathy, and why people choose to go down paths they know are wrong.
The Freedom Academy Book Club
In the past I have typically done a book selection every quarter, but I am going to get more ambitious for 2026 and try to do one each month — too many interesting books and cool authors! Check out the selections below:
FEBRUARY (Thursday, February 26, 2026, 5-6 p.m. EST): Five Bullets: The Story of Bernie Goetz, New York’s Explosive ‘80s, and the Subway Vigilante Trial That Divided the Nation, by Elliot Williams. Want to know how the trajectories of Al Sharpton, Rudy Giuliani, and Rupert Murdoch intersected forty years ago, shaping our views of race and crime today? Elliot, a former federal prosecutor and CNN legal analyst, will explain it all. I’ve already started his book and am riveted!
MARCH (Tuesday, March 24, 3-4 p.m. EDT): 38 Londres Street: On Impunity, Pinochet in England, and a Nazi in Patagonia by Philippe Sands. Philippe reached out to me after my appearance on Ezra Klein’s podcast last spring, because I compared the removal of Kilmar Albrego Garcia to Chile in 1973. His gripping account of Pinochet’s indictment for crimes against humanity and extradition to Spain and its thru line from Nuremberg, are important lessons for today. Not to mention that the legal issues surrounding head of state immunity are more pertinent than ever in light of Maduro (and God knows what other leaders the U.S. will rendition in the coming weeks and months).
APRIL (Thursday, April 30, 1-2 p.m. EDT): Giving Up is Unforgivable: A Manual for Keeping Democracy by , author of Substack. This book talk is waaaaaay overdue, but Joyce has been on the road since her bestseller came out so I am happy to grab her when I can! I know we will all need a civic pep talk and pick me up in April…plus we will have changed the clocks by then so things will already feel more hopeful. I truly can’t wait for this discussion!
This Week’s It’s Complicated Podcast
This week Renato and I discussed the pushback from the courts on the Trump administration’s ethnic cleansing plan for Springfield, Ohio, as well as the continued politicization of DOJ. And wtf was Tulsi Gabbard doing in Fulton County??!?
Public Events:
I’m excited to announce that I will be speaking at STATE OF THE SWAMP, the rebuttal event to Trump’s State of the Union, on February 24 in Washington, D.C.! Use my personal discount code FROGFRIEND15 to get 15% off. Just for you. Buy tickets HERE.
Your paid subscription makes the Freedom Academy possible — unique analysis based on my experience at the intersection of law, ethics, and national security. Plus, get access to guest speakers and book authors, and interactive discussions. Thank you for your support!
‘Rise like Lions after slumber
In unvanquishable number—
Shake your chains to earth like dew
Which in sleep had fallen on you—
Ye are many—they are few.’
— The Masque of Anarchy by Percy Bysshe Shelley, stanza XXXVIII