Upcoming Events, Week of June 8
Welcome to new subscribers! Scroll down to see the guest speakers, book club authors, and happy hour guests coming up!
ON COMPLICITY AND COURAGE
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: , former DHS official and candidate in this year’s congressional race in Virginia (Thursday, June 11, 1-2 p.m.). Olivia served in Trump’s first term as part of Vice President Mike Pence’s team, and left when she believed what she was witnessing in DHS was morally reprehensible. I know you have all seen and heard Olivia speaking out since then, and I am so excited to host her at The Freedom Academy to talk about her journey!
Happy Hour with Special Guest Tom Nichols (Friday, June 12, 5-6 p.m.). I’ve always been a fan of Tom — including his contrarian takes on Indian food and the use of the word “fascism.” I’m actually currently reading one of his essays for The Atlantic, about how Trump is the tyrant that George Washington feared. We’ll discuss great power competition, how bad he thinks things are right now, and anything else you want to discuss, so please join us! Going to try a new format (in the lead of , on whose Substack I was a guest a few weeks ago): I will record part of this happy hour, and the second half will be just for those who attend.
Coming up:
On Complicity with Michelle Buck, Clinical Professor of Executive Education at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University (Tuesday, June 16, 2-3 p.m.) I got to hear Professor Buck on a panel about ethical decision making back at Princeton last fall, and knew I wanted to get her on my Substack to talk about how to identify and “operationalize” our personal values. Professor Buck is also working on a book on how leaders can create conditions for courageous conversations which I know will be applicable to our larger political context. This will be an exciting talk with lots of personal takeaways!
On Courage, Liz Oyer, former pardon attorney at the Justice Department, (Wednesday, July 8, 3-4 p.m.) I don’t think Liz’s former position even exists anymore since she was fired in March 2025 when she refused to make a recommendation to reinstate Mel Gibson’s gun rights after they were rescinded because of a domestic violence conviction in 2011. When she was asked to testify to Congress, the Trump administration sent U.S. Marshals to her home in an effort to silence her. (Spoiler alert: It didn’t work.) We have come a long way since that point but I hope you will feel inspired by her story of standing up for truth at a time when things were very scary and uncertain.
On Complicity, Tom Mueller, author of Crisis of Conscience: Whistleblowing in an Age of Fraud (Monday, July 27, 1-2 p.m.) This tome has been an incredible source and resource for me in my research. It is an incredibly comprehensive look at historical and contemporary stories of whistleblowing across corporate America, government, and academia. We’ll talk about some of the common threads among the people who speak out in complicit systems.
I am confirming more speakers through the summer so watch this space! Also:
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:
JUNE (aiming for the last week of June): The Voter File by . David has been a guest several times on my Substack but this time we will be talking about his prescient novel! The Voter File came out in 2020 and is a story about how elections can be manipulated if someone can get their hands on…you got it, the voter file. Well, guess what? The Trump administration is trying to get their hands on…states’ voter files. Life imitates art, I guess (David’s first novel, published in 2016, was about Russian election interference.) This will be a terrifying beach read with real world implications!
JULY (Date/Time TBA): One Long Night: A Global History of Concentration Camps by Andrea Pritzker. Is it OK to call the warehouses being built across the U.S. as “concentration camps”? Andrea Pritzker knows the answer (and it’s yes). There has, sadly, never been a more important time to learn the history of how this form of human internment and political repression was developed and how it has evolved. (I picked July so at least the weather is nice when we’re reading it — better than in winter when it gets dark at 4 p.m. and you’re already depressed.)
AUGUST (Date/Time TBA): The Founders: The Story of Paypal and the Entrepreneurs Who Shaped Silicon Valley by Jimmy Soni. This book has been on my nightstand forever…to be honest, though, I couldn’t bring myself to read it last year, when Elon Musk was still taking a wrecking ball to our government. But now I’m ready: find out the origin story of the tech villains you love to hate, and who now have an outsized influence on our collective future.
NEW! SEPTEMBER (Date/Time TBA): The Sisterhood of Ravensbrück: How an Intrepid Band of Frenchwomen Resisted the Nazis in Hitler’s All-Female Concentration Camp by Lynne Olson. Ravensbrück was the only all-female German concentration camp, and comprised largely of political prisoners from the French resistance. At a time when women’s contributions and agency are being erased in many ways here in the U.S., this story s an important reminder of the role of extraordinary women in history and their impact on the world. I am thrilled that Lynne will be able to join to talk about this story of courage and resistance under horrific circumstances.
OCTOBER (Date/Time TBA): The Mission: The CIA in the 21st Century by Tim Weiner. I’ve been so excited to read Tim’s book since it came out last fall. His last book on the CIA, Legacy of Ashes: A History of the CIA (a must-read), chronicled the history and evolution of the agency from its inception during World War II through 9/11. This book picks it up from there to the present day. This will be a great discussion on the past and the future of our foreign intelligence capability.
NOVEMBER (Date/Time TBA): This Land is Your Land: A Road Trip Through U.S. History by Beverly Gage. I was soooo excited to learn that this book was finally out! For those of you who have been subcribers to The Freedom Academy for a while, you know that Professor Gage’s G-Man: J. Edgar Hoover and the Making of an American Century was our first book club selection! (You can watch that talk here.) I’m soooo excited to have her back to discuss her latest project, which a journey through the amazing history and diversity of OUR country. With better planning I would have gotten this on the calendar closer to July 4, but honestly the midterm elections is as good a time as any to be reminded of the American values we love, and why they are still alive and well in the hearts of its people.
DECEMBER (Date/Time TBA): The Lost Orchid: A Tale of Victorian Plunder and Obsession by Sarah Bilston. I realize that this title is not necessarily in the vein as the others, but I feel like by December we’re going to be ready for a change of pace for the holidays — and what better distraction is there than a little Victorian plunder and obsession? Seriously, though, this book has been on my to-read list since my brilliant colleague, professor of British literature, and master storyteller published this last year (I’m also partial to orchids, it being the only plant I have successfully managed to tend in my home). This will be a fun discussion to close out the year!
It’s Complicated is Cruisin’!
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. You can find out more at this link, and fill out your info here to have an agent call you with more information.
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