AR Podcasts

On The Other Hand...  To listen to an episode, go to the desired link at the bottom of this page, or you can find us on our Podbean hosting site at https://ontheotherhand.podbean.com, or at other podcast hosting sites, such as Spotify, iTunes, Amazon, Google, and iHeart. For questions or suggestions of topics or guests, email us at:  otherhandar@gmail.com

On the Other Hand is a podcast that explores politics and other issues of importance to Arkansans through conversations with community leaders in Arkansas.  Co-hosts are Glen White and April Chatham-Carpenter, both of whom are active leaders in Braver Angels in Arkansas and nationally. 

In this podcast, our goal is to serve as a venue for honest and civil conversations about a variety of topics with community leaders of diverse perspectives, especially those who work with others whose views or politics differ from their own beliefs. Subject matter experts in related areas also periodically join us.

On the Other Hand is based on the premise that progress in our community and country happens when we listen respectfully to each other and are willing to work with each other when needed, so that problem-solving can occur and our citizens have hope of a more functional government.  Ultimately, we want to help reduce political polarization in Arkansas and our region, because the evidence is strong that persistent, extreme polarization is damaging to our democratic republic.



On The Other Hand staff bios: 

J. Glen White (PhD, Clinical Psychology), creator and co-host of On The Other Hand, is a founding member of the Arkansas alliance of Braver Angels, a national organization devoted to ending extreme political polarization in America, with a mission of promoting mutual respect, civil dialog, and seeking of common ground among persons of differing political philosophies. Glen currently serves as state co-coordinator and provides workshops and presentations to support the mission of Braver Angels.  

Prior to his retirement in 2021, Dr. White worked as a psychologist in the local Veterans Healthcare System, as clinical faculty in the University of Arkansas Medical Center, as clinical staff at a local mental health center, and as instructor at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. He continues to enjoy public speaking and serving his community.

For the podcast On the Other Hand, Glen uses his past experiences and skills as a psychologist, therapist, and two years as a college DJ to respectfully engage in conversations with podcast guests, especially community leaders in Arkansas and beyond who in various ways reach across political and other divisions to serve their community. 

April Chatham-Carpenter (PhD, University of Oklahoma), co-host of the podcast On the Other Hand, is a Professor of Applied Communication at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, where she serves as  Department Chair of the Department of Applied Communication.  She is skilled in interpersonal communication, instructional design, group facilitation, strategic planning, relationship-based change management, and public speaking.  She researches issues such as innovation and change, use of communication to manage difficult dialogues, and transformations in online teaching.  She teaches both undergraduate and graduate classes in support of the Department of Applied Communication’s mission “to foster the co-creation of better social worlds through positive communication.”  

Dr. Chatham-Carpenter is an active volunteer with the national Braver Angels organization, serving in leadership roles such as Director of Field Communications for the Office of Field Operations and Regional Co-Lead for the West South Central Region.  She also has been active in local efforts in the Braver Angels Arkansas Alliance, serving in the past as state co-coordinator and alliance co-chair.  She also regularly serves as a workshop moderator and zoom event manager for local and national Braver Angels workshops, and is a co-host of the On the Other Hand podcast.

John P. O’Brien serves as producer and editor for the podcast, On The Other Hand.  John combines 33 years as a senior corporate human resources and training executive and thirteen years in public education and his decades of technical know-how with video and audio editing. John brings to the table experiences with community volunteering work as a member and an officer with Rotary International, Kiwanis International, Optimist International, Literacy Council, The United Way, Junior Achievement, and AmeriCorps.