Welcome! I’m so glad you’re here. You probably have a few questions, so I’ll take a stab at answering the most common ones here…
What is Radical Moderation?
Radical moderation is, at its heart, the rejection of binary thinking.
Instead of one dimensional binaries - think left/right, either/or, black and white, and zero sum - radical moderates think and live in four dimensions.
And learning how to live in four dimensions is more important than ever.
Whether we know it or not, binary thinking infests every part of our lives, from health advice to parenting to politics. The onslaught of binary messaging we get from the media, politicians and influencers leaves us anxious, pessimistic and struggling with our lives and relationships. Because our complex and colorful lives don’t fit on a one dimensional binary, we feel like the failures.
But we’re not failing at anything. Our leaders, media, algorithms and influencers are failing us.
The good news is that we can escape that one dimensional perspective and rediscover - together - how to live in all four dimensions.
Radical moderates grapple with complexity, accept nuance, focus on solutions, and work to understand how human decision-making plays out over time.
And we do this because human life is messy, colorful, chaotic, meaningful, beautiful and, yes, often painful. The human experience is a shared landscape we navigate together but each in our own way. And if we can learn to navigate those four dimensions, we’ll reduce our anxiety and overwhelm, improve our lives and relationships, and maybe even build a better social and political world for the future.
You might be wondering though…
Who Am I (and Why Should You Care)?
I’m Lauren Hall, an author, speaker, professor, wife and mother, university administrator, and haphazard gardener. I grew up in a Zen Buddhist house in a Jewish town with evangelical and Mormon relatives. After a childhood spent navigating different perspectives, I went off to graduate school and studied evolutionary psychology, political behavior, and political thought. I’ve worked and studied with progressives, conservatives, libertarians and everything in between and am all the better for it.
Along the way I’ve learned the importance of tradeoffs, how to navigate complexity, and why questioning stark binaries and either/or thinking is more important than ever. I’ve spent the last decade (along with two books and three kids) developing a framework for radical moderation, including how to apply it to everything from parenting to politics. I’m thrilled you’re here and would love for you to stay in touch.
If this sounds great to you (and I hope it does) you might be wondering…
How Can I Help?
The easiest ways to help spread the message of radical moderation are to subscribe, share, and comment.
You might ask…
Why Subscribe?
Subscribing gets you full access to the newsletter and website. I add more content every week, including thoughts on current events, 4D life advice, Q&As, and podcast interviews.
Subscribers help the cause too! The number of subscribers tells editors, agents, and other bigwigs that people find my work meaningful, which in turn, helps me share the message of radical moderation with ever-wider audiences.
Which leads to me another way you can help, which is sharing my posts if you love them.
Why Share?
Readers sharing my work with others and recommending it on their own Substacks (if they have one) are the primary way people find my work. A simple share or recommend helps expand the message of radical moderation and they’ll help me as I finish up a book manuscript based off the Substack.
Every reader share helps me reach new people who might benefit from a radically moderate approach. And every reader share helps more people escape from false binaries and rediscover their own colorful and complex four dimensional life.
But that’s not all…. You can also help by leaving me your questions, thoughts and feedback in the comment section. Perhaps you’re wondering…
Why Comment?
Every reader comment helps me clarify my thinking. I love hearing from readers, being challenged by their questions, and incorporating their perspectives. It makes the Substack content better while creating a community of Radical Moderates who - who knows? - might just change the world, even just one small corner of it.
You can find out more about me at my website laurenkhall.com including how to book me for speaking gigs and how to find my other books and articles. In the meantime, enjoy exploring the page and please (please) please let me know what you think!
