Damns Given with Nick Richtsmeier
Brains On. Hearts Open. Forward Motion. For the Trustbroken Economy
The world has gotten very good at telling you what's wrong. The platforms are extractive. The institutions are hollow. The algorithm is running the show. Your attention is the product. And somewhere along the way, the message landed: the real decisions are being made somewhere else, by someone else, and there's not much you can do about it.
That message is a lie. But it's a convincing one. And when it sinks in deeply enough, disengagement becomes the default. Businesses hold out for someday. Ideas sit in limbo. Leaders optimize for survival instead of building for what they actually believe. We become spectators in a life we're supposed to be living.
Damns Given is for the people who refuse to go that quietly and want the practical tools how to play a different game.
Hosted by strategist, author, and Trust-Made Growth® founder Nick Richtsmeier, this is a show about what it actually takes to build something real — a venture, a community, a career, a life — in an economy designed to extract everything it can before you notice. Each episode goes one layer beneath the surface conversation to find what's actually true and what's actually worth doing about it.
We've talked to a former OpenAI insider about the AI industry's incentive to frighten you. An urban economist about how we've spent 50 years designing cities for dissatisfaction. A negotiation strategist who walked away from a million-dollar platform because it was stealing his focus. Engineers navigating an identity crisis nobody named. Leaders learning that trust isn't a feeling, it's a biological reality with rules you can learn.
The questions the podcast will both answer, and keep bringing you back to:
- Why does every system keep producing the same problems, and what does it take to actually change one?
- What does it cost to build on a foundation of extraction, and what becomes possible when you don't?
- How do you lead when the people around you are two to three times more lonely, anxious, and overwhelmed than they appear?
- What happens when you stop optimizing for the algorithm and start building for the humans who actually have to trust you?
- What does it mean to give a damn in an economy that seems to punish anyone for doing so?
No doomscrolling dressed up as insight. No performing for the feed. No quippy takes recycled from LinkedIn. Just honest conversation with thinkers, builders, and leaders who are navigating this moment with their eyes open and their agency intact. The game isn't over. The people who still care will decide what comes next.
Come think with us.
Find every episode, the Super Show Notes, and the Trust-Made community at DamnsGiven.com
Damns Given with Nick Richtsmeier
More Politics at Work, Please with Brad Farris
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In this timely and unfiltered episode, Brad and Nick explore the increasingly tangled relationship between politics and work culture. They ask the central question: Has politics become so pervasive that it’s breaking our ability to lead, work, and think clearly?
Key Themes:
- The Blurring Line Between Culture and Politics: Brad and Nick debate whether culture is now downstream from politics or whether it's still the other way around. Nick argues that cultural trends, even fringe ones, often precede political movements (e.g., mommy bloggers influencing public health debates).
- The Role of Algorithms: The hosts criticize how algorithmic thinking is shaping what we consume, from news headlines to music to political discourse, and how it narrows our perspectives.
- Fear and Existential Framing: Every political issue today is presented in existential terms, which creates emotional fatigue and disrupts our ability to engage meaningfully in leadership and life.
- Leadership, Brands, and Point of View: In today’s climate, leaders and companies can’t afford to be neutral. Nick makes the case that if you’re not willing to state a point of view—on the issues that matter to your work—you lose trust and relevance.
- Creating Better Culture: Iif we want better politics, we must first invest in better culture—through storytelling, creativity, and human connection. He criticizes cultural homogeneity (driven by platforms like Spotify or Netflix) as a breeding ground for bland politics and weak leadership.
Notable Quotes:
- "Bad culture makes bad politics." – Nick
- "Politics feels like a tax on my attention—it's stealing time from the things I care about." – Brad
- "Culture is a product of human relationships. You can't make good culture with machines." – Nick
- "If you're going to be in business today, you need a point of view. Period." – Nick
Referenced Resources:
The Cult of Creativity by Samuel W. Franklin
A deep dive into how “creativity” became central to modern work and business culture.
Tangle Newsletter
A politically balanced daily newsletter that presents left, right, and center perspectives on current events.
Trust-Made Growth®
Leaders who want to understand how to reformat their growth strategies to address trust decay should explore more at CultureCraft.com
Independent Professionals can join the free community exploring how to return trust to our commerce and our communities at trustmadegrowth.com
Have a business topic you want us to decide if it's working or broken? Have a question about the episode? You can email us at podcast@culturecraft.com.
