Richard Helppie's Common Bridge
The problems we have in the country are solvable, but not solvable the way we’re approaching them today, because of partisan politics. Richard Helppie, a successful entrepreneur and philanthropist seeks to find a place in the middle where common sense discussions can bridge the current great divide.
Episodes
335 episodes
Episode 331- Your Deductible Is High And Here Is Why. With Dominick Pallone
Premiums are climbing, deductibles feel heavier every year, and most people still can’t tell you why health care costs what it costs. From the Mackinac Policy Conference, we talk with Dominick Pallone, CEO of the Michigan Association of Health ...
Episode 330- When A Heart Attack Hits Nobody Asks Party. with Sarah Anthony
A state budget can feel like spreadsheets and deadlines until you connect it to the moment someone needs insulin, prenatal care, or an ER visit they never planned for. From the 2026 Mackinac Policy Conference, we sit down with Michigan State Se...
Episode 329- Detroit’s $2.2B Hospital Bet. with Denise Brooks-Williams
A 111-year-old Detroit institution is making one of the biggest bets in Michigan health care, and the details are more ambitious than a new building. From the Mackinac Policy Conference, we talk with Denise Brooks Williams, Executive Vice Presi...
Episode 328- Michigan Health Care Affordability. with Bill G. Schuette
Michigan’s biggest challenges aren’t neatly separated into “economy” over here and “health care” over there. From the 2026 Mackinac Policy Conference, we sit down with Representative Bill G. Schuette of Michigan’s 95th District to connect the d...
Episode 327- How Michigan Hospitals Stay United Under Pressure. with Brian Peters
Medicaid decisions made in a capitol building can land in a hospital waiting room fast and the ripple effects are bigger than most people realize. From the 2026 Mackinac Policy Conference, we sit down with Brian Peters, CEO of the Michigan Heal...
Episode 326- The Cost Squeeze In Health Care. With Rob Casalou
This episode of The Common Bridge is part of a special 21‑part series of interviews recorded with healthcare leaders from across Michigan during the 2026 Mackinac Policy Conference, in partnership with the Michigan Health and Hospital Assoc...
Episode 325- How Michigan Medicine Sees The Path To Lower Costs. David Miller, M.D., MPH
Healthcare affordability is having a moment, and not the vague kind. From the Mackinac Policy Conference, we sit down with Dr. David Miller, Executive Vice Dean for Clinical Affairs at Michigan Medicine and President of the University of Michig...
Episode 324- Independent Hospitals And Local Power. with Bill Manns
This episode of The Common Bridge is part of a special 21‑part series of interviews recorded with healthcare leaders from across Michigan during the 2026 Mackinac Policy Conference, in partnership with the Michigan Health and Hospital Assoc...
Episode 323- Stop Counting Hours And Start Hiring Graduates. with Rick Snyder
This episode of *The Common Bridge* is part of a special 21‑part series of interviews recorded with healthcare leaders from across Michigan during the 2026 Mackinac Policy Conference, in partnership with the Michigan Health and Hospital Ass...
Episode 322- Why The Real World Feels Different Than The News.
Scotland takes over Boston, travelers flood YouTube with “America is amazing,” and suddenly a question hits hard: if the country is truly collapsing, why do so many visitors leave impressed by the people, the space, and the everyday energy? We ...
Episode 321- Leadership in Action. A Disruptor Who Defied the Odds. With Dr. Imamu Tomlinson
The emergency department is where America’s healthcare system tells the truth. It’s the hospital’s front door, it can’t turn people away, and it absorbs every crack in primary care access, insurance coverage, and patient flow. I’m joined by Dr....
Episode 320- You Will Love America More When You Talk To People
The fastest way to lose faith in your country is to let a screen tell you who your neighbors are. We take that head-on, because the gap between media narratives and real life keeps growing, and it is warping how we talk about policy, elections,...
Episode 319- Primary Care Under Pressure. With Dr. Harry Albers
Primary care is where healthcare either works or quietly breaks, and Dr. Harry Albers helps us say the uncomfortable parts out loud. We talk about the emotional reality of managing chronic disease without instant wins, and the operational reali...
Episode 318- What If Hunger Looked Like You? With Angela Moloney
Hunger isn’t a distant problem, it’s often a quiet one. Host Rich Helppie sits down with Angela Moloney, President and CEO of Gleaners Community Food Bank of Southeast Michigan, to unpack what food insecurity looks like today and why solving it...
Episode 317- Unity Through Service. With Chip Webster
America doesn’t feel like it’s debating anymore. It feels like it’s detonating. We sit down with Chip Webster, founder of Unity in Service Incorporated, to talk about what he saw after five long RV loops around the United States an...
Episode 316- How Local Power Shapes National Outcomes. With Chris Armitage
The fastest way to lose a democracy isn’t one dramatic moment, it’s the slow drift from problem-solving into tribal power games. Rich Helppie sits down with writer and Substack creator Chris Armitage to ask why serious policy talk keeps getting...
Episode 315- Brutal Truths About Healthcare Leadership. With Louis Shapiro
Healthcare keeps getting more expensive, less accessible, and harder to navigate, and the part that drives you crazy is that it also feels familiar. We sit down with Lou Shapiro, former CEO of Hospital for Special Surgery, to talk candidly abou...
Episode 314- How Data Centers And AI Are Redrawing U.S. Infrastructure
AI is pushing America into a new infrastructure era, and it’s bigger than potholes and bridges. When Professor Rick Geddes from Cornell joins us, we zoom out and connect the dots between infrastructure policy, infrastructure finance, and “infre...
Episode 313- Feeding A County Hidden In Plain Sight. With Ruth Mageria
Palm Beach County gets portrayed as sunshine and wealth, but that picture leaves out the families choosing between rent and groceries, seniors stretched by HOA hikes, and working parents who cannot keep up with prices. I sit down with Ruth Mage...
Episode 312- Healthcare Gets Better When Leaders Invest In People. with Quint Studer
Healthcare keeps getting labeled “more complex,” but that line can become a trap. When leaders accept it as truth, they stop simplifying, stop teaching, and stop making clear decisions. I sat down with Quint Studer to talk about what’s actually...
Episode 311- Can Hospitals Survive? Grumpy Old Men Take on Today's Healthcare System
Price caps make for great politics and terrible bedside reality when they ignore how hospitals actually survive. Nate Kaufman sits down with healthcare analyst and futurist Dr. Jeff Goldsmith for a blunt conversation about why “just cap hospita...
Episode 310- Making Education Work For the 21st Century. with Shaka Mitchell
Only 35% of kids testing on grade level is not a headline, it’s a flashing warning light. I sit down with education advocate and Substack writer Shaka Mitchell to ask the uncomfortable question behind the data: if students are just as capable a...
Episode 309- Betting On Yourself In Business. With Sam Caudle
Want a real blueprint for building a modern, lean business without drowning in overhead or paid leads? We’re joined by Florida realtor and creator Sam Caudle, who walks us through how a simple, service-first YouTube channel became a steady pipe...
Episode 308: From Law To Healthcare Media: Scott Becker On Building Becker’s And Fixing Care
What if the real reason care feels harder to get isn’t your insurance card or a shiny new policy, but a simple math problem: too many patients, not enough clinicians? We sit down with Scott Becker—attorney, entrepreneur, and founder of Becker’s...
Episode 307- From Corporate Comfort To Water-Wise Growth. With Kevin Green
Ready to trade permission for possibility? We sit down with Kevin Green, owner of Conserva Irrigation of Ann Arbor and co-founder of Luxhaven Lighting, to unpack how he left a comfortable corporate track and built a purpose-led service business...