Fishing Without Bait: A Full Impact Mindfulness Podcast

Political Differences Without Losing Each Other | Episode 524

July 21st, 2026  |  26 mins 6 secs

active listening, ad-free podcast, bipartisan friendship, bridging political divides, civil discourse, compassion, critical thinking, curiosity, doomscrolling, echo chambers, emotional regulation, empathy, forgiveness, friends across the aisle, friendship, healthier habits, hostile comments, jim ellermeyer, kindness, listening to learn, mental wellness, mindful communication, mindfulness, mindfulness journal, mindfulness podcast, missy sorg, online arguments, pause before reacting, personal growth, physical books, political conversations, political differences, political identity, political polarization, recency bias, recovery, reducing screen time, relationships, respectful disagreement, screen time, sleep hygiene, social media, social media echo chambers, stimulus and response, understanding, wellness

In the third and final part of their conversation, Jim Ellermeyer and Missy Sorg explore how active listening, critical thinking and a mindful pause before reacting can help people move beyond political labels and social-media echo chambers. Missy shares a personal story about revealing her political affiliation to a longtime friend and explains how their disagreement became a conversation rather than the end of their friendship. The episode closes with a challenge to become more open, informed and willing to understand people across the political aisle.

Stochastic Rhetoric: The Scary Trick Politicians Use to Manipulate Minds | Episode 489

October 28th, 2025  |  20 mins 19 secs

anxiety reduction, behavioral health, choose kindness, cognitive bias, compassion, critical thinking, dog whistle politics, emotional intelligence, fear and awareness, fishing without bait, free thinking, information overload, jim ellermeyer, kindness, media literacy, media manipulation, mental health, mike sorg, mindful communication, mindfulness, mindfulness podcast, misinformation, obfuscation, plausible deniability, podcast, political language, politics and psychology, random acts of kindness, self awareness, social awareness, stochastic rhetoric

In this episode of Fishing Without Bait, Jim Ellermeyer and producer Mike Sorg wade into some deep—and dangerous—waters. Together, they explore how stochastic rhetoric and obfuscation have become the most powerful tools in modern political communication.

What do those words mean? In short, they describe how leaders and media use vague, coded, or confusing language to manipulate emotions, create division, and dodge accountability. From “dog whistles” to “plausible deniability,” Jim explains how these tactics quietly shape behavior and beliefs—without ever saying things outright.