About R Street Institute
Real Insights is produced by the R Street Institute, a leading think tank focused on solving complex public policy challenges through free markets and limited, effective government. R Street offers pragmatic solutions that foster innovation and prosperity through competition and safeguard individual liberty—recognizing that the democratic process often requires principled compromise.
About Real Insights
Americans today face deep division and complex problems. At the same time, institutions and societies struggle to foster trust and a sense of belonging. It can seem impossible to have the kinds of conversations that move us forward and help bind our nation back together.
But the problems we face are not impossible to solve. Rather, they require courage to stay in the hard conversations where competing ideas collide and practical solutions sometimes seem out of reach.
In the Real Insights series, we explore how institutions and societies can hold competing ideas without falling apart. Erica interviews luminaries, practitioners and original thinkers, exploring how their personal and professional experiences have shaped their approaches to the biggest societal questions of our time.
If we want to preserve our democracy, we must practice engaging with competing ideas, embracing tension, and living with complexity. We will never be able to erase conflict; conversations don’t have to yield consensus to be meaningful. But by staying in the room, we will be able to solve more problems, build trust, and foster the sense of shared national purpose that has suffered in recent decades.
About Erica
Real Insights is hosted by Erica Schoder, the Executive Director and co-founder of R Street Institute (RSI). Erica has overseen the strategic growth of RSI from a start-up to a multi-million dollar institution with over 80 staff members across the country.
A leadership coach trained at INSEAD Business School, Erica is passionate about building strong, collaborative organizational cultures. She also leads the Artificial Intelligence member group within the Forbes Business Council, focusing on the complex and evolving role of AI in society.
