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Welcome to The Beached White Male podcast—and to a milestone moment. As the show approaches 500 episodes and more than 75,000 downloads, this episode looks back at how it all began - why the continued commitment to the name (Beached White Male) - and anticipates what lies ahead.

What started as a book project—and some unexpected advice to “start a podcast instead”—grew out of conversations around racial reconciliation and a first improvised interview recorded in a hotel room. Now in its seventh year, firmly planted in retirement, Ken revels in the freedom of open conversations with powerful guests - courageous authors and influencers who share Ken’s passion.

The coming season promises deeper dives into the social and moral questions shaping public life at the intersection of Christianity and American power. Expect thoughtful guests, honest laughter, and questions that challenge assumptions without trying to win arguments. This is a space for curiosity, humility, and better conversations.

Welcome to Season 7.

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As Ken Fong and I wrap up another year of 2KENS, we wanted to create space not just to review what happened in 2025, but to reflect on what still matters—and what gives us reason to hope. This year-end conversation is grounded in honesty, but it’s also shaped by gratitude: for friendship, for thoughtful listeners, and for the enduring power of dialogue in unsettled times.

We revisit the major moments that defined the year—from the inauguration and its ripple effects across government and culture, to global flashpoints in Ukraine and the Middle East, to the economic and political tremors felt here at home. Along the way, Ken and I try to hold two things together: a clear-eyed look at power and policy, and a belief that democratic institutions, civic engagement, and moral imagination are still very much alive.

We also note signs of resilience—voters showing up in off-year elections, communities refusing to disengage, and people across the spectrum asking better questions about leadership, accountability, and the common good. Even amid executive overreach, cultural division, and international instability, the story of 2025 is not only about what was broken, but about what endured.

This episode is less about having the last word and more about keeping the conversation going. If you’re looking for reflection without despair and realism anchored in hope, listen in.

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Become a Patron - Click on the link to learn how you can become a Patron of the show. Thank you!

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The Podcast Official Site: TheBeachedWhiteMale.com

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Welcome to another Beach Talk with Betsey Newenhuyse—a conversation shaped this week by Christmas, contradiction, and the uneasy beauty of holding hope and lament at the same time.

We start with sacred Christmas music. Betsey’s recent church experience reminded her of why Advent refuses to be sentimental. From dazzling GOVEE lights to the Moody Church Christmas concert (both of us have Chicago roots), from neighborhood parades with sirens, golf carts, and off-road vehicles to San Diego’s LIGHTSCAPE, joy is everywhere—but it’s never uncomplicated. A youth group performing a hip-hop retelling of the Bethlehem story captured it perfectly: ancient hope, modern urgency.

And then there’s the lament. Alta Dena, where fires erased hundreds of homes. A Christmas season shadowed by loss. Rob Reiner’s tragic end — and the President’s responding with a post so ugly it united people in disgust. I’ve been writing about this tension in my Substack, A Christmas Lament, because Advent lives right there—between what is broken and what we still dare to hope for.

Betsey and I also dig into politics and power: what democracy looks like when institutions—from the Walk of Fame to the Kennedy Center, the Smithsonian to the U.S. Institute of Peace—are tested.

We’ll end on a grace note: my granddaughter playing The Secret Garden - a solo on her new violin at the Carpenter Performing Arts Center, and dreams of a European tour—Prague and Vienna calling.

Hope still sings.

Merry Christmas!

SHOW NOTES

Support the show

Become a Patron - Click on the link to learn how you can become a Patron of the show. Thank you!

Ken’s Substack Page

The Podcast Official Site: TheBeachedWhiteMale.com