Richard Helppie's Common Bridge

Episode 316- How Local Power Shapes National Outcomes. With Chris Armitage

May 05, 2026

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 drowned out by team identity, and what regular people can do when national politics feels locked in permanent conflict.We start with the local level, because that’s where the leverage is. School boards, city councils, and state legislatures can either ...

Episode 315- Brutal Truths About Healthcare Leadership. With Louis Shapiro

April 27, 2026

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 about what changes and what never changes in the U.S. healthcare system after four decades inside hospitals, consulting, and executive leadership. If you’ve ever wondered whether healthcare is really a commodity, why “cheaper” care can cost more in the long...

Episode 314- How Data Centers And AI Are Redrawing U.S. Infrastructure

April 14, 2026

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 “infretech” the technology that makes civil and social infrastructure run smarter, safer, and more efficiently. Along the way, we clear up a confusion that trips up even experienced leaders: the difference between infrastructure funding (who ultimately pays) ...