A Perfectly Imperfect Union: Reflecting on America 250 with Veronica Sommers

<p> Hey there. It's Michael. Welcome to Whole Again, the show that's here in support of you creating a meaningful life and the person you're becoming. And I'm excited to share a new series with you that will air this summer as America turns 250 years old, which is still pretty young relative to many other countries across this big blue marble that we all share.</p>
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<p>The series is called A Perfectly Imperfect Union. In 2022, I rode my bike across America from Astoria, Oregon, to the Lincoln Memorial. My wife drove our RV, and she had two co-pilots, Jester and Hope, two springer spaniels And when we did it, America was coming out of the pandemic and we were hurting.</p>
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<p>Hurting from things that had happened prior to the pandemic, of course, going through what we all went through. And at that time, and this is something I still believe today, is that we were entering an inflection point. An inflection point for us to hopefully pause, breathe, and reflect on who we wish to become as individuals, as communities, and as a country.</p>
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<p>As I pedaled across America, I wanted to share America's beauty with others, her natural beauty and the beauty of her people. And I also wanted to share where we were hurting As America turns 250, I believe Kintsugi, which is something we use as a metaphor here at Whole Again, is a perfect metaphor for where we are as a country.</p>
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<p>There's so much beauty to celebrate, and we can also acknowledge that parts of us feel broken or are broken, but we can find a way to come back together, just like Kintsugi teaches us. And when we do, we don't try to erase or cover up where we have scars or blemishes. We highlight them in gold, and we celebrate them as symbols of our strength and resilience.</p>
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<p>Kintsugi is called the golden repair, and in essence, we can see beauty in something that's perfectly imperfect. During this series, I plan to speak to at least two people in each state and the District of Columbia, so 102 conversations with real folk, as I like to say. We're gonna let the celebrities and the big influencers have their day somewhere else, but here I wanna reach out and talk to real people and listen to their reflections as they think about America turning 250 years old.</p>
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<p>And my hope is, is that you'll tune in to at least one, if not all 102, 'cause my theory going into this is that you'll hear different perspectives. Some may be aligned with yours, others may not. But my hope is that you hear the goodness in your fellow citizens and realize, as Maya Angelou shared with us, "We are more alike, my friends, than we are unalike."</p>
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<p>We are more alike, my friends, than we are unalike. I've had the privilege of traveling all over the world and all over this country, and this belief is something that I hold deep inside of me. So yes, I do believe that we are more alike, my friends, than we are unalike. And if you're ready to get to know one of your perfectly imperfect neighbors, just like all of us, take a healthy breath in and a slow releasing breath out, and get to know Veronica Summer.</p>
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<p>Hey, Veronica. Great to see you. Thanks for joining me here on A Perfectly Imperfect Union. How are you feeling today? </p>
<p></p>
<p>Thank you for having me, Michael, and I'm feeling pretty fantastic at this particular moment. I'm feeling very inspired, hopeful, motivated, and, uh A deep peace </p>
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<p>Hmm. Those are some good vibes.</p>
<p></p>
<p>That's awesome. I love it. I love it. Yes. So, well tha- again, thanks for joining me. I know my outreach was somewhat random, and I always appreciate, like, when someone says, "Yeah, let's, let's do it." I, I love your work. I've had a chance to read up on it. But for those that don't know you, can you take a minute to introduce who you are and, uh, where, uh, where do you live?</p>
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<p>What state do you live in? </p>
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<p>Yes. Uh, so my name is Veronica Summer. I'm the founder of Sacred Stewardship, which is a nonprofit dedicated to restoring moral clarity in the digital age, and VentureLoom, which is a strategic partnership and growth engine that helps build a values-based economy through our Sacred Commerce Alliance.</p>
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<p>I live in Connecticut, and I've lived here for all 54 years of my life. Uh, and I'm really, uh, I'm living as a digital nomad the last 10 months or so. So I've been- Ah ... really enjoying traveling the country and meeting people all over, uh, and learning about what they're up to. </p>
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<p>Very cool. So this is a big country, and I know not everyone's been in every state.</p>
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<p>So for those that haven't spent the time you have spent in Connecticut, what's something that's really cool about Connecticut? </p>
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<p>Well, dur- I'm, in the summertime, this is a very beautiful place to live along, uh, the Long Island Sound. So there are lots of really na- it's a lot of natural beauty, a lot of historic towns, and, you know, I was thinking about the fact that, you know, we're called the Constitution State.</p>
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<p>So we're very small. It takes about 90 minutes to drive from one end of the state to the other. </p>
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<p>Yes. Yeah. </p>
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<p>But we played a really big role in America's history, you know? And so, uh, what I really appreciate about the town from an, a historic, or the state from a historic perspective is, um, you know, shaping, help- being part of shaping our nation's system of self-government.</p>
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<p>Yeah. That's really cool. Yeah, it is, it is such a beautiful state. Like, I'm in New Jersey, so we're, like, sort of close by. I love all the stone fences and just the rich history and the small towns. The Mer- the Merritt Parkway is, like, that's a little crazy, but, like, you know, like, that's sort of more of like a, a, a Formula One racetrack as, as you travel through the state.</p>
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<p>Yeah. </p>
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<p>But, but the rest of the state is beautiful. You get a, you get some, like, little, little beginning of some, like, hills or mountains, and you get the, you get the proximity to the ocean and the water. So it's, yeah, it's pretty- </p>
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<p>That's a good combo. Yeah, it's- It's funny. When I, I went to the University of Michigan, and I, I met, I remember my freshman year- M- meeting somebody that, you know, said, "Oh, the Merritt Parkway."</p>
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<p>And so it's so hilarious that you brought that up because it, it, it is... It's unlike, you know, a traditional, you know, interstate. It's very pretty, and people do drive pretty, pretty fast on it, as a side note. </p>
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<p>Yeah. It, it can be... Yeah, it can be, like, just a beautiful drive, especially during the autumn. And at the same time, you're a little nervous because you're wondering if a deer will pop out or just, you know, some, uh, some guy driving, like, way too fast.</p>
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<p>So, um, but- Yeah. Um, but it's still... But it is, like, like, especially during the fall, it is, it is gorgeous. So I've been asking people how they see America. So let's say you're hanging out during the summertime with your friends, and they ask you, like, "Hey, what does America mean to you?" How do you respond, Veronica, to that question?</p>
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<p>You know, it's, it's funny because with the, with the 250th, I've really been thinking about this a lot more than I traditionally do. I've always been, you know, I wouldn't say always, but I would say for about 15 years, caring much more about protecting our freedoms and constitutional rights. But to me, if, if I have to sum it up, it's, you know, America is at its best when we recognize that our rights come from God- </p>
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<p>Mm</p>
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<p>not government. And when families are strong, and communities serve one another, and businesses operate with integrity, and children are protected, that is, that is when our country thrives. And I think that we all have A responsibility to steward what, what God has given us and, um, to be courageous in, in standing up and doing that.</p>
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<p>Yeah. I, I see, like, in your answer a l- just a lot of, like, the ability to see one another and also just follow some s- so, like, a moral and ethical compass, you know, to, like, you know, show up and treat each other well and, you know, obviously to your, to your work, protect, protect our children as well, like, uh, they are our future, is sometimes as cliche as that is served up, but just, you know, a- acting in such a way that, um, helps us feel safe so we can move forward and do some meaningful work that benefits all of us.</p>
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<p>Yeah. And, and not to be negative, but right now I feel like we're doing a really, really, really poor job of protecting our children. And we need to, we need to fix that pronto. </p>
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<p>Yeah. Mm-hmm. Well, I know we're g- we'll probably have a chance to talk a little bit more about that when I get to a question a little bit later on as far as, like, what you wanna focus in on as far as fixing, and certainly I think from a, just at a minimum, a social media perspective, we are not serving our kids well because those companies know how harmful their product is, and they are, they are not doing anything about it.</p>
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<p>So but we'll get to that. So let's- Yeah ... let's first, like, I know a lot of people, like, this country has some great, um, great stories, family stories, um, about the connection to America, um, an American story. You know, some families have been here long before it was America 250, uh, long before it was America.</p>
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<p>Uh, some families have come here under duress, right, through slavery, and other families have come here through immigration and just finding, like, you know, coming here for a better life. Do you know much about your, your family's, like, origin story to America? </p>
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<p>You know, I really don't. Um, my, my mom is Irish American.</p>
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<p>Mm. I don't know the, the, um, the heritage of my birth father because I didn't know my birth father. </p>
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<p>Ah, okay. </p>
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<p>Um, but my, but, you know, I feel like my, my family story is like so many Americans being raised believing that hard work and integrity and personal responsibility matter greatly. </p>
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<p>Yeah. </p>
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<p>And those values really shaped who I became Long before I understood what my deeper calling is today.</p>
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<p>Yeah. </p>
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<p>And, you know, I see, I see my role in, in this world as, you know, yes, y- you know, we wanna enjoy the blessings of our country, but we, we do have to work to preserve them for our future generations. </p>
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<p>Yeah, I hear you. I, I, w- we share, uh, s- some similarities in our story. Like, growing up, I never really knew, like, my family's origin story, and I did 23andMe so I got my map just to make sure that I was Irish.</p>
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<p>You know, like- Yeah ... 'cause occasionally as I was growing up as a, you know, petulant teenager, at times I thought I was adopted. Like, these parents, these people that call, call themselves my parents can't be my parents. I'm not related to them. So I- </p>
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<p>Yeah ... </p>
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<p>I was, you know, just like any kid would. Um, so I, I confirmed that indeed, um, my heritage is from the UK and Ireland.</p>
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<p>But we didn't know much about, like, you know, past generations. But what my parents did teach us is the, the value of hard work and service and helping each other out. So- </p>
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<p>Yes ... </p>
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<p>that was the story that they told as opposed to the story of our past. So, uh- Yep ... I, I, I sh- I sh- we share a little bit of that. So- </p>
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<p>Yeah.</p>
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<p>Yeah ... </p>
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<p>uh, when you, when you think about, you know, as a country, there's obviously through the media, the message is is that, hey, we're divided. Some of the, you know, there are polls out there that show that we're divided. People feel it from time to time, depending on what circles we run in. So but are there times where you feel connected to your fellow neighbor, um, maybe metaphorically speaking, um, your, your neighbor, e- even if you might not agree with their perspective?</p>
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<p>You know, what, what, what are some moments where you do feel connected with the people around you? </p>
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<p>Very much, and, you know, I think it's, it's interesting. I actually just returned from Freedom Fest in- Okay ... Las Vegas for four days. So I don't know if you know that event. But- No, </p>
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<p>I don't. Yeah ... </p>
<p></p>
<p>um, those are people that are really on the front lines of making sure that we protect the things that we're talking about here.</p>
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<p>Most importantly, you know, our freedom that I think we, we tend to take for granted. But, um, I have always, I've always believed wholeheartedly in, you know, love your neighbor as yourself and respect other, uh, other people's opinions, and we don't have to all be clones of each other and, and... But I do think that there are some fundamental shared values of respect and, um, you know, civil discourse.</p>
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<p>And I, I really didn't see that uh, change in our country until COVID. And I really was naive, you know, before 2020. Like, I, I really thought, well, uh, it doesn't, it doesn't matter to me who you voted for. That would never affect our friendship. It doesn't matter whether you chose to get vaccinated or wear a mask.</p>
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<p>Like, that has no bearing on our friendship or our res- my respect for you. And I was Really taken aback. It was like getting kicked in the stomach every day for like two years of like, wow, all these people who I thought were my friends had dropped me like a hot potato because they didn't like my choice perspective, and it hurt.</p>
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<p>It hurt deeply. Like I had a-- I've, I've had a lot of loss over six years, and people will say, "You're one of the kindest persons I know, and I can't be your friend because you didn't get vaccinated or because you voted for this person." And I'm like, "Huh." That's, that is fascinating to me because I, I just don't have a frame of reference for, for that.</p>
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<p>And that shows you what a bang-up job Big Tech has done in, in, in creating these divides that didn't exist. Like when we grew up, our parents, you know, w- you could have a married couple. One was on the left, one was on the right, and it had nothing to do with anything. Like everybody talked about things and where they, where they stood on certain issues, but nobody was, uh, ending family ties or friendships because they had a different political view.</p>
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<p>Yeah. B- uh, growing up, like we would... The politics really didn't enter the household conversation. </p>
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<p>Yep. </p>
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<p>Uh, you know, as a Gen X-er, it's just, I, we, like I we just w- just wasn't part of it, and we weren't all hunched over our phones either, just like, uh, uh, going from one video to the next with, you know, influenced by an algorithm that will make us feel, you know, frightened, right?</p>
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<p>So like- Yep ... when, when we feel fear or, or frightened, w- we'll, we'll sort of, uh, pit one another against one another. And I think, you know, what you, what you shared sort of speaks to that. But also just, y- you know, this, this period of time where we, you know, there has been great loss. There's been, you know, loss of life through this period of time, but also loss of friendships and loss of identity, and we, we go through a grieving, uh, process regardless of where we s- where someone stands, and that, that hurts, and it's, it's painful.</p>
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<p>And, and we, we could do so much to help us heal and, and come, come together, which I guess would lead me to like one question I've been asking folks, 'cause I use the Japanese art form of Kintsugi as a, a metaphor for my overall podcast, but also this series that we sometimes do break apart, but we can find a way to come together and heal and, and then grow.</p>
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<p>And we can actually highlight Like our, those fault lines, uh, they, they become scars and they become symbols of our strength and resilience. So I know we talked about this earlier, and this is part of your passion work, your, your focus right now. So I'm guessing this is gonna be the thing, like, "Hey, I wanna spend more time doing this to help us connect, to create that safety for our kids."</p>
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<p>But I, I don't want to assume, so I'll, I'll ask you, like, what's, what's one thing that you would really wanna work on to help us come together better, uh, and form this per- perfectly imperfect union? </p>
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<p>I believe that what, what I am focusing on is, is, you know, res- working to restore trust- </p>
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<p>Yeah ... </p>
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<p>by helping us recover a shared moral foundation.</p>
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<p>Sure. Because we're living in a society of moral relativism, but there are certain universal truths. And m- m- any of the issues we talk about, whether it's politics, technology, education, healthcare, economics, they're all symptoms of something deeper, and we've lost our, our, our common understanding of, of truth and also responsibility and, you know, the inherent dignity of ev- of every human being.</p>
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<p>Um, so when we start seeing one another, like, you know, n- not seeing our neighbors, you know, as, as neighbors, but as, as enemies and- </p>
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<p>Sure ... </p>
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<p>um, you know, have this divisiveness, we know that we've gone, that, you know, that we've, we've lost our moral compass. So the really, the work that I'm focused on is, is helping people see that all of these issues are a symptom of something deeper, which is, you know, a need for spiritual renewal.</p>
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<p>Uh, yeah. </p>
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<p>And my deepest hope is, is that- America, especially with this, you know, milestone occasion, like to remember, to remember who we are and why we're here, and remember that, uh, we do have, we have a sacred responsibility to protect our faith and our freedom, and especially our children. As you know, that's what I'm focusing on now, um- Yeah</p>
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<p>because children are our most vulnerable, and they can't protect- Yeah ... themselves. And, you know, the Bible talks about, you know, that that is a responsibility. And we-- the-- a very easy way that we can start doing that is to, you know, n- not fuel companies and products and services and systems that prioritize profits over people.</p>
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<p>Mm. </p>
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<p>And, you know, so part of the Sacred Commerce Alliance is Helping people see that they always have a choice. We- Yeah, yeah ... you know, living a-- we, you can, you... We're not te- we're, we're, we don't ha- we're not tethered to Apple, we're not tethered to Google or Microsoft or Meta or TikTok. </p>
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<p>Any of them, yeah.</p>
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<p>And from a responsibility standpoint, we actually should, should move off of those platforms. I was always a big person of like choice and don't ban and whatever, but because kids are getting harmed at mass scales, and it's tearing apart families, and it's affecting mental health a- and, and suicide rates of our children specifically.</p>
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<p>Not just that, but now these platforms are actually forming our children's worldview, and that should alarm everybody, you know? So you know what? You, you know, I wanna work with companies that, that operate from a do no harm perspective, you know? </p>
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<p>I love that perspective. You know, just putting the people over the profits, you know?</p>
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<p>It just, you know, we, you know, it's ... It wa- that movie, I think it was Social Dilemma, I might have gotten it wrong, but- </p>
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<p>Mm-hmm ... </p>
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<p>you know, b- uh, the, the line that always stuck with me from that movie is that when the product is free, you are the product. And, um, for all these different platforms, we are the product, and, uh, they're all engineered to keep us on their platform, and the thing that keeps us on their platform are all the scary stuff that may or may not be true.</p>
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<p>So, uh, but yeah, I so appreciate the work, Veronica, you're doing to help create, you know, to h- help us like shift, um, back to some groundedness and, and provide that safety, safety for our kids that, that's so, so needed. And as adults, that is part of our responsibility. So, um, I, I, I love what you're sharing.</p>
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<p>Thank you. </p>
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<p>So in, in our series, as a way to sort of pass the baton from one neighbor to a n- the next neighbor, earlier I was speaking with, uh, Larry from Michigan, and he has a question for you, and then you in turn get to ask a question of the next person I chat with. So Larry's question for you is, what is the next adventure you have planned?</p>
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<p>It could be really anything. It could be a project, it could be a trip. Anything that you would deem as an adventure Anything, anything come up? </p>
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<p>Well, I've, I feel like my whole life is an adventure right now. </p>
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<p>Well, that's a good, that's a good way of living life. I think that's awesome. </p>
<p></p>
<p>Well, I, I, I don't know if you know this, but I, I, in order to leave, you know, my career behind and follow this calling of, of protecting families and children, I gave up my income.</p>
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<p>And so I gave up my apartment because I was renting here in Fairfield County, Connecticut, and, um, you know, Fairfield is one of the most expensive places to live in- Yeah ... in the country. And I c- I couldn't do both, but I couldn't continue to sacrifice, um putting, I, you know, a, a, a, a, a tr- a phrase that really triggers me is, you know, "Well, you have to put food on the table."</p>
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<p>O- of course, you know, and I've spent 30 years putting food on the table. Sure. And I, you know, owned a, a successful recruiting business, and I worked in cybersecurity, and I d- did all sorts of things for 30 years that, you know, enabled me to do that. And I, I hit a, um, turning point last summer where I, I really f- I really heard God say, "Do, do you trust me?"</p>
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<p>Like- Mm ... "Do you really think I'm gonna let you fall flat on your head after 30 years?" And, like, "Have I always provided and protected you?" And so I, I literally gave up my job, gave up my apartment, gave up... Um, I sold everything because I don't really need anything except, you know, my health and my family.</p>
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<p>And so, um, so it's been a total adventure for the last... This, I did this-- I, I j- wrote the... I s- I finished the book in October and published it, and it's called "Restoring Moral Clarity in the Dig- in the, in the Digital Age." Um, and I've been, you know, I've been just traveling, like I said, around the country and connecting with people and conversations and people, and, you know, finding a way to have civil discourse around the concept of protecting kids.</p>
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<p>And it, it, it really has been a wild ride, and I wouldn't change it for the world. I literally don't know where... I'm paid up in, through, in an Airbnb through Aug- through July. I don't know where I'm going to live in August. I'm really- Wow ... okay with that. Yeah. I, I know that God is gonna provide. And so that's my adventure.</p>
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<p>And, and really, like- That is a </p>
<p></p>
<p>great adventure, yeah. </p>
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<p>Yeah. Thank you. And, you know, I have been focused on, on protecting children, particularly the h- the, the, the hill that I will die on is I'm not living in a society where we sell children for sex multiple times a day. Mm-hmm. So hard stop. If I die, I die.</p>
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<p>Like, that is literally- Wow ... how I feel, which reminds me, like, around, you know, give me liberty or give me death. Like, I literally feel that way, and, and it's not my own liberty. It's, it's the, it's the, the freedom of children, the fact that we are we are in an enslaved society. </p>
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<p>Yeah. </p>
<p></p>
<p>And it's not just the kids that are being so- sold for sex, although that is the most problematic of any problem in our world.</p>
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<p>Sure. </p>
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<p>But it is, we are, we have become enslaved to these tech systems and platforms that we don't have to participate in. You don't have to use Amazon. Like, I- my book is published on Amazon, and I'm in the process of figuring out where I'm gonna put it, because guess what? They sell child sex dolls on Amazon.</p>
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<p>So hard stop. So pedophiles can go on and buy sex dolls of kids. </p>
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<p>Mm. </p>
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<p>You're fired. I don't care. Yeah. And they've been, we, pe- you know, there are companies like the National Center on Sexual Exploitation that have been trying to get this taken down since 2018. They're never going to take it down. So we, as Americans, have to cancel our Prime membership and find somewhere else to buy our products, which actually would be better to go to CVS up the road and run into who knows who you're gonna see synergistically, an old neighbor, a potential job pers- job...</p>
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<p>Do we really want everything delivered to our doorstep so that we never have to leave our homes again? Like, good. That, they should be the first people to get rid of. So that's my, my </p>
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<p>little thunder. I love, I, I, I love your, I love, I love the conviction of just standing up, you know, to standing up and consistent with your values and first principles and just, uh, like, m- making that your life adventure, but also just a commitment to, uh, protect, to protect the most vulnerable You know, humans in our, in our society.</p>
<p></p>
<p>I, I didn't actually know that about Amazon. That's actually, that's incredibly disturbing as I s- sit here. And, and because, uh, you know, so many people, and what you bring up is that we do have a choice, but so many people feel like, ah, we're sort of stuck with all this, and we- it becomes the default. So I love what you're sharing 'cause it hopefully can open people, you know, people's aperture a bit to say, okay, maybe, maybe I- if I look a little bit harder- Mm-hmm</p>
<p></p>
<p>maybe if I look a little bit deeper, I can see that I have a choice, and maybe I choose a, like a s- a, a step forward. It might not be a big leap, but a step forward, and we take baby steps towards doing, uh, this, this type of work. So, uh, thank, yeah, thank you for sharing that. So what question, Veronica, do you have for the next person I chat with?</p>
<p></p>
<p>Let's see. I think a great question for that person, and really for all of us, is w- what are you personally doing to steward what, what God has given you? </p>
<p></p>
<p>Hmm. All right. I will ask the next person in our series that very question. And again, I so appreciate you sitting down with me and all the work that you're doing to help us become a more perfectly imperfect union, and the ripple effect that you're putting into the world.</p>
<p></p>
<p>So, uh, thank you, Veronica. </p>
<p></p>
<p>Thank you, Michael. I so appreciate you having me.</p>
<p></p>
<p>I appreciate so much Veronica's conviction. She is leaning into life, living in alignment to her first principles and her values. It's rare nowadays to see someone do that, so I so appreciate the work she's doing in trying to protect those who are most vulnerable in today's society. Her points around where we are with social media really hit home for me.</p>
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<p>It's also part of the work I do with the Pause, Breathe, Reflect app and the feature in it called Microdose that allows us to have better digital health. Like her, I think there's so much benefit to coming off of our devices and being in community with each other. And I love her question about stewardship, which someone in the past has also asked.</p>
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<p>We've been given this great gift. If you want to make the question religious and see it as a gift from God, you can. If you want to make it more secular, it's still true. We have been given a gift of life to show up and make a choice and create a ripple effect. So what are you doing to make sure you are stewarding this gift that you have?</p>
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<p>Let me know in the comment section. And as always, thanks for being here. Thanks for listening in. And I hope you'll check out the next episode of Whole Again and continue to tap into this series called A Perfectly Imperfect Union. But until then, remember to celebrate your scars as golden symbols of your strength and resilience, and don't forget to have fun storming the castle.</p>
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<p>And if you wish to learn more about creating beautiful ripples and how to prevent a bad moment from turning into a bad day, please visit my website, michaelobrienshift.com, and sign up for my newsletter called The Ripple Effect. And join us each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday here at Whole Again, and discover how you can heal, grow, and become more resilient, and celebrate our scars as golden symbols of strength and resilience.</p>
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<p>Until then, remember, you can always come back to your breath. You've got this, and we've got you.</p>