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Description

Every society runs on stories it mistakes for facts. In America, those stories shape who gets help, who gets blamed, and who is left out. “Not My Narrative” is a podcast and essay series from Next City that debunks the pervasive myths that have been used to justify neglect, inequity, and the status quo — and elevates the people proving those myths wrong. Each episode pairs a podcast with three original essays. Together, they trace the origins of one stubborn myth that’s been handed down through politics, schools, and culture; document the harm it causes; offer a counter-narrative rooted in truth and justice; and highlight the leaders who are driving positive change by living out a different set of assumptions.

Podcast episodes

Check latest episodes from Not My Narrative podcast

Making Ends Meet vs There’s Plenty to Go Around

2026/11/12

So often we’re proud that we stretched resources to make it work, as if just getting by is a virtue, rather than the problem. We proudly tighten our belts. In fact, the federal budget is praised more when it shrinks than when it grows. However, resources are more abundant than we acknowledge. How do we describe a world with abundant resources? Not My Narrative essays available here: https://nextcity.org/not-my-narrative

Trust the Market vs Love Thy Neighbor

2026/10/28

If corporations are people, they’re awfully selfish human beings. The design of the business world has long been based on The Milton Friedman Doctrine, which says “the social responsibility of business is to increase its profits.” Some are pushing an alternative philosophy that insists corporations serve their communities. They don’t trust the “invisible hand” of capitalism, as once described by Adam Smith, to ever help Americans who themselves feel invisible. Not My Narrative essays available here: https://nextcity.org/not-my-narrative

Pull Yourself Up By Your Bootstraps! vs It Takes a Village

2026/10/21

What originally started as a joke about how impossible it would be to solve your own poverty has somehow become standard operating procedure in the way we design welfare. What’s gone wrong? And who is working instead from the truth? Not My Narrative essays available here: https://nextcity.org/not-my-narrative

Birth of a Nation vs Truth and Reconciliation

2026/10/14

It’s important to remember where you come from. But the “master narrative” about where America comes from, as it is taught in our schools, has left out seemingly endless information. There are people trying to ensure we know where we really came from. How does that change us? Not My Narrative essays available here: https://nextcity.org/not-my-narrative

Introducing: Not My Narrative

2026/10/08

This October, Next City is launching Not My Narrative, a new podcast and essay series about the stories we tell ourselves that are mistaken for facts and the people proving them wrong.