Metropolitan Breakfast Club

03/31/2026

Eight in ten Americans say opposing sides can't even agree on basic facts — according to Pew Research Center. So what does it take to find common ground anyway?

Stacy Blakeley of Builders joins us Wednesday to talk about building the mindset and skills to solve problems together.

Read the Pew findings: https://www.pew.org/en/research-and-analysis/articles/2026/03/13/how-civil-discourse-can-help-the-us-find-common-ground

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As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, Americans are growing more concerned about the state of the nation’s democracy. According to Pew Research Center, 80% of U.S. adults say that when it comes to major issues facing the country, Republican and Democratic voters don’t just disag...

03/29/2026

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Stacy Blakeley of Builders joins us to talk about replacing division with curiosity, compassion, and courage — and the tools to find common ground and solve problems together.

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03/28/2026

Sun Radio sponsors MBC because we share the same values: authentic community connection over transactional relationships. Both organizations bring together people who care about what makes Austin special — from business innovators to arts champions.

MBC fuels inspiration through compelling speakers. Sun Radio provides the soundtrack while championing Texas artists and solar sustainability. Natural fit. Both committed to celebrating and strengthening Central Texas.

Discover their mission and donate at sunradiofoundation.org

03/26/2026

What if curiosity, compassion, and courage could replace the noise?
This Wednesday, Stacy Blakeley of Builders joins us to talk about the Builders Mindset — and how equipping people with new skills and tools builds common ground and real solutions together.

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03/25/2026

Austin’s music scene traces back to a formerly enslaved preacher — and that was just one of Wednesday’s revelations.

The Austin History Center Association team joined us at Metropolitan Breakfast Club to share stories hiding in plain sight across this city. Jennifer Chenoweth spotlighted the Rev. Jacob Fontaine — formerly enslaved, founder of the first Black newspaper west of the Mississippi — whose summer revivals laid the foundation for Austin’s music tradition.

The team also shared plans for a future Austin History Museum and a project to digitally reconstruct Austin’s historical building footprints year by year.

Next week: Stacy Blakeley of Builders Movement joins us. Learn more at mbcaustin.org/events

03/24/2026

Austin has changed dramatically since its last historic preservation plan — adopted in 1981, when the city had fewer than 350,000 residents. The equity-based plan includes 107 recommendations to better protect legacy businesses, murals, and the histories of communities of color.

Adam Powell of the Austin History Center Association joins us Wednesday, Mar. 25, to talk about why these stories matter.

https://www.kut.org/austin/2024-11-22/austin-tx-historic-preservation-plan-equity
Image credit: K*T

03/22/2026

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Adam Powell has worked inside the systems that shape cities — as a union organizer, educator, state employee, and tech executive. Now he leads the Austin History Center Association, preserving Austin's story since 1839. Don't miss it.

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03/21/2026

Here's what makes our premier corporate partner Sun Radio different: their on-air team is packed with Austin legends. Singers and songwriters like Suzanna Choffel and Nakia. Tenured hosts like Loris Lowe and Kevin Connor, who's been on Austin radio for 45+ years.
These aren't just DJs — they're authentic voices rallying audiences to support events that fundraise for the Sun Radio Foundation.

Solar-powered since the beginning, Sun Radio has grown from a tiny Dripping Springs signal to one of America's largest green broadcasters, proving great radio can celebrate local artists and sustainability at the same time.

Discover their mission and donate at sunradiofoundation.org

03/20/2026

What shaped Austin's identity — and what might reshape our civic life? Adam Powell of the Austin History Center Association joins us Mar. 25. Then Stacy Blakely of Builders brings a cross-partisan challenge on Apr. 1: solve problems together, or keep fueling division. Your call.

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03/19/2026

Austin's story didn't start with the tech boom. Adam Powell, executive director of the Austin History Center Association, has spent his career inside the systems that shape cities — as a union organizer, educator, state employee, and tech executive. Now he preserves the stories that define us. Join us Wednesday, Mar. 25.

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03/18/2026

Some stories find you whether you’re ready or not.

Aaron Parsley is an editor, not a writer. But when the July 4 floods took his 21-month-old nephew, he sat down and wrote anyway — for his niece, so she would one day understand what happened to her family. Millions of people read it.

This morning, Aaron walked us through the process. It stayed with us.

Next week: mbcaustin.org/events

03/15/2026

Today's the deadline for the discount rate — don't miss it.

Aaron Parsley of Texas Monthly joins us this Wednesday, Mar.18, to discuss "Where the River Took Us," the cover story about his family and the July 4 Kerr County floods that became the most widely read piece in Texas Monthly history.

Register before midnight tonight.

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