You Need To Listen
620 WTMJ
The You Need to Listen Podcast is your destination for the conversation you really want to have with your friends or on social media… if it wasn’t a vast wasteland of trolls. Kristin Brey & Steve Scaffidi cross the gender, generational & ideological divide to have in-depth conversations about politics, culture & current events, using their humor, insights & lived experience to frame meaningful conversations.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Apr 3, 2025 • 23min
You Need To Listen: Episode 6 - When is Bad Parenting a Crime?
Should parents be held responsible for the deaths of their children when the circumstances involve withholding life-saving medical treatment or exposing them to unlocked, loaded firearms in the house?
Recently in Texas, the parents of a child who died from measles told an anti-vaccine group that they wouldn't recommend the vaccine to other families, after the death of their own child.
In Michigan, a couple is serving a 10-15 year prison sentence for involuntary manslaughter, for their role in their son's killing of four students at his high school. Their conviction was the first of its kind in the nation.
A new Netflix series, Adolescence, explores what happens in a family after a horrific murder, how it relates to the issues of male isolation and violence, and the roles that parents play in their children's lives.
What are the limits to parental responsibility and where is the line when it comes to criminal prosecution?
In Episode 6 of the You Need to Listen Podcast, Kristin Brey and Steve Scaffidi explore the perils of parenting in the age of unrestricted access to social media and the internet and the rise of school shootings, in a country where individual freedoms often seem to trump common sense.

Mar 20, 2025 • 26min
You Need To Listen: Episode 5- Is All Politics Personal?
Is all politics personal?
The phrase has its origins in the feminist and civil rights movements of the late 1960's, connecting personal experience with societal and political agendas.
In today's hyper-partisan and incredibly polarized political environment, how much weight do political policies and parties have on the daily lives of all of us?
Kristin Brey and Steve Scaffidi take on the challenge of sorting out the complexities of politics - and the personal - on Episode 5 of the You Need to Listen Podcast.
Kristin Brey is the host of Spanning the State, 1 -3 p.m., Monday through Friday on Newsradio 620WTMJ.
Steve Scaffidi is the host of the Political Power Hour, 9 - 10 a.m., Monday through Friday on Newsradio 620WTMJ.

Mar 6, 2025 • 27min
You Need To Listen: Episode 4- Are All Billionaires Bad?
There are currently about 750 Billionaires in the U.S., with 10 working in the new Trump administration.
One of those ten is Elon Musk, the richest person in the world, who is currently overseeing the office of D.O.G.E., Department of Government Efficiency.
On Episode 4 of the You Need to Listen Podcast, Kristin Brey and Steve Scaffidi take on the subject of wealth, power and influence, and what responsibilities or obligations the richest among us have. Kristin offers up a “wealth tax” proposal that Steve finds “just a little bit crazy”.
With their usual razor sharp wit and a ready supply of humor, the two take on the question, Are Billionaires Bad?
Kristin Brey is the host of Spanning the State on 620WTMJ, 1- 3 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Steve is the host of the Political Power Hour on 620WTMJ, 9 – 10 a.m., Monday through Friday.

Feb 27, 2025 • 2min
You Need To Listen: Episode 3.5- Sometimes, Life Gets in the Way

Feb 13, 2025 • 30min
You Need To Listen: Episode 3- Battle of the Sexes... at Home?
Is marriage on the decline, or just evolving? In this episode, Steve and Kristin, both happily married, dive into the ever-shifting dynamics of modern relationships. With dating apps and social media rewriting the rules of romance, is technology making it easier or harder to find the one? From dwindling marriage rates to the debate over housework and child rearing equality , we discuss how love, commitment, and cohabitation have changed over the years and where it's going with this new conservative pro-natalist administration.
It’s a fun, thought-provoking conversation you won’t want to miss—so grab your headphones and hit play! Don’t forget to subscribe and follow us for more.

Jan 30, 2025 • 22min
You Need To Listen: Episode 2- To Leave Or Not To Leave... Social Media
Social media platforms like X, Facebook, and TikTok are a topic of significant debate almost anywhere a conversation takes place.
With users totaling in the billions, every aspect of our daily lives are impacted by what is posted, commented on, or in some extreme cases, acted upon by the members and followers who willingly, and sometimes unknowingly, share their personal data.
Should social media be regulated like radio and TV?
The You Need to Listen Podcast explores that issue and tries to answer that question and more.
Kristin Brey and Steve Scaffidi take on the power and peril of the largest media platforms in the world on this week's edition of YNTL.

Jan 16, 2025 • 20min
You Need To Listen: Episode 1- Shades Of Purple
Political ideology is more complicated than Left or Right, Democrat or Republican. Sometimes people lean into their political identity while others are uncomfortable with any sort of label. For two people who offer their thoughts and opinions on a daily basis, Steve and Kristin also recognize that a lot of people project their own labels onto them.
For episode one of their new podcast, Steve and Kristin both took Pew Research’s Political Typology Quiz to see where they landed on the political spectrum. Listen to this inaugural episode to find out how far apart they actually are and some surprising issues they agree on.
You can take the quiz for yourself here: https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/quiz/political-typology
Let us know if your results surprised you and if you have suggestions for future You Need To Listen topics, shoot us an email: Kbrey@goodkarmabrands.com or sscaffidi@goodkarmabrands.com

Jan 14, 2025 • 2min