JOSHUA JOHNSON
I equip leaders to
connect through conflict.
I spent decades assuming that conflict threatens connection.
Thankfully, I was wrong.
Transformative connection requires navigating conflict. It's how we work together, dispel myths, and build trust. Democracy is all about conflict resolution: we talk things out so that we don't fight them out. Even in our polarized world, we can reconnect... and I believe we can make it last.
WATCH JOSHUA'S 6-MINUTE TED TALK
BIO
Joshua Johnson topped a field of hundreds of candidates to win the TED Idea Search in Chicago, leading to his "Idiots are everywhere" 2026 TED Talk. He has earned a reputation for compelling conversation and unique insight, helping people from many walks of life connect in respectful and transformative ways.The talk drew from 25 years' experience in broadcasting and journalism. Joshua helped create & host several national programs including Truth Be Told, a public radio limited series on race; the live NPR talk show 1A, on which he was the founding host; The Week with Joshua Johnson, a primetime weekend newscast on MSNBC (now MS NOW); and NOW Tonight, a nightly newscast on NBC News NOW. Each week more than three million people listened to 1A on 375+ NPR stations.Joshua's latest independent project is The Resolution, a Substack and YouTube channel focused on persuasion and conflict navigation. The project centers around a role-playing game , now in development, where debaters take on personas to persuade judges and an audience.He's also using his news experience as a comedic actor, playing anchorman Dwight Richmond on the satirical Onion News Network, which won a 2025 Webby Award.Joshua's teaching and training includes serving as a Lecturer at the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism, training The Philadelphia Inquirer's reporters on interview skills, training interns at San Francisco’s KQED Public Radio, and introducing print journalists to public radio as the Operations Director of WLRN Miami Herald News.Johnson is a graduate of the University of Miami School of Communication, which named him its 2024 Communicator of the Year. His other interests include the gym, making amateur DJ mixes of house & disco-inspired music, video gaming, classic movies, and theme parks. He is a native of West Palm Beach, FL and lives in Chicago.
JOSHUA'S SIGNATURE KEYNOTE
How to Deal with Idiots: Connecting Through Conflict
"Idiots are everywhere." That's how my 2026 TED Talk began a playful yet pragmatic look at ideological conflicts. Our differences can connect us if we move in close and learn without judgment. The alternative: lost friendships, estranged families, languishing organizations, and paralyzed governments. But shrewd leaders can foster connection if they know what to ask, how to listen, where to move closer and what they can learn. Let me share my insights on navigating tough conversations productively and humanely. Because as I said at the end of my TED Talk, "You can learn a lot from an idiot: especially if you resolve never to act like one."
AUDIENCE TESTIMONIALS
"Joshua Johnson's voice is one that is necessary as we continue to navigate today's political climate. His take on everything from political debates to popular culture oftentimes causes me to have a driveway moment. Through years of listening to Joshua on NPR as well as MSNBC, I have learned (still learning) to find my own voice."
— Dee Dotson
Paid Subscriber
"Your work… demonstrates it's possible to learn from someone without feeling taught, to call BS without being abrasive… to be professional yet relatable. Thank you!"
— Joseph Ortiz
Paid Subscriber
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