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PODCAST

The Purple Zone

Hosted by Alexis Morgan, The Purple Zone explores how governance, public institutions, community, and history shape the places we call home.Through conversations, storytelling, and policy analysis, the podcast connects local experiences to larger civic and political currents--from education, healthcare, and governance to culture, identity, and institutional change.Rooted in Idaho but reaching far beyond it, The Purple Zone is less about hot takes and more about understanding how communities evolve,

history

All Episodes

75:45

The Dignity Index: A Deep Dive on The Ranch Podcast...

The Purple Zone ·

2026/10/06

Send us Fan Mail Have you noticed that division in the United States feels higher than ever? What if conflict isn't the cause of our division, but rather the normalization of contempt within conflict? In this dual release, Matt Todd of The Ranch podcast invites Alexis on to talk all things Dignity Index. As a member of the Dignity Politics team at Dignity.US, Alexis takes listeners behind the scenes of the index: how it was developed, how research studies have verified and validated it, and h...

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28:18

Leading with Curiosity Over Contempt: Transparency...

The Purple Zone ·

2026/09/29

Send us Fan Mail Have you thought about the difference between transparency and targeting in our election process? Do you know what it means to choose curiosity instead of falling into contempt? And what does contempt actually look like when it comes to a ballot initiative? In this episode, Alexis pulls these questions apart through a recent incident: a Facebook post that shared the names of citizens who signed a ballot initiative petition. Rather than reacting, she digs in to understand what...

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69:49

An Idaho Lawmaker Walks Into a Book Club: A...

The Purple Zone ·

2026/09/22

Send us Fan Mail This episode marks an exciting first for The Purple Zone: a brand-new experiment in bringing people together around ideas, not just single books. Alexis is joined by Representative Dr. Britt Raybould to pilot a new kind of book club, one that lives right here on the podcast and spreads out through social media, inviting listeners to engage with a topic (not a specific book) in a whole new way. For this trial run, the topic is learning...how it actually happens, what gets in t...

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27:19

The Naming of The Purple Zone: What It Really Means

The Purple Zone ·

2026/09/15

Send us Fan Mail It's a solo episode this week and Alexis is pulling back the curtain. Most people hear "The Purple Zone" and think politics: red meets blue, somewhere in the middle. But that's not where the name came from, and it's not what it means. Alexis takes you back to where the podcast really started: the early days of her PhD program, and the idea that began shaping everything she'd go on to build. Before diving in, Alexis shares a few stories from her weekend, moments that turned ou...

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72:46

Idaho’s AI in Education Journey: Guardrails,...

The Purple Zone ·

2026/09/08

Send us Fan Mail Alexis Morgan welcomes Will Goodman, Director of People and Organizational Services for Boise School District, to unpack the Idaho journey of AI in Education legislation and why Idaho is leading the nation on guardrails and implementation. They talk candidly about the question many people are asking: Is this a good move, or a potential risk? They dive into the process behind Senate Bill 1227, including the work group work and how the bill ultimately moved through the 2026 leg...

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23:34

My Date with Dignity

The Purple Zone ·

2026/09/01

Send us Fan Mail In this opening episode of the season, I’m stepping in solo to share a quick recap of my summer with my kids as they head into a new chapter: college town life and off-to-school mornings that feel like both a goodbye and a beginning. But the heart of this episode is my “date with dignity.” I’m sharing a personal story in honor of my late aunt, an important relationship, a lasting lesson, and a reminder that dignity isn’t just a word we say. It’s something we practice, protect...

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44:16

Community Schools, Shared Power: Mountain Home's “One...

The Purple Zone ·

2026/08/25

Send us Fan Mail In this season opener, Alexis Morgan sits down with guest Stehvn Tesar, principal at Bennett High School, to explore how the community school strategy at Bennett High helps meet students’ needs and strengthens the surrounding community. We start by defining what a community school is and why this model fits the Mountain Home School District, before digging into the work happening at Bennett High, including an alternative school approach designed to support students through re...

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45:28

Rethinking Tech in the Classroom with Joey Palmer

The Purple Zone ·

2026/05/12

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Alexis sits down with Joey Palmer, a school administrator in the Treasure Valley (larger Boise area in Idaho), who’s taking a different approach to technology in the classroom. This isn’t about being anti-tech—it’s about asking better questions: When does technology actually improve learning, and when does it get in the way? Joey shares how his district is shifting from tech as the default to tech as a tool, one that should be purposeful, powerful, and propor...

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50:25

1 in 5 Rural Idaho Students Rely on IDLA: And It Just...

The Purple Zone ·

2026/04/28

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Alexis sat down with Idaho Digital Learning Alliance (IDLA) Superintendent Dr. Jeff Simmons to unpack what really happened with HB 940 and related legislation and why this moment is about far more than online classes. We break down the full policy landscape and the impacts on kids in the state? The 50% in funding cuts to IDLA means fewer courses, fewer enrollments, and a new reality for schools trying to meet student needs. But here’s where it matters most: I...

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39:22

Anti-Teacher Union Bill Breakdown (HB 516) & The...

The Purple Zone ·

2026/04/14

Send us Fan Mail This episode breaks down a new Idaho law impacting teachers unions, but more importantly, what it reveals about how policy actually works in practice. This isn’t just about unions. It’s about systems, processes, and what happens when infrastructure quietly shifts underneath schools. Segment Breakdown: 1. Radiator Capping (process shift): Bypassing the normal legislative process changes how policy gets vetted, debated, and understood. 2. What HB 516 Actually Does: It does not ...

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22:46

The Stories that Shaped Us and Built our Communities

The Purple Zone ·

2026/03/18

Send a text Lately I’ve been asking myself a question. Have we forgotten the stories that built the communities we live in today… or were many of us never really taught them in the first place? In this reflective solo episode, Alexis explores the stories that shaped her understanding of service and community, from Anne Frank and a Holocaust survivor who visited her classroom, to her immigrant grandfather’s journey to America in 1914, to visiting Minidoka National Historic Site with her childr...

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19:44

Idaho Lawmaking 101: The Budget, Medicaid, and a Rare...

The Purple Zone ·

2026/03/16

Send a text Budgets aren’t flashy and they’re usually not the most fun thing to talk about. But when the Idaho Senate rejected the state’s largest budget bill the $5.7 billion Health and Welfare budget it revealed deeper tensions inside the Legislature over fiscal responsibility, Medicaid spending, and recent tax cuts. In this episode of The Purple Zone, I break down: 1. How Idaho’s budget process works, 2. Why the Senate rejected the proposal, and 3. Work to connect t...

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59:52

All about Charter Schools and the Missing Innovation...

The Purple Zone ·

2026/03/03

Send a text Idaho has had charter schools for nearly three decades. They were created to innovate, and the question today is: are they doing that? In this episode, I’m joined by Duncan Robb, education policy expert and the writer behind the Substack K–12 Education in Idaho (k12educationidaho.substack.com). We break down the basics, what charter schools are (and aren’t), how they’re governed, and the role of the Idaho Public Charter School Commission...then zoom out to the bigger policy design...

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49:38

Idaho’s Doctor Shortage, WWAMI, & the $1 Billion...

The Purple Zone ·

2026/02/18

Send a text Idaho ranks 50th in physicians per capita and 44th in primary care access. So what’s the real plan to fix it? In this episode, I sit down with Representative Dustin Manwaring to break down Idaho’s Undergraduate Medical Education (UME) strategy, the proposed 36-month rollout, and how it intersects with the $1 billion Rural Health Transformation Grant. We talk through the core problem the working group set out to solve and what “Train Here, Stay Here, Grow Here” actually means in pr...

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26:18

Federalism, Elections, and the Constitution: Who...

The Purple Zone ·

2026/02/03

Send us a text Who actually has the power over elections in the United States — the federal government, the states, or the president? Alexis takes you go back to the Constitution itself. Because here’s the truth: many adults have never been taught (or have near forgotten) how the Constitution is structured, where power is assigned, or why federalism exists in the first place. (This is a super basic/quick overview). When we don’t understand that structure, modern debates about elections can fe...

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38:07

The Real Cost of Underfunded Special Education

The Purple Zone ·

2026/01/20

Send us a text When special education isn’t fully funded, the cost doesn’t disappear...it gets absorbed by families, classrooms, and educators. In this solo episode of The Purple Zone, I unpack what underfunded special education actually looks like on the ground: for students whose needs go unmet, for teachers navigating behavior and safety challenges without enough support, and for families trying to advocate for their children in complex systems they didn’t design. Through two personal stor...

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20:31

Efficiency Meets Reality: Hard Math, Hard Choices...

The Purple Zone ·

2026/01/09

Send us a text The math ain’t mathing...and that’s not about blame, it’s about reality. Yes this podcast has the words BUDGET, LEGISLATURE, DOGE, and GOVERNANCE...but I promise it's NOT boring--but rather something that is intended to help ALL Idahoans (and my friends in other states), understand and connect where you are right now--with governance choices. Idaho is entering the 2026 legislative session facing a significant budget challenge. Alexis doesn’t attempt to retrace every step ...

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42:07

The Room Where it Happens: Getting Access to Where...

The Purple Zone ·

2026/01/06

Send us a text Welcome to the first Purple Zone episode of 2026. As the new year begins and the legislative session ramps up (start date is January 12) ... I’m sharing three important opportunities and announcements for Idahoans who care about kids, families, schools, and the policies that shape our communities. First, we’re talking about Idaho PTA Day on the Hill, happening Tuesday, January 20, at the State Capitol. This year’s event includes a lunch with lawmakers and offers a meaningful ch...

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19:38

A Five-Year Grant Promise Cut Short: What’s Happening...

The Purple Zone ·

2025/12/17

Send us a text Last Friday, Idaho school and community leaders were notified that a major federal education grant already awarded and already supporting students is being cut short. The Full-Service Community Schools (FSCS) State Scaling Grant, awarded to Idaho through the United Way of Treasure Valley, was designed as a five-year investment supporting 47 rural & title one public schools. That funding is now scheduled to end three 1/2 years early, putting more than $30 million in su...

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81:32

When Policy Meets a Viral Moment: Inside Idaho’s HB...

The Purple Zone ·

2025/12/16

Send us a text How does a bill actually move through a legislature — not in textbooks, but in real life? In this episode of The Purple Zone, Alexis takes a deep dive into House Bill 41, Idaho’s 2025 “flags and schools” law, a bill that unexpectedly became tied to the now-viral West Ada classroom incident and sparked national debate about patriotism, symbolism, and expression in schools. But instead of reacting to the headlines, we’re stepping back and dissecting HB 41 through one of the most...

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73 results

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