Extremist ideologies are a social poison. In this special series devoted to widening our circle of empathy for people who often feel marginalized or misunderstood, watch this powerful episode featuring Arno Michaelis, a former neo-Nazi and author of My Life After Hate.

Once the frontman of a hate metal band, Arno shares how violence nearly destroyed his life. He describes how he walked away from white nationalism and is now committed to helping others abandon extremist ideologies, on the political left and right.

Together, we discuss:

• Why hate must be treated as a public health issue

• Why empathy and forgiveness are keys to breaking cycles of violence

• The road to transformation, redemption and healing

• How our shared humanity can help bridge deep divides

• The power of human connection to drive social change

  
  

If you’ve ever wondered what leads people to hate and violent extremism, and how it’s possible to deradicalize someone, this conversation will leave you informed and inspired.

00:00 Preview

01:16 Introduction 

02:57 About Arno Michaelis

05:16 Arno’s backstory

08:52 Becoming a bully in elementary school

12:50 Why (and how) are people drawn to extremist ideologies?

16:35 Arno’s journey of redemption

22:57 Why hate should be considered a public health issue

27:22 What the “old Arno” would say listening to the “new Arno”

29:24 How Arno’s life changed after his daughter was born

36:25 From rock star to rock bottom: Why did Arno walk away from a life of hate?

42:28 How did Arno start to drift away from hate?

47:30 How can parents help prevent hate and violent extremism from taking root?

56:28 The Gift of Our Wounds by Arno Michaelis & Pardeep Singh Kaleka

01:02:34 Arno Michaelis’s Purposeful Empathy story

CONNECT WITH ANITA

✩ Email purposefulempathy@gmail.com 

✩ Website https://www.anitanowak.com

✩ Buy a copy of Purposeful Empathy http://tiny.cc/PurposefulEmpathyCA

✩ LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/anitanowak/

✩ Instagram https://tinyurl.com/anitanowakinstagram

✩ Podcast Audio https://tinyurl.com/PurposefulEmpathyPodcast

✩ Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/anitanowak.bsky.social

CONNECT WITH ARNO

✩ LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/arnomichaelis/

✩ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/arnomichaelis/?hl=en

SHOW NOTES

✩ My Life After Hate https://www.amazon.com/Life-After-Hate-Michaelis-Arno/dp/0983129096

✩ The Gift of Our Wounds https://www.amazon.com/Gift-Our-Wounds-Supremacist-Forgiveness/dp/1250107547

✩ Refuge, Arno’s film project http://refugemovie.com/

✩ Serve 2 Unite https://www.parents4peace.org/

✩ US Insider Clip https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-g3Z8IWsdU 

Video edited by Green Horizon Studio