200. Aaron Pete: Welcome to Nuanced.

Why did I rebrand my podcast after 200 episodes? After four years, dozens of thought leaders, and hundreds of hours of conversation, it was time for a reset. In this episode, I explain why The Bigger Than Me Podcast is now Nuanced — and what that name truly means. I share the personal story that started it all, the lessons I’ve learned, and the five principles that will guide every future episode: maturity, steelmanning, controversy, openness, and responsibility.

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Episode Transcript

Aaron Pete (00:33):
200 episodes ago, I started a show called the Bigger
Than Me Podcast.
It was exactly what the namesuggested.
I was a student, curious andwide-eyed, stepping into
conversations that felt biggerthan I could grasp.
I was in law school.
I was learning about justice,identity, politics and the

(00:54):
systems we're all living in, andI wanted to learn from people
who had lived in them,challenged them and, in some
cases, been crushed by them.
I interviewed journalists,fighters, premiers,
environmentalists, comedians,chiefs and dissidents People who
made me think, People who mademe uncomfortable, People who

(01:18):
changed how I saw the world.
This show began as a way for meto listen and now I feel ready
to speak, Not because I have allthe answers, but because, after
200 conversations, I've learnedto ask better questions.
I've learned what kind of spaceI want to create.
That's why I'm rebranding theshow to Nuanced, Because, in a

(01:42):
world addicted to hot takes,rage, bait and instant outrage,
I think we need something deeper, something slower, something
better.
But before we look forward, letme tell you a little about who
I am and why this work mattersso much to me.

(02:03):
I come from humble beginnings.
I was raised by a single momwho worked incredibly hard to
make sure I had a shot at abetter life.
We didn't have a lot, but wehad love, determination and a
deep belief that education andintegrity could change
everything.
That belief carried me througha criminology degree, into work

(02:24):
as a native court worker andeventually to law school.
I'm proud to say I now serve asa counsellor for my community,
Chihuahua First Nation, thecommunity that helped raise me
Along the way.
I've had the honour ofreceiving the King's Coronation
Medal and being named one of thetop 50 alumni for my university
medal and being named one ofthe top 50 alumni for my

(02:47):
university.
But what matters most to me isusing this platform to uplift
others.
I believe everyone deserves theopportunity to reach their full
potential and I believe thatthoughtful, responsible
conversations can play a role inmaking sure it helps others.
That's what this podcast is andthat's what we will be
continuing to do.

(03:08):
Here are the five principlesthat will guide every episode of
Nuanced.
This is a promise, this is acommitment.
These are the pillars we willstrive to live up to.
First maturity there will be nohot takes, no nonsense.
We don't do knee-jerk reactions.
We don't chase virality.

(03:29):
This isn't about outrageculture or dunking on someone
for a 30-second clip.
Maturity means patience.
It means sitting with ideaslong enough to understand them,
even when they're hard, evenwhen they're uncomfortable.
It means showing up like adultsin a media landscape that too
often rewards childishness.

(03:50):
If something's worth discussing, it's worth doing properly.
The second is steelmanning thebest version of every argument.
We don't argue in straw men.
We don't caricature opposingviews.
Whether we're talking aboutpolitics, gender, Indigenous
rights, foreign policy or media,we will build up the best

(04:13):
version of the argument beforewe start tearing it down.
That's how you learn, that'show you grow and, honestly,
that's how you earn the respectof the people who disagree with
you.
Because this show isn't aboutproving I'm right.
It's about proving that it'spossible to have intelligent,

(04:33):
good faith disagreement.
The third is controversy.
We won't flinch from the hardstuff.
Some issues need to be touchedwith care and others need to be
touched with courage.
This show won't back down fromhard conversations, but we're
not here to provoke forattention.
Controversy for us isn't amarketing tactic.

(04:56):
It's a consequence of caringabout important things.
We'll go where the silence isthe loudest, because that's
usually where the truth lies.
The fourth is openness.
Every side deserves to be heard.
This show has hosted voicesfrom the right, the left,
indigenous communities,establishment insiders,

(05:19):
anti-establishment critics andmore.
That won't change Nuanced is ahome for open inquiry.
It's not about being neutral.
It's about being curious, andcuriosity demands openness.
We'll hear from people you maynot like, you may not agree with
, and that's okay, because wetrust you to think for yourself.

(05:43):
Our job isn't to tell you whatto think.
It's to give you more to thinkabout.
The fifth is responsibilityConversations that serve people,
not clicks.
There's a difference betweenhaving a platform and having a
purpose.
This show is committed to thelatter.
Every episode is crafted withthe audience in mind, not just

(06:08):
to entertain or inform, but toserve.
That means context, that meansfairness, that means taking
responsibility for what weamplify.
We're not here to go viral.
We're here to go deeper.
So that's the vision.
That's what Nuanced is about.
Over the next 200 episodes,we're going to slow things down

(06:34):
and raise the standard.
We're going to bring morecontext, more care and more
courage to every topic we tackle.
If you've been with me sincethe Bigger Than Me podcast,
thank you.
If you're just joining, welcome, let's get started.
Thanks for watching.