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.

Chapters

• 0:00 Journey from Bigger Than Me
• 1:57 My Personal Story
• 3:08 Five Guiding Principles
• 4:36 Our Vision Moving Forward
• 6:33 Thank You and Welcome

Transcript

Aaron Pete: 0:33

200 episodes ago, I started a show called the Bigger Than Me Podcast. It was exactly what the name suggested. I was a student, curious and wide-eyed, stepping into conversations that felt bigger than I could grasp. I was in law school. I was learning about justice, identity, politics and the systems we're all living in, and I 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 made me uncomfortable, People who changed how I saw the world. This show began as a way for me to listen and now I feel ready to speak, Not because I have all the answers, but because, after 200 conversations, I've learned to ask better questions. I've learned what kind of space I want to create. That's why I'm rebranding the show to Nuanced, Because, in a 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, let me tell you a little about who I am and why this work matters so much to me.

Aaron Pete: 2:03

I come from humble beginnings. I was raised by a single mom who worked incredibly hard to make sure I had a shot at a better life. We didn't have a lot, but we had love, determination and a deep belief that education and integrity could change everything. That belief carried me through a criminology degree, into work as a native court worker and eventually to law school. I'm proud to say I now serve as a counsellor for my community, Chihuahua First Nation, the community that helped raise me Along the way. I've had the honour of receiving the King's Coronation Medal and being named one of the top 50 alumni for my university medal and being named one of the top 50 alumni for my university. But what matters most to me is using this platform to uplift others. I believe everyone deserves the opportunity to reach their full potential and I believe that thoughtful, responsible conversations can play a role in making sure it helps others. That's what this podcast is and that's what we will be continuing to do.

Aaron Pete: 3:08

Here are the five principles that will guide every episode of Nuanced. This is a promise, this is a commitment. These are the pillars we will strive to live up to. First maturity there will be no hot takes, no nonsense. We don't do knee-jerk reactions. We don't chase virality. This isn't about outrage culture or dunking on someone for a 30-second clip. Maturity means patience. It means sitting with ideas long enough to understand them, even when they're hard, even when they're uncomfortable. It means showing up like adults in a media landscape that too often rewards childishness. If something's worth discussing, it's worth doing properly.

Aaron Pete: 3:56

The second is steelmanning the best version of every argument. We don't argue in straw men. We don't caricature opposing views. Whether we're talking about politics, gender, Indigenous rights, foreign policy or media, we will build up the best version of the argument before we start tearing it down. That's how you learn, that's how you grow and, honestly, that's how you earn the respect of the people who disagree with you. Because this show isn't about proving I'm right. It's about proving that it's possible to have intelligent, good faith disagreement.

Aaron Pete: 4:36

The third is controversy. We won't flinch from the hard stuff. Some issues need to be touched with care and others need to be touched with courage. This show won't back down from hard conversations, but we're not here to provoke for attention. Controversy for us isn't a marketing tactic. It's a consequence of caring about important things. We'll go where the silence is the loudest, because that's usually where the truth lies. The fourth is openness. Every side deserves to be heard. This show has hosted voices from the right, the left, indigenous communities, establishment insiders, anti-establishment critics and more. That won't change Nuanced is a home for open inquiry. It's not about being neutral. It's about being curious, and curiosity demands openness. We'll hear from people you may not like, you may not agree with, and that's okay, because we trust you to think for yourself. Our job isn't to tell you what to think. It's to give you more to think about.

Aaron Pete: 5:50

The fifth is responsibility Conversations that serve people, not clicks. There's a difference between having a platform and having a purpose. This show is committed to the latter. Every episode is crafted with the audience in mind, not just to entertain or inform, but to serve. That means context, that means fairness, that means taking responsibility for what we amplify. 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 and raise the standard. We're going to bring more context, more care and more courage to every topic we tackle. If you've been with me since the Bigger Than Me podcast, thank you. If you're just joining, welcome, let's get started. Thanks for watching.