Pacific Time: The "What if...?" of West Coast Independence cover art

Pacific Time: The "What if...?" of West Coast Independence

Pacific Time: The "What if...?" of West Coast Independence

Written by: Greg Amrofell
Listen for free

About this listen

 What if the West Coast could chart its own course? What if our innovations, values, and creative energy weren’t diluted by national politics? What if West Coast sovereignty was a dream and a strategy? Welcome to Pacific Time, where host Greg Amrofell—a relentless provocateur who has lived his whole life up and down the West Coast—invites you to imagine bold solutions. We explore how to make the West Coast better if it's undistilled by the faltering American experiment.. Each episode features meaningful conversations with thought leaders, innovators, policymakers, and visionaries. We’ll tackle the big questions of sovereignty, and self-determination, imagining and sharpening the West Coast’s cultural identity, economic potential, and environmental leadership. Pacific Time is for the intellectually curious, the disillusioned optimists, and the dreamers who refuse to accept that status quo in America is the best we can do on the West Coast. Here, we cut through the partisan noise and welcome transformative ideas from a broad spectrum of iconoclasts. We ask how we can work together to elevate the West Coast and get past the narratives that marginalize us “Out West” on the “Left Coast.” It’s time to reimagine what’s possible. Let’s ask, “What if…” and find out.©️Optimistic Projects Political Science Politics & Government Social Sciences
Episodes
  • 39 What If Women’s Sports Have Found Their West Coast Headquarters? With Jen Barnes

    39 What If Women’s Sports Have Found Their West Coast Headquarters? With Jen Barnes
    Dec 15 2025
    Seattle’s Rough & Tumble is a sports bar centered on women's sports and women sports fans that also happens to be a really fun place for any sports fan to watch a game. Founder Jen Barnes joins Pacific Time to talk about representation, cultural power, and why the West Coast might be the birthplace of a new era in sports fandom.SummaryWomen’s sports are exploding in talent, investment, and fan enthusiasm—but legacy sports culture and sports media haven’t kept up. When Jen Barnes couldn’t even find a bar willing to turn on a big match for her favorite women’s soccer team, she set about solving her own problem by building a space that centers women’s sports every day of the year. The result is a cultural phenomenon reshaping Seattle and inspiring national attention.In this conversation, we explore how women’s sports intersect with civic life, identity, West Coast culture, and even political representation. Jen shares the challenges of scaling a purpose-driven business, the rapid growth of women’s sports investment, and what true parity might mean for athletes, fans, and society.HighlightsThe “lightbulb moment” that sparked Rough & TumbleWhy representation matters in sports, the way way it matters in business and politicsThe West Coast as the birthplace of women’s sports cultureHow a sports bar became a civic movementWomen athletes as cultural leadersWhat broadcast parity would unlock across societyThe next 5–10 years of women’s sports growthHow to design public spaces for inclusivityAbout Our GuestJen Barnes is the founder and CEO of Rough & Tumble, a pioneering sports bar dedicated to women’s sports. Based in Seattle, Rough & Tumble has become a model for gender-equitable sports culture, community-building, and women-led entrepreneurship.Related Resources:Rough & Tumble Sports Bars in Seattle (Ballard & Columbia City)Women’s sports viewership on the rise | NielsenWomen’s sports market growth: A $2.5 billion opportunity | McKinseyDick, Kerr Ladies F.C. - WikipediaRelated Pacific Time Episodes33 We, Us, Ours? Protect LGBTQ Rights & Protect Everyone’s Rights? With Shannon Minter27 Could Pickleball Save America? With David Johnson15 What if Connection Was a Civic Responsibility? With Aaron Hurst A Few Spicy Questions: What if women’s sports expose how fragile our ideas of “merit,” “markets,” and “tradition” really are? What if sports fans who are women aren’t a minority at all?Join the conversation: Pacific Time is making good trouble asking questions about the future of the West Coast on Substack; YouTube; BlueSky, Instagram, and Facebook. Like, subscribe, share and, most importantly, share your comment on the spicy question above. Listen: Pacific Time Podcast is on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pocketcast, Podbean, and many other platforms. Follow, share, and leave a review.Thank You To:Guest: Jen BarnesProducer: Tim WohlbergThe Women Athletes I’ve Most Admired: Laura Goff, Amelia Amrofell, Kerry RedingMaggie Rogers for providing an appropriately innovative female soundtrack to this week’s production process
    Show More Show Less
    48 mins
  • 38 Did the Election Mark a New Dawn or a False Horizon? With Ashley Brown, Mark Fiore & Sandeep Kaushik

    38 Did the Election Mark a New Dawn or a False Horizon? With Ashley Brown, Mark Fiore & Sandeep Kaushik
    Dec 3 2025
    The 2025 elections delivered shockwaves across the country—and even sharper aftershocks across the West Coast.In our first Pacific Time compilation episode, Greg brings back three trusted voices back to make sense of what just happened and what might be coming next: • Ashley Brown, comparative elections expert • Mark Fiore, Pulitzer-winning political cartoonist • Sandeep Kaushik, West Coast political strategistAnswering separately we unpack:Zohran Mamdani defeating Andrew Cuomo in NYC and what (if anything) it means for us on the West CoastPossibly pragmatic socialist Katie Wilson toppling the incumbent in Seattle's race for mayorCentrist Democrats sweeping governor’s races in New Jersey & VirginiaCalifornia’s Prop 50 landslide—an aggressive response to Texas’s partisan redistrictingEach guest answers the same big questions: What surprised them? What signals matter for 2026? What are their dream and nightmare scenarios?It’s a lively, alarming, and unexpectedly hopeful episode about a country on the brink—and why the West Coast may once again lead the way.HighlightsWhy Prop 50 passed by a wide margin—and why it was an “up-down vote on Trump’s rule.”Ranked choice voting lessons from New York’s mayoral upsetThe widening divide within the Democratic Party—and why it may intensify, not resolveWhat Seattle’s knife-edge mayoral race says about America’s political stalemateThe 2026 headlines our guests can imagine now—from “Blue Wave Sweeps America” to warnings of an autocratic futureAbout Our GuestsAll returning friends of the pod...Ashley Brown — Comparative Elections ExpertA longtime student of electoral systems around the world, Ashley specializes in how voting structures influence democratic legitimacy, turnout, and trust. He brings deep, global perspective on gerrymandering, ranked choice voting, proportionality, and election design.Mark Fiore — Pulitzer-Winning Political CartoonistOne of the most influential and groundbreaking political cartoonists working today, Mark’s satirical animations and illustrations have shaped how millions make sense of American politics, extremism, and hypocrisy.Sandeep Kaushik — Political Strategist & CommentatorA Seattle-based political consultant and co-host of Blue City Blues and Seattle Nice, Sandeep is one of the West Coast’s sharpest interpreters of local and national political dynamics.Related Episodes25 Can Better Ballots Beat Bad Maps? With Ashley Brown12 What If the Resistance Was Funny? With Mark Fiore10 What if Blue Cities Got It Together? With Sandeep KaushikResourcesDonald Trump’s Plan to Subvert the Midterms Is Already Under Way - The AtlanticMayor-Elect Katie Wilson Says Seattle Nice is “Special” - Seattle Nice Podcast (Spotify)Mark Fiore’s Political Cartoons - Substack5 California election takeaways after voters pass Proposition 50 - CalMattersA Spicy Question For YouWhat are your dream and nightmare scenarios for where the country goes in 2026? (Provocative, far-out, thoughtful answers might just make it on the next episode)Answer Here and Join the ConversationYouTube; Substack; or Instagram. Like, subscribe, share and, most importantly, share your comment on the spicy question above. Pacific Time Podcast is on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pocketcast, Podbean, and many other platforms. Please follow, share, and leave a review.Thank You:Guests: Sandeep Kaushik, Mark Fiore, Ashley BrownProducer: Tim WohlbergMusical Inspiration: Caamp, Mumford & Sons, Old Crow Medicine Show (Can you tell I'm on a bluegrass kick?)Moral Support: My family who gathered from far & wide over Thanksgiving and pulled off a great feast
    Show More Show Less
    44 mins
  • 37 Reinvent the Two-Party Political Game? With Robbie Bach

    37 Reinvent the Two-Party Political Game? With Robbie Bach
    Nov 19 2025
    What if America’s political dysfunction isn’t a moral failure — but a design failure?In this episode, Greg talks with Robbie Bach, former President of Xbox and now a leading civic reform advocate, about how the United States might update its political operating system. Robbie argues that polarization isn’t an accident — it’s an output of incentives. And if incentives can be redesigned, the system can be reinvented.This is a conversation about innovation, democracy, and why the West Coast might be the country’s best testbed for political renewal.In this episode, we cover:Why the two-party system is fragile, not inevitable What tech’s prototyping mindset could bring to civic life Why D.C. is structurally incapable of reforming itselfWhy Tech CEOs are smart to be at The White House, and how they’re missing opportunities to advocate for better policyThe civic lessons Robbie learned after XboxHow creating stories about tech, politics, and national intrigue raise questions about the real worldGuest BioRobbie Bach led the creation of Xbox and served as President of Microsoft’s Entertainment & Devices Division. Since retiring, he has become a civic designer, author, speaker, and advocate for political reform, systems thinking, and community leadership.Related ResourcesLetters to the Democrats and Republicans - LinkedIn, Robbie Bach Bipartisan Policy CenterThe Blockchain Syndicate: A Contemporary Thriller, Robbie BachRelated EpisodesCould We Grab Economic Power By the Middle? With David GoldsteinRefresh the American Brand, West Coast First? With Michael MegalliWhat if National Service Jump Started the West Coast Workforce? With Nicole TrimbleWhat if Silicon Valley and Democracy Got Back Together? With Margaret O'MaraA Spicy Question: What advice could gamers offer on how to build a more just and equitable world?Join the conversation: Pacific Time is making good trouble asking questions about the future of the West Coast on Substack; YouTube; BlueSky, Instagram, and Facebook. Like, subscribe, share and, most importantly, share your comment on the spicy question above. Listen: Pacific Time Podcast is on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pocketcast, Podbean, and many other platforms. Follow, share, and leave a review.Thank You To:Guest: Robbie BachProducer: Tim WohlbergCoach: Jeremy N. SmithFamily & Friends: For cheering on the podcast and big milestones ahead (Thanksgiving! Madrid!)Trampled by Turtles, Alison Brown & Steve Martin for providing my soundtrack to this week’s production process
    Show More Show Less
    55 mins
No reviews yet