“Civility expert”
When a proposed Buc-ee’s split Palmer Lake, Colorado, the town’s leaders invited Alexandra to help neighbors center one another’s humanity again.
Featured in & written for
- Politico
Invited to speak at
Law School- Parliament
of Canada 
It’s already happening
Communities are building
Leaders across politics, geography, and vocation are taking The Soul of Civility off the page and building cultures of flourishing across difference.
Carmel, Indiana
City leaders
After a divisive local election, Carmel’s city council reached out. Together we built a civility summit that brought more than 100 leaders, from mayors to members of Congress, to the same table.
Palmer Lake, Colorado
Becky, a citizen leader
When a fight over a proposed Buc-ee’s split the town, neighbors on both sides chose to rebuild trust together, with The Soul of Civility as their guide.
Urbandale, Iowa
Mayor Bob
A healthy city that wanted to be even better made The Soul of Civility its community read.
Texas Legislature
Legislators from both parties
What began with one representative reaching across the aisle is now a bipartisan, bicameral reading initiative, with legislators gathering over dinner.
St. Luke’s, Indianapolis
Pastor Rob
Amid a bitter local data center fight, Pastor Rob focused on what he could shape: the culture of his congregation, leading them through the book and practicing civility grounded in human dignity.
Arizona
City and county managers
Arizona’s city managers built a program around Discover, Ignite, Embody, Celebrate, equipping local leaders to lead well in divided times.
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My gift to you · The Porching Challenge
Would you like to porch with me?
Every leader above began the same way: they read The Soul of Civility and put it into action. The Porching Challenge is my gift to you, so you can do the same. Gather your neighbors, read the book together, and build a culture of flourishing across difference right where you live. Your free Porching Toolkit is waiting.
Choose your place. Invite your people. Decide who hosts next.
Join the Porching Challenge
ALEXANDRA O. HUDSON:
The Leading Voice for Civility and Civic Renewal
What if our differences did not have to divide us, but could become a source of renewal, friendship, and shared flourishing? How might our divided era be transformed into an era of multidimensional human flourishing, a civic Renaissance, in our world?
That question animates the life and work of Alexandra Hudson. She is an award-winning journalist and the bestselling author of The Soul of Civility: Timeless Principles to Heal Society and Ourselves, as well as the founder of Civic Renaissance, an institution dedicated to helping leaders build cultures of flourishing across difference in their communities, workplaces, and public life.
Her book has become a handbook for leaders across politics, geography, and vocation who are seeking to navigate disagreement without sacrificing human dignity. St. Ambrose University built a core course around it; Urbandale, Iowa, made it the community read. In the Texas Legislature, lawmakers from both parties and both chambers are building a culture of civility inspired by it. Mayors, schools, businesses, and community leaders across North America use it as a framework for civic renewal.
Alexandra has spoken at institutions including Stanford, Yale Law School, the Canadian Parliament, and the UK House of Lords, and her writing has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, TIME, and USA Today. Through Civic Renaissance, she works alongside leaders to strengthen civic trust, cultivate healthier cultures, and equip people to become part of the solution in a divided age.
Now in paperback · Anniversary Edition
The Soul of Civility
Timeless Principles to Heal Society and Ourselves
A humanistic manifesto for our dehumanizing times, now with a new preface, From Manifesto to Movement, on what readers have built since the book first appeared.
“Beautifully written and meditative.”Jonathan Haidt
“Intelligent… edifying… charming… emboldening.”The Wall Street Journal