Project Mindset 2025: Happy New Year and the Future of the Podcast
Project Mindset 2025: Reza Mehman welcomes the new year and explains how he plans to develop the podcast. More politics, more current affairs and more personal opinions, while keeping mindset at its heart. An honest look back and a clear look ahead.
Originally published on 3 January 2025. Plans and political views reflect the beginning of that year. The transcript below is translated in full from the published German article.
Project Mindset 2025: Looking Back and Looking Ahead
Reza Mehman welcomes 2025 and shares his thoughts on the future of the Project Mindset podcast. After almost 140 episodes, he spent Christmas thinking about what should come next. His answer is more politics, more current affairs and more personal opinions, while keeping mindset at the centre. He also makes his position clear: “I consider myself a committed democrat of the political centre.”
Summary
In one sentence: Reza Mehman explains his plans for Project Mindset in 2025: more politics, more current affairs and more personal opinions.
In three sentences: After almost 140 episodes, Reza spent Christmas thinking about the podcast’s future. He wants more politics, current affairs and interviews, while retaining its core focus on mindset. He says: “I consider myself a committed democrat of the political centre.”
In five sentences: Reza Mehman welcomes 2025 and explains the future of Project Mindset. Reflecting over Christmas, he realised that he had enjoyed discussing politics in recent episodes and found those topics relevant. In 2025, he plans to cover more politics and current affairs and bring in more interviews. Mindset will remain a core subject. He states: “I consider myself a committed democrat of the political centre, and I want to do my part to move society forward through substantive discussion.”
Context: Who, What and Why
Who is speaking: Reza Mehman, host of the Project Mindset podcast.
What this is about: The future of Project Mindset, with more politics, current affairs and personal opinions.
Why it matters: Reza explains his editorial direction for 2025 and his personal commitment to democracy from the political centre.
Three central themes in this episode:
- Looking back at almost 140 episodes and the podcast’s development.
- The new direction: more politics, current affairs and interviews.
- Reza’s personal commitment as a democrat of the political centre.
Contents
- Introduction
- Summary
- Context
- Themes and perspective
- Key takeaways
- Frequently asked questions
- Highlight quotes
- The full conversation
- Keywords
- Names and terms
- Quotable passage
Themes and Perspective
1. Looking back at almost 140 episodes
Reza looks back on interviews, mindset topics and political commentary about the AfD, Trump and Elon Musk. He realised: “First, I enjoyed doing it. Second, I think these are subjects I want to return to more often.”
Keywords: Project Mindset, reflection, podcast, interviews, mindset
2. The new direction for 2025
Reza plans to include more politics, current affairs and interviews in 2025. Mindset remains a core topic. He says: “That doesn’t mean I’m stopping with mindset on this channel. Not at all.”
Keywords: 2025, direction, politics, current affairs, interviews, mindset
3. Reza’s commitment to the democratic centre
Reza states clearly: “I consider myself a committed democrat of the political centre.” He wants to help society move forward through substantive discussion. The AfD makes him uneasy, and he wants to take an active stand against it without becoming a politician.
Keywords: democracy, political centre, AfD, society, engagement
Key Takeaways
- Reza spent Christmas thinking about how to continue the podcast.
- “First, I enjoyed doing it. Second, I think these are subjects I want to return to more often.”
- For 2025, he plans more politics, current affairs and interviews, while keeping mindset.
- “I consider myself a committed democrat of the political centre.”
- “I want to do my part to move society forward through substantive discussion.”
- The AfD makes Reza uneasy, and he wants to take an active stand against it.
- His appeal is for reasoned discussion instead of insults, including with AfD supporters.
Frequently Asked Questions
How will Project Mindset change in 2025?
In this January 2025 episode, Reza Mehman announces more politics, current affairs and interviews. Mindset remains a core topic. He says: “That doesn’t mean I’m stopping with mindset on this channel. Not at all.” He wants to help society move forward through substantive discussion.
Why is Reza Mehman discussing politics more often?
Reza Mehman says: “I consider myself a committed democrat of the political centre. The AfD makes me uneasy, and I want to do my part to move society forward through substantive discussion.” He wants to take an active role through open debate on his channel, without becoming a politician.
How does Reza Mehman handle negative comments?
Reza responds to criticism on its merits, including when it contains insults. He describes a YouTube commenter who called him a “complete idiot”: “I addressed his criticisms and said: hey, I agree with you on the point where you are right. Funnily enough, he then apologised and the reasoned discussion continued.”
Highlight Quotes
“I consider myself a committed democrat of the political centre.”
— Reza Mehman
“I want to do my part to move society forward through substantive discussion.”
— Reza Mehman
“That doesn’t mean I’m stopping with mindset on this channel. Not at all.”
— Reza Mehman
“I wish you a wonderful 2025, and we’ll speak again soon. Bye, bye.”
— Reza Mehman
The Full Conversation
New Year Wishes and a Look Back
Reza Mehman: My dear podcast listeners, I hope you have had a good start to 2025. I wish you and your loved ones nothing but the best. I hope all your wishes and dreams come true, and of course I wish you good health and happiness in the new year.
Reza Mehman: Perhaps you noticed that I took a break for a few weeks. That was because I was thinking about how I want to continue the podcast in terms of its content. If you look at previous episodes, you will see that I have been trying out a few more things. I included some slightly political topics. I made a few videos about the AfD or Trump, or the collapse of Germany’s “traffic-light” coalition, all the things that have been happening recently.
The New Direction for 2025
Reza Mehman: I realised that, first, I enjoyed doing it. Second, I think these are subjects I want to return to more often. I think political topics in particular are enormously important. We all know that we really are living through difficult times. That doesn’t mean I’m stopping with mindset on this channel. Not at all. Of course, I will continue to include mindset episodes along the way.
Reza’s Commitment to the Democratic Centre
Reza Mehman: I have said here and there in the podcast that the AfD makes me uneasy, to be honest. I don’t think it will be good if they gain any form of participation in government. I want to do my part to move society forward through substantive discussion. That matters to me. I don’t want to leave the field entirely to others. Actively advocating for and working towards a better world matters to me. I consider myself a committed democrat of the political centre.
Dealing with Negative Comments
Reza Mehman: There was someone who really attacked what I had said. He was strongly pro-AfD and insulted me personally. I addressed his criticisms and said: hey, I agree with you on the point where you are right. On the part where he made me out to be a complete idiot, I also said: hey, you need to explain exactly where I gave you that impression. Funnily enough, he then apologised and the reasoned discussion continued. I found that quite funny.
Reza Mehman: So, everyone, thank you for listening. I wish you a wonderful 2025, and we’ll speak again soon. Bye, bye.
Keywords
Tags: Project Mindset, 2025, podcast, politics, mindset, democracy, AfD, Reza Mehman
Names and Terms
Reza Mehman, Project Mindset, AfD, democratic centre, Dinner im Schloss, Heidelberg, YouTube, 2025
Quotable Passage
Reza Mehman: “I consider myself a committed democrat of the political centre.”
“I want to do my part to move society forward through substantive discussion.”
“That doesn’t mean I’m stopping with mindset on this channel. Not at all.”
Find more about the podcast and its topics on my podcast overview page.
