Keen On

America, to borrow a word from last week’s guest Yoni Appelbaum, is “stuck”. And so the American Dream, for most stuck Americans, is dead. Our guest today, the social entrepreneur Nicholas Lalla, agrees with Appelbaum. The American Dream might still be alive in privileged coastal communities, Lalla argues in his new book Reinventing the Heartland, but it needs resurrection elsewhere. Defining the American Dream as doing better than one's parents and having financial security, Lalla highlights Tulsa, Oklahoma as a model for mid-sized cities seeking economic revival through tech-focused development. Rather than emulating Silicon Valley, he advocates for cities finding their own "tech niche" based on local strengths. Tulsa's success comes from strategic investments, Lalla explains, the "Tulsa Remote" program offering $10,000 incentives to relocate, and comprehensive community development initiatives.Here are the 5 Keen on America takeaways from our conversation with Lalla:* The American Dream is geographically d