Cortico conversations bring 4-6 people together in a structured setting to create the optimal conditions for sharing personal stories in an atmosphere of compassion, kindness and deep listening. This includes conversation agreements, the presence of a facilitator and conversation guide whose role is to support the group in keeping the conversation aligned with the agreements and purpose, and conversation prompts that focus on personal experience and values rather than opinions or positions, and which invite folks to open themselves to experiences and views they may not share, engaging discomfort as an invitation to growth and learning. We believe that these conversations, joined together across geographies, topics and identities can yield meaningful insights to strengthen our public sphere.