Hello and welcome to USTomorrow on Substack! I’m truly excited to kick off this next chapter with you. Whether you’re joining from an education setting, the tech world, working on policy, building infrastructure, enjoying retirement, or you’re a young change-maker just starting out – thank you for being here. You are part of a diverse, civic-minded community that believes in working across differences to improve our communities and solve complex problems together. This email is both a warm welcome and a guide to how we’ll move forward on Substack as a community on a shared mission.
BTW— If you’re already on Substack, leave a comment below with your favorite publications. I’m always looking to learn something new.
A Community of Problem-Solvers
USTomorrow has always been more than just a newsletter – it’s a community of problem-solvers. Our readers come from all walks of life, yet we all share a common thread: we care about making our communities better by finding common ground. You might be a teacher inspiring the next generation, a veteran business leader driving innovation, a public servant crafting policy, or a student with fresh ideas. Regardless of your background, you’re here because you know real change happens when we work together. In this community, every voice matters and every perspective brings a new insight. We won’t always agree on everything, and that’s okay – in fact, it’s great. By engaging with different viewpoints respectfully, we get closer to solutions that actually work for everyone. I encourage you to think of USTomorrow as a big table where everyone has a seat and a valuable story or idea to share.
Carrying Forward Our Mission and Values
I started USTomorrow to continue a mission that’s guided me through my career in the Army, business, politics, and academia: bringing people together to tackle tough challenges. My voice and values come from the incredible people who shaped me – the coaches, teachers, and mentors who taught me about leadership, teamwork, and perseverance. They impressed upon me that success isn’t a solo journey but a team effort, and that lesson is at the heart of this newsletter. I often say that”People Will Be What They Can See.”
Sharing your experiences or perspectives allows others to expand their worldview and hopefully grow a little. In that spirit, USTomorrow is about sharing those lessons – both mine and yours. Many of my insights come from experiences I’ve had or wisdom passed down by others who guided me. Likewise, I believe you have experiences and wisdom worth sharing with the group. This collaborative, respectful tone – rooted in humility and curiosity – is core to USTomorrow’s vision.
Why Substack? A Better Platform for Our Community
You might be wondering, why move USTomorrow to Substack? Simply put, Substack lets us turn this newsletter into a more interactive, community-driven experience. Our previous platform was primarily one-way (me writing, you reading), but Substack opens up new ways for us to connect and collaborate.
Getting Started: Tips for Using Substack
To make sure you feel right at home on Substack, here are a few simple tips and instructions for using some key features of our new platform. I want everyone – whether you’re tech-savvy or not – to be able to participate and enjoy the full experience:
Reading and Commenting on Posts: You’ll continue to receive USTomorrow issues in your email inbox, just like always. You can read the content there or click the post title to read it on the Substack website (or in the Substack mobile app). At the bottom of each post, you’ll find a comment section. To add a comment, just scroll down and start typing in the comment box (if you’re on the website, you might need to be logged in with your email address). Hit “Post” and your comment will appear for others to read. Pro tip: if you reply directly to this welcome email in your email client, that reply will also reach me privately – so you have options for how to respond.
Joining Substack Chat: Substack has a feature called Chat, which is basically a subscriber-only group chat. To use it, you’ll need to download the free Substack app on your smartphone or tablet (available for both iOS and Android). Once you have the app and are logged in, tap the chat icon (it looks like a message bubble) in the bottom bar, and you should see USTomorrow in the list if a chat is active. I will send an invitation or notification whenever I start a new chat thread. Just tap to join the conversation. It works a lot like a group text or a WhatsApp group – you can type out your thoughts and everyone in our community can see and respond. Don’t worry, chats are only visible to subscribers of USTomorrow, not the whole internet. Feel free to say hello in our first chat and introduce yourself! It’s a casual, friendly space.
Using Substack Notes: Substack Notes is a newer feature that functions a bit like a social feed for the Substack community. Think of it as a digital bulletin board where I (and you, if you choose) can post short updates, interesting links, quotes, or questions. You can find Notes on the Substack website (there’s a “Notes” tab) or in the app (look for the Notes section). I’ll be experimenting with posting quick thoughts or questions there – for example, I might share a news article with a brief comment and ask what you all think about it. You can engage by liking the note or replying to it, and you can even post your own notes if you have ideas or resources to share. It’s a fun way to have lighter, quick interactions outside of the longer newsletter posts. Don’t hesitate to explore Notes – it can really make our community feel more connected day-to-day.
Discovering and Following Other Publications: Since you’re now on Substack, you might want to explore beyond USTomorrow as well. Substack makes it easy: on the website or app, click on the “Discover” section (or the magnifying glass icon). You’ll see recommendations and categories to browse. You can find other writers focusing on issues like civic innovation, education policy, technology for good, and more. If you find something interesting, you can subscribe with one click (many publications are free, like ours). Also, when I mention or recommend another publication in a post, often Substack will provide a link or preview so you can check it out. Following other publications you love will enrich your experience and reinforce that sense of being part of a broader movement. And if you subscribe to a publication that a lot of us in USTomorrow also read, Substack might highlight that overlap – it’s a neat way of seeing our network of interests.
Managing Your Subscription: You have full control over how you receive content. If you haven’t yet, consider creating a Substack login (using the email at which you receive this newsletter) – it will make commenting and using the app easier. In your account settings on Substack, you can choose whether to get emails for every post or just a weekly digest, etc. The Substack app can also send push notifications when a new post or chat is up – handy if you don’t want to miss anything. And of course, you can unsubscribe anytime if your interests change (though I certainly hope you’ll stay!). We want this to be a value-add to your day, not clutter. So customize it to suit your reading habits.
Getting Help or Support: If you run into any snags using Substack – maybe you’re not sure how to log in, or a link isn’t working – don’t worry. You can reach out by replying to any newsletter email (it goes straight to my inbox). I or someone on our small team will do our best to help. You can also check out Substack’s Help section (at support.substack.com) for common questions. But really, just ask – I want everyone to feel comfortable here, no technical issue is too small.
These tips should get you started, but remember, learning by doing is the best way. Click around, try leaving a comment on this post if you like, and explore the interface. Substack is designed to be user-friendly and enjoyable. In no time, I hope you’ll feel right at home, connecting with others and soaking up ideas.
The Five Bright Lines: Our Guiding Themes
If you’ve been reading U.S. Tomorrow for a while, you’ve heard me refer to my “Five Bright Lines.” These are the five recurring themes and priorities that guide our content and my work. They represent the areas where I believe we must focus to reconnect people to the American Dream and build a better future. In case you’re new or need a refresher, here are USTomorrow’s Five Bright Lines:
Fixing Our Broken Political System: Limiting partisanship and encouraging cross-party collaboration so government actually works for the people. This means highlighting efforts to reduce polarization and find common-sense solutions both parties can support.
Updating the Workforce & Preserving the American Dream: Preparing our workforce for the future and ensuring everyone has access to opportunity. We discuss education, job training, and how to help workers adapt and thrive amid technological and economic change.
Mainstreaming Innovation: Bringing new ideas and technologies into the mainstream to improve lives. From clean energy to digital tools, we explore how innovation can be embraced in all communities – not just Silicon Valley – and how to overcome the barriers to adoption.
Building Infrastructure for the 21st Century: Advocating for modern, resilient infrastructure (physical and digital) that will serve us for decades to come. Roads, bridges, broadband, power grids – these aren’t just construction projects they are essential to economic vitality and improved productivity.
Mentoring & Entrepreneurship: Investing in people through mentorship and supporting the next generation of entrepreneurs and leaders. I’m passionate about paying it forward – sharing guidance, lifting others up, and creating networks where aspiring leaders can learn and grow. This also includes a special focus on veterans transitioning to civilian life, and empowering young people (like my three daughters and their peers) to see themselves as future leaders.
These Five Bright Lines are the pillars of USTomorrow. You’ll see them reflected in our stories, interviews, and discussions. They might sound like big topics – and they are – but what ties them together is our belief in human potential and collaboration. Each “bright line” is an area where, with the right leadership and community effort, we can make real progress. By organizing our efforts around these themes, we ensure that our conversation stays focused on solutions and forward-looking ideas. I hope revisiting these guiding themes energizes you as much as it does me. They remind us why we do this work and where we’re heading together.
Onward Together – Welcome Aboard!
I want to close by saying how grateful I am to have you as part of the USTomorrow family. This move to Substack is more than just a platform change – it’s a renewed commitment to our mission of working together across differences to create a brighter tomorrow. We’re kicking off this next phase with a lot of positive momentum. With each new feature we use and each conversation we spark, we’re building a community that’s energized and empowered to make change.
Thank you for your trust and interest – it’s not something I take lightly. I know your inbox is precious real estate, and I’m honored that USTomorrow has a place in it. My promise to you is to continue bringing my passion, authenticity, and thoughtful analysis to every issue, and to listen and learn from you as well. Together, we will challenge ideas, celebrate successes, learn from setbacks, and keep pushing forward. The problems we discuss are complex, but I firmly believe that collective wisdom and action can overcome any obstacle. Every time you read, comment, or share, you’re contributing to that collective effort.
I hope you’re as excited as I am about what’s to come. There’s a lot of work to do in our communities and country, but there’s also a lot of reason for hope – and that hope grows when we find each other and collaborate. So here’s to rolling up our sleeves and getting to work, side by side (even if it’s virtually). USTomorrow has always been about hope in action, and on Substack we have even more tools to turn that hope into results.
Once again, welcome to our new home! Dive in, make yourself comfortable, and let’s get the conversation started. The future is unwritten, and I’m thrilled to be writing the next chapters of U.S. Tomorrow with you.
Sincerely,
Joseph Kopser
Co-Founder, USTomorrow
