Problems, explained. Solutions, elevated.
What it is
Solving For is built on a simple idea: each month, we take one pressing problem and go deep — unpacking what's broken, exploring the forces shaping it, and surfacing clear, credible solutions to address it.
At a time when problems feel stubborn, technology is rewiring daily life, and things once taken for granted are suddenly up for debate, the choices we make matter more than ever.
Solutions exist — but too often they’re lost in the churn of the news cycle and endless scroll of social media. Solving For seeks to bring them into focus.
Many of us are searching for the ideas, strategies, and actions that offer a way forward. I’m one of them — and if you are too, I hope you’ll join in, and we’ll explore together.
How it works
Each month we focus on one problem. The story unfolds week by week, in installments.
Part 1: The Problem – What’s broken, and why it matters.
Part 2: The Context – How we got here, and what’s been tried.
Part 3: The Solutions - What’s possible, and who’s leading the way.
The Open Thread – A flexible bridge between series: conversations, reflections, ideas for what’s next.
The problems we’ll take on share a few traits: they affect many lives, carry long-term consequences, and resist easy fixes — but also hold the seeds of real solutions.
By the end of each series, the goal is to understand the problem and how it came to be — and, most importantly, to surface concrete solutions.
New posts hit your inbox every Thursday. Audio versions are available for paid subscribers if you prefer to listen.
Who it’s for
Solving For is for people searching for clear solutions to complex problems.
It’s for those who value storytelling and history — and want to understand the strategies, playbooks, inspirations, and struggles that shape where we’re headed next.
It’s for public officials, educators, investors, community leaders, entrepreneurs — and the simply curious.
Most of all, it’s for people who believe the future can be better and want to understand how to make it so.
Who I am
I’ve always been drawn to stories – especially about people doing hard things and building what didn’t exist before.
I grew up in Cambridge, Mass. After graduating from Tulane, I was so taken by the story of New Orleans’ legendary musician Professor Longhair that I stayed to research his life — bartending in the French Quarter to pay the bills.
I spent the first decade of my career as a journalist, most of it at The Miami Herald. I covered legal affairs, business, and government in a city building itself in real time. I helped expose widespread mortgage fraud, wrote stories that led to a mayor’s recall, and with my colleagues won some of journalism’s top honors – including the Barlett & Steele Gold Medal, Scripps Howard Award for Excellence in Investigative Reporting, and Gerald Loeb Award.
Over time, I wanted to play a more direct role in shaping things I care about. At Knight Foundation, I designed and built a program that played a pivotal role in catalyzing Miami’s startup community. I ran for U.S. Congress. I launched Opportunity Miami to help one of America’s most diverse cities reimagine its economic future. And at Right to Start, I joined a team working to make entrepreneurship a priority across America.
Why I’m writing
For some time now, I’ve felt a pull to build on these experiences and bring them together through writing — as a way to better understand how we chart a path forward in a time of profound uncertainty. And I keep seeing a gap — a lack of clearly explained solutions to the challenges we face.
This project sits at that intersection: storytelling and problem-solving.
Journalism can do more than reveal what’s broken. It can illuminate what’s working, who’s making it happen, and how.
If this mission resonates, join in. I hope you’ll consider becoming a subscriber, sharing your perspective, and passing this along to friends.
Thanks for being here. I’ll work hard to earn your trust — and your readership. Together, we can build a place where solutions rise above the noise.
– Matt
P.S. What guides this work
In starting Solving For, I wrote down a few ground rules. Right now, it’s just me. But these are the principles I believe in — and the standard we will hold ourselves to as this project grows:
We’re independent. This is reader-supported. But whether funded by subscriptions, sponsorships, or other support, we’ll always disclose it. Honest journalism, always in the open.
We’re transparent. We’ll tell you where our information comes from, how we got it, and what limitations we faced. If there’s a conflict of interest, we’ll say so. When we make a mistake, we’ll fix it — quickly and clearly.
We’re here to learn — and help others do the same. We believe understanding leads to agency. That’s why we share our sources, include links, and aim to give you everything you need to dig deeper. Our stories are starting points, not endpoints.
We go deep. We’re chasing understanding and clarity — through smart reporting, good questions, and stories that clearly explain what’s happening and how people are solving tough problems.
We speak clearly. Complex problems deserve clear explanations. No jargon. No insider language. We aim to write in a way anyone can understand — no prior knowledge required.
We’re curious — with conviction. We approach every topic with humility and open eyes. But we also believe in evidence, decency, and solutions that serve the common good. We’re not neutral on progress — we believe it’s worth understanding what’s working, what isn’t, and why it matters.
