How To Stay Sane While Staying Informed: Tara Henley on audience capture, J.D. Vance, fertility, loneliness and the price of “progress.”

Sep 9, 2024

Tara Henley, a Canadian journalist and podcaster, delves into the complexities of today's chaotic media landscape. She shares insights on avoiding audience capture and the revival of J.D. Vance’s podcast themes, touching upon family dynamics and societal pressures. The conversation also explores the impact of political polarization on journalism, the challenges young men face today, and personal coping strategies for maintaining mental health amidst it all. Henley emphasizes the importance of nuanced perspectives and reconnecting with simpler joys.

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Intro

00:00 • 4min

Navigating Chaos: Media and Mindfulness

03:55 • 16min

Revisiting Family Dynamics in Political Discourse

19:43 • 26min

Media Integrity and Political Polarization

45:52 • 13min

Navigating Relationships and Disconnection in a Distracted World

58:44 • 3min

Navigating Young Men's Challenges

01:01:32 • 3min

Celebrating Podcasting and New Opportunities

01:05:01 • 2min

The Unspeakable is moving to video! Here’s the scoop, in case you missed it.

The Unspeakable’s debut video guest is one of Meghan’s favorite people to talk with about our confounding political times: journalist and podcaster Tara Henley. Since visiting the pod back in early 2023, Tara’s podcast and Substack newsletter Lean Out has become a major force in the heterodox space. She is one of the finest interviewers and sharpest thinkers working today.

In this wide-ranging conversation, Meghan and Tara talk about how to avoid the phenomenon of audience capture, how to think about J.D. Vance, how to find the joy (or at least the fun memes) in Kamala Harris, and what’s behind the mating crisis, the masculinity crisis, the economic crisis, and any number of other crises (not necessarily in that order).

This conversation was recorded on August 15, 2024. The video will appear on The Unspeakable’s YouTube channel soon.

Tara will be a guest speaker at the October 21-24 Unspeakeasy retreat in Woodstock, NY. There still may be spots left. Find out more here.

Follow Tara on Substack.

GUEST BIO

Tara Henley is a Canadian journalist and the author of the national bestseller Lean Out: A Meditation on the Madness of Modern Life. Her 22-year career spans TV, radio, online media, magazines, and newspapers. She has worked as a producer on George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight and on current affairs morning and afternoon shows at CBC Radio, in both Vancouver and Toronto. Henley's CBC radio documentary "39" was a finalist at the New York Festivals International Radio Program Awards. A former books columnist for The Toronto Star, and for Metro Morning, Toronto's top morning radio show, Henley is a contributor to the books section of The Globe and Mail. Her writing has appeared in outlets across Canada and around the world, and she now publishes a popular current affairs Substack newsletter, Lean Out. Her weekly interview podcast of the same name has listeners in more than 150 countries and 5,000 cities worldwide.

HOUSEKEEPING

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