How To Not Lose Your Sh!t

This week on the pod, we were joined by a Virginia mom named Andrea. For years, she thought she hated politics — she says it just seemed like a reason for “people to be mean to each other.” But as last year’s election drew closer, she noticed that her friends and family weren’t talking about it. Everyone said they were too exhausted after the first Trump presidency.Andrea understood the feeling (who isn’t exhausted by Trump??), but she couldn’t stand by and do nothing. So she started a TroubleNation group called NoVA Childless Cat Ladies. At first, all they did was write postcards, but she used those get-togethers to talk about their shared values and how they could support marginalized groups in their area. Now, a year later, Childless Cat Ladies has more than 100 members!It feels like we were just here — on the cusp of an election, not knowing which way things will go. If you’re feeling a bit of PTSD, you’re not alone. This year’s elections are getting a lot less press and attention than 2024, but local elections are SO important. From the governor and attorney general of Virginia to school boards and mayors and ballot propositions across the country, we have the opportunity to protect our neighbors next Tuesday.  And, as a bonus, we can kick off a blue wave that’ll take us through next year’s midterms.If you want to join Red Wine & Blue and Heather Cox Richardson for a virtual Love America Rally on Wednesday 10/29 at 7:30pm ET, you can learn more and RSVP here. For a transcript of this episode, please email comms@redwine.blue. You can learn more about us at www.redwine.blue or follow us on social media! Instagram: @RedWineBlueUSA Facebook: @RedWineBlueUSA YouTube: @RedWineBlueUSA

This week on the pod, we were so excited to talk to Karen Walrond. She’s the author of books like The Lightmaker’s Manifesto, Radiant Rebellion, and In Defense of Dabbling. Her words about the importance of kindness, self-compassion, activism, and even anger were exactly what we needed to hear coming out of this past weekend of joyful protests. Our mission here is to help women make a difference in their communities without losing their shit, and the subtitle of The Lightmaker’s Manifesto is actually “How To Work For Change Without Losing Your Joy,” so clearly we had to get her on the show as soon as we could! In the interview, she emphasized the natural rhythm and cadence to activism. Anger can be a useful spark, but kindness and love are what keep the fire going. Rest and recreation (re-creation) aren’t optional — they’re necessary to keep getting up every day and fighting for our values. When our neighbors need to take a breath, we can speak up in their place. And when we need a moment to rest, we can trust that they’ll step in for us. “Activism” might sound overwhelming, but much like the No Kings rallies, it isn’t actually scary. It can be a beautiful intersection of self-care and community.As Karen says, “Joy comes from intention, self-compassion is a non-negotiable, and kindness is a power move.” We couldn’t agree more.For a transcript of this episode, please email comms@redwine.blue. You can learn more about us at www.redwine.blue or follow us on social media! Instagram: @RedWineBlueUSA Facebook: @RedWineBlueUSA YouTube: @RedWineBlueUSA

Katie Paris met Jennifer at the gym. It’s a gym of mostly women, where encouragement and high-fives are the norm and pull-ups are celebrated alongside wins for reproductive rights. But neither woman could have predicted that their gym friendship would lead to Jennifer co-creating a TroubleNation group called Hope In The Heights that now has more than 400 members! And still, Jennifer considers herself “humanitarian” rather than “political.” She says it’s just about doing the right thing so that we’re all able to live up to our potential.We can find friends — and fellow TroubleMakers — in every part of our lives. For many women, the gym is a place of community and strength. Jennifer says the women she’s met there, and in Hope in the Heights, have helped her work through the anger and grief over last year’s election. Now they’re getting together every month to fight extremism and bring hope back to Ohio.“You’re going to lose your shit,” Jennifer says. “And it’s okay! Feel the fear and do it anyway.”For a transcript of this episode, please email comms@redwine.blue. You can learn more about us at www.redwine.blue or follow us on social media! Instagram: @RedWineBlueUSA Facebook: @RedWineBlueUSA YouTube: @RedWineBlueUSA

Stacey Abrams, a political leader and voting-rights advocate, shares insights from her journey in civic engagement. She discusses her 10 Steps to Freedom and Power, emphasizing community building and personal relationships as vital for creating change. Stacey maps out tactics against authoritarianism while highlighting the significance of local elections in shaping our lives. Her vision for victory focuses on demanding full humanity and practical solutions, leaving listeners inspired to ask, 'How can I help?'

Heather Cox Richardson, a historian and insightful Substack writer, joins to explore how political engagement can serve as a form of self-care. She discusses the mental benefits of staying informed, highlighting how community connections help reduce anxiety. Heather emphasizes active civic participation over passive news consumption, arguing it revitalizes personal well-being. The conversation touches on grassroots movements' power, the importance of local elections, and how small actions can significantly boost morale in activism.

Let’s be honest: this year has been a bit of a dumpster fire. Here at Red Wine & Blue, we’ve been hearing women in our community say they’re not sure how to make a difference — at least, not without totally losing their shit.So we decided to tackle that question head-on with a brand-new podcast. It’s simply called How To Not Lose Your Sh!t and it’s hosted by our very own Katie Paris and LaFonda Cousin.Katie, our founder, has worked in political organizing for most of her career. LaFonda, our Chief People Officer, is a wellness expert and yoga teacher on a mission to reimagine self-care. Every week, they’ll talk to experts and everyday women who are getting involved, building community, and feeling better in the process.You can listen to our first episode with special guest Heather Cox Richardson on October 1st, with new episodes every Wednesday after that. If you’re already subscribed to the Red Wine & Blue podcast in your podcast player, you’ll automatically see new episodes each week here in your feed.There are a lot of political podcasts out there already, and a lot of mental health and self-care shows too. What we want to do is reject that binary and explore how getting involved can actually be a form of not only caring for your community, but also yourself. We can’t wait for you to join us on a journey through self-care, politics, community, and tackling this difficult moment… together.For a transcript of this episode, please email comms@redwine.blue. You can learn more about us at www.redwine.blue or follow us on social media! Instagram: @RedWineBlueUSA Facebook: @RedWineBlueUSA YouTube: @RedWineBlueUSA

Ever since last year’s election, suburban women have had more questions than answers. How are we supposed to deal with the firehose of information that’s coming at us all the time? Can we believe what we read in the news or on social media? And, most important of all, why is all of this happening?That’s why we made “Okay, But Why.” Because these days, good information can be hard to find. And no matter what anyone says, facts are not political. If Americans all had access to the same information, we’d probably agree on a lot more than we think. These resources aren’t going anywhere – you can still scroll back in your podcast feed to listen to old episodes, watch them on YouTube, or read about them on our website. You can send an episode to a friend and use it as a starting point for a meaningful conversation.Now that we all have a little better handle on why the news is so crazy, there’s another pressing question to answer: how can we make a difference without losing our shit? So in that spirit, we’re launching a brand-new pod that’s simply called “How To Not Lose Your Sh!t.” It’ll be hosted by Katie Paris, the founder of Red Wine & Blue, along with LaFonda Cousin, our Chief People Officer, yoga teacher, and wellness expert.Because let’s be honest, we’re all kind of losing our shit right now. But there are ways to feel better — and ways to make the world a better place — and it all starts with community.The trailer for our new pod will drop tomorrow and the first episode (with special guest Heather Cox Richardson) will come out on Wednesday, October 1st. If you’re already subscribed to the Red Wine & Blue podcast, you don’t need to do anything! New episodes will already be in your podcast player every Wednesday. And if you’re not already subscribed, you can find us by searching for “How To Not Lose Your Sh!t” in your podcast feed.We can’t wait to figure out how we can all make a difference without losing our shit… together.For a transcript of this episode, please email comms@redwine.blue. You can learn more about us at www.redwine.blue or follow us on social media! Instagram: @RedWineBlueUSA Facebook: @RedWineBlueUSA YouTube: @RedWineBlueUSA

Americans don’t talk about state attorney generals very much. Technically it’s “attorneys general”—like “sisters-in-law” instead of “sister-in-laws”—but don’t get hung up on the wording. It’s what AGs actually do that matters so much.A state attorney general is basically the top legal expert in their state; they’re also known as The People’s Lawyers because they fight for us, their constituents, against bad actors who don’t have our best interests in mind. That can mean prosecuting companies that are polluting waterways or landlords who are illegally raising rent prices or banks that are selling people’s private data. Sometimes state AGs band together on lawsuits, like a recent case against Purdue Pharma for aggressively pushing medications like OxyContin and contributing to the opioid crisis we’re facing in this country.Unfortunately, we also have a lot of examples of the harm that a corrupt or extremist attorney general can do. (Ken Paxton, for example) But the good news is, we the people have the power to elect them. In all but seven states (AK, HI, NH, NJ, WY, TN, & ME), voters choose their AG at the ballot box. Most attorneys general are up for election in 2026 or 2028, and in one pivotal state, Virginia, voters will get to elect a new attorney general in just a couple of months.This November, Jay Jones—a lawyer and former member of the Virginia House of Delegates—will square off against the current Virginia Attorney General, Jason Miyares. Miyares is a Republican and a supporter of Donald Trump, campaigning for him and supporting his policies.If you live in Virginia, be sure you come to the polls in November prepared to vote for attorney general. And if you don’t live in Virginia, chances are you’ll have the chance to vote for your own AG very soon! It’s not just about rejecting extremism. It’s about choosing a “People’s Lawyer” who actually works for the people.For a transcript of this episode, please email comms@redwine.blue. You can learn more about us at www.redwine.blue or follow us on social media! Instagram: @RedWineBlueUSA Facebook: @RedWineBlueUSA YouTube: @RedWineBlueUSA

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the Secretary of Health and Human Services, recently announced that he’d be “revealing” the “cause of autism” this month. It’s true that rates of diagnosis have gone up over the past 20 years — from 1 in 150 kids to 1 in 31 — but autism advocates are worried that Kennedy’s mission will do more harm than good. In the past, RFK Jr. has spread disinformation about vaccines, including exhaustively disproven links to autism. (Seriously, we’re talking thousands of studies on millions of patients. Vaccines do not cause autism!) Now the Wall Street Journal has reported that his new theory is about the use of Tylenol in pregnancy. But just last year, the Journal of the American Medical Association published a huge study proving that Tylenol isn’t linked to autism or ADHD.Most doctors believe that autism is caused by genetics, and kids with a sibling or parent who’s autistic are more likely to be diagnosed themselves. A study published in 2019 estimated the heritability of autism at about 80%, about the same as the heritability of height. So then… what’s causing the spike in autism? The answer is simple: we’re getting better at diagnosing it.Doctors have especially made strides in diagnosing women and girls. Autistic girls often struggle more internally than externally and their response may look like shyness, which our society finds more acceptable in girls than in boys. Across all genders and ages, no two people with autism are exactly the same. If RFK Jr. actually talked to anyone with autism, he might realize that he’s pushing stereotypes and disinformation.And on top of all that, RFK Jr. and Trump have actually cut more than 50 federal research projects on autism, firing scientists who have been working on this for years. If they really wanted to help people with autism, why would they cut that funding?In this week’s episode of Okay, But Why, we’re exploring what we do and don’t know about autism, busting myths and disinformation, and hearing from actual autistic people in their own words.For a transcript of this episode, please email comms@redwine.blue. You can learn more about us at www.redwine.blue or follow us on social media! Instagram: @RedWineBlueUSA Facebook: @RedWineBlueUSA YouTube: @RedWineBlueUSA

When people think of romance novels, the first thing that comes to mind is shirtless Dukes with windswept hair on the covers of mass-market paperbacks. The damsel in distress main character who is waiting for a love interest to come and save her from the clutches of evil. They’re a thing for girls. It isn’t ‘real’ reading, because they are stories typically written by women, for women, and starring women. But what if we told you that romance books, even the most quote-unquote “raunchy” of the genre, are deeply political?Who gets to be the hero or the heroine matters. Romance, as a genre, has seen major shifts in recent years, evolving from stories focused on white, heterosexual protagonists to a more diverse range of characters, lives, and themes. LGBTQ+ characters and relationships have entire shelves dedicated to them in bookstores. Black female characters now receive the same fairytale endings that they’ve always deserved. By centering these stories, romance novels assert that marginalized voices belong at the center of the narrative, not just the margins. And that’s more important than ever as Trump and his allies work to silence these voices. So the next time you hear someone make fun of romance novels, just know that they have no idea what they’re talking about. They likely view the genre as frivolous or even intellectually inferior, but this opinion completely misses the critical political commentary and diverse storytelling that define the books that so many of us love. For a transcript of this episode, please email comms@redwine.blue. You can learn more about us at www.redwine.blue or follow us on social media! Instagram: @RedWineBlueUSA Facebook: @RedWineBlueUSA YouTube: @RedWineBlueUSA