How To Not Lose Your Sh!t

Mother’s Day may have been last week, but we’re celebrating moms all throughout May in what we call our “month of moms.” And unlike NFL kicker Harrison Butker said at his recent commencement speech, we know women deserve options: to work, to not work, to have kids, to not have kids, and most of all to make those choices for ourselves. No politician – and certainly no football player – should tell American women when, how, or if we want to become moms.But there’s no denying that moms have a special kind of superpower, and this week we’re joined by three moms who prove that every day. Ronna, Diane, and Mandy are all organizers with Red Wine & Blue, and each has been inspired by her kids to go out and change the world. Diane tells us about her publishing company Taylor Made, which she started when she found it difficult to find children’s books with Black characters; Mandy explains how saying “yes” to one school meeting led to years of involvement in her local school system; and Ronna shares how both her transgender child and the son she lost in infancy have inspired her to meaningful activism. As Mandy says, when extremists attack our children, they find out quickly that they’ve messed with the wrong moms!Finally, Amanda, Rachel and Jasmine raise a glass to summer fun, kids growing up, and new challenges in this week's Toast to Joy.If you want to celebrate the Month of Moms, Red Wine & Blue has you covered! You can check out our brand-new shirts, mugs, totes, and stickers, and there are still a few Toast to Joy champagne flutes available too.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: @RedWineBlueUSAFacebook: @RedWineBlueUSAYouTube: @RedWineBlueUSA

This week, our hosts share stories about how they celebrated Mother's Day. But Republican Katie Britt had another idea about how we can celebrate Mother's Day - with a "mommy database" for the government to track who is pregnant. We'd rather have affordable childcare, universal pre-K, healthcare, or really anything other than giving extremists our reproductive data.Then we're joined by Benjamin Herold, the author of Disillusioned: Five Families and the Unraveling of America's Suburbs. Benjamin shares with us how his hometown of Penn Hills PA inspired him to write a book about how the suburbs are changing. He examines five suburban families throughout the country, including one in Jasmine's home of Gwinnett County, so we have so much to talk about! Rachel says Disillusioned is in her top 5 books of 2024 and we think you'll love it too.Finally, Rachel, Amanda, and Jasmine raise a glass to voting and thoughtful kids on Mother's Day.If you want to make a local impact on your community and connect with badass women in your area who can get stuff done, then Red Wine & Blue's program TroubleNation is exactly what you're looking for! We give you the tools, trainings, and techniques you need to lead the charge in your local community.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: @RedWineBlueUSAFacebook: @RedWineBlueUSAYouTube: @RedWineBlueUSA

This week we're excited to be joined by the one and only Jen Psaki! Jen isn’t just a former White House Press Secretary, she’s also the host of Inside With Jen Psaki and the author of a new book called Say More: Lessons from Work, the White House, and the World. Jen sat down with Rachel and Jasmine last month to talk about what it was like to work in the White House under Presidents Obama and Biden, how suburban women will affect this year's election, and how there simply aren't two sides to democracy. She also shares the best advice she's ever gotten and her favorite character on The West Wing!Whether we're talking about the fall of Roe, Trump's authoritarian comments in TIME Magazine, or Republicans in Congress voting against cancer research so they don't give Biden a "win," we have to remember the stakes of this year's election. Things may feel difficult and divisive right now, but there's one crucial thing that unites us: democracy. If you’re looking for the perfect Mother’s Day gift for your mom (or any awesome woman in your life), Red Wine & Blue has you covered! You can check out our brand-new shirts, mugs, totes, and stickers, and there are still a few Toast to Joy champagne flutes available too. Or you can donate to the Arizona Freedom Trust in honor of a mom in your life.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: @RedWineBlueUSAFacebook: @RedWineBlueUSAYouTube: @RedWineBlueUSA

Amanda’s back this week and we’re so happy to have the gang all back together again. We’re less happy about the news… from Republican governor Kristi Noem killing her family’s puppy to the Supreme Court debating whether hospitals are obligated to save pregnant women’s lives, it’s been a rough week. But it’s not all doom and gloom, because after that, Jasmine shares an inspirational conversation with Jotaka Eaddy. Jotaka is the founder of the movement Win With Black Women, an intergenerational group of Black women leaders. She’s also one of the few Black women to be in a C-suite role in Silicon Valley. Jotaka and Jasmine chat about imposter syndrome and why it’s important not to count ourselves out of opportunities, as well as the importance of having Black women leaders in every industry. And bonus, Jotaka passes along some wisdom from her friend Oprah!Finally, Amanda, Rachel and Jasmine raise a glass to our beloved family dogs, Akron Ohio, and voting in every election in this week's Toast to Joy.If you’re looking for the perfect Mother’s Day gift for your mom (or any awesome woman in your life), Red Wine & Blue has you covered! You can check out our brand-new shirts, mugs, totes, and stickers, and there are still a few Toast to Joy champagne flutes available too. Or you can donate to the Arizona Freedom Trust in honor of a mom in your life.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: @RedWineBlueUSAFacebook: @RedWineBlueUSAYouTube: @RedWineBlueUSA

This week, we’re talking about repro. Again. Because somehow politicians and pundits still don’t understand that it’s not just about abortion – although abortion rights are critical. It’s also about birth control, IVF, and all of the other potentially life-saving procedures that are on the chopping block this year. Some of us may have been surprised when Roe v Wade was overturned but we refuse to be surprised again. We can’t stop talking to everyone we know about it in this pivotal election year.Then we’re joined by Asha Dahya, a storyteller, TEDx speaker, and producer of a new documentary about later abortion called Someone You Know. Asha shares what she learned about later abortions while working on the film, including the outsized effect that Catholic hospitals have on the availability of reproductive care in this country. As a former conservative evangelical, Asha has been on a journey and she's a great example of the power of personal stories to change minds.Finally, Rachel and Jasmine raise a glass to the Ukraine aid bill passing and to being chosen as a Biden delegate in this week's Toast to Joy.If you want to learn more about Project 2025 and what you can do, we encourage you to check out our explainer page here.And don’t forget to sign up for our Substack newsletter! It’s free and we’d love to hear from you in the comments.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: @RedWineBlueUSAFacebook: @RedWineBlueUSAYouTube: @RedWineBlueUSA

*Content warning: pregnancy loss*The Suburban Women Problem is back! We've missed catching up about the news and sharing our conversations with amazing guests, so we're so excited to be back with you for Season 5.This week, Red Wine & Blue Founder Katie Paris is filling in for Amanda Weinstein. Katie, Jasmine and Rachel chat about all the news from the past 6 weeks, including some truly disheartening abortion bans in Arizona and Florida, and what Red Wine & Blue is doing to help. It's all about having those personal conversations with your friends, family, neighbors, and yes, hairdressers too.Then Rachel sits down for a deep and heartfelt conversation with Amanda Zurawski. Amanda nearly died when her home state of Texas didn't allow her to get the reproductive healthcare she needed, and now she's the lead plaintiff in a court case against the state of Texas.Finally, Katie, Rachel, and Jasmine raise a glass to campaign volunteers, team sports, and the new Pitbull/Dolly Parton collab in this week's Toast to Joy.Have you heard about Project 2025? It’s the far-right extremists’ vision for America that Donald Trump will implement if he wins a second presidential term. If you want to learn more about Project 2025 so you can spread the word, we invite you to join a virtual event on Thursday, April 18th hosted by the African American Policy Forum. 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: @RedWineBlueUSAFacebook: @RedWineBlueUSAYouTube: @RedWineBlueUSA

Last month, Heather Cox Richardson appeared live at the City Club of Cleveland to speak about her new book, Democracy Awakening: Notes on the State of America. With her was Katie Paris, the founder of Red Wine & Blue. As Heather reminds us, the past doesn't repeat itself; it rhymes. To understand today's political landscape, we must understand how we got here. This fascinating live chat between Heather and Katie explores the state of our democracy, how we got here, and what we do next.The Suburban Women Problem will be back with regular episodes starting on Wednesday, April 17!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: @RedWineBlueUSAFacebook: @RedWineBlueUSAYouTube: @RedWineBlueUSA

As Season 2 of The Cost of Extremism draws to a close, we're excited to bring you a final bonus episode. Today, we're joined by @JoJoFromJerz for an in-depth conversation about three stories that are particularly relevant today.First, we have author Seyward Darby from episode 5, The Crunchy Mom to Alt-Right Pipeline. During our interview about white women’s role in the alt-right supremacy movement, Seyward discussed the historical portrayal of white women as martyrs. From literature to popular media, the image of the sacrificial white woman has been perpetuated through countless depictions, all in an attempt to recruit more followers into their white supremacy organizations.Then we have Cherisse Scott, the founder and CEO of Sister Reach, a non-profit that supports the reproductive autonomy of their community through the framework of Reproductive Justice. In episode 1, Crisis Pregnancy Centers: An Anti-Abortion Healthcare Crisis, Cherisse highlighted the different ways Sister Reach has worked to meet people where they are in their advocacy work. Finally, we have Nic Stone from episode 2, The Growing Movement to Ban Books. As the New York Times Bestselling author of Dear Martin and other young adult books, Nic theorizes that the push to limit access to specific books originates from a fundamental lack of appreciation for reading among those advocating for bans.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: @RedWineBlueUSAFacebook: @RedWineBlueUSAYouTube: @RedWineBlueUSA

Crunchy moms and trad wife online content may seem innocent, but when you take a closer look, you start to see evidence of white-power ideology and conservative radicalization. So what happens when you go so far left that you end up alt-right?In this episode of The Cost of Extremism, we’ll take a deep dive into the crunchy mom to alt-right pipeline, its ties to extremism, and the role social media plays in the radicalization of women.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: @RedWineBlueUSAFacebook: @RedWineBlueUSAYouTube: @RedWineBlueUSA

On college campuses across the country, Turning Point USA is radicalizing a new generation of conservative extremists in an attempt to mobilize young Republican voters and build an alt-right movement backed by billionaire donors and political insiders. These alt-right extremists are wrapped in a neat package, presented as polished frat boys wearing chinos and boat shoes, making them digestible for a wider audience and more dangerous than ever.In this episode of The Cost of Extremism, we’ll examine why this radicalization occurs, the impact Turning Point USA has on American politics, and how we can end this movement before it’s too late.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: @RedWineBlueUSAFacebook: @RedWineBlueUSAYouTube: @RedWineBlueUSA