How To Not Lose Your Sh!t

Emotions are running high this week. But while things remain disheartening on the national stage, we’re still celebrating wins on the state and local level. In Virginia, for instance, Democrats just won their special elections for the State Assembly. Not only that, but they won by even bigger margins than expected. And in Ohio, Amanda’s husband Casey has been working hard on a law that helps kids access hearing aids. Last week, the bill was finally signed into law.These are the kinds of stories that get missed in the 24/7 coverage of the Latest Terrible Thing That Trump Said. Progress is still happening. We just need to look closer to home.This week, we’re joined by A’shanti Gholar, the president of Emerge, an organization that recruits and trains Democratic women to run for office. She’s surprisingly upbeat and hopeful — or maybe it shouldn’t be so surprising. Despite our painful losses on the national level, Emerge had 570 candidates on the ballot last year with close to a 70% win rate. That’s so many amazing women who are now in office, working to improve their communities.Whether you want to watch next week’s inauguration or not, just like whether you want to keep consuming national political news, is completely up to you. We need to take care of ourselves and our mental health if we want to keep showing up for our families and communities over the next four years. Just know that there are over 520,000 elected offices in this country and change is possible at all levels. The power of the “new girls network” is only growing.Speaking of the inauguration and emotions running high, nobody keeps us calm like Heather Cox Richardson. She’ll be joining us for a live virtual event on Inauguration Eve to help put things into perspective and remind us that small groups of people can change history. You can click here to learn more and RSVP for that event, and if you can’t make it live, you can hear Heather in the next episode of The Suburban Women Problem.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

We're back from our holiday break and things are… weird. Right? It’s weird and scary to be here again, with Trump about to step into the office of President. It’s like some terrible episode of The Twilight Zone.If we’re going to get through the next four years, we need to take care of ourselves, plug into our local communities and above all, find ways to stay resilient. And luckily, this week we’re joined by Minnesota Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan, a suburban mom whose resilience we can all look up to.Her father was an Ojibwe activist, and if anyone knows how to keep fighting in the face of overwhelming odds, it’s an indigenous elder. Lt. Gov. Flanagan shared his wisdom about not giving up our power in advance and remembering to find the joy in our lives. It’s ok to be afraid — how could we not be? — but if we take care of ourselves and drown out the political noise, there is still so much good work we can do.Even if she didn’t get to be the first Native American woman to serve as governor, Peggy Flanagan is certain that whoever that woman will be, she’s already on her way. There is plenty of light in the darkness if we just keep looking for it. We’re more resilient than we might think.If you're interested in joining Red Wine & Blue's "Banned Book Club," next week we're reading Timothy Snyder's "On Tyranny." 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

It’s our last podcast episode of the year, so today we wanted to leave you with a broader view of community and our shared humanity. We talked to Dr. Nichole Argo, a social psychologist and the author of The Belonging Barometer: The State of Belonging in America. She’s also the host of a new podcast called Reimagining Us.But before Rachel’s chat with Dr. Nichole, she and Jasmine did cover some of the more unsettling news of the week - like the threat of RFK Jr. revoking the polio vaccine (really, polio??), TIME choosing Trump as their “person of the year,” and ABC settling their defamation lawsuit with Trump for 15 million dollars.We’re all worried about what will happen over the next four years, and with good reason. But the first rule of resisting authoritarianism, as seen in Timothy Snyder’s On Tyranny, is “don’t obey in advance.” We’re disheartened by the preemptive obedience we’re seeing (we’re looking at you, ABC) and you can rest assured that here at Red Wine & Blue, we’re doing no such thing.Resistance, however, doesn’t mean widening the divisions between ourselves and our fellow Americans. It’s no secret that political polarization is worse than it’s been in a long time. Dr. Nichole says that in the past, we used to see disagreements as a positive thing - prompting introspection and innovation. Now, many Americans see any disagreement as evidence that their opponent is an evil villain who must be defeated. If we want that to change, we have to be a part of the solution too.It won’t be easy, and none of us will be able to manage it all the time. But Dr. Nichole reminded us that building bridges doesn’t mean obeying in advance. We can stand firm on our values and try to reconnect with our neighbors’ humanity.It’s a real tightrope walk, but we can’t think of anyone more equipped to pull it off than suburban women.If you want to support Red Wine & Blue as we build community and stand up against extremism in 2025, please donate here. Have a restful two weeks and we'll see you in January!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

There’s no denying that it’s a weird time right now. We’re in the “lame duck session” between an election and the start of a new term. We’re all nervous about the incoming administration, but there isn’t much we can do yet. If you feel like we’re about to head off a cliff but we can’t hit the brakes, you’re not alone.We’ve talked about Trump’s Cabinet picks during the past few episodes, but some of his nominees are so bad that they’re actually getting pushback from Republicans. Matt Gaetz withdrew as Attorney General nominee, and Pete Hegseth’s candidacy is being hotly debated by folks on both sides of the aisle. We know the reasons Hegseth shouldn’t be Secretary of Defense (harassment, misogyny, alcohol abuse) but what we can’t figure out is why he should lead the most powerful military in the world.But when they go low, we go local. There might not be much we can do right now about the impending Trump administration, but there’s a lot we can do in our own communities. This week we talked to Angela and Meghan, two friends who started a group called Blue Storm Action Pennsylvania. When they realized their book club was spending more time talking about politics than books, they decided to make it official and formed a local advocacy group that’s grown to include dozens of women.It’s hard not to be scared or furious about the next four years. But just like Angela and Meghan, you have more power than you think! Grab a few friends and see what you can accomplish together.The holidays are almost here, and with all of the chaos and stress of the election, finding the perfect gift for everyone in our life feels overwhelming. But this season, Red Wine & Blue is going all in on banned books! We’ve got something for every reader on your list, from toddlers to grandparents, and everyone in-between. You can check out our holiday gift guide 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

Welcome back from Thanksgiving week! On today’s episode of the podcast, we’re talking about all things education… the good (like our guest Diana Brown, who made history last month as the first Latina educator to win a school board race in her district) and the bad (like Trump selecting former WWE president Linda McMahon as his Secretary of Education.)But first, Amanda, Jasmine and Rachel catch up about their Thanksgivings and the news. We’ve seen the hand-wringing over Biden pardoning his son Hunter, with pundits claiming concern that Trump will take it as “permission” to act badly. To which we say, since when does Trump need permission? He has always been unapologetically bold, no matter how dangerous or authoritarian his actions are. We shouldn’t sink to their level or lose sight of our values, but maybe it’s time for us to be unapologetically bold too.The last four weeks have been hard and the next four years probably will be too. But that makes it even more important to celebrate victories like Diana’s and to be loud and proud about our values. There’s a lot we can do on the local level - especially when we work together.Speaking of working together, in the past 4 weeks we've seen that the women of Red Wine & Blue are capable of anything, because we’ve created an unbreakable bond with one another. We need to be as strong as possible going into 2025 so that we can keep standing up to extremism. If you're able, please donate 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

Thanksgiving is almost here, and we all know what that means… political debates with your MAGA relatives. If you’re already feeling the pressure, you’re not alone!Last week, Red Wine & Blue held a virtual event with experts like pod favorite Jess McIntosh and therapist Rebecca Freking. They shared practical tips on how to navigate tricky family discussions and keep things civil (or at least manageable). If you missed the event, we’re publishing it on today’s Suburban Women Problem podcast feed.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

It’s been two weeks since the election. Two… very long weeks. And if you’re anything like us, you’re still on an emotional rollercoaster, trying to make sense out of what happened.Today on the podcast, our hosts talk about some of the post-election narratives they’ve seen. Did the Democrats go “too woke”? Do women not care about reproductive rights anymore? From where we’re sitting, the answers are “no” and “no.” (Or honestly, “no” and “hell no.”)That’s not to say everything is fine. We’re still very worried and sad about the results. But it might be helpful to reframe the conversation around misinformation instead of values. If we can find a way to get our message through, next time things could be different.And as disappointed as we were about the top of the ticket, there were still so many state and local wins. Today we talked to a couple of awesome women in North Carolina: Tonya Martin, Red Wine & Blue’s deputy director in the state, and Kate Barr, a candidate for NC state Senate who ran in a district so gerrymandered her campaign website was www.katebarrcantwin.com. Tonya and Kate helped us understand why they celebrated so many state-level wins despite NC voting for Trump, and why gerrymandering is so bad for democracy.Between misinformation, gerrymandering, and outright cheating, the deck was stacked against Democrats. That doesn’t mean we give up - it means we fight harder, fairer, and more local.If you're worried about spending Thanksgiving with your MAGA relatives, Red Wine & Blue is here to help. Join us on Thursday 11/21 for a virtual event that's all about how to handle those holiday conversations.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

How are you doing? Are you okay? Are you staying connected to the other people in your life who share your values and are feeling the same way that you are right now?On today’s podcast, we're starting the process of picking up the pieces. We're taking care of ourselves, we're finding reasons to stay hopeful, and we are NOT getting trauma bangs!We were so grateful this week to be joined by Connie Schultz. Connie is a writer, journalism professor, and the wife of Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown. The last time she was on the pod, she said she was “built for happy” and her Substack is called Hopefully Yours… needless to say, her uplifting energy was exactly what we needed.And don’t misunderstand - she and Sherrod were disappointed and heartbroken by the results of last Tuesday, both in the presidential race and in Sherrod’s own. But she had so much wisdom to share about how she’s processing the election and the perspective of age. We’ve been through hard things before and found a way to keep moving forward, and we’ll do it again. It’s what we do.If you need a comforting voice or advice for how to talk to your kids or friends about what happened, we hope you’ll find a little help and hope in this episode.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

We're having a hard time today. You probably are too. But we wanted to get together and talk about it, give some reasons for hope, and just be present with each other. We were joined by political strategist Jess McIntosh, one of our favorite guests, to help us put things in perspective... and start figuring out where we go from 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

On Wednesday October 30th, Red Wine & Blue hosted a virtual event where we were joined by Minnesota Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan. She’s not just the highest ranking Indigenous woman to be elected in this country… if Kamala Harris and Tim Walz win, she’ll be the first Indigenous governor ever.Before being elected to statewide office in Minnesota, Lt. Gov. Flanagan was a community organizer who trained thousands of other organizers and candidates, including Governor Tim Walz himself — she coached the coach! Her comments were so inspiring, we wanted to share them with you all. You can also catch our video of the event on Red Wine & Blue’s YouTube channel.If you haven't already, you can sign up for Rally 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