Lean Out with Tara Henley

On the Lean Out podcast, we’ve been diving into pandemic school closures — and trying to get to the bottom of why there was so little debate over this.Tara's guest on the podcast today has some insights to share. She’s a mother of four and an open schools advocate, and she’s been outspoken on the issue from the very start.Jennifer Sey is an American author, former gymnast, filmmaker, and business executive. Her new book is called Levi’s Unbuttoned — The Woke Mob Took My Job But Gave Me My Voice.You can find Tara Henley on Twitter at @TaraRHenley, and on Substack at tarahenley.substack.com

When schools were closed at the beginning of the pandemic, we did not have a robust public debate. The issue, unfortunately, was politicized — and it has only been recently, with the data now emerging, that a mainstream conversation has been possible.Back in 2020, Tara's guest on the podcast today warned what school closures could mean for children, and particularly for the most vulnerable kids.Anya Kamenetz is a former education reporter for NPR. Her new book is The Stolen Year: How Covid Changed Children’s Lives, And Where We Go Now. You can find Tara Henley on Twitter at @TaraRHenley, and on Substack at tarahenley.substack.com

The Lean Out podcast has just celebrated its 50th episode. So, today, for episode 51, we have a special Canada-themed show for you. We’re going to be hearing from a much-respected Canadian broadcaster who’s written a riveting biography about a much-discussed Canadian politician, former Prime Minister John Turner, Canada’s version of JFK.As we take a trip back in time — hearing about John Turner’s role in the invocation of the War Measures Act, and his liaisons with Princess Margaret and Marilyn Monroe — my guest on the podcast today will reflect on how things have changed between Turner’s time and our own, in both media and in politics. We’ll hear why we need a civil culture of debate in this country, now more than ever — and where Canadian politics goes from here, with the faceoff between Pierre Poilievre and Justin Trudeau. Steve Paikin is a Canadian journalist and the host of TVO’s flagship current affairs program, The Agenda with Steve Paikin. He’s also the author of John Turner: An Intimate Biography of Canada’s 17th Prime Minister. That book is out later this month.You can find Tara Henley on Twitter at @TaraRHenley, and on Substack at tarahenley.substack.com

It’s hard to believe that it has been five years since #MeToo. The culture has moved on many times since then. But it’s worth returning to the movement, to take stock of what it did, and did not, accomplish — and how it’s influenced the moment we now find ourselves in.Tara's guest on the podcast today does just this in a new piece for The Spectator, “So much for #MeToo.” Phoebe Maltz Bovy is a Toronto writer, editor, and contributing columnist at The Globe and Mail. She’s also co-host of the Feminine Chaos podcast, and the author of The Perils of “Privilege”: Why Injustice Can’t Be Solved by Accusing Others of Advantage.You can find Tara Henley on Twitter at @TaraRHenley, and on Substack at tarahenley.substack.com

Washington is known to be a city of secrets. And, for many decades, one of the most dangerous secrets was that of homosexuality. Its spectre haunted the halls of power, and the true stories are only now coming to light.Tara's guest on today’s podcast has written a sweeping history of gay involvement in government. And he has much to say about the past’s lessons for the present moment — for free speech, for open debate, and for a free press.James Kirchick is an American journalist and a columnist at Tablet magazine. He’s also the author of the New York Times bestseller, Secret City: The Hidden History of Gay Washington.You can find Tara Henley on Twitter at @TaraRHenley, and on Substack at tarahenley.substack.com

The American journalist H. L. Mencken once said that “puritanism is the haunting fear that someone, somewhere may be happy.” This comment resonates now more than ever, with the emergence of a new sanctimonious, humourless movement that targets all of the things that make life most worth living, from sports and comedy to art and food and special occasions.Tara's guest on the podcast today argues that history will likely not remember these “woke” zealots well — and that, at the heart of their movement, there is a deep distrust of humanity.Noah Rothman is the associate editor of Commentary Magazine. He’s also the author of The Rise of the New Puritans: Fighting Back Against Progressives’ War on Fun.You can find Tara Henley on Twitter at @TaraRHenley, and on Substack at tarahenley.substack.com

We talk a lot on this podcast about the ascendent woke ideology. But there is not yet anything like consensus on what this political movement actually is, what values define it — and who advances its agenda. Tara's guest on the podcast today has tackled these questions in a new book. She argues that woke ideology is an elite phenomenon. That it has breathed new life into old prejudices like sexism, racism, and homophobia. And that elites are unaware how unpopular these ideas are with the public.Joanna Williams is founder of the Cieo independent think tank and a columnist at Spiked. She’s also the author of How Woke Won: The Elitist Movement that Threatens Democracy, Tolerance and Reason.You can find Tara Henley on Twitter at @TaraRHenley, and on Substack at tarahenley.substack.com

One of the big debates in journalism right now is over the role of objectivity. Is this an ideal worth upholding — or should we be moving on to other models, like the “moral clarity” ideal recently proposed in the New York Times?This debate resurfaced last week at a panel discussion hosted by the Columbia Journalism School, “The Objectivity Wars.” Tara's guest on the program today was on that panel.David Greenberg is a professor of history and of journalism and media studies at Rutgers University. He’s also a columnist at Politico. He recently published a longform piece titled “The War on Objectivity in American Journalism” in the Liberties journal.You can find Tara Henley on Twitter at @TaraRHenley, and on Substack at tarahenley.substack.com

Advocates against pandemic school closures have been ringing the alarm for some time. They were all but ignored two years ago. But the tide is now starting to turn, with mainstream media outlets reporting on the impacts of these closures on children.Tara's guest today has been speaking out about these policies since 2020. And he recently published a powerful paper arguing that extended school closures were, in fact, a moral catastrophe — and one that we must ensure never happens again.Shamik Dasgupta is an associate professor of philosophy at the University of California, Berkeley.You can find Tara Henley on Twitter at @TaraRHenley, and on Substack at tarahenley.substack.com

With school back in session for the year, it’s a good time to take a look at the lessons that we’re passing on to the next generation of children. Are we giving them the tools that they need to succeed in life? Tara's guest on the program today thinks there’s room for improvement. And his new book takes aim at the “blame the system” and “blame the victim” cultural narratives that he believes impede kids’ ability to recognize, and harness, their own agency. Ian Rowe is an educator and entrepreneur, and the founder of Vertex Partnership Academies. He’s a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, and a visiting fellow at the Woodson Center. He’s also on the board of advisors for the Foundation Against Intolerance and Racism. His new book is Agency.You can find Tara Henley on Twitter at @TaraRHenley, and on Substack at tarahenley.substack.com