#25: Mary MacCarthy, is a Los Angeles-based independent journalist who worked as an international television reporter and anchor for 15 years, for networks including PBS NewsHour, Rocky Mountain PBS, France 24, and many others. She's also a single mother to a 9-year-old diva. 

During this moment we are all living through, Mary is a journalist looking at how people are getting by during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mary has been following the COVID-19 pandemic very closely and was very much ahead of the curve when it comes to knowing what was going to happen in the United States. She is the most educated person I have spoken to personally about what’s happening. I have seen so much misinformation online. In this episode, I was able to ask Mary some questions that I’ve been really grappling with regarding the coronavirus, our response to it, and what we should do next. 

Obviously, neither one of us are medical experts or scientists, so please visit CDC.gov for the latest. We are simply concerned citizens, moms, humans of this planet who want to weed out some of the bullshit and misinformation going around and figure out what we can do moving forward. I hope and your family are doing okay as you’re listening to this. It’s gonna take time, but we will get through this. 

To connect with Mary, click HERE 

Mary is reporting on Stories from the Economic Frontlines of COVID-19 at www.HowAreYouGettingBy.com 

To connect with Leyla (host), click HERE 

Some of the topics we cover include:

• The mixed messaging we got from the US administration, media outlets, and even the World Health Organization and CDC. 
• Stories from the Economic Frontlines of COVID-19. Mary’s new project called “How are you getting by?” She is reporting on everyday Americans are doing in all of this. 
• How Mary was tracking COVID-19 before most of us knew it existed
• How to (or sadly not) get tested
• The mixed messaging on masks - yes, wear masks or face coverings people. 
• Why Americans have trouble respecting the stay at home order
• Some of the trends I see on Facebook about what people are saying (including herd immunity, just quarantining the elderly, and people downplaying this)
• Answering some questions we got on Instagram including prophecies and aliens!?
• Will life as we knew it before COVID-19 go back to how it was before?
• Homeschooling and being with your kid 24/7
• Some of the positives that have come from this! 
• How this is such a patriotic moment for Americans to come together, do their duty, and help each other out as best we can. 
• Some of the major negatives like overt racism and even violence against Asian Americans (and Asian people around the world). 

Please let me know what you thought by reaching out on Instagram or even leaving a rating or review! Thank you for your time :) Talk soon.

Love, Ley