Better Life Lab

Bruce Feiler, an eminent thinker on meaning, spirituality and contemporary life, shares what he’s learned about navigating life’s transitions with purpose and skill. His latest book is LIFE IS IN THE TRANSITIONS: Mastering Change at Any Age.

Host: Brigid Schulte, Director, Better Life Lab at New America

Guest: Bruce Feiler is the author of six consecutive New York Times bestsellers; the presenter of two prime-time series on PBS; and the inspiration for the drama COUNCIL OF DADS on NBC. Bruce’s two TED Talks have been viewed more than two million times. 

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On this edition of Crisis Conversations, we look at the arguments why the next Federal bailout package should focus on Black women and women of color.

Before the pandemic, even with historically low unemployment, Black women and women of color were more likely to be clustered in undervalued jobs that don’t pay well. Now, even though they are likely to be key breadwinners for their families, women of color are disproportionately likely to have lost their jobs in the pandemic. And because of gender and racial pay gaps and the deep wealth gap, women of color are less likely to have the resources to weather the current storm. How can we change that?

Host: Brigid Schulte, Director, Better Life Lab at New America

Guests:

Jocelyn Frye, Senior fellow at the Center for American Progress

Dominique Derbigny, Deputy Director of Closing the Women’s Wealth Gap (CWWG) initiative

Latrice Wilson, furloughed payroll supervisor and advocate for Unemployed Action

Dr. Michelle Holder, Assistant professor of Economics at John Jay College, City University of New York

Jaime Gloshay, Project Manager at Roanhorse Consulting (RCLLC), Co-founder of Native Women Lead

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Telemedicine – virtual appointments with doctors and health professionals – has become the only way many people can get the care they need during the pandemic. But some see unexpected advantages to the telemedicine surge. Now more people can see a doctor without taking time off work. Or struggling to arrange childcare. Or finding a way to evade a controlling life partner. Is it possible that telemedicine could even help to close health disparities across race, class and age, and improve gender equity?

Host: Brigid Schulte, Director, Better Life Lab at New America.

Guests:

Amanda Williams, Ob/gyn and Physician, and Maternity Director for Kaiser Permanente Oakland.

Lucy McBride, Primary Care physician who writes a daily newsletter on Covid & physical and mental health.

Minakshi Raj, Incoming Assistant Professor at the University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign, who researches family caregiving and health information technology.

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Before COVID-19 hit, women spent about twice as much time as men doing childcare and housework. That unequal gendered division of labor at home contributed to gender inequality in the workplace. — and to a persistent gender pay gap.

But is the pandemic now changing that dynamic? And if so, will those changes last?

Hosted by Brigid Schulte, Director, Better Life Lab at New America.

Guests include:

Dan Carlson, Assistant Professor of Family, Health and Policy at the University of Utah, and author of Men and Women agree: During the COVID-19 Pandemic, Men are Doing More at Home.

Glen “Beleaf” Henry, an artist and rapper who documents life as a black father on his YouTube Channel, beleafinfatherhood and his TEDx Talk: What I’ve learned being a stay at home Dad.

Dan Herman, a full-time dad in New York who prior to COVID-19 was a high-lying tech executive.

Haley Swenson, Better Life Lab deputy director and author of the report, “Engaged Dads.”

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As states lift shelter-in-place orders meant to slow the spread of coronavirus, some office-based firms are allowing remote work to continue. Some workplaces are staggering schedules, shutting off communal spaces, and limiting the number of people in an office — and in elevators. That's in contrast to the situation faced by many returning restaurant workers, hair stylists and other people who work “non-essential” jobs. These workers may be eager for work, but they also face uncertainty about safety. How is the pandemic reshaping the way we work, and what will it mean for the future?

Hosted by Brigid Schulte, Director, Better Life Lab at New America

Guests include:

Alex Soojung-Kim Pang, author of Shorter: Work Better, Smarter and Less – Here’s How, and Rest: Why You Get More Done When You Work Less.

Richard Gegick, restaurant worker and organizer.

Manar Morales, president & CEO • Diversity & Flexibility Alliance

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Since May 25, tumultuous protests have engulfed the country — touched off by the murder of George Floyd, another black man who died at the hands of a white police officer. And as protests have transfixed the nation, data continues to show the coronavirus pandemic also is disproportionately affecting communities of color, On this essential episode of Crisis Conversations, host Brigid Schulte asks: What needs to change to end our country's entrenched structural racism,? And how do we create a better, fairer America?

To take on these questions, Brigid is joined by:

Angela Hanks, Deputy Executive Director of the Groundwork Collaborative, and author of Structural Racism is Exacerbating the Coronavirus Pandemic for Black People - Especially Black Women

Autumn McDonald, Senior fellow and head of New America California. She has been hosting COVID and the Black Community online conversations

Dr. Nicole Mason, President and CEO of the Institute for Women’s Policy Research

Kemi Role, Director of Work Equity at the National Employment Law Project

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The United States stands virtually alone in the world in failing to guarantee paid maternity leave. When the COVID-19 crisis hit, Congress made history by quickly passing temporary emergency paid family leave – but severely limited who could get it. We’ll hear stories from the field about how the new law continues to create a gulf between the Haves and the Have Nots. 

Host:

Brigid Schulte, Director, Better Life Lab at New America

Guests include:

Ondrea Patrick, Aldi’s worker, mother and United4Respect Leader who needs but isn’t eligible for paid family leave

Rebecca Gale, Journalist and author of Emergency Paid Leave Helps Some Families, Leaves Others Adrift in the New York Times

Marissa Korbel, Lawyer and author of How leave provided by the coronavirus relief bill is saving my sanity while we shelter in place in the Washington Post

Tanya Goldman, Senior policy analyst & attorney at the Center for Law & Social Progress tracking emergency paid leave implementation

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The coronavirus pandemic has shown just how essential are the home health workers who care for our aging loved ones. Yet many of these care workers struggle with no benefits on the brink of poverty.

Except in Washington state.

We'll hear stories of how an innovative arrangement there could be a model for the rest of the country - now and after the pandemic.

Host: Brigid Schulte, Director, Better Life Lab at New America

Guests include: Brittany Williams, a home health worker in Seattle and member SEIU 775; Peter Nazzal,

Catholic Community Services of Western Washington director of Long Term Care: and Stephen Campbell,

Data and Policy analyst with PHI and author of We Can Do Better: How our Broken Long-term Care System Undermines Care

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The United States is one of just 11 countries around the world that don’t guarantee workers paid time off to stay home if they’re sick – one of the surest ways to slow the spread of infection. Jody Heymann, director of the World Policy Analysis Center at UCLA shares insights from a new report on paid sick leave policies around the world.

We’ll hear stories of the harrowing choices faced by essential workers in Texas — where paid sick leave is especially hard to come by. We'll hear from Joleen Garcia, an organizer with the Texas Organizing Project, and from Marilyn Washington, a home health worker in San Antonio.

And... we invite you to join us on Friday, May 22 at 1 pm Eastern time, for the live recording of our next Crisis Conversations episode. It'll be a 30-minute interactive conversation on elder care – a population hard hit by the virus. The pandemic has shown just how essential the home health workers are who care for our aging loved ones. Yet many of these care workers struggle with no benefits on the brink of poverty. Except in Washington state. We'll hear stories of how an innovative arrangement there could be a model for the rest of the country - now and after the pandemic.

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It's tough to be a single parent in the best of times. Now the coronavirus pandemic has made it even harder. One in five children in the United States live with a single mother, and 4 percent live with a single father. And while the number of children living with an unmarried parent has more than doubled since 1968, most work and care systems are still set up to support two-parent families. How are single-parent families managing the coronavirus pandemic? And what will they need to thrive once we’re out of the crisis?

Host Brigid Schulte — author of the New York Times Bestseller "Overwhelmed" and director of New America's Better Life Lab — is joined by guests including:

Nahsis Davis, nurse practitioner and single foster mother of three.

Alison Griffin, senior vice president for Whiteboard Advisors and a single mother of two.

Nicole Sussner Rodgers, founder and executive director, Family Story.

And ... we invite you to join us on Friday, May 15 at 1 pm Eastern time, for the live recording os a 30-minute interactive conversation on how the emergency paid sick leave law is working – or not. The United States is one of just 11 countries around the world that don’t guarantee workers paid time off to stay home if they’re sick – one of the surest ways to slow the spread of infection. Jody Heymann, director of the World Policy Analysis Center at UCLA shares a new report on paid sick leave policies around the world that shows how all workers can be covered. We’ll have stories from the field on why they should be. Here's the link to join:

https://newamerica.zoom.us/webinar/register/9715892325953/WN_IcNuQ93QQoKIv9GKV7hP5g

Host:

Brigid Schulte

Director, Better Life Lab at New America

Guest:

Jody Heymann

Founding Director, World Policy Analysis Center

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