What if discomfort was the doorway to alignment? In this October check-in, Denise and Jackie explore what it means to find peace in the messy middle—when the excitement of new beginnings wears off, and the real work begins.

Key Times:

00:01:36 Processing political anxiety ("weird fascist takeover") 

00:02:51 How to maintain agency and not live in fear

00:08:07 Discussing recent alarming news and media propaganda

00:09:21 Finding reliable news sources (Heather Cox Richardson) 

00:11:05 A workshop on distinguishing "Facts vs. Story" 

00:13:03 Jackie's perspective from her policy class 

00:14:32 Discussing marginalization and political unrest 

00:17:53 Jackie's "meltdown" and coping with grad school stress

00:21:09 Denise on "Joy is also resistance" 

00:22:35 Balancing heavy topics (Timothy Snyder) with light reading

00:25:44 The importance of being present in the moment 

00:31:47 The "unloaded the dishwasher" example of fact vs. story 

00:40:34 Denise on Step 9 and helping others as a tool 

00:45:23 Returning to the Serenity Prayer 

00:46:37 Jackie's social work ethics: Dignity and Self-Determination 

00:47:47 Announcement for Sunday Zoom meetings 

00:49:57 Closing 5-4-3-2-1 gratitude practice

Show Notes/Episode Summary:

In this timely episode, mother-daughter duo Denise and Jackie process their raw frustration and anxiety regarding the current political climate. The conversation kicks off by acknowledging the difficulty of maintaining a sense of personal agency and not being consumed by fear in the face of what Denise calls a "weird fascist takeover." They explore the unsettling normalization of crisis and the challenge of everyday life continuing amidst the chaos.

The pair discusses their different coping mechanisms. Denise balances checking out with escapism (like seeing the Downton Abbey movie) with staying informed. This leads to a major theme: the difficulty of finding truth in a consolidated media landscape filled with propaganda. They praise the value of reliable, non-alarmist sources like historian Heather Cox Richardson.

A workshop Denise attended on "Facts vs. Story" becomes a central anchor for the conversation. They explore how personal narratives (the "story") can spiral out of control from a single neutral event (the "fact"), using a powerful example of someone unloading a dishwasher. Jackie connects this concept to her grad school studies in policy and social work, noting that different political factions are "not using the same manual" and are actively trying to shift collective reality.

Both mother and daughter explore actionable ways to cope. Jackie shares insights from her classes, her personal "meltdown" from the pressure of school, and her grounding mantra, "The universal mother is taking care of me." She plans to volunteer at a food rescue and as a poll worker to regain a sense of agency. Denise speaks about finding "joy as resistance," balancing heavy reading (Timothy Snyder) with light-hearted fun (Taylor Jenkins Reid), and using the Serenity Prayer to find acceptance.

The episode concludes with an open invitation to their weekly Sunday Zoom meeting and their grounding 5-4-3-2-1 gratitude practice.

Topics Covered:

• Coping with political anxiety and fear
• The challenge of media consolidation and propaganda
• Distinguishing between "fact" and "story" in personal life and the news
• Finding and trusting reliable information sources (Heather Cox Richardson)
• Joy as an act of resistance
• Balancing political engagement with self-preservation
• Jackie's experience in grad school (social work and policy)
• The "Universal Mother" as a grounding mantra
• Using the Serenity Prayer as a tool for acceptance
• Volunteering (food rescue, poll worker) as a way to regain agency
• Social work ethics: self-determination and dignity of the person
• The closing 5-4-3-2-1 gratitude exercise

Join our upcoming meetings: https://forms.gle/4VxnNUnev1RoRJMCA (Zoom meeting on Sunday at 10am PST, the meeting is password-protected so please fill out the form to receive the link and password!)

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