How To Not Lose Your Sh!t

Heather's third stop on her live and in-person Red Wine & Blue tour was in Michigan. And what an event it was! We were joined by more than 800 women who came to see Heather and celebrate democracy.

We were also so lucky to be joined by MI state senator Mallory McMorrow! Our two favorite redheads and America's best historian answered questions about what's at stake in next week's midterms, how we can use these last few days to make a difference, and the power of women working together for change.

Next Monday, we'll share our final HCR live event. We have four days left until election day -- we can do this!

Are you worried about your vote counting in the midterms? It's understandable, with the shenanigans that the Trump administration has pulled in the past (and is already trying to pull right now in places like Alaska). But our guest this week reassured us that our votes are safe and there are procedures in place to ensure that everyone's ballots will count.

And who is this reassuring guest? Well, this is our last episode before the election, so we brought on some extra special. Jeremy Paris is a lawyer and voting rights expert... who just so happens to be Katie's husband. Jeremy reminded us that elections are not political. The *results* of elections are political, but the process itself is written into law. There are clear rules and tens of thousands of nonpartisan poll workers whose entire job is to enforce those rules.

Jeremy explained what we can do if we see something suspicious at our polling location and how we can help after the election is over, but the most important thing he emphasized is that we don't spread fear. The most effective way to "rig" an election is to demoralize or scare people into not voting in the first place. If enough people vote and we see a big enough blue wave, there will be nothing that Republicans can do.

So let's all make sure we're talking to everyone we know about voting. And if they're worried their vote won't matter, just tell them to listen to this episode!

We couldn't be more excited that Heather Cox Richardson is doing a Red Wine & Blue tour in the weeks before the midterms! Earlier this month, she joined us in Ohio and just a few days ago, she spoke with hundreds of RWB members in North Carolina.

Heather answered questions about whether Trump can rig the election, what we can do, why friend-to-friend organizing is so effective, and if she ever sleeps! Don't miss this injection of hope and history as we count down the days until November 3rd.

If you used to listen to our podcast The Suburban Women Problem, this week's guest needs no introduction. If this is your first time being introduced to the superwoman who is Rep. Dr. Jasmine Clark, we are so excited to introduce you to her.

Jasmine is a PhD microbiologist. She's a mom. She teaches nursing at Emory University. She's been elected to the Georgia State House of Representatives four times. And now... she's running for US Congress!

It was so fun to catch up with Jasmine and hear all about how her kids are doing, how her Congressional race is going, and what we all need to know going into November's midterms. She also shared wisdom about what it's like running for these high-level offices as a Black woman, how she takes care of herself while doing so many amazing things, and what good she (and other Democrats) can do in Congress over the next 2 years, even with Trump in the White House.

We have a little less than two weeks to bring this election home. Make sure you're talking to everyone you know about voting!

Stephanie and Paula lead a Network group called Make Good Trouble Reno with more than 500 members on their mailing list! They hold monthly meetings to talk about local and state politics with progressives, people who are nonpartisan, and even former Republicans. Next week, they're hosting a "Ballots and Beverages" party to make sure everyone has the information they need to vote in the midterms.

But Stephanie and Paula didn't start out as rockstar group leaders. They started, like so many of us, by simply wanting to do something. Stephanie went to meet her local city council member, who gave her some simple but powerful advice: just show up.

When Stephanie started Make Good Trouble Reno, it was just her and her husband leading the group. She soon met Paula in the Zoom chat of a Red Wine & Blue webinar (the perfect friendship origin story, no notes) and now the two of them aren't just co-leaders. They're friends who inspire, comfort, and encourage one another.

With only 3 weeks left until the midterms, it's time to follow Stephanie and Paula's example. Make sure everyone you know is voting (early if possible). You can even throw a ballot party like Make Good Trouble Reno. It all starts by just showing up.

When Liuba Grechen Shirley ran for Congress in 2018, she realized how hard it was to run a campaign at the same time as parenting young kids. She didn't just sit back and accept that was how the world works -- she vowed to change it. Liuba became the first person in America to use campaign funds for childcare, but she didn't stop there. She went on to found Vote Mama, an organization dedicated to helping moms build political power.

It's not just a matter of fairness. It's how we get good policy. When only rich white men are in power, they make laws that benefit other rich white men. It doesn't even have to be malicious -- it's the nature of legislating based on your own experience. But with more moms in office, we can get better policies that support families, like paid parental leave and better healthcare for everyone.

In this episode, Liuba, Katie, and LaFonda also chat about how we can talk to our kids about the horrible things we've been seeing in the news... and how we can deal with all that bad news ourselves too. The good news is that saving the world doesn't have to feel like hard work! With the right people by your side (whether they're a mom or not), advocating for a better country can actually be fun.

You can learn more about Vote Mama and their "Moms Night Out" program at https://votemamafoundation.org/.

On September 27th, in a high school auditorium near Cleveland, Heather Cox Richardson spoke to a group of nearly 1,000 Red Wine & Blue members. She and Katie Paris talked about the midterms, what's at stake, and what gives Heather hope.

This wasn’t your typical political event. It was a room full of real conversations, real connections, and people ready to make a difference in their communities. Red Wine & Blue has three more in-person HCR events coming up in the next few weeks, and we'll share them all here on the How To Not Lose Your Sh!t podcast.

After you listen, make sure you’re ready for Election Day: check your voter registration, make your voting plan, and help your friends and family make theirs too. You can take our pledge here!

Climate journalist Emily Atkin is a pessimist. Or maybe she's a realist. Or maybe she's actually hopeful? One thing's for certain: she's not going to stop calling out tech and oil company billionaires or the politicians who are in their pocket.

This week, Katie and LaFonda had a fascinating conversation with Emily about the environment and whether you need to be an optimist to work for change. Emily started her Substack, Heated, back in 2019 -- almost the exact same time that Katie started Red Wine & Blue -- and while the climate is such an important issue on its own, it can also stand in for almost any issue we care about.

There's no shortage of causes that feel hopeless right now, from preserving our democracy and fighting corruption to women's rights to racial equality. If we waited to know for certain that our efforts would pay off, no one would ever take any action at all. Not to mention, the people in power want us to feel hopeless. There's nothing they want more than for us to all throw up our hands and stay home instead of standing up for what we believe in.

And that's exactly why we have to keep fighting. As Emily said, "the future is still being decided and I'm not gonna surrender my part in deciding it." We couldn't agree more.

This week, Red Wine & Blue founder Katie Paris and our Director of Distributed Organizing Missy McGinnes joined Allison Gill on The Daily Beans to talk about the midterms, friend-to-friend organizing, and how you can join or start your own RWB Network group.

It was such a great conversation that we wanted to share it here! You can expect more bonus episodes as we get closer to election day.

Romance novels are already political, but one that features two campaign staffers and ends with a call for its readers to run for office is *definitely* political. This week, we were joined by Kate Stayman-London, the author of a new book called See You Next Tuesday. She's worked for many campaigns herself, including as lead digital writer for Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign, so she knows the ins and outs of the political world.

She also knows about hope. After watching Clinton lose in 2016, and then Harris in 2024, it would be easy to become cynical and jaded. But in politics and in romance, hope is crucial. It keeps us open to new love (whether it's a date or a candidate!) and the possibility that things can get better for ourselves and our communities.

Both women candidates and romance novels are too often dismissed by the establishment -- in no small part because they take women out of the passenger seat and into a position to lead the way. So let's keep putting women in the driver's seat!