We Can Do Hard Things

Ep 335. Why It’s Different This Time with Brittney Cooper & Rebecca Traister

Activists, writers, and organizers – Brittney Cooper and Rebecca Traister – join us to talk about the political landscape, the Kamala Harris campaign, and the state of Democracy. 

Discover: 

-The danger of looking for certainty – and what we should cultivate instead;

-Why we need to acknowledge our identity and bring joy back in politics;

-The types of attacks to anticipate for VP Harris as a Black woman and for other Black women in this country; and

-The way patriarchy responds to progress: what we’ve seen and what to look out for.

On Brittney and Rebecca: 

Brittney Cooper is Professor of Gender Studies and Africana Studies at Rutgers University and author of the New York Times bestseller Eloquent Rage. 

Rebecca Traister is writer at large for New York Magazine and the author of New York Times bestsellers All the Single Ladies and Good and Mad, as well as the award winning Big Girls Don't Cry, about gender race and class in the 2008 elections. 

Today, it’s our attempt to do some easy things in this encore presentation of the episode originally titled, 175. Life Hacks: Strategies to Suffer Less. Glennon, Abby, Amanda – and the Pod Squad! — share the strategies they’ve used to suffer less – giving us simple Life Hacks for relationships, home, tech, travel, and saving time.

334. How to Save The World & Yourself with Prentis Hemphill 

Glennon, Abby and Amanda welcome back writer, embodiment facilitator, political organizer, and therapist, Prentis Hemphill. They will be sharing with you on how to take care of yourself while being informed and doing your part to help the world and your community in the midst of the 2024 election and the crises our world is facing. 

-A third way of existing in the current political landscape that isn’t disregulation or escapism;

-How to get out of your head and into your body;

-Why the most helpful way of being with your kids is not to protect them, and what is; and 

-Why chaos is necessary for creativity and change and how to use it.

On Prentis: Prentis Hemphill is a writer, embodiment facilitator, political organizer, and therapist. They are the founder and director of the Embodiment Institute and the Black Embodiment Initiative, and the host of the acclaimed podcast Finding Our Way. Their work and writing have appeared in The New York Times, HuffPost, You Are Your Best Thing (edited by Tarana Burke and Brené Brown), and Holding Change (by adrienne maree brown). And their new book is called, What it takes to heal.

333. Olympic Magic with Briana Scurry

One of the world's most talented and influential goalkeepers and Olympians, Briana Scurry, joins us for an inspiring conversation. Brianna reflects on her historic career as the starting goalkeeper for the United States Women's National Team, sharing her experiences from winning two Olympic gold medals to making the iconic save in the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup final. 

About Briana: 

Named starting goalkeeper for the United States Women’s National Team in 1994, Scurry led the team on an illustrious run that included two Olympic gold medals. In the 1999 FIFA World Cup Championship – Briana made the iconic penalty kick save that carried the United States to victory. Briana was selected to the United States Women’s National Team’s All-Time Best XI and was selected as the permanent Title IX Exhibit in the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. 

In 2022, Scurry released her best-selling memoir, My Greatest Save, and was also the subject of The Only, a CBS feature-length documentary chronicling her life.

Glennon, Abby, and Amanda are joined by renowned tech journalist Kara Swisher to expose the deep connections between tech billionaires, like Peter Thiel and Elon Musk, with JD Vance and Donald Trump. The conversation explores JD Vance's background, key tech industry players’ influence on the Republican presidential ticket and beyond, and the broader implications for the American people.

On Kara: Kara Swisher is host of On with Kara Swisher and co-host of the Pivot podcast. She’s editor-at-large at New York Magazine and a CNN contributor. Considered the top reporter in the tech game and called “Silicon Valley's most feared but revered journalist,” Swisher has established herself as the oracle of the tech world with unrivaled access to the industry's most significant leaders. She’s the author of the New York Times bestselling memoir, Burn Book: A Tech Love Story.

332. Christen Press & Tobin Heath: THE OLYMPICS! THE SOCCER!

Abby, Glennon and Amanda are talking ALL about The Olympics and US Women’s Soccer with Olympians and soccer legends, Christen Press and Tobin Heath. 

Discover:

-Their take on the impact of not having Alex Morgan on the team;

-The Canada cheating scandal and Christen’s solution for it;

-What Tobin would have done differently, if anything, in the Germany game; and

-How Tobin, Christen, and Abby feel about our chances of winning the games.

On the guests:

Christen Press is a two-time World Cup Champion, two-time Olympic gold medalist, and an equal pay pioneer. She is one of the all-time top 10 goalscorers on the U.S. Women’s National Team and currently plays for Angel City FC. Christen led the USWNT's historic achievement of Equal Pay and served as the leader of the USWNT Players Association for 2 years. Christen is Co-Founder and Co-CEO of RE—INC, a values-led brand that exists to reimagine the way women are seen and experienced in sports. 

Tobin Heath is a two-time World Cup Champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist, known as one of the most skillful and entertaining players in the game. Throughout her club career, Heath has played for PSG, the Portland Thorns, Manchester United, and Arsenal. Tobin has taken her vision, leadership, and creativity off the pitch and into her roles as Co-Founder and Co-CEO of RE—INC, and host of the critically-acclaimed The RE—CAP Show. Tobin will be going live directly following each US Women’s Soccer Olympic game to Debrief with the community.

Political expert and founder of NewsNotNoise, Jessica Yellen, is back to discuss the political developments following President Biden's announcement to drop out of the race and endorse Kamala Harris, including the Democratic Party's next steps and strategy moving forward, the impact of the recent events on the Republican campaign, and the upcoming convention.

Discover:

-The front runners for the Vice Presidential selection: and the benefits and drawbacks of each;

-The attacks Republicans are planning to wield against VP Harris;

-Why it looks like Trump may be scared to debate VP Kamala Harris; and

-How you can get involved in electing VP Harris as our first woman President. HINT: We meet tonight!

Link to the meeting to Support Kamala Harris: https://www.answerthecall2024.com/

On Jessica: Jessica Yellin is the founder of News Not Noise, a pioneering Webby award-winning independent news brand. Over 1M+ subscribers and followers across Instagram and other digital media rely on Jessica and News Not Noise to understand what matters, which experts to trust, and to manage their “information overload.” She is the former chief White House correspondent for CNN and an Emmy and Gracie Award-winning political correspondent for ABC, MSNBC and CNN. Follow her on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook @JessicaYellin. You can also find the News Not Noise Newsletter on Substack. 

Get her newsletter here: https://newsnotnoise.com/newsletter

In anticipation of the Olympic games, today is a special encore episode of Glennon and Abby’s conversation with Simone Biles and Laurie Hernandez. Originally titled: HOW TO SAY NO with Simone Biles and Laurie Hernandez. 

Discover: 

1. What we can learn from Simone’s revolutionary decision at the Tokyo Olympics to choose her physical and mental health over the world’s expectations of her.

2. The tiny decisions that helped Laurie practice trusting herself again after surviving a toxic coach.

3. Why Simone, Laurie, and Abby believe their talent is both a blessing and a curse.

4. The places and times Simone and Laurie create where they have nothing to prove—to remind themselves they are human beings, not performance machines.

5. How Simone and Laurie are a big part of one of Abby and Glennon’s favorite family stories.

About Simone:

Simone Biles, one of the greatest gymnasts of all-time, is the first woman to capture five All-Around World Championship titles. She is the most decorated gymnast in World Championships history—male or female—with 25 medals overall (19 gold), and is a seven-time Olympic medalist (4 gold). A three-time Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year, she earned the rare distinction of having four skills named in her honor—called The Biles.

Simone’s autobiography Courage to Soar is a New York Times bestseller.

Simone advocates for change and supports initiatives that provide education and assistance for children and young adults associated with adoption and childcare.

Instagram: @simonebiles

Twitter: @Simone_Biles

330. Good vs. High Conflict: Amanda Ripley On Engaging Effectively

Conflict expert and investigative journalist, Amanda Ripley, delves into the complex nature of conflict and how it shapes our lives. The discussion challenges the conventional negative view of conflict and explores how 'good conflict' can lead to growth and progress.

Discover: 

-The difference between ‘high conflict’ and ‘good conflict’; 

-How to avoid the trip wires that lead to high conflict; 

-The best tool to connect with someone you disagree with; and 

-The four main stories behind every conflict.

About Amanda: 

Amanda Ripley is an investigative journalist and author. Her most recent book is High Conflict, which chronicles how people get trapped by conflicts of all kinds—and how they get out. Her previous books include The Unthinkable, and The Smartest Kids in the World, a New York Times bestseller which was also turned into a documentary film.

IG: @ripleywriter @thegoodconflict

Yesterday, President Biden announced that, for the good of the nation, he would not remain in the race for the Presidency, and instead he offered his full support and endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris to be the Democratic nominee for President. 

The Vice President shared her gratitude and expressed that it is her intention to earn and win the Democratic nomination. 

As we look ahead with new energy and excitement toward the grave magnitude and historic hope of the next 107 days, we are looking back to a conversation we had with Kamala Harris last year on what would have been the 50th Anniversary of Roe v Wade.