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.
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