It’s our last podcast episode of the year, so today we wanted to leave you with a broader view of community and our shared humanity. We talked to Dr. Nichole Argo, a social psychologist and the author of The Belonging Barometer: The State of Belonging in America. She’s also the host of a new podcast called Reimagining Us.

But before Rachel’s chat with Dr. Nichole, she and Jasmine did cover some of the more unsettling news of the week - like the threat of RFK Jr. revoking the polio vaccine (really, polio??), TIME choosing Trump as their “person of the year,” and ABC settling their defamation lawsuit with Trump for 15 million dollars.

We’re all worried about what will happen over the next four years, and with good reason. But the first rule of resisting authoritarianism, as seen in Timothy Snyder’s On Tyranny, is “don’t obey in advance.” We’re disheartened by the preemptive obedience we’re seeing (we’re looking at you, ABC) and you can rest assured that here at Red Wine & Blue, we’re doing no such thing.

Resistance, however, doesn’t mean widening the divisions between ourselves and our fellow Americans. It’s no secret that political polarization is worse than it’s been in a long time. Dr. Nichole says that in the past, we used to see disagreements as a positive thing - prompting introspection and innovation. Now, many Americans see any disagreement as evidence that their opponent is an evil villain who must be defeated. If we want that to change, we have to be a part of the solution too.

It won’t be easy, and none of us will be able to manage it all the time. But Dr. Nichole reminded us that building bridges doesn’t mean obeying in advance. We can stand firm on our values and try to reconnect with our neighbors’ humanity.

It’s a real tightrope walk, but we can’t think of anyone more equipped to pull it off than suburban women.

If you want to support Red Wine & Blue as we build community and stand up against extremism in 2025, please donate here. Have a restful two weeks and we'll see you in January!

For a transcript of this episode, please email [email protected].

You can learn more about us at www.redwine.blue or follow us on social media!

Twitter: @TheSWPpod and @RedWineBlueUSA

Instagram: @RedWineBlueUSA

Facebook: @RedWineBlueUSA

YouTube: @RedWineBlueUSA

There’s no denying that it’s a weird time right now. We’re in the “lame duck session” between an election and the start of a new term. We’re all nervous about the incoming administration, but there isn’t much we can do yet. If you feel like we’re about to head off a cliff but we can’t hit the brakes, you’re not alone.

We’ve talked about Trump’s Cabinet picks during the past few episodes, but some of his nominees are so bad that they’re actually getting pushback from Republicans. Matt Gaetz withdrew as Attorney General nominee, and Pete Hegseth’s candidacy is being hotly debated by folks on both sides of the aisle. We know the reasons Hegseth shouldn’t be Secretary of Defense (harassment, misogyny, alcohol abuse) but what we can’t figure out is why he should lead the most powerful military in the world.

But when they go low, we go local. There might not be much we can do right now about the impending Trump administration, but there’s a lot we can do in our own communities. This week we talked to Angela and Meghan, two friends who started a group called Blue Storm Action Pennsylvania. When they realized their book club was spending more time talking about politics than books, they decided to make it official and formed a local advocacy group that’s grown to include dozens of women.

It’s hard not to be scared or furious about the next four years. But just like Angela and Meghan, you have more power than you think! Grab a few friends and see what you can accomplish together.

The holidays are almost here, and with all of the chaos and stress of the election, finding the perfect gift for everyone in our life feels overwhelming. But this season, Red Wine & Blue is going all in on banned books! We’ve got something for every reader on your list, from toddlers to grandparents, and everyone in-between. You can check out our holiday gift guide here!

For a transcript of this episode, please email [email protected].

You can learn more about us at www.redwine.blue or follow us on social media!

Twitter: @TheSWPpod and @RedWineBlueUSA

Instagram: @RedWineBlueUSA

Facebook: @RedWineBlueUSA

YouTube: @RedWineBlueUSA

Welcome back from Thanksgiving week! On today’s episode of the podcast, we’re talking about all things education… the good (like our guest Diana Brown, who made history last month as the first Latina educator to win a school board race in her district) and the bad (like Trump selecting former WWE president Linda McMahon as his Secretary of Education.)

But first, Amanda, Jasmine and Rachel catch up about their Thanksgivings and the news. We’ve seen the hand-wringing over Biden pardoning his son Hunter, with pundits claiming concern that Trump will take it as “permission” to act badly. To which we say, since when does Trump need permission? He has always been unapologetically bold, no matter how dangerous or authoritarian his actions are. We shouldn’t sink to their level or lose sight of our values, but maybe it’s time for us to be unapologetically bold too.

The last four weeks have been hard and the next four years probably will be too. But that makes it even more important to celebrate victories like Diana’s and to be loud and proud about our values. There’s a lot we can do on the local level - especially when we work together.

Speaking of working together, in the past 4 weeks we've seen that the women of Red Wine & Blue are capable of anything, because we’ve created an unbreakable bond with one another. We need to be as strong as possible going into 2025 so that we can keep standing up to extremism. If you're able, please donate here.

For a transcript of this episode, please email [email protected].

You can learn more about us at www.redwine.blue or follow us on social media!

Twitter: @TheSWPpod and @RedWineBlueUSA

Instagram: @RedWineBlueUSA

Facebook: @RedWineBlueUSA

YouTube: @RedWineBlueUSA

Thanksgiving is almost here, and we all know what that means… political debates with your MAGA relatives. If you’re already feeling the pressure, you’re not alone!

Last week, Red Wine & Blue held a virtual event with experts like pod favorite Jess McIntosh and therapist Rebecca Freking. They shared practical tips on how to navigate tricky family discussions and keep things civil (or at least manageable). If you missed the event, we’re publishing it on today’s Suburban Women Problem podcast feed.

For a transcript of this episode, please email [email protected].

You can learn more about us at www.redwine.blue or follow us on social media!

Twitter: @TheSWPpod and @RedWineBlueUSA

Instagram: @RedWineBlueUSA

Facebook: @RedWineBlueUSA

YouTube: @RedWineBlueUSA

It’s been two weeks since the election. Two… very long weeks. And if you’re anything like us, you’re still on an emotional rollercoaster, trying to make sense out of what happened.

Today on the podcast, our hosts talk about some of the post-election narratives they’ve seen. Did the Democrats go “too woke”? Do women not care about reproductive rights anymore? From where we’re sitting, the answers are “no” and “no.” (Or honestly, “no” and “hell no.”)

That’s not to say everything is fine. We’re still very worried and sad about the results. But it might be helpful to reframe the conversation around misinformation instead of values. If we can find a way to get our message through, next time things could be different.

And as disappointed as we were about the top of the ticket, there were still so many state and local wins. Today we talked to a couple of awesome women in North Carolina: Tonya Martin, Red Wine & Blue’s deputy director in the state, and Kate Barr, a candidate for NC state Senate who ran in a district so gerrymandered her campaign website was www.katebarrcantwin.com. Tonya and Kate helped us understand why they celebrated so many state-level wins despite NC voting for Trump, and why gerrymandering is so bad for democracy.

Between misinformation, gerrymandering, and outright cheating, the deck was stacked against Democrats. That doesn’t mean we give up - it means we fight harder, fairer, and more local.

If you're worried about spending Thanksgiving with your MAGA relatives, Red Wine & Blue is here to help. Join us on Thursday 11/21 for a virtual event that's all about how to handle those holiday conversations.

For a transcript of this episode, please email [email protected].

You can learn more about us at www.redwine.blue or follow us on social media!

Twitter: @TheSWPpod and @RedWineBlueUSA

Instagram: @RedWineBlueUSA

Facebook: @RedWineBlueUSA

YouTube: @RedWineBlueUSA

How are you doing? Are you okay? Are you staying connected to the other people in your life who share your values and are feeling the same way that you are right now?

On today’s podcast, we're starting the process of picking up the pieces. We're taking care of ourselves, we're finding reasons to stay hopeful, and we are NOT getting trauma bangs!

We were so grateful this week to be joined by Connie Schultz. Connie is a writer, journalism professor, and the wife of Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown. The last time she was on the pod, she said she was “built for happy” and her Substack is called Hopefully Yours… needless to say, her uplifting energy was exactly what we needed.

And don’t misunderstand - she and Sherrod were disappointed and heartbroken by the results of last Tuesday, both in the presidential race and in Sherrod’s own. But she had so much wisdom to share about how she’s processing the election and the perspective of age. We’ve been through hard things before and found a way to keep moving forward, and we’ll do it again. It’s what we do.

If you need a comforting voice or advice for how to talk to your kids or friends about what happened, we hope you’ll find a little help and hope in this episode.

For a transcript of this episode, please email [email protected].

You can learn more about us at www.redwine.blue or follow us on social media!

Twitter: @TheSWPpod and @RedWineBlueUSA

Instagram: @RedWineBlueUSA

Facebook: @RedWineBlueUSA

YouTube: @RedWineBlueUSA

We're having a hard time today. You probably are too. But we wanted to get together and talk about it, give some reasons for hope, and just be present with each other. We were joined by political strategist Jess McIntosh, one of our favorite guests, to help us put things in perspective... and start figuring out where we go from here.

For a transcript of this episode, please email [email protected].

You can learn more about us at www.redwine.blue or follow us on social media!

Twitter: @TheSWPpod and @RedWineBlueUSA

Instagram: @RedWineBlueUSA

Facebook: @RedWineBlueUSA

YouTube: @RedWineBlueUSA

On Wednesday October 30th, Red Wine & Blue hosted a virtual event where we were joined by Minnesota Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan. She’s not just the highest ranking Indigenous woman to be elected in this country… if Kamala Harris and Tim Walz win, she’ll be the first Indigenous governor ever.

Before being elected to statewide office in Minnesota, Lt. Gov. Flanagan was a community organizer who trained thousands of other organizers and candidates, including Governor Tim Walz himself — she coached the coach! Her comments were so inspiring, we wanted to share them with you all. You can also catch our video of the event on Red Wine & Blue’s YouTube channel.

If you haven't already, you can sign up for Rally here!

For a transcript of this episode, please email [email protected].

You can learn more about us at www.redwine.blue or follow us on social media!

Twitter: @TheSWPpod and @RedWineBlueUSA

Instagram: @RedWineBlueUSA

Facebook: @RedWineBlueUSA

YouTube: @RedWineBlueUSA

The last episode of the podcast before the election is here and we’re feeling a lot of things: excitement, nerves, determination, stress, but most of all… hope.

Hope because the Trump/Vance campaign has apparently given up on reaching across the aisle and are doubling down on their unpopular rhetoric. Hope because the Harris/Walz campaign is featuring uplifting speakers like Michelle Obama and Beyoncé. Hope because early voting numbers are breaking records.

But more than anything, hope because we have women like Katie Paris and Arie Goodman on our side. Katie and Arie are our guests on the pod today - Arie is the leader of an Ohio TroubleNation group called Advocates Allies & Activists, and Katie is of course the founder of Red Wine & Blue. They shared what they’re hearing on the ground, the amazing work that women across the country are doing, and what’s giving them hope.

As Katie says, ignore the polls, ignore the pundits, just focus on what you can do. And you can do a lot! There are six more days to talk to everyone we know about voting. We’re all gas and no brakes until November 5th - are you with us?

For a transcript of this episode, please email [email protected].

You can learn more about us at www.redwine.blue or follow us on social media!

Twitter: @TheSWPpod and @RedWineBlueUSA

Instagram: @RedWineBlueUSA

Facebook: @RedWineBlueUSA

YouTube: @RedWineBlueUSA

This past Monday, our favorite historian Heather Cox Richardson joined Red Wine & Blue for a virtual event. We were hoping to hear her insight into how this election fits into the broader story of American history, and what we might expect over the next two weeks.

But if we’re being honest, what we really wanted was for Heather to tell us that it was all going to be okay.

And of course she couldn’t tell us that with certainty. She’s a historian, not a soothsayer. But she did offer some words of hope.

Our own podcast co-host Rep. Jasmine Clark also joined the call, and she talked about Georgia Republicans’ efforts to undermine voting in her state. During the pandemic, Georgia began offering ballot drop boxes, which were extremely popular and widely used. But despite that — or really, because of that—Republicans changed the rules and now most of the drop boxes are no longer available.

That could be a disheartening story about voter disenfranchisement, but Heather encouraged us to look at it a different way. If extremist policies were popular, why would they take away drop boxes? If most Americans supported Project 2025, why are they trying so hard to keep us from voting?

It’s because we’re the majority. Most Americans want to elect common sense candidates up and down the ballot. And we’re not letting the suppression keep us from voting. In Georgia, and many states across the country, voter turnout numbers are breaking records.

We have the power. We just have to use it.

For a transcript of this episode, please email [email protected].

You can learn more about us at www.redwine.blue or follow us on social media!

Twitter: @TheSWPpod and @RedWineBlueUSA

Instagram: @RedWineBlueUSA

Facebook: @RedWineBlueUSA

YouTube: @RedWineBlueUSA

This week on the pod, we’re celebrating Michigan!

We’re in the final stretch of the election now, which means we’re feeling stressed, excited, exhausted, inspired, nervous, and everything in between. So we thought this is the perfect time to remind ourselves what’s possible when we unite and fight. Because together, we can truly move mountains.

Since Michigan Democrats won a trifecta in 2022 (that means the State House, State Senate, and Governorship) they’ve been able to pass so much amazing legislation: expanding voting rights, reproductive rights, gun violence prevention, protections for LGBTQ+ Michiganders, clean energy policies, and so much more. Just think how many lives have been changed by the Michigan blue wave!

On today’s episode we hear all about it from Michigan State Senator Mallory McMorrow and Red Wine & Blue’s Program Director in Michigan, Kelly Dillaha. They told us all about the progress they’ve made in their state and, crucially, how it didn’t just magically happen. It happened because the people of Michigan, especially women, organized and put in the work.

Michigan is an inspiration for states all across the country and even on the national scale. We have two more weeks, so let’s roll up our sleeves and make it happen!

For a transcript of this episode, please email [email protected].

You can learn more about us at www.redwine.blue or follow us on social media!

Twitter: @TheSWPpod and @RedWineBlueUSA

Instagram: @RedWineBlueUSA

Facebook: @RedWineBlueUSA

YouTube: @RedWineBlueUSA