Extremism lost big in Pennsylvania last week, from ICE-loving sheriffs to the State Supreme Court to school boards across the commonwealth. And it didn’t happen because of pundits on cable news or DC-based strategists. It happened because regular Pennsylvanians stepped up, ran for office, and talked to their neighbors and friends about what was on the line.

This week on the pod, we’re joined by Sherry Luce, our PA Program Director, and Stacy Kunkel, our PA Deputy Program Director. They shared some inspiring stories from the ground, like a couple of moms who decided to set up their own tripod to stream their local school board meetings to show their neighbors how extremist their school board had become. And last Tuesday night, their efforts paid off! They won five seats and their school board is now full of common sense candidates who care more about kids than culture wars.

Sherry and Stacy are also our favorite “self-care resisters,” as LaFonda puts it. But their conversation shows that there’s no one way to balance work and self-care. No matter what, community is at the heart of it all.

We hope you enjoy today’s episode and are as inspired as we were by the amazing work being done in Pennsylvania!

For a transcript of this episode, please email comms@redwine.blue.

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By now, you’ve probably heard that Democrats won big across the country last night. From Governor and Lt. Governor in Virginia to Proposition 50 in California to school boards and city councils across the country, the people made their voices heard. And some of the biggest swings, especially in Virginia, were amongst suburban women.

This win goes far beyond the races that were on the ballot last night. This is a win for every American who wants to preserve democracy, common sense, and decency.

Ever since the devastating losses in 2024, we’ve been saying “when they go low, we go local.” Some people were skeptical — how could “going local” stop ICE from invading our cities? Or Trump from cutting food stamps for children? But it was about planting seeds. Those seeds have already grown into some pretty incredible results… who knows what our harvest in 2026 or 2028 will look like?

The work doesn’t end, but we all deserve a little rest. In fact, we deserve to rest and celebrate! So let’s take a moment and feel all the feelings. Let’s thank someone who worked on a campaign or turned out their friends to vote. Today reminds us what’s possible. Even in the face of all the darkness this year has brought, we can shine our own light. And when we shine together, there’s no stopping us.

We’ll be sharing more wins and inspiring stories over the coming weeks. Celebrate, get some rest, and stay tuned!

For a transcript of this episode, please email comms@redwine.blue.

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

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Last Wednesday, Red Wine & Blue was joined by Heather Cox Richardson for a virtual rally that celebrated America. After all, MAGA doesn’t own patriotism or the flag — and the No Kings protests last month were anything but “hate America rallies.” Exercising our First Amendment rights and protecting democracy against authoritarianism is as patriotic as it gets!

We wanted to build on that momentum to get us through election day, so we held our own Love America Rally last Wednesday night. And we weren’t just joined by Heather that night — tens of thousands of women were on the call to celebrate America. We hope you’re as inspired by Heather’s words as we were.

Tomorrow is election day! Make sure that you vote and that everyone you know votes too. This is our America and tomorrow is our chance to start taking it back.

For a transcript of this episode, please email comms@redwine.blue.

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

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This week on the pod, we were joined by a Virginia mom named Andrea. For years, she thought she hated politics — she says it just seemed like a reason for “people to be mean to each other.” But as last year’s election drew closer, she noticed that her friends and family weren’t talking about it. Everyone said they were too exhausted after the first Trump presidency.

Andrea understood the feeling (who isn’t exhausted by Trump??), but she couldn’t stand by and do nothing. So she started a TroubleNation group called NoVA Childless Cat Ladies. At first, all they did was write postcards, but she used those get-togethers to talk about their shared values and how they could support marginalized groups in their area. Now, a year later, Childless Cat Ladies has more than 100 members!

It feels like we were just here — on the cusp of an election, not knowing which way things will go. If you’re feeling a bit of PTSD, you’re not alone. This year’s elections are getting a lot less press and attention than 2024, but local elections are SO important. From the governor and attorney general of Virginia to school boards and mayors and ballot propositions across the country, we have the opportunity to protect our neighbors next Tuesday. And, as a bonus, we can kick off a blue wave that’ll take us through next year’s midterms.

If you want to join Red Wine & Blue and Heather Cox Richardson for a virtual Love America Rally on Wednesday 10/29 at 7:30pm ET, you can learn more and RSVP here.

For a transcript of this episode, please email comms@redwine.blue.

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

Instagram: @RedWineBlueUSA

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This week on the pod, we were so excited to talk to Karen Walrond. She’s the author of books like The Lightmaker’s Manifesto, Radiant Rebellion, and In Defense of Dabbling. Her words about the importance of kindness, self-compassion, activism, and even anger were exactly what we needed to hear coming out of this past weekend of joyful protests.

Our mission here is to help women make a difference in their communities without losing their shit, and the subtitle of The Lightmaker’s Manifesto is actually “How To Work For Change Without Losing Your Joy,” so clearly we had to get her on the show as soon as we could!

In the interview, she emphasized the natural rhythm and cadence to activism. Anger can be a useful spark, but kindness and love are what keep the fire going. Rest and recreation (re-creation) aren’t optional — they’re necessary to keep getting up every day and fighting for our values. When our neighbors need to take a breath, we can speak up in their place. And when we need a moment to rest, we can trust that they’ll step in for us. “Activism” might sound overwhelming, but much like the No Kings rallies, it isn’t actually scary. It can be a beautiful intersection of self-care and community.

As Karen says, “Joy comes from intention, self-compassion is a non-negotiable, and kindness is a power move.” We couldn’t agree more.

For a transcript of this episode, please email comms@redwine.blue.

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

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Katie Paris met Jennifer at the gym. It’s a gym of mostly women, where encouragement and high-fives are the norm and pull-ups are celebrated alongside wins for reproductive rights.

But neither woman could have predicted that their gym friendship would lead to Jennifer co-creating a TroubleNation group called Hope In The Heights that now has more than 400 members! And still, Jennifer considers herself “humanitarian” rather than “political.” She says it’s just about doing the right thing so that we’re all able to live up to our potential.

We can find friends — and fellow TroubleMakers — in every part of our lives. For many women, the gym is a place of community and strength. Jennifer says the women she’s met there, and in Hope in the Heights, have helped her work through the anger and grief over last year’s election. Now they’re getting together every month to fight extremism and bring hope back to Ohio.

“You’re going to lose your shit,” Jennifer says. “And it’s okay! Feel the fear and do it anyway.”

For a transcript of this episode, please email comms@redwine.blue.

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

Instagram: @RedWineBlueUSA

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This week on the pod, we are so excited to share wisdom from the one and only Stacey Abrams. The legendary organizer (and author and entrepreneur and state representative and candidate for governor and Buffy the Vampire Slayer fan…) joined Red Wine & Blue last week for a virtual event. She was so inspiring that we just had to share her words with our podcast listeners too.

Katie and Stacey discussed the 10 Steps to Authoritarianism (spoiler: we’ve hit them all) but more importantly, they also talked about Stacey’s 10 Steps to Freedom and Power. It’s not just about reclaiming the country that they’ve been breaking for the past nine months. It’s about building a country that’s so strong and so just that this could never have happened in the first place.

She emphasized that personal relationships and community-building are the foundation on which we build that strong and free country. None of us can do it alone. All we have to do is ask, “how can I help?” and find a few friends to join in.

Tune in to hear Stacey’s brilliance, what’s been making Katie and LaFonda lose their shit lately, our self-care tip of the week, and more.

For a transcript of this episode, please email comms@redwine.blue.

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

Instagram: @RedWineBlueUSA

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We are so excited today to share the first episode of our new podcast How To Not Lose Your Sh!t. We’ve been hearing from women in our community that they want to get involved and make a difference, but they’re overwhelmed. They’re scared. And we hear you — we feel the same way so much of the time.

But we have a theory: what if self-care and politics aren’t actually opposites? What if connecting with our neighbors and making real positive change can make us feel even better than a bubble bath or a manicure?

This week, we’re joined by our favorite historian, Heather Cox Richardson. Heather chatted with us about how she writes her newsletter every day without losing her shit, why our connections with each other are so important, and why she’s optimistic about the elections coming up in November.

For a transcript of this episode, please email comms@redwine.blue.

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

Instagram: @RedWineBlueUSA

Facebook: @RedWineBlueUSA

YouTube: @RedWineBlueUSA