What Do You Mean By That?

Here on the podcast, we've been focusing on the intentionality of this sustainable lifestyle shift.  It can't be just reading an anti-racism book once to your child and - suddenly - your child is an anti-racist forever.  It has to be more than that, and it has to last longer than a month. That's where Barbershop Books comes in. For those of you who may be wondering why this organization exists, it...

What sort of impact can one person (or two people) have on an existing health crisis that's largely been ignored for years - and that crisis is happening in the United States, to its citizens? If you're Ali Rose VanOverbeke or Brytanie Killebrew, the answer is: you create a product that builds a circular economy - it's a needed product that employs returning citizens to make it, and resources for...

When you think about luxury shoe designers, who comes to mind? We're fairly sure you're not thinking about Natasha Standard from Norie Shoes - but you should be. This military veteran not only makes amazing shoes that are stylish but walkable, but she also travels to Italy regularly to design and manufacture her shoes. She met the challenge of COVID by pivoting her shoe design to make military-gra...

If every person in the U.S. spent just $20 at a woman-owned business, it would drive more than five billion dollars towards female-led companies each month. You've heard us talking on the show about how strongly we believe in the power of voting - both voting voting, which we'll talk about on a later episode, and with your wallet. And we REALLY believe in women supporting women, all around. This i...

Parents, we are right there with you with the stress, uncertainty, and fear about how this next school year is going to look. Teachers and administrators, we know you are doing your best. But what should we be thinking about when we look at the fall with regard to our own families, as well as our communities as a whole? Today we riff.  And we bring you, at the end, a special bonus - a meditation b...

As we think about the kids of this country going back to school (or not) in the fall, we can't help think about how the educational inequality that was already in place is being further exacerbated by the effects of COVID-19. However, if you take it back before internet connectivity problems and the lack of computer devices to learn from home on, there has always been a problem with equal and easy...

Just because one person manages to make it out of a really tough neighborhood does NOT mean that if everybody applies the same level of grit, they should be able to make it out, too. We need to use their story as what it is - an exception - and learn from what worked to help them make it out, and change the environment and reality of all the other kids who are having to fight to just exist, let al...

Since the influx of new listenership and followers ever since that awful weekend when Amy Cooper was exposed and George Floyd was murdered, we wanted to take this opportunity to re-introduce ourselves. We are Sara & Misasha, co-hosts of the podcast Dear White Women - where we aim to make it easy to enter uncomfortable conversations about racial and social justice.  We're both daughters of a Japane...

When we think about abortion, we tend to imagine Planned Parenthood and/or providers who offer women's healthcare in their doctor's offices.  We don't really think about people who are choosing to self-manage the termination of their pregnancy.   (Side note: what comes to mind when you hear the term "self-managed abortion?" Our jaws dropped when we heard it because we hadn't considered it outside...

We've been hearing a LOT about #DefundThePolice, which doesn't mean exactly what it sounds like; we're not here at this point to argue the pros or cons of defunding the police, but what we love to do is to unpack the why behind things, the history of things, so we can better understand what is really happening right NOW. Today we're looking at a big historical question that's central to this whole...

According to Feeding America, African American households face hunger at a rate more than twice that of white, non-Hispanic households. And getting enough to eat is a consistent struggle for 1 in 4 African American children . COVID-19 has exacerbated these disparities with many BIPOC communities experiencing higher death rates, food insecurity, and loss of employment. The clear connections between...

Dismantling police forces and committing ourselves to education and activism is important for #blacklivesmatter – SO, we can't lose sight of the critical thing happening in the U.S. in November. The outcome of our presidential election will impact not only us as a country but the dynamics of our world. You'll hear that mail-in ballots alone aren't the answer, but they are part of the solution. Act...

We had to postpone our pre-scheduled episode on the importance of voting to bring you this critically-timed conversation on President Trump's decision to return to the campaign trail on Juneteenth in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Without knowing the history and significance of both of these things, you might just think, oh well, he's hoping 300,000 people gather without masks to support his next bid for Presid...

Right now, during COVID, as #blacklivesmatter has (finally) picked up steam among white people, there is a lot to process – both intellectually and emotionally. The anti-racism resources that are flooding our social media streams and filling our inboxes are so powerful, so well-intentioned, and helpful. Yet if this is anything like what we're expecting to happen, soon, what we're calling White Fat...

Unless you've tuned out of the news altogether, you will have noted that our President has used language referring to the COVID-19 pandemic as "the China virus."  How do you think that has impacted the Asian-American population in our country? The stats of hate crimes and discrimination are clear - 1700 incidents reported within six weeks of tracking. It's happening. If you're not Asian but want t...

Aunt Flo, shark week, that time of the month, your red-headed friend: whatever you call your period, menstruation is a natural bodily function that happens to 50% of the population. For the majority of us, we take our monthly supplies for granted. But what happens if you're homeless, or if you have to choose each month between purchasing groceries or paying for your feminine hygiene supplies? On t...

PLEASE NOTE: This episode was recorded after Ahmaud Arbery's killing but before George Floyd's murder. Sara and Misasha are excited to welcome Antonio Wint to the show.   Antonio is a neighbor, father, and black man in a position of leadership with a diverse employee base who happens to enjoy running. In light of everything, Sara and Misasha wanted to hear his personal experiences and thoughts on...

Sara and Misasha are pleased to welcome their special guest, Dr. Sue Varma, to the show to discuss the importance of mental health in these very challenging times. Listen in to this conversation that dives deeply into the psychological and physical effects that we're experiencing from the coronavirus pandemic, from many different perspectives. Dr. Sue Varma is a board-certified psychiatrist and pr...

Have you ever stopped to think about what the phrase, "school to prison pipeline" really means? What about who it affects? Chances are unless an issue affects you or your loved ones personally, it's not at the top of your priority list of concerns. Sara and Misasha have been tackling election issues, and this particular one took center stage during the first round at the Democratic Presidential De...

In today's episode, Sara and Misasha continue the election arc with studies involving the root causes of educational inequality. Join them to hear about educational inequality's inextricable link to income inequality, why it should matter to us all, what needs to be resolved first, best practices, and more! Show Highlights: Harvard Gazette profiled former Presidential candidate and popular two-ter...

When you think of a disabled person, what image comes to mind? For example, do you think of a particular gender? Do you picture how they get around? How about their skin color? In today's episode, Sara and Misasha take on the subject of how both physical and mental disabilities impact people of color and everyone else who isn't white, cisgender, and economically advantaged. You'll also learn about...

We, Sara & Misasha, were honored to be featured on the podcast of a dear friend, Running Life: A Fitness Protection Production run by host Coach MK - and the content was so important and relevant that we are co-launching the show on both of our platforms today. We entered the conversation because as a running coach who isn't ever really "just" talking about the running, MK's social media feeds had...

There's a lot of consequences out there for people who are fully functional but there are even more consequences for people who have disabilities right now. In today's conversation, Sara and Misasha bring you an enlightening and timely discourse on ableism, and how just being aware of it isn't enough anymore. They'll also be touching on the current COVID-19 pandemic, and what happens when you have...

In today's episode, Sara and Misasha share how COVID-19 has had a much bigger impact on the rights of immigrants in the United States and detainees at the border than what they originally thought. Listen in to learn more about immigration, as it a key issue in this election year. Sara and Misasha bring you compelling information on those that are being held at our border, discuss the alarming publ...

Sara and Misasha continue with their income inequality arc in today's episode, with a special focus on what happens when you're sick and poor. Their recent exploration into income inequality issues is part of their deep dive into election issues. If you haven't yet listened to the last couple of episodes, links are provided so that you can have a greater understanding of the bigger picture. Join S...