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Transcript

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Tania: One of the stories that I draw on in facing the fracture is the story of Moana. And Moana is learning to navigate. She’s learning to navigate challenges, and she’s learning to navigate a ship.

And we’re all trying to figure out how do we navigate, how do we get there? But, you know, she’s navigating both these external things, but she’s also navigating, her relationship with others and how she views them and she befriends those who seem to be a threat.

And then she also, just discovers her own true self and the true self in others. And it’s all about, sort of, shedding our misperceptions of others and then creating connection.

 Welcome to Ready To Be Strong. I’m Tania Israel.

Pema: And I’m Pema Rocker.

Tania: Together we’re broadening our minds, opening our hearts,

Pema: And strengthening connections in a politically charged election season and beyond.

Tania: In this episode, we’re talking about The Bridging Movement.

Pema: Tania, I loved discovering this term in your material. What is The Bridging Movement?

Tania: So there are over 500 organizations in this country that are working to strengthen social cohesion and our democracy. 

Pema: We haven’t talked about that yet!

Tania: Yeah. So what I’ve learned, and, and I didn’t know this before either, but, what I’ve discovered is that there are so many organizations who, in their individual missions are doing something to contribute to The Bridging movement. So for example, there are interfaith organizations who are like, you know what?

Part of our mission could really be about not only bridging across different faiths, but bridging across different values and, and ideologies and political views. There are groups that, that are like, okay, well what we do is, is that we convene people. So, what if we work on convening people who are, you know, who have different, um, views.

And so there are some organizations that already existed before, um, like Interfaith America, who are really dedicating some of what they’re doing to the bridging movement. But then there’s other organizations that really came out of this crisis in political conflict like Braver Angels. So Braver Angels does a whole lot of different things.

They will, have, uh, online debates about issues like about abortion, where you’re like, how are you gonna have a really civil debate about abortion? But they structure it in such a way that you can, that they really do that. And then you can go on YouTube and you can look at what they’ve done and, and see how they’ve done that.

And so they’ve got lots of different ways that they’re really focused on bringing folks together. They do a national convention. They do, you know, all kinds of, uh, ways of helping people who are more on the red side and the blue side engage with each other.

Pema: I love that you’re talking about engagement that’s not campaign-specific. We’ve talked about, you know, how to engage volunteering and otherwise in campaign-specific ways before, but this is exciting that there are ways to connect and engage and take small actions that are about coalescing, that are just about this question of bridging the divide and how we act into that together without a campaign, necessarily.

Tania: Yeah, and I love learning about all these different organizations and, and I’m gonna say we’re, we’re gonna have to put this in the show notes because the, the thing that I think is most useful is if, um, you go to listen first project.org, you can sign the Listen First pledge. And when you do that, you will every week on, listen, first Friday, receive an email that tells you about one of these organizations and the work that they’re doing.

And it’s, it’s so fantastic, um, getting, getting to learn about all of this because, you know, for me, I’m able to then amplify other people’s efforts. But even on a more basic level than that, it just gives me so much hope and so much faith in my fellow Americans who are doing this work.

Pema: Well, I feel like from a perspective of feeling disempowered, because this big issue of entrenchment and division feels too big to hack, this feels like there are lots of ways that people are actually doing it. And so to be able to learn about them and see how creative people are getting feels like, like there’s a little bit more empowerment every Friday that those newsletters come out.

Tania: Oh yeah. I love that you mentioned, creative because it’s one of the things that, that I see is that folks are using whatever kinds of talents they have and directing them toward these bridging activities. So there are researchers who are doing research around bridging and about interventions that will help to reduce partisan animosity.

And, and so there’s really cool stuff going on with that. And the crazy thing is these interventions, like you can go online and do an activity and it actually works to reduce the kind of hostility that you feel toward people in the other party. And I’m like, oh my gosh.

Pema: Yeah. I mean, you just said it actually works to reduce the hostility that you feel, I’m just thinking what are, what are some things that I would run into on an everyday basis that would reduce the hostility that I sometimes feel or that I watch others feel? And that you’re saying? Yeah, there’s a, there’s an actual researched, uh, thing laid out where they’ve done this and you can engage and it reduces—you can watch it reduce hostility. That’s pretty cool.

Tania: Yeah, well, honestly, just correcting misperceptions, is something that’s helpful or, or seeing people working together, um, and being able to interact well across different values and ideologies. And so honestly, like go back to, listen to the very first episode of this podcast where we talk about getting the facts about polarization, like correcting misperceptions can be helpful.

And so that’s the cool thing. It’s really innovative, what I’m seeing happen. And to me, innovation is. Is something that is so celebrated, in the United States that that innovation is one of the strengths that I feel like we, we have as a country. And, um, so when, when I pair that with what I see in the dedication also of the people who are doing this, I mean, most people who are doing this are either they have an organization like a nonprofit that’s already doing things and now they’re doing some bridging stuff, or they just saw this need, they said, oh my gosh, the United States is really, having trouble.

Like, we’re having trouble connecting with each other and we wanna keep folks together. And so people are creating whole organizations or writing books or starting podcasts, you know, as I’ve done, but that, that marrying of that dedication and that innovation to me is, is so American and it makes me feel incredibly patriotic and and hopeful about the future of our country.

Pema: What a cool framing that it’s innovation.

Tania: It’s one of the reasons why I’m always telling people like, sign up for the Listen First, Pledge, sign the Listen First Pledge, because I want everyone to, to get exposed to what folks are doing.

I mean, often people will say to me, oh, I’m thinking about starting this organization to do this thing, because they’ve never heard of the Bridging Movement. They ha— they’re not aware of what all these different organizations are doing. so many people are seeing the need and wanting to do something.

So, first, I find that incredibly encouraging, that so many people want to do something. And second, I’m like, I get really frustrated sometimes that the media doesn’t cover the, these organizations and what they’re doing more. It’s not to say that they don’t do it at all. I mean, there’s some, there’s some good things happening out there where, where they’re shining a light, but overwhelmingly, as we’ve talked about, the media focuses on division.

And so I just do everything that I can to get the word out about what’s going on here, because I want people to know so that when they want to do something, they know you don’t have to create a whole nother thing. You know? I mean, if you want to go ahead, like that’s great, but there’s so much you can just plug into.

And, and that’s where, I think it helps to empower all of us, through these organizations that are doing this work.

Pema: I think it’s really easy to focus on a divide and focus on the negative and harmful things that we see happening in our country or the way, like, um, I would’ve managed those resources so differently than they manage those resources. And like, it’s really exciting to remember that. Yeah, um, we support our country, our country supports us. How can we do that in a more engaged way? 

Because it’s the way that it is and we are, if we’re not getting what we need, how do we engage, actively engage, um, with each other and on a broader scale.

Tania: Yeah, I feel like sometimes the cynicism. Is almost a safe harbor for people. Like, it’s like it’s easier somehow to think the worst of our fellow Americans. Um, and, um, and hope seems naive and you know, and I hear that from people all the time. Like, if I post something on social media, people will be like, like, are you not paying attention to all this other stuff going on?

Um, and of course I am. But when I pay attention to the full range of what’s going on, then actually my optimism is pretty grounded in reality. And it’s, it’s when I’m not just skewing it toward the really emotionally activating material out there, then I can see that yes, that is going on. And I think it’s important to acknowledge that there’s a lot of, you know, negativity and conflict happening, but if we’re not paying attention to the rest of it, we are, you know, we’re, we’re also not taking in, um, the, the fullness of what’s out there.

So I, I actually think my optimism is pretty evidence-based.

Pema: Uhhuh. I love that evidence-based optimism and, uh, that, that instead of naive, there’s actually a represent— it comes from somewhere. There’s a representation.

Tania: Yeah, I, I feel like everybody’s kind of using whatever their strengths are. Like, I’m like, okay, I can distill research and translate it for people. And that’s what I do in my books and my writing and, and, other people have other strengths. So, over the summer there’s been this project going on called RAFT for America, where there are these people who are taking, like Democrats and Republicans on whitewater rafting trips.

Pema: Oh my gosh.

Tania: I know, right? This sounds like the most dangerous thing in the world, but you know, when you bring people together to work toward a common goal with other actual human beings, then they connect around it and strengthen those bonds.

Pema: Well, okay, so just to back up half a step, I know that Democrats and Republicans probably go rafting together all the time without realizing that they’re rafting together. Um, you know, uh, uh, sometimes like I’ve gone rafting before and there is more than one party that’s leaving the dock, uh, or like leaving the put in at uh, um, at the same 

Tania: Have you checked everyone’s voter registration status before you get in the we do that, 

Pema: Yeah. We’ve got a queue up according to voter registration card. Um, oh, yoyo. That sounds terrible. I just went there, but like, so Sure, sure. There’s mixed company without recognizing it. But I think what’s fascinating is, uh, the exercise of doing it together. Like, I’m curious what, what happens?

Like do folks like have things to think about or talk about before and after, or during, or is it just an exercise of being together for the sake of like, Hey folks, this is what it feels like to do stuff together that has nothing to do with boxing each other out for our principles.

Tania: You know, I’ll make sure we include a link in the show notes about RAFT for America, because they have a great little video that kind of shows more about what they’re doing and and, and how it’s working. Uh, so it’s very cool. I mean, that’s the thing. It’s like there’s all these things going on and when I learn about them or when I tell other people about them, it’s always such a wow.

Um, because it’s so exciting that people are doing this and most people have no idea. It’s like not on most people’s radar that this is happening.

Pema: Yeah, yeah. It makes me think like it’s another civic organization or it’s another, the bridging movement is like. This is super simplified and it could be construed in incorrectly, but like some people go to church, some people go to a club that they’re, every, um, member and generation in their family has gone to. Some people go to knitting circles. You know, some people go to activists meetings. And this sounds like an another opportunity to get involved with people to connect in a productive way. 

You know, like those things that I just named, many of them are folks producing something together and this sounds like a really cool way to do that.

Tania: People often will say to me, oh, I, I wanna start an organization that does this thing, you know, about bridging.

And I’m like, oh, you know, there’s 500 organizations that are doing things. Why don’t you look and see if there’s already somebody doing that kind of thing. And maybe you can plug into what they’re doing. Because it’s not on most people’s radar. People really want to do something and so, so they’re like, oh, I need to create an entire infrastructure to do something.

And I’m like, sure, if you want to. But there’s also all these other groups that, that are in it already and that you can plug into easily. You know, there, there are even things like Braver Angels does a lot of great stuff connecting, you know, red leaning and blue leaning people in the country. They, they have, uh, they’ve had for the last two years, uh, a convention of bringing together like equal numbers of reds and blues.

But even if you just go on YouTube, you can watch the debates that they have. So I watched, you know, one of the, I was actually present in one, you know, virtually in one of the debates that they were doing about abortion. And I was like, oh my gosh, these people are being so civil talking about this really, potentially inflammatory issue — beause they’ve got a really good structure for it. So, so people are like, how can you possibly talk about abortion without it being inflamed? I’m like, go look at what they did here.

Pema: When you talk about debate, you don’t, you know, in election season we have presidential and vice presidential debates, but you’re not talking about that. You’re, you’re talking about a regular person having a debate with another regular person in this forum as an opportunity to talk about it with some support and structure?

Tania: Yeah, that there’s some structure to it and you know, there are, there are guidelines around it to help people to be civil, but people really were, and it just reminds me that when people are coming to a really challenging issue with some guidelines, some structure, some, facilitation, and really wanting to do that in such a way that they can understand other people and express their view, it’s absolutely possible for that to happen.

Pema: What a cool, like I’m imagining watching and listening to a conversation that’s supported and structured like that by people who are really invested in the conversation. And, like my nervous system feels chill about that. Whereas when I’m watching a political debate, like a or by candidates, I’m just like, oh my God.

Uh, do are all the pillows on my couch fluffed? Do I have the, the nerve capacity to watch this all the way through? Like, oh my, it’s kind of spiking my anxiety.

Tania: Yeah. And so that’s so important that we have alternatives to what we’re seeing in the emotionally activating media that we have things that we can see where, where stuff is working. And, and it’s so great, to have those resources. I mean, honestly, what is so exciting to me about this is seeing—There, there’s two aspects of it. One is the innovation, just people keep creating stuff. I mean, and you know, I shouldn’t be surprised at that ’cause I keep creating stuff to help with bridging. But, but other people are creating all kinds of things that I could not even imagine. ’cause I don’t have their skillset ’cause I don’t have their same brand of imagination.

But then the other thing that I see is people’s dedication to this. You know, a lot of people are just doing this like on the side, or they’re doing this because they’ve already created some kind of, you know, nonprofit organization and they’re like, wow, we could use some of the types of things we do here to help, uh, with bridging.

And so I, I’m just seeing this combination of dedication to the cause and the cause really being, um, bringing our country together, together with the innovation that I think is such. A very American quality, like it’s such a celebrated American quality, and so it’s, it’s actually, it makes me feel so darn patriotic.

Pema: I find that so cool I, that it’s proliferating is just gives me a lot of hope. Also, I hear a parallel to some research that I did on a writing project a few years ago. You know, my, my family has generations, uh in a, in a particular church. And I, so I was doing some research on that, and I found that in the mid 18 hundreds there were, there were lots of churches that people were starting all over the place and there were so many small little churches with small followings that people started to join their churches together.

And so, you know, when I grew up, as far as I understood churches, they were their own identities. You are that faith, and I’m this faith. And so you go to church over there, and I go to church over here and we might be able to talk about it at, at school, but, uh, that, that’s it. Like, um, we’re not really believing in the same thing entirely, but I, I feel like the way you’re talking about this proliferating, bridging movement with all kinds of different creative, uh, capacity and expression that different folks have.

So there’s like this hope and a, and even like a joyfulness about it. Like, hey, let’s, let’s see what we can do together. I’m moved to, to try it this way, and I’m so curious that you’re trying it in a different way. Maybe we can bring it together. So related or unrelated. I find it really fascinating that people are,feeling a need, and, uh, expressing their creativity and devotion and then coming together because there are ways to do it better altogether.

I just found that fascinating.

Tania: Absolutely. I, I feel like the leadership of the coalition is really, um, uh, smart and generous, uh, in, in what I feel like they offer all of us. So, for example, I’m hearing, um, a lot of people, like friends keep talking to me about how afraid they are of what’s gonna happen in the aftermath of the election.

Like, will there be violence, will there be armed conflict? Will there be a civil war? And, you know, people keep asking me this and I’m like, you know, I can’t say: No, there won’t be. Um, but is there something that I can offer? And so, um, in our last coalition meeting, there was some really great, um, offering of resources around this.

‘Cause it turns out that some organization, like there’s an organization that created a toolkit for local government, uh, around how to like, prevent and address any, um, you know, violence that might, uh, come up around elections. There is a group that’s helping with people who want to do more, um, public writing and messaging around, you know, just, just trying to put the message out there about how connected we, we really are and, and can be despite differences of views.

And I’ve really appreciated what they are, um, giving me because I’m, you know, I’m like, oh, I can do some writing about this. I can do some talking about this and I can get a message out there. ’cause, well, I’ll just say related to this topic, not surprisingly, ’cause it’s what I talk about with every topic we discuss, we have a misperception of people on the other side.

Like people on the other side do not support violence nearly as much as we estimate they do.

Pema: That’s heartening. but I’m still seeing that there is a lot of violence. Uh, what, what can we do? 

Tania: So it’s helpful to know, I think that, that people on the other side are not as supportive of that violence as we think they are. So for, for example, there have been some assassination attempts. There are things that we see happening that seem like people would be willing to kill other people for political means.

But if you ask people like, would you support, you know, people on your own side killing somebody on the other side, for political means. Americans or you know, Republicans and Democrats will estimate that like 40% of people on the other side would, would support that. And really it’s 1-2%.

So it’s not zero, you know, it’s not saying nobody would support that, but it’s such a smaller proportion than we imagine it to be. So for me, what that means is when I’m encountering somebody who’s in a different political party, rather than sort of thinking, oh my gosh, this person would, you know, if, if somebody tried to kill me for political means, they would just step aside and be like, have at it.

You know? But, but they wouldn’t, they wouldn’t support that. And you know, of course the percentage of people who would actually participate in that violence, I’m just gonna assume is much smaller than that. Of course, I can’t ask that on surveys ’cause nobody’s gonna be like, yes, I plan to kill somebody for political means.

But it’s, it’s something where, you know, we can’t erase it and say that this can’t happen and that this won’t happen. But we can have a different view about the people on the other side and who they are. And I think that that can help us to maybe turn down the volume on our own feelings of fear, but also turn down the volume on the vitriol that we have about those other people.

And, and then, you know, finally it might actually put us in a place where we’d be willing to repair some of those ruptured relationships that we have with folks on the other side or, or to strengthen those connections that we have. And frankly, I think there’s no better way to keep our country together than through all of those individual connections that we have with other people.

And so I think that anything that’s gonna help us to strengthen those connections is, is gonna be a really positive thing for our country.

Pema: I hear that. I, I, I can see that yes, there’s the violence, but that way that I consume. How that violence has happened is, is on the news and we’ve you know, we’ve discussed consuming news wisely. And, uh, there is another way, like the organizations that you talk about in the Bridging Movement and the coalition itself, it feels like, okay, well try that out too.

If I can turn down my news to, from a volume, you know, eight to a volume two or three, and then I can also, turn out the volume in trying out some of these bridging coalitions and like, what’s the information happening here and what can I learn here? Then at least I’m, I’m offering my thoughts or my worries about the violence the way that I believe I’m offering—

I’m kind of crowding out the loud voices and I am seeing other ways, and that seems really helpful at this moment. Like the doing is engaging in what’s also possible.

Tania: Yeah, maybe, you know, not to erase the ideas that we have in our mind about the other side, but maybe to at least give ourselves an alternative vision of that. so, so that we have a possibility of a different way of thinking. 

Pema: Mm-Hmm. Yeah, that sounds incredibly hopeful. But when I hear you talk about the folks who are involved in this already and all the ways to.

Try it out to get involved to even just listen, if not fully engage in a action. It feels likeThere’s actually something to take on here, I guess.

Tania: Yeah, there’s so many ways that that wall is, you know, that we can conquer that wall in some way or recognize that it’s not as solid and big a wall as we thought it was.

Pema: Right. One of the things that you say is that we can generate hope by taking action. First of all, that’s what this wall conversation sounds like. Like, oh, here’s some action that I can take. But secondly, can you talk about that a little more about generating hope by taking action?

Tania: Well, I know that it’s true for me. You know, when, when people are like, oh my gosh, I’m really worried about the election. Um, then I, my line is, I, I, you know, they’re like, what’s gonna happen? And I’m like, I don’t make predictions. I make phone calls. 

And that’s the thing. When I’m actually engaging and doing something, then it, not only is there not as much room for fear, but I start to recognize the power that I have to make a difference.

I mean, that’s what I learned on the Obama campaign. You know, I, I really learned that I could be engaged and that I could make a difference, um, in my community, in my country. And that’s such a great feeling to have, you know, in addition to actually, you know, potentially affecting the outcome of elections.

It’s also a real, um, positive thing on a personal level. So, so I, yeah, I think being engaged is such a great thing.

Pema: I really love that taking action can be like going on to a resource list and seeing who’s part of the Bridging Coalition and listening in or seeing what people are getting up to creatively, that feels like an action to me, or a mi it’s actually what I like to call micro actions.

Tania: Yeah.

Pema: I myself am a creative and I’m a creative coach, and what I have run into. For all this time I’ve known myself to create is the obstacles that get in the way of my creating. and the way I feel just blocked behind the obstacles. So I started asking myself, what’s the micro action that you can take today?

And then what’s the micro action that you can take tomorrow? And how many micro actions will it take to accrue a finished product or forget the finished product, even, like, just note what I’m learning and experiencing and how I’m connecting along the way with each micro action. And that turned this big expectation into a series of smaller experiences that just like accrued into this whole wonderful.

Final product. And so when I think about taking micro actions, I’m like, yeah, let me just see what listen first is up, is up to or turn on the Braver Angels podcast. that feels like a great micro action

Tania: Yeah,And I think that does make it more of a process or a path rather than thinking about, uh, you know, okay, if I do these things then I’m going to solve political, um, you know, distance in our, in our country. And it’s like, okay, well that’s kind of a big goal. Um, but yeah, if we’re all kind of on the path to doing it together, may maybe that is the outcome that we need, you know, not the resolution of it.

Pema: Yeah. I love that you just said that, not the resolution of it, but what is the engaging or the practice of it? It does feel like a big goal. I think so often the question is, I. we are so divided, there’s no way out or that we’re so divided, we’ve been trying for years now and we can’t get out of this division. It’s only worse. 

And I think like if we’re trying to to, to, to solve for the great big division of the entire country, we’re not going to solve it. But if I listen to, if I listen to folks who are creating in The Bridging Movement, you know, while I’m doing the dishes, then that kind of gives me some, some ways to see how other people are solving for the bigger question, but in smaller ways, which seems to be the point.

Tania: Yeah. Yeah. You know, one of my favorite musicals is Rent, and one of my favorite lines in Tent is the opposite of war isn’t peace, it’s creation. And I feel like that’s kind of where you’re going. Like you’re talking about creativity, um, as a way of overcoming obstacles and things. So, I’m curious to hear more about that and how that process works for you and if there are ways that, that you see it sort of, overlaying onto this issue about political division?

Pema: So, in the same way that the big, broad, bad political division is too big to take on, uh, and solve today, tomorrow, it, it, it’s been lingering. So we want our vision to be expressed in the way we want it to be expressed. And when we start, it feels great to start.

And then we run into an obstacle. Um, the obstacle is either my pen ran out of ink or, my laptop just died, you know, like so many things that get in the way.

So while the great big goal of division feels like it’s super high stakes, if I can focus on consuming news wisely or just how do I, how do I reduce, like polarizing input today? Well, let me just listen to the news once instead of twice today. You know?

So like your chapters reducing polarizing input building, individual capacity, strengthening connection, each of those steps is a smaller focus while, holding lightly the great big focus. And when I’m in a creative process, if I can remember to hold the bigger focus, but give myself the space to take micro actions every day than, oh my gosh, I feel successful and I feel successful every day.

Tania: Oh, I love that. And I’m thinking as I’m sitting here in my closet recording the podcast that, um, there is something about sort of having a calming environment or having an environment that, that you’re like, okay, I can, I can focus, but there’s, there’s always gonna be distractions. You know, like sometimes the curtain of my, uh, on my closet will fall down or, you know, something will happen, like your lamp falling over or the pillow falling down and so that says to me, it’s also really important that we can recover from those distractions. Like, you know, yes. You know, yeah, you’re right. I laid out Facing the Fracture very clearly. Like, here are all the steps that you can take, and then you will end up in this perfect place. But I also know that there are gonna be things that trip people up along the way.

Sure, we should consume news wisely, but you know, something’s gonna happen where you’re like, you know, I’m, I’ve gone into this spiral doom-scroll around something and it’s really thrown me off, and so how do I get back? So, just as important as having some practices and intention for what you’re gonna do is, you know, when something sort of veers you off that path, you’re like, okay, but I can get back on the path.

It’s not like, as soon as you’re off the path, then you, you can never come back.

Pema: Yeah, there’s the, I, I guess the point is that it’s a path and, you can come back to it

I think the, you know, that phrase that people say, it’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey. Well, I hate that phrase with a passion. Like Yes. It’s about the journey. It’s about the, I mean, excuse me, it’s about the destination. Come on. But the path is the journey. Right. And there’s even the distractions I find are part of the journey.

And if I keep focusing on my destination, who knows where the path will take me. It’s, it’s not a straight line, but if I. Keep my focus on the, the, the bigger destination. I do find it’s only ever a journey wherever it takes me.

So like, I’m getting deep into kind of creative life here. But when I go down that rabbit hole on social media, the doom-scroll, as you say, I can, when I do catch myself, say, oh, look what I’m focusing on! No wonder I’m so anxious. 

I do know how to come back from this. Like you said, Tania, like, yeah, how do you come back from it? It’s not like you’re not gonna go down this, uh, little ghost path that goes off the main journey. So like, how do I come back from it? And what I find in the coming back from it is that I am flexing a muscle that I didn’t realize I had before, which was my ability to come back in the first place.

It’s strengthening my own empowerment. It’s strengthening my, my ability to take action to fulfill the goal that I had in the first place to full to meet the destination that I know I will get to. And when I fell off the, the big journey and down this little ghost path, there’s something about coming back that flexes my muscles and strengthens my ability and makes me feel better in the longer term. Makes me know I can keep going.

Tania: Oh, I love that. I love that on so many levels, because we won’t every moment be, you know, do like, people are like, oh my gosh, but I, you know, I, I’ll mess this up. You know, I, I won’t always be resilient, you know, I won’t always wanna broaden my mind. I won’t always wanna have that conversation.

And it’s like, that’s okay.

We don’t have to be in it every moment. I, I was thinking about, so in the first episode of this podcast, you and I talked about why it’s called Ready to Be Strong, and it’s based on a speech from my hero, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Uh, where she is, uh, do, she’s calling to action all of the potential slayers, um, to rise to their full slayer powers.

But, um, they’re actually called the potentials. Um, these, these potential slayers, and I love the potential has two meanings. It has this meaning of possible, um, like, like what is possible here. Um, like where’s the possibility and also, um, powerful. So, so your, you know, your potential like in your greatest power.

And I, I sort of think that’s what you’re talking about. Like, there’s, there’s all these possibilities, but you can keep coming back to your power to the powerful ones. So, so your your strongest self, doesn’t mean that that will be what you do every moment, but in every moment you have the option to come back to that.

I would love to end with that, with that quote again from, from Buffy.

Pema: sounds fantastic. I’d love to hear that again.

Tania: Okay, great. 

So here’s the part where you make a choice. What if you could have that power now? I say my power should be our power. From now on, every girl in the world who might be a slayer, will be a slayer. Every girl who could have the power, will have the power, can stand up, will stand up.

Slayers, every one of us. 

Make your choice. Are you ready to be strong? 

I’m Tania Israel, professor, psychologist, and author of Facing the Fracture.

Pema: And I’m Pema Rocker, creative coach and author of Ash and Spirit.

Tania: Make your choice. 

Pema: Are you ready to be strong?

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