Pushing Past Polite

Episode 23 begins with a raunchy smell and a diaper change. Aren’t you glad this is a strictly audio medium and not smell-o-vision? Like the poop in Kori’s son’s diaper, we discuss the less-than-fragrant choices at the top of the ticket this November. That said, Laura is encouraged by the ever-so-slight, but significant movement she’s seen among U.S. leaders on Gaza. We have more power than we realize! Influencing the algorithm, having courageous conversations, voting uncommitted - it’s sending a message loud and clear! Laura brings up the concept of the Overton Window and how it shifts over time due to social forces. Kori shares how the war on Gaza is illuminating colonial power and oppression all over the globe in new and powerful ways for people. More and more folks are realizing the connectedness in these issues - and how our liberation is tied to the liberation of everyone around the world. Keith reminds us about the stark nature of our choices at the top of the ticket - and how tr*mp would be worse for the Palestinians - and women, and people of color, and democracy, and and and. Kori reminds us about the importance of every elected office - up and down the ballot - and not to get overly fixated or frustrated by just the presidency.  The House and Senate control the budget priorities. The Senate confirms judges and cabinet members. Heck, local school boards are deciding what books your children can read! Remember, if your vote didn’t matter, folks with power wouldn’t work so hard to disenfranchise others. Laura confesses her naivety, years ago, when she thought Republicans would play by the rules and the party would lose the majority and therefore the power, ushering in a new era of more progressive thinking.  Ha! Isn’t she precious?  People of color have long known that systems are erected purposely to keep power and create “others.” Evil shapeshifts. While we believe the Democratic party is more likely to listen to the needs of the people out here, Kori wants to hear more of a positive vision for the future from leaders. Not just - “at least we’re not as bad as the other guy.” I mean if only leaders could get as excited and work together for health care as they do about banning Tik Tok… Just saying! Laura just has to sneak in some Kate Middleton talk, and while we wish her well as she focuses on her health, how does the monarchy make sense anymore?? Get yourself out of this messed up family! There is nothing special about your bloodline.  You are stuck in a gilded cage so citizens can gawk at you.  Blech!  That said, I’m sure a presidential challenger wouldn’t mind setting up his dynasty here in the U.S. so we have to be vigilant, use our voices, and push for representation that values humanity!Visit our new home on the web: www.pushingpastpolitepodcast.com for full show notes, transcripts, links to resources, and discussion prompts. Follow us on social media, as we want to hear from YOU! @pushingpastpolite on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube.

Episode 22 starts out with Laura getting a little picked on for quirks she didn’t know she had - ha! Today, the three musketeers (yes, Keith too) talk about their “sacred texts” - art that they come back to over and over again - movies, TV shows, quotes, books, music. You name it! We use this conversation as a way to better understand each other as friends - and reflect on the power of art to connect, communicate, and inspire. The soul of art speaks to us and changes us - no wonder censorship is a thing. Art can change the world!Here are some highlights. Can you guess who liked what? Eddie Murphy’s stand up and movies, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Sex in the City, Father of the Bride, Princess Bride, Lost, A Different World, the whole TGIF lineup (Family Matters, Dinosaurs), Golden Girls, Six Feet Under, The West Wing, House of Card (we all agree - ick), Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Friere, Rainer Maria Rilke’s quote about questions, The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen, vampire books by Melissa de la Cruz, The Last Airbender, Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen, Phil Collins, Don Henley, Mumford and Sons, Sia, Fiona Apple, Alanis, Nirvana, Counting Crows, Sublime, Dave Matthews, The Cosby Show, Prince, the Eagles, Michael Jackson and more.Laura introduces the term “Facebook know,” Keith shares a disturbing prediction from tech giants on the future of AI in publishing, Kori can’t help but nerd out with a conversation on Optimus Prime, and then guess who brings up Love is Blind Season 6 chatter? Clay’s mom is a shero, but also let that woman not have to work so hard to fix the men in her life.Y’all - we wrap things up by saying art helps us connect with our own humanity - and lord knows we need to connect with our humanity now more than ever! So share this pod with your folks, ask about what texts are sacred to them, and share yours back!Visit our new home on the web: www.pushingpastpolitepodcast.com. Follow us on social media, as we want to hear from YOU! @pushingpastpolite on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube. What are YOUR sacred texts? Let us know!

No small talk today. Laura and Kori begin the episode by commenting on Nazis marching down the streets of Nashville during Black History Month. Kori apologizes for her female-version of a Barry White voice after conducting trainings all week. Laura admits her naivety about how XYZ bad thing couldn’t happen here in the U.S. because of our founding principles, realizing how vulnerable our democracy is, citing the Alabama Supreme Court ruling, abortion penalties in Texas, a bill in West Virginia aimed at charging librarians with crimes, gerrymandering, voter suppression, and the electoral choice between a fascist dictator and an incumbent president facilitating genocide. Kori and Laura point out that those in power are doing all they can to keep power - using the example of billionaires evading taxation. Y’all, we just go through it all - the Citizens United case, the health care system, college debt, the cost of childcare, the professional penalty for mothers who opt out of the workforce. Phew! This all sets the backdrop for today’s main topic of conversation - our mutual musings about raising our kids abroad. Did you know the U.S. ranks #24 on family-friendliness by the U.S. News and World Report? Kori and Laura have done different levels of thinking about this scenario seriously - and we talk through some of what factors into this - including racial identity (and racial ambiguity for Kori’s husband) and interest in cultural and language immersion. Because multilingualism is a superpower - it’s real wealth! We both agree that having child care, health care, and community built into our lives would be well worth the trade off of potentially higher taxation. We also raise our different life experiences relative to geographic mobility. Kori, in her childhood and adulthood, has made several big, brave moves.  Laura’s family made one big brave move and it was a questionably successful choice for the first decade at least. Not surprising that Laura’s much less likely to make a big move - plus folks are mostly nice (admittedly - to white folx like her) and dang it - she just renovated her kitchen! Itty bitty Kori reveals that she played basketball before her track star days. She was a regular Mugsy Bogues! Anyway, we are just tired of capitalism, y’all. And the food is killing us here too. So we start brainstorming how this could look - including small next steps like getting kid passports and trying to travel for longer chunks of time. And we can’t help it but quote Aunt Tula in Big Fat Greek Wedding and share a few kid stories before we wrap. Also, Laura is always open to chatting Love is Blind, since Kori clearly isn’t that friend. 😛Visit our new home on the web for links and resources: www.pushingpastpolitepodcast.com. Follow us on social media, as we want to hear from YOU! @pushingpastpolite on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube.

There are more than a few interjections of cute kiddo voices this episode, friends - including a baby voice flashback. Brace yourself for cuteness! In Episode 20, Kori, Laura, and Keith reflect on pivotal mentors in their lives - from academic influences to professionals who championed them to friends who’ve helped them through tough stages. You’ll meet Kori’s grandma (yes the fat phobic one); former teachers Ms. Fisher and Miss Milleris, and Mr. Williams; Professor Hirsch and Father Kemp, colleagues Elaine Mulligan, Vanessa Coleman, and Beverly Brooks; auntie sister cousin Pam; and mama/friend mentors Jaunelle, Lanaya, her sister, Christian, Tyranny, Camila, Randy. Laura introduces you to Dr. Schleef, Dr. Linda Underwood, Dr. Jonas, and Dr. Allan, and Keith tells the story of how Jimmy Rose and Tim Burke changed his life and his path in dramatic fashion. Beyond mentorship, you’ll hear us mention how Kori’s son uses chapstick, Laura’s husband’s teary takeaway from Episode 19, and a shoutout to the Buddy Hollies trivia team in St. Petersburg, Florida for last week’s win. Laura and Kori are tempted to snowbird at Keith’s place when he describes the plethora of dog friendly bars with mini golf courses in his city. We’ll close out the episode with more kid cuteness - and a new acronym: DAFBFF! What can we say - IYKYK, and if you don’t know, listen and find out. Visit our new home on the web: www.pushingpastpolitepodcast.com. Follow us on social media, as we want to hear from YOU! @pushingpastpolite on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube. Why not send this to a mentor or mentee of yours and let them know how much you appreciate them?

Y’all - as promised - we got our moderate amount of Keith! Whoop whoop! After sharing plans for an upcoming Chuck E. Cheese birthday party, Kori, Laura, and Keith interrogate sh*t they used to believe and ways they’ve evolved over time. Topics discussed include hell, organized religion, proselytizing, marriage equality, abortion rhetoric, fat shaming and the Body Mass Index (BMI), therapy, expiration dates on friendships, having friendships outside of your romantic partner, dress codes and what is deemed “appropriate” dress. Phew! That’s a lot of unlearning. We also discuss the relief that comes from canceling or postponing social engagements - often on account of kids, 90s musical hits about butts, Keith’s trivia team and playing beach volleyball and how all the ladies are going to get a treat down St. Petersburg way. We likened his potential groupies to Billy Bob Thornton in Bad Santa and the office ladies watching the Diet Coke delivery guy arrive. Because we’re complex humans, we also bring up literature from Ralph Waldo Emerson and Michelle Obama - and we announce that for our first podcast-a-versary, we gifted ourselves a NEW WEBSIIIIITE!!! Did I mention we got a website?!?! Visit our new home on the web: www.pushingpastpolitepodcast.com for resources by episode. Follow us on social media, as we want to hear from YOU! @pushingpastpolite on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube. We are honored by every listen, review, and share. 

Kori and Laura recorded this season opener in the same physical room. Can you believe it?? Speaking of physicals, the gals delve into their experiences and best practices in preparing to see their doctors. They are grateful to have practitioners whom they trust, but also emphasize the importance of self-advocacy in medical decisions. Kori tells the story of food allergies, discovering a pain in her ass, and an amazing sports medicine doctor.  Laura shares how her doctor discovered she had thyroid cancer from exercising an abundance of caution and reveals all the other well checks she went through afterwards to make sure she was all clear. We touch on college health centers, how Laura’s pediatrician set her up on a babysitting date, assumptions about what a healthy body looks like, how the BMI is B.S., and how Kori’s dad leverages his identities to connect with skeptical patients. Most importantly, we challenge the notion that health care has to be a commodity like it is in these here United States - and we address the history of injustice against Black and Brown bodies by medical researchers - and ongoing medical injustice from access to outcomes.Follow us on social media, as we want to hear from YOU! @pushingpastpolite on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube.We would very much appreciate you rating and reviewing the show anywhere you get your podcasts - and sharing is caring!

Episode 17 begins with several Laura brain farts. Good thing Kori and Keith are patient. Once she gathers her wits, Laura shares two things positively impacting her mood - cabinet installation day at her house and the Golden Bachelor finale! Makes her feel all warm and fuzzy under a blanket of gratitude. Kori shares a new prompt she’s been asking her preschool son - Did you help anyone today? - to prompt him to lead with his kindness. Laura shares how she wants to deemphasize the logistics of the Christmas story and focus on big ideas - God with us and light in the world. Kori is all about giving her kids rich sensory experiences this holiday. For example, she’s turning her basement into a winter wonderland with the help of her sons. We talked about how we add to our ornament collection each year, and Laura shared the idea of wrapping (and unwrapping) a Christmas children’s book each night of December. Laura reflects on things done well by her parents around the holidays, including having family members watch each other open gifts, one at a time to savor the gifts and foster gratitude. The gals shared strategies for emphasizing sharing gifts at the holidays and Kori suggested trying scavenger hunts to add to the fun. Both ladies are all about wrapping up essentials and counting them as gifts - deodorant, socks, moisturizer - you name it! Laura talked about her annual wreath day tradition with her friend Colleen and Kori wants to scale this business idea pronto! Kori endeavors to attend more holiday parties. Laura shares some excellent learnings and takeaways from a recent episode of Pantsuit Politics called A Guide to Enjoying Your People. And Kori issued a wise admonishment to limit our complaining about our family of origin to our partners. We talked about the advantages and challenges of having family members in close proximity and farther away, and we sign off, wishing everyone all the best creating weighty and meaningful traditions in the weeks ahead, regardless of which holidays you celebrate. You are loved and appreciated.Follow us on social media, as we want to hear from YOU!@pushingpastpolite on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube.Please rate and review us anywhere you get your podcasts and share with friends!We would very much appreciate you rating us where you listen to your podcasts - and sharing this episode with your friends and loved ones as they travel, prep food, or slow down to relax this holiday season.

Episode 16 starts off with Kori sharing how her preschooler has started creatively dropping f bombs, which we adopt throughout the episode. It’s holiday time, and the gals (and Keith) share a bit about their traditions, memory making, and intentions for the season. Conversion includes decorating for Halloween, putting up numerous Christmas trees and enjoying the glow for as long as possible (Good Morning America cites science that this makes you happier!), creating a Christmas movie watch list, viewing lights (Richmond, Virginia has an awesome Tacky Light Tour and a beautiful botanical garden display), cookie and gingerbread house decorating (check out the Candy Cottage for bake-free fun), drinking vs. eating calories, to love or hate egg nog, systems for Christmas cards and where Christmas cards go at the end of the season, and trading in turkey for tastier meats (at least 2 per meal!).  Kori’s youngest son J makes an appearance and volunteers to help cook the holiday meals. What a gem! Kori reminds all of us folks to moisturize every chance we get this winter, and we set our intentions for slow, meaningful, gratitude-filled time with our people. Keith, Kori, and Laura all agree - starting this podcast was one of the best parts of 2023 and our listeners warm up our hearts - those we know and those we have yet to meet.  Cheers to more connection and pushing past polite to engage in meaningful conversations in 2024 and beyond!  Safe travels, happy holidays, and know we appreciate you!Follow us on social media, as we want to hear from YOU!@pushingpastpolite on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube.Please rate and review us anywhere you get your podcasts and share with friends!We would very much appreciate you rating us where you listen to your podcasts - and sharing this episode with your friends and loved ones as they travel, prep food, or slow down to relax this holiday season.