After last night’s fantastic convention speeches, I realized I must modify this podcast’s mission.

Initially, I wanted to be a place, especially for women, to listen and learn if they haven’t been involved in politics lately or don’t have outside support because they live with Trump supporters. I know there are blue dots in red states and lots of wanna-be-blue-but-it’s-scary people out there who have no idea how to engage.

While I remain committed to being inclusive, I’m going to focus on content to motivate everyone committed to the fight for our democracy,

I will not go negative. If I need to compare, I will use facts (and cite them in my blog). We all need to work hard to get Kamala Harris elected. It’s not only the right thing to do; it’s essential for our future. So, if you’ve been listening and holding your nose when my candidate bias comes out, I’m letting you know there will be more.

I’m also letting you know we must do this and elect Harris-Walz.

What’s Next? Fresh. Relevant. Informative and Ideally Inspirational.

Please continue to listen; stay and participate in the joy. Just so you know what that means, here are my joyful podcast priorities:

Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. On January 9, 1790, George Washington said, “The establishment of our new Government seemed to be the last great experiment for promoting human happiness.” America is the Great Experiment, and it is predicated on happiness. We deserve happiness.

Teamwork. Inclusive leadership means top-down (elected leaders) and bottom-up (grassroots citizens), with coalition building in the center (PACs, super PACs, special interests, etc.).

Civic engagement. We all can participate in this election, and taking time to learn about the issues and what we can do to help preserve our democracy goes beyond voting. It involves standing up to fight when oppression is happening. It all matters from library books to gun safety, from women’s healthcare to having a healthy, law-abiding Supreme Court.

Helping One Another. Michelle Obama crawled into my soul last night. Sure, we both recently lost our moms, so the pathos (empathy) was huge for me. But what she said is so true. I think it’s true for most of us raised in the vast middle class.

Here’s what Michelle said about her mom:

“She believed that all children—all people—have value… that anyone can succeed if given the opportunity. She and my father didn’t aspire to be wealthy; they were suspicious of those who took more than they needed. They understood that it wasn’t enough for their kids to thrive if everyone else around us was drowning.

“So my mother volunteered at the local school… she always looked out for the other kids on our block. She was glad to do the thankless, unglamorous work that, for generations, has strengthened the fabric of this nation.

“The belief that if you do unto others… if you love thy neighbor… if you work and scrape and sacrifice, it will pay off—not for you, then maybe for your children or your grandchildren… those values have been passed on through family farms and factory towns… through tree-lined suburbs and crowded tenements… through prayer groups and National Guard units and social studies classrooms.”

I will continue to discuss what I care about, sharing how our government works and how to restore joy for Americans by participating in this incredible, historic election.

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