Episode 01: Battling Imposter Syndrome
Transcript for The Moms for Social Justice Podcast Episode 1
Rosie: [00:00:00] Oh, oh yeah.
Did we decide if we're cursing?
Mari: We're cursing
Taylor: I think it's okay.
Rosie: Okay.
just so sprinkle it in there.
You guys ready?
Mari: Yes.
deep breath.
Welcome to the Moms for Social Justice podcast, where we talk about how you can make your community a more awesome place. It's our first episode, and in this one, Mari, Taylor, and I discuss imposter syndrome, how it affects our work, and how it can manifest itself in lots of different ways, like running for local office.
We hope you enjoy this episode.
Hey, hey, M S J. Welcome to the first Ever Moms for Social Justice podcast, episode one. So exciting. We are so, uh, thrilled to have you join us. I'm Taylor.[00:01:00]
Mari: Mari.
Rosie: I am Rosie.
And we are the
Moms for Social
Justice. We are a progressive, grassroots organization encouraging parents to fight for social change in their own backyard. 'cause we know that's where we can make the most change and the most impact, right?
It's easy to get overwhelmed with what's going on at a state and federal level, and we know that we do. Uh, but we know we can make real Substantive change in our own communities, and that's what we are trying to do in our community, and we'd like to encourage you to do that in your own.
Rosie: Absolutely. Yeah.
Local government matters.
No doubt it matters. Who
sits on the school board? Who sits on the, the city council?
And
Mari: Oh yeah.
goodness, we know that on a very deep level. So how are you guys feeling? Are you are nervous, excited that we're finally, finally, starting this podcast that we have been talking about for years.
Rosie: I'm good.
I'm just, [00:02:00] I'm just thirsty. I, I, I think we should all, I don't have a mug 'cause I don't drink coffee, but I
have a water bottle and it Oh, look at that.
Uhhuh.
Rosie: Nice. Oh,
I think
Mari: one of our local attractions that is so strange and wonderful.
Listen, rock City is a magical place that everyone should try to visit at least once in their lives.
Rosie: Honestly, I think all of our tourist traps are strange and wonderful.
Mari: Yes,
Rosie: the three tourist traps of Chattanooga,
rock City, Ruby Falls, and the Incline
I feel the same way. The first time I visited Chattanooga, we went to Ruby Falls, and it was just this really surreal experience because it is this breathtaking, you know, underground cavern with a waterfall at the end. For some reason, Tennessee feels the need to add like
music
Rosie: and
music.
lights. Uh, it's not as, the, the natural wonder is not enough. We have to like jazz up this experience with
Mari: We like camp.
music.
Mari: We like [00:03:00] camp.
Rosie: App. Yes. Apparently we embrace it more than we admit.
Mari: First we're gonna dive into what's on our hearts, just to kind of loosen up a little before we dive into our heavy topic. Right.
I think that's a really good starting point for each of these, you know, to just kind of talk about what's, what's top of mind and maybe what's going on, uh, in our personal spheres or in our community. So, Mari, do you wanna start us off with that?
Mari: Sure. First I have to say Hi Barbie.
Rosie: Hi
Barbie.
Mari: what's on my mind.
sure it's on lots of people's minds 'cause we can't escape the hot pink. But I've, I've enjoyed listening and watching the discourse about the Barbie movie. I had . A great time watching it with a close friend, and then also watching it with my mom and my daughter, and kind of seeing how it affected each generation differently and how our relationship to Barbie, has changed over the years.
I'm, I'm loving, loving, hearing all of the, the feminist talk around it [00:04:00] and also loving hearing, uh, mediocre white men. Up in their angry feelings about it.
Those have been my favorite,
uh, seeing those memes.
Rosie: Did you both play with Barbies growing up?
Mari: Yes.
Rosie: 'cause I did,
my sister did, but I, I did not. So I was like kind of skeptical, honestly, going into the Barbie movie, but it was fantastic and I can't wait. I think it's out now. Yes, but I,
I,
can't wait to show my kids the Barbie movie. 'cause I think they'll both really like it.
Mari: Yeah. Well, and um, it sort of inspired we, you know, uh, We always march in the Pride parade as a group, as an organization. And we were talking about, you know, it's kind of fun to do a theme. Last year was kind of the first time we did that. We all wore like fairy wings, so we were like mom fairies sort of.
And so this year we were like, we should be like affirming Mom Barbie or just Barbies and in talking with one of our awesome creative talented members, Carina, she had the idea to maybe make buttons that say M S J and then a [00:05:00] blank, and then Barbie underneath, so you could kind of fill in. So
Rosie: That's so cute.
Mari: Librarian Barbie and , things like that.
So I think that will be pretty fun. So we will be all decked out on hot pink and high ponytails in the Chattanooga Pride
Rosie: You,
Inclusive Librarian Barbie.
Rosie: It's what we need.
Uh, just who, who would've thought that here we
are in 2023, where being a librarian is one of the most like badass, revolutionary,, jobs that you could possibly have at this point. I mean, these are, these are people who are on the front line of defending the First Amendment.
Mari: I kind of love it and I feel like they are, they've always been bad asses, but I think that like I, I wish they didn't have to deal with all the hate and the pushback and the death threats. We could just move that aside and let them just be like Warrior librarians, ,
I totally agree with you. It seems like they were ready for it, right? They like threw on their capes and like, , [00:06:00] made their glasses, adjusted them sorry. We can go on about our love for
Rosie: We love, we love librarians,
Mari: Barbie and librarians,
Rosie: What's on my heart?
What's on your
Rosie: Uh, something heavier is, um, like major life transitions. I have somebody in my family that's right, right now going through major life transition where she's, in the process of getting a divorce and then also her . .A dog passed away recently, like two days ago, and that this was like before the dog that she had, before she had kids.
So this was like her first baby.
So it's like a lot. And, um, I listened to, uh, a plain English podcast that was on the, the host, had just become a father and he had a, a. An author on who has a book about kind of dealing with major life transitions and building up that resiliency and, It's, it's just hard.
And I'm, I'm curious, when you guys have gone through a major transition like that, what have been your [00:07:00] sources of comfort or how, how have you found some sort of normalcy in the storm?
Therapy
Rosie: Uh, therapy's great for so many things, and I will say this family member that she does have a therapist. I, and I, I thankfully haven't, I, I have kids, so obviously I've been through like a major whole life transition. That's always a big life transition, but I think it's so important to find the things that bring you joy and to continue to, like, even if you feel like you don't have time for them. To make time for them, um, because that is what keeps you who you are and, and grounds you, I think. And so I fi I find a lot of joy in like, playing video games and, and, and just play in general, and, and painting. I'm, encouraging my family member to continue to like, take care of herself.
And what are the things that, that make her happy? I bought her like a little . I got like a nail set so she can like do her nails and have a little self care moment.
Mari: that's what I was gonna say. [00:08:00] 'cause I'm not always very good at it. I'm thinking through my life and when there's been big transitions and a lot of times kind of go into myself and disassociate rather than do the things that bring me joy. And so you can learn from my mistakes
Rosie: Don't do that.
Take care of yourself.
Mari: Yes. Painting and, you know,
uh, reading, going outside.
large amounts of cheese.
Mari: Well, that's always good,
Rosie: Um, yeah,
Mari: intolerant. Um, .
But yeah,
I, I think that's a great thing to do. And maybe, you know, maybe even more helpful would be to . Help whoever in your life is going through something difficult or if it's yourself, try to find ways to make time for those things.
Because I feel like it's one thing just to say, don't forget to make time to take care of yourself. And it's another thing to be like, here's a way you could do it. You know, set a timer or, um, [00:09:00] you know, pick one thing that you know you wanna do for yourself this week. You know, start out small things like that.
I think. That's a good way to encourage including those behaviors in your life.
Rosie: Oh, I make a, I make a checklist of like, oh, sorry. I have like a main quest for the day and then I have side quests and on my side Quest, I always make sure I include like a little, you know, I wanna paint or I wanna like play video games for half an hour or something like that. Some little, thing for myself. And
Mari: conquer your day. Like a, like a mage or a.
Rosie: Yeah. I'm so nerdy. I'm sorry,
Mari: No, never apologize for your nerdiness. I love that
Yeah, that does not surprise me in the least about you, Rosie, that you give yourself side quests. I love that because we make checklists for so many things we manage, especially as mothers. I feel like we're managing multiple checklists, for different buckets of our lives. So the
Rosie: the
ongoing ticker
tape.
exactly We are definitely going to save that for another conversation, [00:10:00] uh, because that's, that's a whole, a whole big subject we could talk ad nauseum about, but the idea that you could make, uh, a self-care checklist that you are, you know, being intentional about doing things for yourself, I love that. That's not something that I do, and I'm gonna take that inspiration from both of you and, and try that myself.
Rosie: Awesome. Yeah, I think it's so helpful. Just writing it down for whatever reason for me, sets it in my mind of like, oh, this is something I need to do.
Mari: And we could be accountability, accountability buddies and
Rosie: Self care.
Mari: side quest are you working on to,
Rosie: yeah, that's, that is a, with that family member, I've been checking
in with her and saying like, have you taken
care of, you know, what did you do for yourself today?
Mari: oh, that's good. Yeah. That's important is,
yeah. Rather than just, you know, . I know Taylor, you've been going through some heavy stuff in your life and, , hearing from people and sometimes, you know, you can be in a good head space and then you get the text message that's asking and it's coming from a really [00:11:00] kind place.
But you know, maybe instead of like, how are you more like, you know, how have you taken care of yourself today? Or, um,
Rosie: Did you do something fun today or what did you enjoy
Mari: Yeah, exactly. Yeah. I, I like that a lot.
Rosie: So Taylor,
I love that.
Rosie: what's
goodness. Yeah.
Rosie: been on your heart?
Well, I think
what's on my heart today is, you know, I did something hard last night, at least for myself. There was this. Fancy ish fundraiser for an organization that we really believe in and support Arts build. It's a, it's an organization that has been active in our community since 1969.
I learned last night, which is wild to me,
a supporting .Local artists and advocates in different programs, you know, both in, in education and just all throughout our county. And I really wanted to go to this event, but I couldn't find anybody to go with me. And even though I really present as an extrovert, I am really an introvert.
And those, you know, [00:12:00] kinds of things are, are difficult for me. And the idea of going to this event by myself seemed really hard and overwhelming. But I got a lot of encouragement from, from friends, including, you know, You all, and I did it. I put my big girl pants on, actually. I put a fancy dress on and heels and some lipstick and I did it. And I, I was really proud of myself in that moment. You know, there were, there were some minutes of social awkwardness, but I overcame it and I, you know, made some new friends last night, including An art teacher who drove from an hour and a half away to be there last night. she's an art teacher in rural Tennessee and she services every school in her county. So she's the art teacher for five different schools, and that is indicative of how our state values arts education.
Rosie: Mm-hmm.
And that's what last night was all about. Uh, [00:13:00] how important supporting the arts is, uh, to the, to the overall health and, how our communities thrive.
Rosie: Oh yeah, one 100%. Arts Field recently launched a really exciting program. I don't know if they talked about this last night, but The Periscope program, they did, um, a version of it in Nashville, and so they're going to do it for three years here, but it's a year long, artist entrepreneurship kind of mentorship, program where they have classes to teach artists of, of, you know, and we're not just talking visual arts, but music and dance and all, all kinds of different art, art forms. And how they can like monetize their passion and turn it into a living. And then they, they get matched up with a mentor
and create a business plan and a presentation. It's really cool.
Yeah, that's cool. They talked about that quite a bit last
night and it was, it was really cool to see some of the, the artists that they're supporting with programs, uh, like that and to see performances from [00:14:00] a lot of local artists. And then, you know, what was really exciting for me is they brought in one of my all time favorite. You know, Broadway actors, of course he is now in film and television as well, but Alan Cumming was there last night, which he is forever. My mc for all you Cabaret fans.
So it was just a, a treat to be able to see this really singular talent in our community there to, to celebrate. Art in, in spaces where sometimes it's not always, um, safe to be an artist or be different.
And, and he talked about that quite a bit. What it's like to be visiting, you know, a place that as a queer man, he's sitting in a space that. Has passed so many anti L G B T and anti-trans legislation in the last year alone. What that felt like for him emotionally and mentally. And what he continually said last night is just how important it is that there are those of us here who, who are,[00:15:00] parents of queer children. Queer themselves and supporters of, of marginalized peoples and and marginalized communities, right?
Because we know we live and exist in these red states. So it's important that we continue to show up and cultivate safe spaces for people who don't always feel safe. And so last night just really felt like a beautiful, safe space for all of us.
Rosie: You know, I'm sure we've encountered people that say that, see all the stuff that's happening in, in our state, and we're like, why are you still there? And it's like, well, we need to be here because we, as . White women on, the middle class income scale. We, we need to be here to protect and uplift the people who can't, who don't have the option to leave. We need to make it a better place for everybody, ourselves and and them as well. and I'm so glad
that you
took yourself out on a date.
It's like
another self-care moment,
right?
you. Yes, I will. I was proud of myself. And [00:16:00] you know, Rosie, to your point before we move on, I just wanna quickly, you know, say We need to remember too that the, the south in Tennessee specifically is not lost last night, can give us big, big hope in that that particular, you know, space when we saw some huge progressive wins last night.
You know, Freddie O'Connell won the mayoral race for Nashville. He won on an overtly and unapologetic progressive
platform.
Afton Ben, you know, won, won that seat that has not been held by a woman in 51 years. She
is the youngest to serve in the Tennessee house. Uh,
and then Tennessee elected its first transgender, uh, woman to, it was Metro City
Council in Nashville, Olivia Hill.
I mean that, that is huge. That is monumental.
Rosie: Yes. There's, I, I feel like so much of the negative stuff, uh, about the south in [00:17:00] Tennessee is what you see on the national news outlets, but then we do have these moments of hope, um, like the, you know, like the Tennessee three, right? Um, who even though they were shut down by our super majority, they still serve as a beacon that there are people who really care about Tennesseans, about the south. And wanna do the right thing. And it's just a matter of, getting those people into office, and getting and encouraging your friends to
run who, you know, believe those things. But, we'll, we'll, we'll talk more about that
Yeah, that, I mean, I think that's a, that's a beautiful segue to bring us to what kind of, what we wanted to talk about today. And we took a long way getting there, but I think that's okay because we're ultimately, we are friends who, who work with one another, so we like to check in with each other and know what's going on, uh, both personally and kind of how we're feeling about the social climate of, of being progressive activists living in the deep south. That's a. I don't know y'all, sometimes that's, [00:18:00] that's hard. But last night it felt, it felt good to see those wins.
What, what we wanted to start really this first conversation about is to talk about, you know, how we started, uh, moms for Social Justice and. How we did not let imposter syndrome keep us from doing that? And we know that, you know, imposter syndrome is something that's talked about. I think it's talked about a lot in corporate culture,
Mari: Mm-hmm.
and it's kind of one of those buzz words that gets thrown around
a
But I think it's a, a real legitimate thing, and I think it, specifically and especially, , finds itself keeping women from doing things in their own lives and, and professionally, you know, and for, for us. We can go back maybe just a little bit and talk about, , what that space felt like back in 2017 when we started Moms for Social Justice.
Rosie: I'd be curious to hear like what, Mo what, motivated you [00:19:00] to, to start and how come you, how come you weren't afraid?
You know, I think we can all put our ourselves back in that head space of what it felt like to be in those first few months of the previous administration, and we can decide at a later point how we wanna refer
Rosie: the the Cheeto
Those first few months were really, I think, emotionally jarring for, for the over half the country.
You know, who thought we were going to see the first woman elected
was a, it was a really, I. A remorseful time for a lot of us, and we were seeing just outrage after outrage happen. You know, devoss as the head of public education, uh, stripping trans rights from military service. It, it just felt like every day brought a new, outrageous, you know, onslaught of, of abuse. But for us, really the catalyst and the moment that we We could not sit idly anymore was the unite the Right Hate rally in [00:20:00] Charlottesville,
Virginia. And I'm sure you know, you remember that Rosie?
Rosie: It was, it was very disturbing, you
know, and like, to your point, cook, coming off of the, the eight years of the Obama administration where we felt like there was progress happening to a lot of these social issues and then I think everybody was very taken, taken aback when the Cheeto won. and then to see . .That rhetoric be normalized and people taking that and feeling empowered to be pub be say the quiet part out loud, to be public in their hate is very, very disturbing.
Yeah. You know, and to have the, you know, then commander in chief, uh, call white supremacists very fine people.
Rosie: Mm.
You know, that was really That was really that moment, that watershed moment for us as parents, you know, of, of then very young children realizing that there was a distinct possibility that 20 years from now our kids would look at us, you know, like how we, we asked our parents, you know, where were [00:21:00] you for the moon landing or JFK's assassination. You know, there are specific moments in history where Our kids want to know what you were doing, what you were thinking, what you did in those moments. And we felt like that period of time quite possibly be one of those, uh, where our kids would look us in the face and say, Hey mom, what were you doing during that moment of really great rational racial reckoning and a, a call for Real hard looks at our past, our present, and what we want our future to be. And Mari, you can jump in like what that was like where we just sat across from one another.
Mari: So what started as a conversation in a messenger thread where most good conversations start, about how we felt as moms. Uh, it, it became something more, we decided we needed to do something like actually [00:22:00] not just on the internet. We needed to do something in our community, and so we started
Talk about opportunities in our area for parents, especially parents with young kids. And there was a rally, against the Charlottesville rally and against racism here in Chattanooga. And before, like two days before it happened, there were rumors that there were gonna be people there with . Weaponry that we're not on our side of things.
And it was really scary. And of course I know we have the privilege, privilege to be able to say, maybe I don't wanna be in that space with my children. But we decided that there wasn't really a stepping stone into activism and community engagement, uh, for parents of young children.
We met in your living room, Taylor, and started talking about what is now mom's social justice that has been around for six years, last month.
exciting and I think the reason that [00:23:00] imposter syndrome didn't really play a part in us creating this organization is because we didn't know what it was going to be. first. We thought if it's just the four of us going out and finding opportunities to do things, and we may be invite . A few friends from the P t a or from our neighborhood to join us then that's great.
But then we found that a lot of other people in our area felt very similarly. And were looking for a way to get involved, um, to volunteer, to create a community our community, that feel similarly about things and. Don't wanna just post on Facebook about how upset they are about something or share a meme, which that's fine.
There's nothing wrong with doing that, but you know, we would hope it would be paired with action. So, why I don't think that imposter syndrome played a big part in starting a nonprofit organization because we didn't know we were going to be a nonprofit [00:24:00] organization that, you know, has been interviewed by news outlets and that, you know, we have meetings with our mayor and our superintendent, like now we do the big things and they're not as scary because we kind of built up to it.
But in the
totally agree, Mari, and I think also. There was just such a sense of urgency
that, you know, the climate in the nation at the time, and it really hasn't let up. Let's be honest, since then, it felt so, so deeply divided and just the, the racial tension felt palpable, in the south at that moment that we really didn't feel. I think that That sense of trepidation or can we do this or should we do this because we felt like we had to do this, we
had to do something because we didn't wanna look our kids in the face 20 years from now and say, yes. It was crazy. But I really crafted a fantastic tweet about my outrage that didn't [00:25:00] feel, that didn't feel sufficient.
Rosie: But as M S G has, has grown, I'm sure in that journey you felt moments of imposter syndrome or when, you know, like a national news outlet wants to interview one of you sort of this moment of like, wait, uh, me, us
Yeah, there. There are definitely moments where I know we have all felt that way. You know, walking into a room of elected officials, um, to speak about something that we feel very passionately about, you know, where we've had those moments of self, of self-doubt. Like, I don't belong in this room. I don't have the qualifications or the, all of the, my facts in order, so I shouldn't be the one speaking up. I think over time we have learned that a lot of the people sitting in those, those seats of public
office also don't have,
uh, [00:26:00] what we would, you know, like to consider the qualifications or the facts lined up
Rosie: There's no,
there's no magic fairy dust that is sprinkled on these elected officials. There's no secret sauce. They're just, as you attend these meetings, uh, you realize, oh, they're just regular people. And sometimes, a lot of the times actually, they get things wrong. Um, And so I, yeah, I feel like that definitely, uh, removes that, that scary feeling of this is something that I can't do once you start witnessing what's really going on. Um, and I think it's also really helpful also like to have role models and community and support. The great thing about M s A is that y'all started it as a group and, That makes it a lot easier to do scary things. Even, even if you, you know, at the time you didn't know like how big
or M S J would get.
Mari: no, a hundred percent. [00:27:00] And I think that's part of what we've tried to continue to do is model the behavior we would want to see more of. , the quote, be the change you wish to see. instance, speaking at the school board. I know both, all three of us have spoken in front of the school board and the first time it was terrifying.
And then now, you know, we get up there and we're like, Hey guys, you recognize me? Yep. I'm back. , and I think for other people to see that it's important, because we're seeing the other side, for lack of a better terminology, not let imposter syndrome stop them and to get up and say, awful, terrible,
Rosie: incorrect
Mari: uh,
in those spaces.
And don't want folks to only see that and think that that's what you have to do. You have to put on a show, a performative . Instance where you're reading books that are clearly out of context [00:28:00] with curse words or sexual sexually explicit acts being described and saying, this is what all books are like.
, so I know Taylor, you had mentioned, that concept that folks have on the other side of things, uh, that are, have no problem speaking up and don't imposter syndrome stop.
I think that's, I think that's an important point to just keep in mind because I think as What I, what I would like to say as liberal-minded people, we we love to feel, uh, well-informed. We love to feel, uh, prepared and that we have, you know, a fully detailed fact sheet, you know, behind us before we get up and say anything. And that I think that's, that's fine and good and we should strive towards that. But .To your, to your point, Mari, the other side has no issue, uh, getting up and, you know,
spreading very confidently, misinformation, wild [00:29:00] accusations, and, you know, medical degrees from YouTube and, you know, education degrees, uh, from, from YouTube, you if they're not going to let imposter syndrome stop them from getting up and speaking loudly, their, their perspective and point of view, then we shouldn't either. And I think that also really translates well into not letting imposter syndrome stop you from, about running for office.
Rosie: It's, it's very intimidating and, and scary and you don't know where to start. Like, to that, to that point. When I, I was interested in social justice and activism for a long time, but I didn't know where to start. So when I overheard at the library one day, the word social justice, I like my ears perked up.
I went over and I met Taylor, and that's how I was introduced
to M S J, which has just been so awesome and it's, it's really
Imagine [00:30:00] meeting liberals in the public library,
Rosie: Don't go there. It's a scary space, . .Um, and so to to that point, yeah. Running, doing something like running for office or starting a nonprofit, is really intimidating and scary when you don't know where to start. And that's why it's so important to, if you're interested in something like that, to start just like putting your nose in places and you're going to discover. Communities of people that you never knew existed that will be so happy to support you. So excited to help you run or start, uh, something. and like to your point, Taylor, you know, you going to that event last night on your own and then meeting some new people. I mean, that's what you have to do is you just have to kind of like take a step out a little bit, put yourself out a little bit, even though it's really scary because you can find really incredible people out there.
Mari: That's part of what we try to do and, uh, this is a great segue into an event that we're hosting [00:31:00] at the end of this month. And the beginning of next month is a, you know, run for the school board 1 0 1 because we have had folks from within our ranks, as they say, from moms for social justice leadership who have gone on to win, um, elected office.
We have a alum. That is a, now a vice mayor, and then we have a school board candidate. And, um, it's been amazing watching them, you know, from the moment they messaged us and said, I think I'm gonna do this to now they, you know, hold the seat. And it, it's been an incredible journey and I feel like by, giving folks.
The tools to succeed and the tools to feel that empowerment in. They just, sometimes people just need one person to
Rosie: mm-hmm.
Mari: you can do this, it's fine. And so as an organization putting an event on like that, uh, where, we'll, we'll interview and hear from school board candidates, uh, current [00:32:00] folks holding office about what it's like.
I feel like that that . might be that catalyst that someone needs to know, okay, these folks did it. While they're poised and wonderful and smart, they're also maybe a little bit like me and then also, hey, there's this organization putting this on that is here to support me. You know, we're, we're not in a position to support folks financially is we're an all volunteer led organization, but
we can canvas, we can share social media posts, we can hold events,
Rosie: I'll design your
Mari: do help design your logo. Rosie's done that many times, uh, Facebook live interviews with candidates, uh, because, you know, we find that people really do wanna get involved in their community and they do wanna get involved in local politics.
But just like Rosie said, they don't know where to begin. So whether it's informing you about a candidate in the school district that's running , Or it's hosting an event that tells you yourself how to run for office or [00:33:00] for school board. You know, we try to be that, that educational tool, uh, for, for folks just starting out.
Yeah, because as we said at the beginning, it, it really matters, uh, who sits. On your school board,
you know, for, for those of us who have children attending public school, it matters a great deal. And I think on a grander scale, we can talk a little bit about our, our state senate, uh, nominee, Gloria Johnson, who, you know, could have easily let imposter syndrome keep her from Even that initial run for office, because let's be honest, like she, she comes from a public school background. She was a teacher,
Rosie: Yes.
And to, to move from That position as a public servant, you know, serving in our public schools to listening to, , the voices of her community, asking her to run for that seat, which had long been held by a, uh, a [00:34:00] staunch Republican male. And to take that seat and to really be such a strong advocate and voice for the people. To the extent that she is now running to take Marsha Blackburn's seat, just such an inspiration.
Mari: it is.
Rosie: And I just, I just wanna point out, like I'm sure Gloria Johnson's schedule is very full and she's very busy right now. And I've seen, I've, we've seen her on the news on like c n N and stuff, and N M S N B C, she's doing all these interviews, but, um, she has made time. To, uh, come to our VIR virtual event. And I think that speaks volumes about who she is as a person and also Val, uh, volumes about like how important these local elections really are. because at the local level, that's where you're going to see the most impact in your day-to-day life. it's important to get people in there that align with What you believe and we'll actually listen to their [00:35:00] constituents, which is also a problem that we're encountering where we're having
a lot of, uh, folks, Republicans just kind of like doing whatever they wanna do and not
actually listening to what,
uh, their constituents want
to see happen in their city or county or state.
Mari: Or just straight up kicking them out if they don't like
what they have
Rosie: Ugh. Yes. Yeah. And yeah, as everyone's aware, Gloria was part of that movement and, um, I think it's really exciting to see how she's already, you know, standing tall and standing up. Uh, because Marsha Blackburn is already like on the attack,
has already coming for her. Um, but
Mari: She has a whole website dedicated to
radical. Gloria,
Rosie: oh,
Mari: I was thinking she's taking a page from the Cheetos book of, uh, putting an adjective before someone's name so that anytime they think of that person,
Well, we are so excited about, uh, Gloria Johnson's run. We [00:36:00] need to get shirts made that We Are the Moms for Gloria
Mari: and
bye bye Blackburn.
Rosie: Uh, probably like that
one. Let it be true.
Mari: Yes.
what from, from your lips, Rosie to St. Dolly's ears
Rosie: Yes.
We, yeah.
Well, you know, I think that's a really, a really good message, you know, leading us to, to how we can wrap this conversation of, you know, We have to remember that as parents, we have overcome the the greatest imposter syndrome, uh, instance, imaginable, right? Because nothing, one can prepare you for what parenthood is like.
Rosie: I read those books and they were not
enough
Yeah, they were not enough. And yet we show up for our kids [00:37:00] every day because we have to,
And we figure
it out.
Rosie: make mistakes every day.
But, but that's okay. And I think, yeah, as also like as an organization, that's part of overcoming imposter syndrome is having grace and understanding that you are going to make mistakes. And just being able to acknowledge when that happens and to own it and to do like, we have that saying of no better do better. I, I think having that growth mindset is, is huge. And, and like, I don't know how to do this yet, uh, but I'm going to learn and I'm going to figure out just like
how we learned and figured out how to do this POD podcast,
Mari: Yes. Yes. And, and Rosie, you were, you definitely
pushed
and I we definitely felt that imposter syndrome of, you know, oh, does anyone really wanna hear from us? What are we gonna do? What's it gonna look like? You know, the equipment and, and the technical side of it was a little bit daunting and Rosie was like, we're doing it.
We're just doing it. [00:38:00] And here we are. And I'm really thankful that you did that, Rosie. And. I feel like you have added a lot to our leadership by being that voice of diving right into things that are maybe a little bit scary. So I'm very appreciative of that, and I'm excited. I think it, it's, it's an outlet for us to have some of the conversations that we have internally as a, both a friend group and an organization in a way that other people can, can join in and, and feel like they're, they're part of these conversations.
Rosie: For sure. I, I feel like a core part of M S J is the community and all the insurmountable things become way more approachable if you have people behind you, if you have that community, and they can provide you with resources and information and guidance and all of, all of that stuff.
Um, and so that's what, that's one of the things that I love about M S J. We just have such a great . amazing group of folks, in our, in our community, supporting us and [00:39:00] supporting each other.
100%. Well, those are the lessons that we can take from today, right? That we need one another, that we're gonna fuck it up, and then we gotta keep showing up.
Mari: Yep.
for, for whatever that means in your life, whether it's just showing up for your kids, showing up for your job, for yourself,
for your partner, uh, for your community. Um, if that means taking that, that next step and saying, Hey, I think I can lend my voice to my community and run for public office.
Mari: Yep.
You could, you can do it. And as, as we said, you'll find the people who will be there to support you along the
way.
Rosie: be there
We'll be there.
Yeah. In our, in our community. Did you say Unless you're
shitty,
Rosie: you're shitty,
then we won't be there.
then we won't be there.
Rosie: be it
Mari: drop you like a hot potato. No,
Rosie: Be a good person.
Mari: Right.
that's fair.
Mari: It's our only requirement.
We should also put that on a shirt. Don't be shitty.
Rosie: Don't be shitty.
I may. Apparently our podcast is [00:40:00] just going
to be a bunch of suggestions of
what we should have on shirts. I have one of our M S J shirts on
Rosie: It's very cute.
Mari: by Rosie
Rosie: I did a great job.
and I have to show it has a bunch of,
I can't see it. The leading ladies in history.
Rosie: Yes.
It
has a bunch of different, um, feminists from different, you know, demographics and times.
It's very cool. All right, y'all. Well, I think
we have, we have talked for quite a while, but I've enjoyed this conversation and I am excited that we have finished our very first episode of the Moms for Social Justice Podcast,
Rosie: Yes.
we will be talking about all manners of social justice and parenting and being a liberal in the south.
Rosie: If you have any suggestions for future topics or comments or questions like we're on, we're on all of the things. Facebook, uh, Instagram, that the one, the bird that turned into the X
TikTok, you can find us. We're around
Mari: You can. [00:41:00]
Rosie: so yeah, reach us and let us know what you think of this episode and what you would like to see in the future.
Now remember, moms Get shit
done.
Rosie: do
Thanks for listening to the first moms for social justice podcast. We hope you enjoyed it. I know technically we're not quite there yet, but we're going to get there. It's okay. It's a process. That's what this whole episode was about, right? We weren't going to let some of the stuff that we were worried about impede doing the damn thing.
So we did it. Um, please give us feedback and let us know what you would like to hear in future episodes or if there are Uh, community heroes you would like us to interview. Um, I just want to mention that we are a 501c4 and we are an entirely volunteer run organization. If you would like to, uh, donate to us, it would mean the world to us.
It just enables us to do things like this and also to support community events and keep those events free or low cost. Um, you can find the donation link [00:42:00] on our website. momsforsocialjustice. us and I can't wait to hear your feedback and we'll see you again in a couple weeks for the next episode. Bye!