DeepSummary
The episode features a conversation with adrienne maree brown and Autumn Brown, two sisters discussing their strategies for navigating family gatherings and differing beliefs. They share how their family holidays used to end in explosions until they implemented the practice of "Sister Check-ins" where they would take time to openly share what was happening in their lives before gathering as a family. This allowed them to feel seen and understood, preventing misunderstandings and conflicts.
They also discuss the importance of not giving up on family members with different values or beliefs, but rather staying curious about each other's perspectives and continuing to have open conversations. adrienne maree brown emphasizes the need to resist the societal pressure to disassociate from loved ones whose beliefs may clash with our own, and instead strive to hold the complexity of loving someone while disagreeing with their actions or choices.
The sisters highlight the role of youth as leaders in shaping a more just and compassionate future. They express hope in the ability of younger generations to instigate cultural shifts by standing firm in their values and speaking truth, even when it challenges existing norms and power structures.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- Implement practices like 'Sister Check-ins' to create space for open communication and understanding within families before gatherings.
- Resist societal pressure to disassociate from loved ones with differing beliefs, and instead strive to maintain relationships through curiosity and compassion.
- Hold the complexity of loving someone while disagreeing with their actions or choices, recognizing that people can hold contradictory beliefs and behaviors.
- Find hope in the ability of youth to catalyze cultural shifts towards greater justice and compassion by standing firm in their values.
- Show up authentically in family relationships, without performing or curating a persona as often happens on social media.
- Embrace the unknown and venture into new territories of thought and being, guided by stories and a pursuit of freedom rather than certainty.
- Cultivate a 'wise mind' that remains flexible and open to being wrong, focusing on values rather than rigid beliefs.
- Recognize that true change often happens through maintaining relationships rather than cutting ties.
Top Episodes Quotes
- “If I do believe that small is all, if I do believe that everything important is going to happen inside of relationship, then I have to take seriously that. How I orient to my mom white and to my dad black, how I orient to them as individuals who are worthy of inherent dignity and freedom themselves, that will matter even if it doesn't make immediate, obvious sense to me or it doesn't feel like there's immediate, obvious impact.“ by Autumn Brown
- “Youth, I'm telling you, I have so much faith in what kids can do and what young people can do. And that's also a big reason why I'm like, ceasefire. Ceasefire. Because all these children, we need them. We need all of the kids. They're the ones who take us into the future.“ by adrienne maree brown
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Episode Information
We Can Do Hard Things
Glennon Doyle and Audacy
12/14/23
Just in time for the holidays: adrienne maree brown and Autumn Brown join us for a heart-opening, mind-bending conversation about sisterhood, justice, family, and how to love ourselves and people with different values simultaneously.