Today’s show was one of those rare mornings where conversation, connection, and clarity all lined up.
and I were joined by the brilliant , host of Freedom Over Fascism, leadership coach, and all-around force for good in a time when good feels endangered. Stephanie didn’t just join the show—she lit it up.We started light (well, “light” in our way). Dana had just escaped the absurdist theater of her own guest appearance on The Philip and Peter Show, where she survived the comedic gauntlet with grace and a cup of lukewarm tea. From there, we slid into the dark absurdism of our national stage—the Trump regime firing thousands of CDC and Department of Education employees mid-shutdown, leaving us wondering who’s going to tell us about the next pandemic. Spoiler: it’ll probably be someone on Substack.
That’s where Stephanie came in—bringing heart, intellect, and nuance to a conversation about the Israel–Palestine ceasefire, misinformation, and the moral weight of complexity. With a PhD in Middle Eastern Studies and a mind sharp enough to cut through propaganda, she reminded us that the opposite of war isn’t peace—it’s oppression. That one hit hard.
Stephanie talked about what it means to hold multiple truths: that October 7th was both a catastrophe in Gaza and a tragedy for Israel; that opposing Netanyahu isn’t anti-Semitic; and that blaming American Jews for the actions of a foreign government is both ignorant and dangerous. She said what too few dare to say—that we can be pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian, pro-peace and anti-fascism. That the real challenge is learning to be human better, together.
Then we pivoted—because of course we did—to the most Gen X of all fears: sending our kids to college in a collapsing democracy. Both Stephanie and Dana are in that wild senior-year-parent zone, weighing financial aid letters against fascist creep. Their conversation—about keeping kids close, choosing blue states, and wondering if it’s “1939 in Berlin”—was painfully honest and deeply human. The stakes for parenting right now aren’t just emotional—they’re existential.
And then we found hope in the weirdest place: Portland. As the Trump administration calls it a “war zone,” protesters are responding not with violence, but with humor—a man in an inflatable frog suit standing in front of ICE, now joined by a growing army of absurdists.
Stephanie, who studies both activism and communication, called this “radical creativity.” Humor, she said, “shows the lack of malice the regime wants to project onto us.” The frog, the unicorns, the naked bicyclists—they’re the antidote to authoritarian fear.
We also got a crash course in disinformation defense—use images that say “FAKE” or “LIE” right on the screenshot, and don’t repeat the falsehoods you’re trying to debunk. Reframe, reimagine, resist. Or as messaging expert Anat Shenker-Osorio says: Too fabulous for fascism.
We wrapped, as we always do, with the sacred Gen X question: what’s our anthem? Stephanie nailed it: “Relax,” by Frankie Goes to Hollywood. Of course it is. A synth-pop battle cry to breathe, resist, and not give the bastards our joy.
Go follow Stephanie Wilson at freedomoverfascism.us—and remember, ridicule is a form of resistance.
💙 Love you! Mean it!
Thank you
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