Thank you for this episode, so much learning for me! My husband volunteers each week with a local non-profit that offers mobile food pantries all over our county each week, including every Tuesday night at our church. He and I have talked for months about becoming monthly supporters of that organization, and after listening to this episode we are now signed up! Thanks for that inspiration!! Also, being a native of Western KY, tell Lacy it was good to hear “home” in her voice and accent, so wonderful😊
LOL I have never listened to an audio book and I didn't even know what voice memos were until this episode. My email also ends with @SBCGLOBAL.NET ......I'm 41/71...
My ADHD does not allow for audio books, my brain wonders and the next thing I know 30 minutes have gone by and I completely spaced out. I sympathize with mouth noise, there are certain versions of YoYo Ma's music I can't listen to because they are so clear I can hear him breathe in parts and I find it really distracting.
Not sure if you’ve tried this, but my mind also wanders during audiobooks unless I speed them way up. It is amazing to me how slow it sounds, when people in my real life don’t talk that much faster!
I just read Josh Hawley's letter in the NYT about the bill he's sponsoring to fund SNAP through the government shutdown. This strikes me as good news, and it almost makes me wonder if there's a catch? https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/28/opinion/josh-hawley-snap.html
I also struggle with audiobooks - something about holding a real book in my hand .. however I do feel I could get through more on my booklist if I gave audiobooks a real shot!
I’m seeing a lot of misinformation from my conservative Republican friends like ‘that emergency funding could never be used for Snap’ 🤪 it really is the theme of your second book ‘now what since we disagree on everything’
Hearing Sarah’s accent and verbal mannerisms in someone else’s voice was so delightful!! I appreciated all the other important bits covered but didn’t see any other comments about this in particular. You can tell Lacy is a good friend by the way their speaking cadences fell into rhythm 😂
Not sure if anyone else listens to Good Hang with Amy Poehler, but she had Kate McKinnon on yesterday who is also an Enneagram 4, and she was just as delightful as our beloved Lacey. As a fellow Enneagram 4, I felt so celebrated by The Universe! Both women were such good representations of our personalities 💐💐💐✌🏾✌🏾✌🏾✨✨✨
This episode gave me such food for thought (no pun intended). I really love the deep look at what was once the normal collaboration between the federal government and food banks. It reminds me of your supply chain episode(s). Right now I keep thinking about farmers and ranchers who are paid to supply produce and meats for these programs--and for grocery stores, and what these actions by the administration will mean for their livelihood. But there's so much to think about, and thank you giving us practical tips to help.
Secondly, Lacey is a delight, and her outside of politics contribution might be my favorite ever. I laughed OUT LOUD so many times. SO, thanks so much for that. :-) For the record, I'm an avid consumer of podcasts and audiobooks, as well as a reader of books. My husband doesn't read many books but he will listen to an audiobook and we can discuss just like he read it. Both my kids have dyslexia and dearly love audiobooks. It's only been this year after years of hard work that they will pick up a print book--usually a graphic novel--to read. I am thankful for the opportunity to read through audiobooks. But also, everyone has their preference and possibly sensory issues, so I am sure they're not a universal thing!
Thank you for this episode, Beth and Sarah. With all of the horrible things happening in our country, I think it's so important to be talking about the ways that we, as individuals, can make an impact.
On the outside of politics - I also hate mouth sounds. I have tried a few podcasts where I loved the content but I had trouble listening to additional episodes because of some off-putting noise sounds (although I generally love listening to podcasts, and I don't have this issue with Pantsuit Politics). I really dislike pretty much all body noises - my husband has a tic where he runs his hands through his hair when he's in deep thought or nervous, and the sound of that drives me nuts! I think I probably have some sort of auditory sensitivity.
This was so informative! However the “outside of politics” made me lol in my car. As a fellow hater of mouth sounds I can completely understand Lacey. However, good audio production doesn’t have mouth sounds and why I’m an AVID audiobook reader! But I HATE kissing scenes on tv and in movies for this exact reason. It’s like nails on a chalkboard!
Really appreciated the quality of this conversation. As a mom of a daughter with dyslexia who devours books through audio, there were a couple of frustrating feelings and thoughts about disability advocacy but that’s life.
(Sorry - this starts with a whole lot about my love of audiobooks.. but stick with me!)
I LOVE audiobooks! Like most of us, I love reading a good old fashioned paper book but I'm also in a season of life where I'm bananas busy. Audiobooks let me read far more books than I would be able to if they were only in paper. I typically have a paper book by my bed and another in my car, a digital book through the kindle app on my phone, and an audiobook through Libby. I read them all at different times depending on what I'm doing. Lately however audiobooks get the most play. While I cook, clean, go for a walk on the trail behind our house, or quilt in the evening. My daughter and I would listen to audiobooks on our 40 minute commute each way to her dance classes. It was a great way to kick off conversations during the tween years.
And YET. I have fought my retired english teacher mother about audiobooks SO HARD. She says she doesn't have a problem with them, but the way she speaks about them makes it very clear she doesn't consider it "reading". I finally called her out with "so if someone with a learning disability like dyslexia chooses an audiobook because that let's them really get into the story instead of constantly hitting a road block... that's not good enough? They have to struggle and be frustrated? In which case they will probably VERY RARELY pick up a book?!? Aren't you always saying you think a big problem with our society right now is that people stopped reading? How is looking down your nose at people who listen to audiobooks helping that case?!?" The lightbulb finally started to go on. (I'm pretty sure she still thinks my daughter and I should only "count" books we read on paper, but tough tooties mom!)
Great episode! I’m the ED for our food program in Manhattan, KS, and I co-sign all of Lacy’s observations. By way of example- we can purchase eggs at $.63/dozen through our regional food bank.
One thing I would add…give the staff at your local program some room. Our phones are ringing off the hook and our doors are in constant motion. We are small staffs working to support a team of volunteers as we serve very stressed guests. By noon every day we have answered countless calls about our service area and qualifications…and just as many asking us for our “most needed items”. Friends, we need 10 minutes to eat something and pee. During “normal” times, we can manage it. But we are swamped from start to finish every day.
Watch our social media for our external communication. When we say “we need everything” we mean it! Food is going out just as fast as it comes in right now. And when we say we need 15 volunteers, we don’t mean 30. Please don’t ask us to squeeze your group in…having too many volunteers is just as challenging as not having enough. There will be another ask/event, I promise! Hold on to your energy- this is a marathon.
The last point I will make is my conviction that poverty is a policy choice- not a personal failing.
I loved this episode. It is so important for people to understand how our food support system works and how critical it is as a support system to help keep people in their homes. I did not know about the slowdown of federal food being provided to food banks. It seems like this is something that needs to be talked about more.
Thank you for this episode, so much learning for me! My husband volunteers each week with a local non-profit that offers mobile food pantries all over our county each week, including every Tuesday night at our church. He and I have talked for months about becoming monthly supporters of that organization, and after listening to this episode we are now signed up! Thanks for that inspiration!! Also, being a native of Western KY, tell Lacy it was good to hear “home” in her voice and accent, so wonderful😊
LOL I have never listened to an audio book and I didn't even know what voice memos were until this episode. My email also ends with @SBCGLOBAL.NET ......I'm 41/71...
My ADHD does not allow for audio books, my brain wonders and the next thing I know 30 minutes have gone by and I completely spaced out. I sympathize with mouth noise, there are certain versions of YoYo Ma's music I can't listen to because they are so clear I can hear him breathe in parts and I find it really distracting.
Not sure if you’ve tried this, but my mind also wanders during audiobooks unless I speed them way up. It is amazing to me how slow it sounds, when people in my real life don’t talk that much faster!
I just read Josh Hawley's letter in the NYT about the bill he's sponsoring to fund SNAP through the government shutdown. This strikes me as good news, and it almost makes me wonder if there's a catch? https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/28/opinion/josh-hawley-snap.html
Lacy is so real I love her!
I also struggle with audiobooks - something about holding a real book in my hand .. however I do feel I could get through more on my booklist if I gave audiobooks a real shot!
I’m seeing a lot of misinformation from my conservative Republican friends like ‘that emergency funding could never be used for Snap’ 🤪 it really is the theme of your second book ‘now what since we disagree on everything’
My family just got super into the Red Clay Strays!
Hearing Sarah’s accent and verbal mannerisms in someone else’s voice was so delightful!! I appreciated all the other important bits covered but didn’t see any other comments about this in particular. You can tell Lacy is a good friend by the way their speaking cadences fell into rhythm 😂
Yes for podcasts (audio only, no video) and audiobooks (particularly kids books in the car are great).
No for voicemail and voice memos.
Lacy is a total gem! I love her and Sarah’s wonderfully unlikely friendship. Hands down, my favorite outside of politics!
Also, Red Clay Strays are fabulous! My son introduced them to me..it’s a bit of an Elvis vibe.
Not sure if anyone else listens to Good Hang with Amy Poehler, but she had Kate McKinnon on yesterday who is also an Enneagram 4, and she was just as delightful as our beloved Lacey. As a fellow Enneagram 4, I felt so celebrated by The Universe! Both women were such good representations of our personalities 💐💐💐✌🏾✌🏾✌🏾✨✨✨
Just got into listening to Good Hang! It's delightful.
This episode gave me such food for thought (no pun intended). I really love the deep look at what was once the normal collaboration between the federal government and food banks. It reminds me of your supply chain episode(s). Right now I keep thinking about farmers and ranchers who are paid to supply produce and meats for these programs--and for grocery stores, and what these actions by the administration will mean for their livelihood. But there's so much to think about, and thank you giving us practical tips to help.
Secondly, Lacey is a delight, and her outside of politics contribution might be my favorite ever. I laughed OUT LOUD so many times. SO, thanks so much for that. :-) For the record, I'm an avid consumer of podcasts and audiobooks, as well as a reader of books. My husband doesn't read many books but he will listen to an audiobook and we can discuss just like he read it. Both my kids have dyslexia and dearly love audiobooks. It's only been this year after years of hard work that they will pick up a print book--usually a graphic novel--to read. I am thankful for the opportunity to read through audiobooks. But also, everyone has their preference and possibly sensory issues, so I am sure they're not a universal thing!
Thank you for this episode, Beth and Sarah. With all of the horrible things happening in our country, I think it's so important to be talking about the ways that we, as individuals, can make an impact.
On the outside of politics - I also hate mouth sounds. I have tried a few podcasts where I loved the content but I had trouble listening to additional episodes because of some off-putting noise sounds (although I generally love listening to podcasts, and I don't have this issue with Pantsuit Politics). I really dislike pretty much all body noises - my husband has a tic where he runs his hands through his hair when he's in deep thought or nervous, and the sound of that drives me nuts! I think I probably have some sort of auditory sensitivity.
This was so informative! However the “outside of politics” made me lol in my car. As a fellow hater of mouth sounds I can completely understand Lacey. However, good audio production doesn’t have mouth sounds and why I’m an AVID audiobook reader! But I HATE kissing scenes on tv and in movies for this exact reason. It’s like nails on a chalkboard!
Really appreciated the quality of this conversation. As a mom of a daughter with dyslexia who devours books through audio, there were a couple of frustrating feelings and thoughts about disability advocacy but that’s life.
(Sorry - this starts with a whole lot about my love of audiobooks.. but stick with me!)
I LOVE audiobooks! Like most of us, I love reading a good old fashioned paper book but I'm also in a season of life where I'm bananas busy. Audiobooks let me read far more books than I would be able to if they were only in paper. I typically have a paper book by my bed and another in my car, a digital book through the kindle app on my phone, and an audiobook through Libby. I read them all at different times depending on what I'm doing. Lately however audiobooks get the most play. While I cook, clean, go for a walk on the trail behind our house, or quilt in the evening. My daughter and I would listen to audiobooks on our 40 minute commute each way to her dance classes. It was a great way to kick off conversations during the tween years.
And YET. I have fought my retired english teacher mother about audiobooks SO HARD. She says she doesn't have a problem with them, but the way she speaks about them makes it very clear she doesn't consider it "reading". I finally called her out with "so if someone with a learning disability like dyslexia chooses an audiobook because that let's them really get into the story instead of constantly hitting a road block... that's not good enough? They have to struggle and be frustrated? In which case they will probably VERY RARELY pick up a book?!? Aren't you always saying you think a big problem with our society right now is that people stopped reading? How is looking down your nose at people who listen to audiobooks helping that case?!?" The lightbulb finally started to go on. (I'm pretty sure she still thinks my daughter and I should only "count" books we read on paper, but tough tooties mom!)
Great episode! I’m the ED for our food program in Manhattan, KS, and I co-sign all of Lacy’s observations. By way of example- we can purchase eggs at $.63/dozen through our regional food bank.
One thing I would add…give the staff at your local program some room. Our phones are ringing off the hook and our doors are in constant motion. We are small staffs working to support a team of volunteers as we serve very stressed guests. By noon every day we have answered countless calls about our service area and qualifications…and just as many asking us for our “most needed items”. Friends, we need 10 minutes to eat something and pee. During “normal” times, we can manage it. But we are swamped from start to finish every day.
Watch our social media for our external communication. When we say “we need everything” we mean it! Food is going out just as fast as it comes in right now. And when we say we need 15 volunteers, we don’t mean 30. Please don’t ask us to squeeze your group in…having too many volunteers is just as challenging as not having enough. There will be another ask/event, I promise! Hold on to your energy- this is a marathon.
The last point I will make is my conviction that poverty is a policy choice- not a personal failing.
I loved this episode. It is so important for people to understand how our food support system works and how critical it is as a support system to help keep people in their homes. I did not know about the slowdown of federal food being provided to food banks. It seems like this is something that needs to be talked about more.