Staying Sane

March 17, 2026

27 min episode · 2 min read

Theresa Schwartz

Episode

27 min

Read time

2 min

AI-Generated Summary

Published Mar 18, 2026

Key Takeaways

✓Dual-source media consumption: Reading two ideologically opposed outlets daily — one left-leaning, one right-leaning — reveals what each omits from the same story. Theresa reads the New York Times alongside the Wall Street Journal specifically to catch narrative gaps, reducing reactive thinking and building a more complete picture before forming opinions.
✓Counter-polarization through nuance outlets: The independent US publication Tangle covers one news story daily by presenting conservative perspectives, liberal perspectives, and then the editor's moderate synthesis — sometimes adding international viewpoints. This format directly combats oversimplification and helps readers locate where genuine complexity exists versus where outrage is manufactured.
✓Values-aligned platform curation: Declining speaking invitations where you are the sole woman on an all-male conference lineup, or refusing to fly cross-country for a single one-hour talk when virtual delivery is viable, are concrete ways to enforce personal values through professional decisions rather than just stated beliefs.
✓Local community as the unit of change: Advocacy rooted in neighborhood-level identity — framed as protecting neighbors rather than advancing national political positions — stays grounded in human connection. Attending a local protest rather than following national narratives shifts focus from abstract ideology to concrete relationships, which sustains motivation and avoids polarization traps.
✓Continuous improvement over perfection: Applying a discovery mindset — something is better than nothing — to personal ethics prevents paralysis. Rather than abandoning values because trade-offs exist (AI use, air travel, plastic), the practice is identifying one additional aligned action each day, treating ethical behavior as iterative rather than all-or-nothing.

What It Covers

Theresa Torres and Petra Mayer share personal strategies for maintaining mental stability during turbulent political times, covering media consumption habits, community engagement, platform responsibility, and how small, consistent acts aligned with personal values compound into meaningful resistance and psychological resilience.

Key Questions Answered

•Dual-source media consumption: Reading two ideologically opposed outlets daily — one left-leaning, one right-leaning — reveals what each omits from the same story. Theresa reads the New York Times alongside the Wall Street Journal specifically to catch narrative gaps, reducing reactive thinking and building a more complete picture before forming opinions.
•Counter-polarization through nuance outlets: The independent US publication Tangle covers one news story daily by presenting conservative perspectives, liberal perspectives, and then the editor's moderate synthesis — sometimes adding international viewpoints. This format directly combats oversimplification and helps readers locate where genuine complexity exists versus where outrage is manufactured.
•Values-aligned platform curation: Declining speaking invitations where you are the sole woman on an all-male conference lineup, or refusing to fly cross-country for a single one-hour talk when virtual delivery is viable, are concrete ways to enforce personal values through professional decisions rather than just stated beliefs.
•Local community as the unit of change: Advocacy rooted in neighborhood-level identity — framed as protecting neighbors rather than advancing national political positions — stays grounded in human connection. Attending a local protest rather than following national narratives shifts focus from abstract ideology to concrete relationships, which sustains motivation and avoids polarization traps.
•Continuous improvement over perfection: Applying a discovery mindset — something is better than nothing — to personal ethics prevents paralysis. Rather than abandoning values because trade-offs exist (AI use, air travel, plastic), the practice is identifying one additional aligned action each day, treating ethical behavior as iterative rather than all-or-nothing.

Notable Moment

Theresa arrived at a local protest skeptical it would accomplish anything before the next election cycle. She left surprised by the scale of attendance and the unexpectedly celebratory atmosphere — participants wore costumes, carried flags, and projected optimism — which she had not anticipated given the severity of the circumstances.

Know someone who'd find this useful?