co-regulation is a podcast hosted by Holly Whitaker (HOME, QUITTED) that creates space for authentic conversations about how we're navigating this period of societal upheaval and profound transition. Through conversations with thinkers, artists, and experts, informed by Holly's perspective on addiction, recovery, and the intersection of personal healing and cultural systems, this show invites listeners into real-time exploration of how we're living through unprecedented change—not as isolated individuals, but as interconnected beings whose nervous systems regulate better together than apart.
In the aftermath of the 2024 election and accelerating pressure on our social systems, the limitations of the American experiment have become impossible to ignore. Every day exposes the myth that we can solve collective problems through individual achievement, consumption choices, or personal virtue. We've inherited a story that places the burden of global salvation on our individual shoulders while the architects of collapse profit from the fallout.
co-regulation emerges from Holly's direct experience: when consumed by the pressure to fix broken systems personally, she becomes incapacitated. Her nervous system remains in perpetual fight-or-flight. But when she connects with others wrestling with the same questions, something shifts. Our bodies literally calm in each other's presence. Solutions emerge not from heroic individual efforts but from the space between us.
This podcast acknowledges that we're at the end of an era defined by extraction, dominance, competition, and separation. We're being forced to move toward each other—to find collective solutions, to rebuild ways of existing harmoniously with the earth and each other. The path forward isn't through competition or meritocracy but through connection, mutual aid, and collective sense-making.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
co-regulation is a podcast hosted by Holly Whitaker (HOME, QUITTED) that creates space for authentic conversations about how we're navigating this period of societal upheaval and profound transition. Through conversations with thinkers, artists, and experts, informed by Holly's perspective on addiction, recovery, and the intersection of personal healing and cultural systems, this show invites listeners into real-time exploration of how we're living through unprecedented change—not as isolated individuals, but as interconnected beings whose nervous systems regulate better together than apart.
In the aftermath of the 2024 election and accelerating pressure on our social systems, the limitations of the American experiment have become impossible to ignore. Every day exposes the myth that we can solve collective problems through individual achievement, consumption choices, or personal virtue. We've inherited a story that places the burden of global salvation on our individual shoulders while the architects of collapse profit from the fallout.
co-regulation emerges from Holly's direct experience: when consumed by the pressure to fix broken systems personally, she becomes incapacitated. Her nervous system remains in perpetual fight-or-flight. But when she connects with others wrestling with the same questions, something shifts. Our bodies literally calm in each other's presence. Solutions emerge not from heroic individual efforts but from the space between us.
This podcast acknowledges that we're at the end of an era defined by extraction, dominance, competition, and separation. We're being forced to move toward each other—to find collective solutions, to rebuild ways of existing harmoniously with the earth and each other. The path forward isn't through competition or meritocracy but through connection, mutual aid, and collective sense-making.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Producer note: The term 'feministing' was coined by Jessica Vlenti for her groundbreaking feminist blog Feministing.com (2004-2019), which was instrumental in shaping online feminist discourse during the height of feminist digital media.
Holly sits down with feminist writer and author Amanda Montei to explore what it means to be Outspoken Intellectual Feminist in what feels like the height of feminist backlash. Montei, author of "Touched Out," opens up about her recent divorce, the collapse of feminist movements, and how she's navigating the intersection of personal upheaval and political crisis. The discussion delves into the challenges of writing under authoritarianism, the exhaustion that comes with constant resistance, and finding hope amidst the acceleration of anti-feminist backlash. Montei shares her evolution from academic writer to cultural critic, her commitment to teaching, and her decision to pivot toward more nuanced and aesthetic interpretations of our moment, rather than offering hot takes. This intimate conversation captures the complexity of maintaining feminist work when the world feels like it's falling apart.
Feminist writing in the Trump 2.0; divorce, marriage critique; collapse of feminist media; anti-feminism in liberal spaces; motherhood + patriarchal structures; misogyny in the 2024 election; cancel culture myths; the commodification of feminism; academic vs. public intellectual work; teaching as resistance; personal vs. political writing; fear + surveillance concerns; community building during crisis; the nuclear family as capitalist invention; movement fragmentation; artistic response to authoritarianism; protecting creative work; privilege and responsibility; collective vs. individual action; finding hope in dark times; the exhaustion of resistance work; white supremacy and patriarchy connections; memoir writing and self-revelation
Amanda Montei has a PhD in English literature from SUNY at Buffalo and an MFA in Writing from California Institute of the Arts. She is also the author of Two Memoirs and Touched Out. Her essays and criticism have appeared at Slate, Vox, The Rumpus, Ms. Magazine blog, American Book Review, and others. She teaches writing and lives in California. She writes the Substack Mad Woman and is the co-host of the podcast Dire Straights (CHECK IT OUT)
Original music by Gracie Coates (of Gracie and Rachel) @graciecoates @gracieandrachel on Instagram, gracieandrachel.com
Sound engineering, editor: Adam Day, adamdayphotography.com
Producers: Holly Whitaker, hollywhitaker.com; Adam Day
Original art by Misha Handschumacher, cmisha.com
Support the show
co-regulation is listener-supported! You can support us by joining our Patreon community patreon.com/coregulation
Available on patreon.com/coregulation
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.