Community & Trust

Democracy relies on conversation, yet there are very few places where respectful dialogue is taking place. We’ve talked with women across the country—particularly in rural, small town, and suburban communities—who tell us they feel alone in their beliefs, unable to say what they think when it comes to issues they care about, and unsure of how they can make a difference. They tell us they avoid talking about politics for fear of the conflict it will create in their homes and their lives. We’re working to change that reality because we need women’s voices and engagement to come up with common-sense solutions to today’s challenges and build a better future for all of our children.

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Over the past six years, we have connected with women in a variety of ways—from Facebook groups to Zoom, via text and online—evolving to meet their needs and the changing digital landscape. The women in our audience know what they believe and are confident in many areas of their life, but they tell us they don’t always have the confidence to talk about or act on their vision for our country. When we build trust and a sense of community, we create spaces where we can come together for help making sense of our rapidly-changing world.

Advice Column

In 2023 we introduced Dear Grace, a customized advice column that speaks to our audience’s interests, experiences and values while tackling the everyday issues they are struggling with. Advice columns have skyrocketed in popularity in recent years, and are a particularly effective method at reaching folks who are typically the observers in conversations, especially those about politics and current events. An advice column encourages readers to imagine themselves in the shoes of the question asker, allowing them to develop a sense of in-group with the asker and consider the topic at hand with greater empathy and thoughtfulness, as opposed to reverting to biases and knee-jerk reactions. 

We have seen the way toxic polarization contributes to our audience turning away from civic discourse. Dear Grace is an antidote to this disengagement. Grace is a supportive figure who dispenses sisterly advice with honesty, humor, and absolutely no judgment. She isn’t just providing solid advice, she’s helping our audience test out new ideas and make their voices heard in a way that doesn’t feel like conflict. 

Learn more or explore Dear Grace for yourself to see what she’s being asked this week!

Community Conversations

We’re asking the women in our audience to tell us what they think about the latest hot topics, like what it means when states restrict access to abortion or how to find affordable child or elder care. These types of conversations can be tricky to talk about with friends or family, but our In Focus sessions provide a nonjudgmental space to THINK about what we think. We then share clips of these facilitated small group discussions with our full community of subscribers so they can hear what others have to say. How do participants feel about their In Focus experience? We’ll let them tell you!

Engagement Activities

Interactive polls and quizzes are a regular part of all of our programming as they are fun for participants and rooted in principles from neuroscience. For example, we ran this quiz when some Supreme Court decisions were hot topics to help folks make sense of the issues and figure out where they stand. The civic self-efficacy this type of engagement builds helps turn knowledge into action.

Our research-driven approaches increase members’ civic confidence and create a shared appreciation for our linked fate. This, in turn, helps our audience step into their full civic power and play a role in creating the communities and country we seek.