We Can Do Hard Things

At this moment, as the Epstein horrors are being revealed and many survivors are carrying fresh grief and reopened wounds, we wanted to return to one of the most grounding conversations we’ve ever shared.

This is Part 1 of our honest and deeply hopeful conversation with activist, advocate, and founder of the me too movement, Tarana Burke. For nearly three decades, Tarana has worked at the intersection of racial justice, gender equity, and anti-violence—interrupting systems that disproportionately harm marginalized people, particularly Black women and girls.

We talk about the impossible double bind survivors live inside of—how community can both protect and silence—why so many are taught to perform “goodness” to survive, and how joy, truth-telling, and collective care become radical acts. Tarana’s work has not only exposed hard truths about power and harm, but has also expanded access to resources, support, and pathways forward—inviting each of us to find our place in the movement.

 

For Part 2 of our conversation with Tarana Burke, go here.

And for Amanda’s two-part series on the Epstein Files, go here: 

THE EPSTEIN FILES, EXPLAINED: Everything You Need to Know

EPSTEIN SURVIVORS’ ATTORNEY WHO EXPOSED GOVERNMENT CONSPIRACY: Brad Edwards

CW: We reference sexual abuse and trauma.

About Tarana: 

Tarana J. Burke has been working at the intersection of racial justice, arts and culture, anti-violence and gender equity for nearly three decades. Fueled by a commitment to interrupt systemic issues disproportionately impacting marginalized people, like sexual violence, particularly for black women and girls, Tarana has created and led campaigns that have brought awareness to the harmful legacies surrounding communities of color. Specifically, her work to end sexual violence has not only exposed the ugly truths of sexism and spoke truth to power, it has also increased access to resources and support for survivors and paved a way forward for everyone to find their place in the movement.

Tarana’s Book: Unbound: My Story of Liberation and the Birth of the Me Too Movement

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Do not miss the first part of Amanda’s Epstein files conversation. To listen, click here: THE EPSTEIN FILES, EXPLAINED: Everything You Need to Know.

Brad Edwards – who has represented 200 Epstein survivors for almost two decades – is the attorney who sued to expose what was later found by a federal judge to be the federal prosecution’s prolonged, coordinated collusion to protect Jeffrey Epstein from facing justice for his crimes.  

In this exclusive conversation with Amanda, in which Brad shares experiences during his advocacy for survivors he has never shared before, he walks us through:

The incredible courage and resilience of the survivors

The secret immunity deal between federal prosecutors and Epstein and the government cover-up

How the DOJ seems to be intentionally revictimizing survivors in the way they are releasing the Epstein Files

How he secretly worked with the SDNY to finally arrest Epstein in 2019 

What the path forward is for accountability. 

This episode centers survivors and the people who never stopped fighting for them, and asks what comes next.

About Brad Edwards:

Brad Edwards is the founding partner of Edwards Henderson and the author of Relentless Pursuit: My Fight for the Victims of Jeffrey Epstein.  He is a nationally recognized Board Certified Civil Trial attorney who specializes in providing civil representation for children, survivors of sexual abuse, and victims of violent crimes. From 2008 through 2019, Brad served as pro-bono lead counsel on behalf of the survivors of Jeffrey Epstein in the seminal case upholding crime victims’ rights in this country. In 2019, the Federal Judge on the case ruled in favor of the victims, holding that the government had violated the rights of Epstein’s victims under the Crime Victims’ Rights Act when Epstein entered into a Non-Prosecution Agreement without the knowledge of his victims in 2008. In 2023, Brad spearheaded unprecedented litigation as lead counsel against the banking institutions that facilitated Epstein’s sex-trafficking operation for decades. The litigation ended in a $290 million settlement with JP Morgan Chase and a $75 million settlement with Deutsche Bank on behalf of hundreds of survivors from all over the world.

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In this special episode of You’re Not Gonna Believe This Bullshit, Amanda lays out decades of the history, facts, and reporting of the Epstein case—clearly, chronologically, and in one place.

This is not about conspiracy theories or salacious details. What we have instead is a documented record showing how, for more than a decade, the justice system worked to protect Jeffrey Epstein and his associates while survivors and advocates and journalists fought to expose the truth.

Amanda walks through who Epstein was, how he became so powerful and untouchable, how his crimes were uncovered and buried, and what the Epstein files reveal—and still conceal—about power, accountability, and justice.

This episode is a speaking meditation for justice, honoring survivors and those who never stopped pushing for the truth.

Note: This episode references Epstein’s crimes only as necessary to explain the systemic injustices involved. Please take care while listening.

Don't miss the second episode of the series:

EPSTEIN SURVIVORS’ ATTORNEY WHO EXPOSED GOVERNMENT CONSPIRACY: Brad Edwards

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What really happened at Girls Just Wanna Weekend? (Short answer: joy, gyrations, no restraint.)

Glennon and Abby take you inside Brandi Carlile’s Mexico gathering—a wildly safe, queer weekend beaming with music, connection, and collective joy. They unpack their now-iconic onstage “Come to My Window” performance (there were lifts), how rehearsals accidentally became couples therapy, and why joy, sexuality, and community aren’t distractions from this moment—but acts of resistance.

Plus: the magic of Titans of Americana, where Brandi shared the stage with her legendary idols and Tish—bridging generations and honoring the past while lifting up what’s next.

Listen to last year’s debrief – 277. What Happened Last Weekend: Girls Just Wanna Have Fun & We DID! – here. 

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Everything is chaotic and overwhelming. The news is relentless. 

So we did the only thing that felt honest: we showed up, unprepared, and talked about how we’re actually feeling–and what helps us stay engaged, grounded, and human in this moment.

In this conversation, we talk about why overwhelm is a strategy, how to stop spiraling in fear, and why real change doesn’t come from doomscrolling or waiting for a government hero–but from finding grounded leaders in our communities, organizing locally, and trusting ourselves to respond to what today is asking of us.

If you’re exhausted, scared, angry, or unsure what to do next–this episode is for you.

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