Alyssa Milano: Sorry Not Sorry – Details, episodes & analysis

Hi Friends,

While Alyssa was starring in Chicago on Broadway, she took some time away from the podcast - but now she's back! We catch up on the election, the role of art in times of strife, self-preservation, and a whole lot more.

This year, many of us are struggling to find gratitude. Perhaps we can find it in the story of Sara Josepha Hale, the women who made it her life's mission to make Thanksgiving a national holiday. She had to face a nation in civil war, a president in crisis, the passage of time, and the apathy of power. Nevertheless, she persisted.

We too, shall persist. Our fights are not new, and they will not be won overnight. But they will be won.

In what has become a Thanksgiving tradition at Sorry Not Sorry, we are revisiting this episode with Denise Kiernan, bestselling author of "We Gather Together."

The saying goes that laughter is the best medicine. But it can be a powerful driver for social change. Our guest this week is Steve Hofstetter. Steve’s a comedian, a Nobel Prize nominee, and a philanthropist who’s been making people laugh and think for a long time.

We're continuing our week-long honoring of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., by highlighting some of the episodes in our archives featuring people doing the hard work of racial justice, like Mondale Robinson. Mondale is the founder and Principal of Black Male Voter Project, an organization dedicated to overcoming systemic disenfranchisement of Black voters, and Black men in particular, in the electoral process.

In honor of the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, we will be highlighting an episode from our archives each day this week with someone fighting for racial justice. To start, we're joined by Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman. Anna is a is a researcher, writer, science communicator and activist. She is the co-founder of The Sadie Collective, the only nonprofit organization addressing the lack of Black women in economics and related fields, and the editor of The Black Agenda: Bold Solutions for a Broken System, a new book of essays on policy solutions to social problems written by black activists.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"An expansive set of essays highlighting the range and force of Black leadership....An inclusive, edifying, often fiery assembly of voices articulating the way forward for Black America―and America in general." ―Kirkus Reviews

"Invigorating...policymakers will want to take note." ―Publishers Weekly

"The Black Agenda mobilizes top Black experts from across the country to share transformative perspectives on how to deploy anti-racist ideas and policies into everything from climate policy to criminal justice to healthcare. This book will challenge what you think is possible by igniting long overdue conversations around how to enact lasting and meaningful change rooted in racial justice." ―Ibram X. Kendi, #1 New York Times bestselling author of How to Be an Antiracist and Stamped From the Beginning

"This book is the first step towards defining Black expertise, assigning value to the work that we do, and taking up space in the public on our own terms. I, for one, am looking forward to being able to knock people on the head with the collection. I’m looking forward to the spaces in need of critical self-reflection that make this book a normal part of routine business and the discourse. And most of all, I am looking forward to everybody with any resource, no matter how small, reading this book too." ―Tressie McMillan Cottom, author of Thick: And other Essays

"The Black Agenda is urgent. It's urgent that white people recognize that centering, listening to, and being led by the voices in this book are the start to investing in societal solutions. I wish that moral arguments of equity were enough but know they're not. These chapters are a strong mix of diagnosis and prescription, with an appropriate layer of moral calling to help us learn, reflect, and be motivated toward specific action." ―Chelsea Clinton, New York Times bestselling author of She Persisted

"This book is overdue and imperative. We can't get clear national momentum without a core focus on the Black agenda. I am thrilled for the conversation and action this will inspire." ―Wes Moore, New York Times bestselling author of The Other Wes Moore

"The Black Agenda brings together a group of brilliant thinkers offering bold solutions to combat many of the social problems facing Black people in the United States. This powerful collection is a must-read for anyone interested in turning anti-racist ideas into action." ―Keisha N. Blain, Co-Editor of #1 New York Times bestseller Four Hundred Souls

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We live in a culture which stresses self-sacrifice and perceived security and stability over the potential happiness and self-discovery which can come with quitting work and moving on to something new.  Our guest this week is living proof of how fruitful quitting can be. Keith Boykin  is a TV and film producer, a national political commentator, a New York Times bestselling author, and a former White House aide to President Bill Clinton. A graduate of Dartmouth College and Harvard Law School, Boykin has taught at the Institute for Research in African-American Studies at Columbia University, City College of New York, and American University in Washington, DC. He is a cofounder and the first board president of the National Black Justice Coalition and a Lambda Literary Award–winning author of five books.  His new Scribd original “Quitting: Why I Left My Job to Live a Life of Freedom” is now available.

If you've followed Alyssa or her career since the 1980s, you know that the only reason she cares that she has a platform is that it allows her to work to make the world a better place. And that's why I'm so excited about this episode. We've invited four of your (and our) favorite influencers from TikTok, who are using THEIR platforms, in exciting new ways. In this episode, you'll hear familiar voices talking about how and why they use those voices for change in 2023 and beyond, including Ashlelnok, Aunt Karen, Ms. Frazzled, and Jeffrey Marsh!

Our annual end-of-year tradition: recapping some of the moments that defined 2022 for Sorry Not Sorry.  Did we miss some of yours?  Let us know by leaving us a voicemail!

Our guest this week is Jessica Grose, an opinion writer at The New York Times who writes a popular newsletter on parenting. Jess was the founding editor of Lenny, the email newsletter and website. She also writes about women’s health, culture, politics and grizzly bears. Her new book "Screaming on the Inside: The Unsustainability of American Motherhood" is now available.

One of the issues that is so close to our heart is how art influences culture. We often say that nothing can change the world the way art can—it brings us together across so many of our divides to discuss important issues. And boy, does our guest this week have a story about a group of artists who lived authentically and pushed against social boundaries. Nino Strachey. Nino is a writer, historian and public speaker who worked as Head of Research for the National Trust. Since starting her career with the Landmark Trust, she has worked for English Heritage and the National Trust, curating the homes of scientists, politicians and writers. Her new book "Young Bloomsbury: Young Bloomsbury: The Generation That Redefined Love, Freedom, and Self-Expression in 1920s England," is now available to order.