Switching Gears (with Allyson Felix and Vanessa Williams)

You’ve heard of listening tours, right? Hillary’s done plenty of those. These days, New York City writer, humorist, and cultural icon Fran Lebowitz is in the midst of a talking tour across the United States and abroad. Between destinations, she found time to stop by the studio and chat with Hillary.   Fran used to write. She’s the author of two best-selling essay collections, Metropolitan Life and Social Studies. But she likes talking better, and has gained a following for her sharp wit and her incisive, unapologetic opinions on just about everything.    In their wide-ranging and fast-moving conversation, Hillary and Fran discuss Fran’s early days scrounging for work, food, and heat in New York; the truth about “the American Dream”; how to survive long-distance air travel without a smartphone or cigarettes; why Martin Scorcese’s documentaries about Fran, Public Speaking and Pretend It’s a City, were not collaborations; and much more.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

17 Okt 202335min

These days, when Congress is so often paralyzed by in-fighting between the extreme and the more extreme wings of the Republican Party, it’s often up to states to fend for themselves. That puts a lot of responsibility in the hands of our governors - responsibility that some use for good, and others use for ill.   On today’s episode, Hillary talks with two newly-minted governors who are doing everything they can to improve the lives and future prospects of the people whom they serve.   Before taking office as the first woman and first LGBTQ+ governor of Massachusetts, Maura Healey had already proved her mettle—first as a college and pro-basketball player, later as the Chief of the Civil Rights Division of the Attorney General’s Office, and then as the first openly gay Attorney General in the country. She shares her priorities with Hillary, from making life in Massachusetts more affordable, to tackling climate change, easing the migrant crisis, and encouraging young people to see themselves as future leaders.   The first public office Maryland Governor Wes Moore ever ran for is the one he now holds. But his experiences as the child of a single immigrant mother, a U.S. Army Captain, and CEO of the Robin Hood Foundation gave him his “why”—to lift families out of poverty, promote economic growth, and lead young people to public service. He won in a landslide, making him the first Black governor of Maryland, and only the third elected Black governor anywhere in the country. He and Hillary talk about how he’s settling into the job, what he’s been able to accomplish, and why you’ve got to celebrate the wins even when they come with compromises.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

10 Okt 202346min

When Hillary was growing up, she and her friends didn’t have Judy Blume to guide them through the bewildering changes that come with puberty. She wishes they had.    When Judy began writing as a young housewife raising two children in suburban New Jersey in the late 1960s, topics like menstruation, sex, bullying, divorce, and religion were considered taboo in books for young readers. Judy changed that, with titles like Are You There God, It’s Me, Margaret, Blubber, Deenie, and Forever.    These books struck a chord with millions of readers, but they also landed her in some hot water. Since the culture wars of the Reagan era, Judy's novels have consistently been found on the American Library Association's list of most banned books.    Today, at age 85, Judy Blume is enjoying something of a renaissance. The film adaptation of Are You There God, It's Me, Margaret came out this past spring to critical acclaim, and there's a new documentary film about her on Amazon Prime. And while she is no longer writing novels, she is still connecting with young readers, especially when they come into the nonprofit bookstore that she and her husband run in Key West, Florida.    In this wide-ranging conversation, Hillary and Judy touch on everything from comic books and sex education to book banning and the responsibility that comes with a mailbox full of letters from young people seeking guidance.   Read a full transcript HERE.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

3 Okt 202341min

Hillary kicks off a new season of You and Me Both in conversation with House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries–a man after her own heart when it comes to getting things done.    Leader Jeffries, the United States Representative for New York’s 8th Congressional District, was a litigator and New York State Assemblyman before moving up the ladder in Congress, from chair of the House Democratic Caucus to his current role as Democratic Leader. He also served as a House Manager overseeing the first impeachment of former President Trump.   Throughout his meteoric rise, though, he’s never forgotten his Brooklyn roots – the Baptist Church, hip hop music, and the values of his civil servant parents. And he loves a good sports metaphor, as you’ll hear in this wide-reaching conversation spanning his childhood, his bipartisan work on criminal justice reform, and his strategy for unifying his boisterous House caucus and refining the Democratic Party’s message to the American people.   Read a full transcript HERE.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

26 Sep 202331min

Hillary is back! This season, as always, she'll be having candid, thought-provoking and sometimes humorous conversations with people she admires. She'll also be talking to her guests about one of her favorite subjects: getting things done. We’ll hear from folks in positions of power, like Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Massachusetts governor Maura Healey, but also athletes, authors, artists, and activists who are doing the work.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

19 Sep 20231min

You and Me Both is between seasons right now, but with the Academy Awards right around the corner, Hillary could not wait to share her conversation with multiple award-winning actor Frances McDormand.    Frances is now up for another Oscar, this time as producer of the powerful new film “Women Talking” (in which she also appears). The film, directed by Sarah Polley and based on the novel by Miriam Towes, is about a group of Mennonite matriarchs who gather in a hayloft to decide, collectively, what they will do in the wake of a wave of sexual assaults committed against them by men in their community.    Hillary talks to Frances about the genesis of this project, and the challenging, universal questions posed by the film. They also look back at Frances’ remarkable career—the brave choices she’s made, and the iconic roles she’s given us, from police chief Marge Gunderson in “Fargo” to a displaced, widowed worker seeking community in “Nomadland”— and forward, to what Frances sees for herself on the horizon.   You can find a full transcript HERE.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

7 Mars 202341min

While You and Me Both is between seasons, Hillary could not wait to share this conversation with one of her favorite actors, and people, Frances McDormand. Together, they talk about “Women Talking,” the powerful new film Frances produced and appears in, and about Frances’s decades-long career of incredible performances on stage and screen, from police chief Marge Gunderson in “Fargo” to a displaced worker and widow in “Nomadland.” Please join us for this special episode of You and Me Both, available on Tuesday, March 7th, just in time for the Academy Awards!  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

28 Feb 20231min

For our season finale, Hillary welcomes Saturday Night Live’s Emmy Award-winning sketch comedian Kate McKinnon to the show. In her first ever appearance on a podcast, Kate and Hillary compare notes on their recent bouts with COVID-19. Then Kate talks about how she’s parlayed her social anxiety into a wildly successful career in comedy; the CGI tigers on the set of the Peacock series Joe vs. Carole (in which she plays animal rights activist Carole Baskin); and how she develops her character impressions of everyone from Justin Bieber to Jeff Sessions, and, of course, Hillary. Then, with Kate’s help, Hillary answers listener questions on everything from her goals during her time as U.S. Senator for New York to her favorite desserts. You can read a full transcript HERE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

6 Apr 202240min