Next Monday is International Women’s Day and I’ve teamed up with Kendra Scott for a week of interviews that celebrate the Kentucky women who inspire me. Today’s interview is with my friends Sarah Stewart Holland and Beth Silvers, co-hosts of the Pantsuit Politics podcast.

I first met both Beth and Sarah when they were undergraduate students at my alma mater, Transylvania University. I was an alumna advisor for my sorority (Phi Mu), and they were collegiate members; even then, they both stood out as women with incredible poise, strong opinions, and a fantastic drive to succeed. They’ve carved out such an awesome niche as podcasters and speakers, sharing a unique message of extending grace and finding common ground during difficult conversations. Sarah and Beth are both smart, funny, and hardworking ladies whose friendship and input I treasure. Longtime HerKentucky readers may also remember that Sarah was one of the original contributing writers for HerKentucky.

Thanks so much to Kendra Scott for helping bring the Kentucky Women Who Inspire Me series to life — stay tuned to HerKentucky.com and my Instagram this week for previews of the newest Kendra Scott jewelry collection and a fun shopping event!

HerKentucky: Can each of you please tell me a little bit about yourselves?

Sarah Stewart Holland: I’m an eighth-generation Kentuckian. After graduation from Transylvania University, I got married (very young!) and moved with my husband first to North Carolina and then Washington, DC, where I got a law degree and worked in politics for several years. In 2009, I convinced my husband to move back to my hometown of Paducah before the birth of our first son. I built a career in social media consulting and started a mommy blog, while having two more boys. Then, in 2015 I dove back into politics by starting Pantsuit Politics with Beth and running for Paducah City Commission, where I served a single term. Now, (thankfully!) Pantsuit Politics is my full time gig - along with raising my three sons with my husband Nicholas.

Beth Silvers: I also went to Transylvania with Sarah (and met Heather through Phi Mu!). After I graduated, I went to law school at UK. I moved to northern Kentucky to work for a Cincinnati law firm after graduation. I spent 11 years there -- six practicing law and five leading human resources for the firm. After Pantsuit Politics outgrew being a hobby, I left my full-time job to podcast, write, and speak. It’s been such a gift to be able to do work that I love and have lots of freedom to share life with my husband, Chad, and my daughters, Jane and Ellen.

HK: How did Pantsuit Politics get started? How has the show evolved over the years that you’ve been podcasting? It’s so amazing to see the way your community of listeners and supporters has grown! (As a longtime PP follower, I was so touched to see the outpouring of care when Beth’s parents were experiencing COVID complications!) 

Sarah and Beth: We reconnected via Facebook years after college. At the time, Sarah had a blog for which she asked Beth to write a guest post. That post, about the need for more nuance in political and civil conversations, was well received. At the time, Sarah’s husband, Nicholas, had been encouraging (harassing?) her to start a podcast so she asked Beth if she’d be interested to which Beth responded, “What’s a podcast?” We did a test call and realized we had an interesting dynamic, complementary personalities and perspectives, and that we didn’t always agree but shared many common values. The idea behind the show was to create what we wanted to consume but couldn’t find - political conversation that works hard to avoid hyperbole, that makes room for different perspectives, that acknowledges what is hard or unknown or unknowable, and that recognizes that politics is one form of life but not its totality.  The show has evolved since we started it in 2015, as has much of the political landscape. The years of regular, intentional discourse have shaped us personally and politically and drawn in an ever-growing community of passionate listeners committed to practicing grace-filled political conversations in their own lives.

HK: Something I love about the message of your show is that we can find middle ground and keep the lines of communication open, not only in political discourse but also in everyday conversation. I’ll hear myself say something more diplomatically than I otherwise would have and I’ll think “well, that’s Beth and Sarah's influence!” Do you see the work you do on Pantsuit Politics playing out in your parenting styles, your marriages, and other relationships?

Sarah and Beth:  It would be nearly impossible to spend so much time practicing this kind of conversation about politics without it spilling over into other aspects of your life. We’ve both improved our ability to listen and ask better questions. Those skills definitely translate outside of politics. We’ve also talked a lot on the show about how politics doesn’t live in its own box separate from the rest of our lives. Our political opinions are shaped by what’s happening in our daily lives and our daily lives are shaped by the decisions made by those in our political systems. When we look at our lives holistically, it’s easy to see the interconnected web bringing us all together both as individuals and broader communities.

HK: It feels like your show came along at the absolute perfect moment. You’ve grown your message of nuance and open lines of communication as the country has experienced some divisive moments. Tell me about the way the show has adapted to the climate around us. 

Sarah and Beth: When we started in 2015, we certainly could not have imagined what lay ahead. At the time, we came from different sides of the political aisle - Sarah was a Democrat and Beth was a Republican. In 2019, Beth changed her registration because of what she sees as the Republican Party’s embrace of Trumpism and abandonment of the reasons she was a Republican to begin with. We maintain some philosophical differences about the role of government and our styles and personalities are still very different. But, we’ve really had to talk about more fundamental issues over the past few years and, on those core values, we’re aligned.

Our longtime listeners have been with us as we processed some of the biggest, most shocking events of the last few years in real time. In many ways, the chaotic and divisive nature of politics have made it easier for us to clarify our values. Because we don’t always agree on the policy pathway to an outcome, people sometimes come to us expecting something like they see in other spaces - two people who can’t and won’t agree on anything. Our conversations sound different to listeners because we’re usually starting from a place of shared values or a shared desired outcomes. The hotter the discourse gets in the public arena, the more we find a need for space like ours where we take a step back and assess what we’re arguing about in the first place and where there may be more common ground than expected. We try to demonstrate that on the show, particularly when it comes to shared core values.

HK: In addition to podcasting, y’all are authors as well! Tell me about your first book, and what you can about the one you are currently writing. 

Sarah and Beth: Our first book, I Think You’re Wrong (But I’m Listening), establishes some basic rules of engagement for political discourse. We hear from so many listeners who are struggling in their conversations with the people they love most who also disagree with them vehemently when it comes to politics. We wanted to offer a framework to help kickstart better conversations. We’re currently working on our second book, which will center around different types of relationships and how we create community in big and small ways.

HK: You’ve had so many cool experiences as you’ve traveled to primaries, party conventions and your own speaking tour. What would each of you say is the best moment of your Pantsuit Politics career to date, or can you pick just one?

Sarah: We were able to travel to the 2016 Democratic National Convention and were there to see Hillary Clinton become the first woman to accept a major party’s nomination. It just also happened to be my birthday. As a former Hillary staffer and someone who has been passionate about the role of women in politics, it was completely surreal to be there in that moment and one of the best days of my life.

Beth: Traveling to the Iowa Caucus and the New Hampshire primary in 2020 was an incredible experience. Because it was just the two of us often connecting with listeners in those areas, we were able to get a really intimate perspective on how the campaigns look and feel at that stage in the primary process. Particularly in Iowa, getting to see our democracy play itself out in such tangible, intimate, neighborly ways was very special.

HK: How has the past year changed the way the two of you do your jobs? We’ve all had to adapt to “these unprecedented times” in so many ways. I know you had to cancel a speaking tour, which had to be disappointing.

Sarah and Beth: It was definitely disappointing to cancel so much of what we had planned, particularly because one of the real joys of our work is getting to meet and interact with listeners. We’re incredibly fortunate that our work allows us so much flexibility and freedom to be at home. Juggling digital learning for our kids, the increased anxiety everyone has felt at times throughout this pandemic, and the increased workload as we covered the election and its consequences was definitely a lot to handle at times.   Our community has been so incredible through all of this. In some ways, the increased isolation for many people has made the core of our listening community even stronger as people are looking for connection in less traditional spaces. We’re excited to think about what comes next - how we can continue to create space for people to engage thoughtfully with politics and each other in a post-pandemic world. We know the hunger for that type of political engagement is only growing. We’ll also be thrilled when we can get back on the road for live shows and other opportunities for in-person engagement with our listeners.

HK: What’s the best piece of advice you have for others? 

Sarah: No matter what area of life we’re talking about - love, parenting, leadership, politics - it is better if you can respond instead of reacting. If you can claim even a millisecond of time to see what’s happening and think about how you want to handle it, your life will improve. I believe that. Meditation and mindfulness are how I’ve been able to claim even that tiny slice of time (or sometimes just observe how I wasn’t able to claim any time!) and I think it is so helpful.

Beth: The best piece of advice I’ve ever received came from a former colleague, Maria, who said we have to get more comfortable with change. She would say, “you do what works for you until it doesn’t work anymore, then you try something new.” I’ve found this to be freeing and so valuable, especially during the pandemic and in navigating politically tumultuous times.