Kate Woodsome
@kwoodsome.bsky.social
Founder, Invisible Threads Impact Lab: Saving democracy & our sanity. We blend neuroscience & systems change — helping journalists, leaders & you think clearly, rebuild trust & fix the structures that keep problems in place. katewoodsome.substack.com
Reposted by Kate Woodsome
Kate Woodsome is smart and ambitious about saving democracy — and our sanity. open.substack.com/pub/katewood...
Why your brain can't tell the difference between a charging bear and your dad's political takes
The hidden nervous system crisis straining families (and democracy) — plus 4 ways to stay grounded during the holidays.
open.substack.com
November 25, 2025 at 4:59 PM
Kate Woodsome is smart and ambitious about saving democracy — and our sanity. open.substack.com/pub/katewood...
Dick Cheney’s passing prompts us to ask not just what he did, but why and, more importantly, how we break the cycles he perpetuated that have turned trauma into more trauma. open.substack.com/pub/katewood...
November 6, 2025 at 4:18 PM
Dick Cheney’s passing prompts us to ask not just what he did, but why and, more importantly, how we break the cycles he perpetuated that have turned trauma into more trauma. open.substack.com/pub/katewood...
Looking forward to being on @kqedforum.bsky.social on San Francisco's @npr.org station today, talking about cognitive dissonance and the discomfort of going about our daily lives during such dark times.
Tune in at 10 am PT / 1 pm EST.
www.kqed.org/forum/201010...
Tune in at 10 am PT / 1 pm EST.
www.kqed.org/forum/201010...
Life Goes On While Systems Fray — How Do We Make Sense of the Dissonance? | KQED
We talk about the strange tension of moving through life against a backdrop of catastrophe, and what it does to us. And we hear how you are navigating it.
www.kqed.org
September 12, 2025 at 12:53 PM
Looking forward to being on @kqedforum.bsky.social on San Francisco's @npr.org station today, talking about cognitive dissonance and the discomfort of going about our daily lives during such dark times.
Tune in at 10 am PT / 1 pm EST.
www.kqed.org/forum/201010...
Tune in at 10 am PT / 1 pm EST.
www.kqed.org/forum/201010...
Unexpectedly seeing the footage of #CharlieKirk's shooting can be dysregulating. Take care to avoid it or to ground. Notice your stress state. Inhale & exhale for twice as long to slow heart rate. Look around room & notice what's in it. You are here, now. katewoodsome.substack.com/p/charlie-ki...
When political violence hits, your body feels it, too
From Charlie Kirk's shooting to arson to genocide, the body politic is fraying. Caring for our nervous systems is key to breaking cycles of fear and reactivity.
katewoodsome.substack.com
September 10, 2025 at 10:51 PM
Unexpectedly seeing the footage of #CharlieKirk's shooting can be dysregulating. Take care to avoid it or to ground. Notice your stress state. Inhale & exhale for twice as long to slow heart rate. Look around room & notice what's in it. You are here, now. katewoodsome.substack.com/p/charlie-ki...
Is it naive to be hopeful when everything around us is crumbling? No. It's probably the most pragmatic thing we can do. Such a pleasure to talk to hope scientist Kathryn L. Goetzke to get ground and inspired in this era of despair. katewoodsome.substack.com/p/hopelessne...
Yes, this era is awful. This hope scientist has ideas to help us through.
Hopelessness can be fatal. That's why Kathryn Goetzke and I care so much about the alternative.
katewoodsome.substack.com
July 22, 2025 at 2:05 PM
Is it naive to be hopeful when everything around us is crumbling? No. It's probably the most pragmatic thing we can do. Such a pleasure to talk to hope scientist Kathryn L. Goetzke to get ground and inspired in this era of despair. katewoodsome.substack.com/p/hopelessne...
In periods of reactivity, often elicited by the systems that misuse us, we are prone to react. We become an extension of the system if we are not already a part of it: the victim & perpetrator of ignorance, intolerance & indignity in a war, a workplace or a family. open.substack.com/pub/katewood...
With war, we have to be the ones to pause
Cycles of reactivity benefit the people wreaking havoc on our nervous systems.
open.substack.com
June 24, 2025 at 10:56 AM
In periods of reactivity, often elicited by the systems that misuse us, we are prone to react. We become an extension of the system if we are not already a part of it: the victim & perpetrator of ignorance, intolerance & indignity in a war, a workplace or a family. open.substack.com/pub/katewood...
For #NoKings Day — every day, stay connected with your body, mind and spirit.
open.substack.com/pub/katewood...
open.substack.com/pub/katewood...
A journalist’s guide to staying grounded
How to show up without losing yourself in the noise.
open.substack.com
June 14, 2025 at 12:52 PM
For #NoKings Day — every day, stay connected with your body, mind and spirit.
open.substack.com/pub/katewood...
open.substack.com/pub/katewood...
During Saturday’s mass civic engagement — No Kings protests and the military parade — I urge one thing: that people practice trauma-informed care with themselves and each other.
katewoodsome.substack.com/p/no-kings-m...
katewoodsome.substack.com/p/no-kings-m...
Protesting? Parading? Practice this.
If you're going, show up with care.
katewoodsome.substack.com
June 14, 2025 at 2:07 AM
During Saturday’s mass civic engagement — No Kings protests and the military parade — I urge one thing: that people practice trauma-informed care with themselves and each other.
katewoodsome.substack.com/p/no-kings-m...
katewoodsome.substack.com/p/no-kings-m...
"I hate to be this age in this country and not feel safe expressing my political views" — Michigan woman @ #UniteforVeterans rally. If a White woman doesn't feel safe, "how does everybody else feel?" A dispatch from DC connecting #mentalhealth & #democracy.
katewoodsome.substack.com/p/were-in-bi...
katewoodsome.substack.com/p/were-in-bi...
Veterans rally against Trump's cuts and violations on D-Day anniversary
"What's your red line?" Live reflections from the "Unite for Veterans" rally in D.C.
katewoodsome.substack.com
June 9, 2025 at 2:56 PM
"I hate to be this age in this country and not feel safe expressing my political views" — Michigan woman @ #UniteforVeterans rally. If a White woman doesn't feel safe, "how does everybody else feel?" A dispatch from DC connecting #mentalhealth & #democracy.
katewoodsome.substack.com/p/were-in-bi...
katewoodsome.substack.com/p/were-in-bi...
Reposted by Kate Woodsome
Despite repeatedly raising concerns about labor rights, Nike has grown its presence in Cambodia from about 16,000 factory workers in May 2013 to more than 57,000 as of March.
Read more: propub.li/4kIhjCC
Read more: propub.li/4kIhjCC
May 30, 2025 at 12:00 AM
Despite repeatedly raising concerns about labor rights, Nike has grown its presence in Cambodia from about 16,000 factory workers in May 2013 to more than 57,000 as of March.
Read more: propub.li/4kIhjCC
Read more: propub.li/4kIhjCC
People are in survival mode — a state of perpetual fight, flight, freeze, appease — and it’s hard to speak out when you’re burned out.
open.substack.com/pub/katewood...
open.substack.com/pub/katewood...
America's leaders got a wake-up call. Here's why psychological safety is the real battle.
Can you defend democracy if you're burned out?
open.substack.com
May 25, 2025 at 1:02 PM
People are in survival mode — a state of perpetual fight, flight, freeze, appease — and it’s hard to speak out when you’re burned out.
open.substack.com/pub/katewood...
open.substack.com/pub/katewood...
Reposted by Kate Woodsome
RFK Jr. has long dehumanized people with autism: “These are kids who will never pay taxes, they’ll never hold a job ... Many of them will never use the toilet unassisted.”
Petitions, supported by action from governors like Pritzker, are resisting. “This is not support. It is surveillance.”
Petitions, supported by action from governors like Pritzker, are resisting. “This is not support. It is surveillance.”
Dem Governor Launches Plan to Counter RFK Jr.’s Autism Registry
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker has a plan to undermine the autism registry RFK Jr. keeps talking about.
newrepublic.com
May 8, 2025 at 1:36 PM
RFK Jr. has long dehumanized people with autism: “These are kids who will never pay taxes, they’ll never hold a job ... Many of them will never use the toilet unassisted.”
Petitions, supported by action from governors like Pritzker, are resisting. “This is not support. It is surveillance.”
Petitions, supported by action from governors like Pritzker, are resisting. “This is not support. It is surveillance.”
It was such a pleasure to take time with the Voice of America’s @newsguy.bsky.social to discuss the silencing of VOA but also resilience and what it takes to stay grounded and act with integrity — even when the system around you feels like it’s collapsing.
open.substack.com/pub/katewood...
open.substack.com/pub/katewood...
May 8, 2025 at 2:42 PM
It was such a pleasure to take time with the Voice of America’s @newsguy.bsky.social to discuss the silencing of VOA but also resilience and what it takes to stay grounded and act with integrity — even when the system around you feels like it’s collapsing.
open.substack.com/pub/katewood...
open.substack.com/pub/katewood...
Join us tonight @ 7 p EST katewoodsome.substack.com
On Wednesday evening at 19:00 EST (23:00 GMT), @newsguy.bsky.social will be joining his former Voice of America colleague @kwoodsome.bsky.social , for a live video chat on her Substack. They’ll be taking questions from the audience.
Save the date and join them in this exciting conversation.
#SaveVOA
Save the date and join them in this exciting conversation.
#SaveVOA
Old Colleagues, New Conversation: Join Me and Kate Woodsome Live
Previewing our Substack live video chat set for Wednesday
newsguy.substack.com
May 7, 2025 at 1:51 PM
Join us tonight @ 7 p EST katewoodsome.substack.com
Reposted by Kate Woodsome
On Wednesday evening at 19:00 EST (23:00 GMT), @newsguy.bsky.social will be joining his former Voice of America colleague @kwoodsome.bsky.social , for a live video chat on her Substack. They’ll be taking questions from the audience.
Save the date and join them in this exciting conversation.
#SaveVOA
Save the date and join them in this exciting conversation.
#SaveVOA
Old Colleagues, New Conversation: Join Me and Kate Woodsome Live
Previewing our Substack live video chat set for Wednesday
newsguy.substack.com
May 6, 2025 at 5:33 PM
On Wednesday evening at 19:00 EST (23:00 GMT), @newsguy.bsky.social will be joining his former Voice of America colleague @kwoodsome.bsky.social , for a live video chat on her Substack. They’ll be taking questions from the audience.
Save the date and join them in this exciting conversation.
#SaveVOA
Save the date and join them in this exciting conversation.
#SaveVOA
You're invited to chat with me and @voanews.com.web.brid.gy correspondent Steve Herman on Wednesday, May 7, at 7 pm EST on Substack. Ask questions and share reflections about #pressfreedom & the psychological toll of censorship.
🎙️ katewoodsome.substack.com/p/voa-steven...
🎙️ katewoodsome.substack.com/p/voa-steven...
You're invited: Chat with a voice of America
Join me and Voice of America reporter Steve Herman 5/7 @ 7 pm EST
katewoodsome.substack.com
May 6, 2025 at 2:25 PM
You're invited to chat with me and @voanews.com.web.brid.gy correspondent Steve Herman on Wednesday, May 7, at 7 pm EST on Substack. Ask questions and share reflections about #pressfreedom & the psychological toll of censorship.
🎙️ katewoodsome.substack.com/p/voa-steven...
🎙️ katewoodsome.substack.com/p/voa-steven...
It’s #PressFreedomWeek — and it’s not just for journalists. You have the right to think clearly. To feel deeply. To speak freely.
April 30, 2025 at 11:48 AM
It’s #PressFreedomWeek — and it’s not just for journalists. You have the right to think clearly. To feel deeply. To speak freely.
Reposted by Kate Woodsome
Speaking to NPR in his first media interview since his detention, lawful permanent U.S. resident Mohsen Mahdawi finds peace in meditation and hopes "America will fulfill its promise."
Detained on verge of U.S. citizenship, Mohsen Mahdawi speaks from Vermont prison
Speaking to NPR in his first media interview since his detention, lawful permanent U.S. resident Mohsen Mahdawi finds peace in meditation and hopes "America will fulfill its promise."
www.npr.org
April 29, 2025 at 12:35 PM
Speaking to NPR in his first media interview since his detention, lawful permanent U.S. resident Mohsen Mahdawi finds peace in meditation and hopes "America will fulfill its promise."
Reposted by Kate Woodsome
Good on this library.
Fairhope Public Library declines to move challenged books amid APLS spat
The move comes as the Alabama Public Library Service has asserted that the Fairhope library is not in compliance with state code.
www.alreporter.com
April 23, 2025 at 4:13 AM
Good on this library.
Reposted by Kate Woodsome
The federal government plans to eliminate services for LGBTQ youth who call 988, the national suicide and crisis hotline, according to a Health and Human Services budget draft leaked last week.
HHS plans to cut the national suicide hotline’s program for LGBTQ youth
In February, the program received an average of 2,100 contacts per day.
www.motherjones.com
April 22, 2025 at 7:14 PM
The federal government plans to eliminate services for LGBTQ youth who call 988, the national suicide and crisis hotline, according to a Health and Human Services budget draft leaked last week.
A recent survey by the scientific journal Nature revealed that 75% of the 1,600 scientists surveyed were considering relocating to Europe or Canada, citing actions taken by President Donald Trump.
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
75% of US scientists who answered Nature poll consider leaving
More than 1,600 readers answered our poll; many said they were looking for jobs in Europe and Canada.
www.nature.com
April 22, 2025 at 3:48 AM
A recent survey by the scientific journal Nature revealed that 75% of the 1,600 scientists surveyed were considering relocating to Europe or Canada, citing actions taken by President Donald Trump.
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Authoritarianism doesn’t always arrive in combat boots.
Sometimes it fills the vacuum left by unprocessed trauma.
This month marks 50 years since the Khmer Rouge took power.
What Cambodia didn’t heal, it repeated.
America, pay attention.
open.substack.com/pub/katewood...
Sometimes it fills the vacuum left by unprocessed trauma.
This month marks 50 years since the Khmer Rouge took power.
What Cambodia didn’t heal, it repeated.
America, pay attention.
open.substack.com/pub/katewood...
What the Khmer Rouge can teach us about U.S. authoritarianism
Unhealed trauma can become the foundation for tyranny. In America, it's already being built. We can — and must — redirect the pain.
open.substack.com
April 21, 2025 at 10:49 AM
Authoritarianism doesn’t always arrive in combat boots.
Sometimes it fills the vacuum left by unprocessed trauma.
This month marks 50 years since the Khmer Rouge took power.
What Cambodia didn’t heal, it repeated.
America, pay attention.
open.substack.com/pub/katewood...
Sometimes it fills the vacuum left by unprocessed trauma.
This month marks 50 years since the Khmer Rouge took power.
What Cambodia didn’t heal, it repeated.
America, pay attention.
open.substack.com/pub/katewood...
Reposted by Kate Woodsome
Breaking News: Senator Chris Van Hollen met with Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, the Maryland man wrongly deported to El Salvador.
Chris Van Hollen Meets With Abrego Garcia in El Salvador
Earlier in the day, armed military officials stopped Senator Chris Van Hollen from trying to visit the prison where Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia has been held for over a month.
www.nytimes.com
April 18, 2025 at 1:41 AM
Breaking News: Senator Chris Van Hollen met with Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, the Maryland man wrongly deported to El Salvador.
Americans got grit. But, considering the strained, broken state of our minds & body politic, we need something else. Resilience isn’t about pushing through. It’s about knowing when to pause, how to reset & where to find support.
#mentalhealth #democracy
katewoodsome.substack.com/p/got-grit-w...
#mentalhealth #democracy
katewoodsome.substack.com/p/got-grit-w...
April 14, 2025 at 2:02 PM
Americans got grit. But, considering the strained, broken state of our minds & body politic, we need something else. Resilience isn’t about pushing through. It’s about knowing when to pause, how to reset & where to find support.
#mentalhealth #democracy
katewoodsome.substack.com/p/got-grit-w...
#mentalhealth #democracy
katewoodsome.substack.com/p/got-grit-w...