Resources to support people and families impacted by ICE raids. ⁠

Recorded during a wave of ICE raids in Los Angeles, this urgent episode asks what it means to truly belong in a country built on migration. Katie Smith and Beth Rudden open up about personal stakes, political theater, and the manufactured crises threatening immigrant families today.

From the roots of religious freedom to the metaphor of invasive species, they explore how narratives—about borders, safety, and identity—are shaped, distorted, and weaponized. This is a conversation about witnessing injustice, honoring complexity, and anchoring into the future we want to build.

With stories of community resilience, artistic resistance, and civic power, Beth and Katie challenge us to rethink ownership, accountability, and care.

🔑 Topics Covered:

• ICE raids in LA and the real-time impact on families and neighborhoods
• The role of the National Guard, state sovereignty, and political overreach
• Migration as a natural force, not a crisis
• *Artistic metaphors: seeds, invasive species, and stories as resistance
• Religion, freedom, and misunderstanding across political lines
• Psychological and social healing in post-colonial societies
• Local power: sheriffs, judges, and community-led safety
• Why paid organizers matter—and who actually benefits from unrest
• Redefining ownership as accountability
• Imagining belonging as the anchor for a just future

Artists mentioned:

• Maria Thereza Alves and her work ⁠Seeds of Change⁠
• Jenny Yurshansky and her work on the ⁠themes of what is to be a refugee⁠
• Patrisse Marie Khan-Cullors Brignac who leads work around ⁠Care not Cages⁠

📌 Key Takeaways:

• Migration is fundamental to life; borders are human inventions.
• Care must replace cages—at every level of society.
• Belonging is not a luxury; it's the condition for collective thriving.
• Local governance is where real power—and real accountability—lives.
• Artists, organizers, and everyday people are already building the future we need.

⏱️ Chapters (Timestamps):

• 00:00 ICE Raids and the Politics of Manufactured Crisis
• 06:00 The National Guard, Local Power, and Historical Echoes
• 12:00 Migration, Metaphor, and the Wisdom of Artists
• 18:00 Religion, Identity, and the Stories We Tell
• 25:00 Seeds, Borders, and the Absurdity of Lines
• 32:00 What Belonging Really Means
• 38:00 Digital Solidarity and the Arab Spring
• 44:00 Paid Organizers, Real Protest, and Who Benefits
• 50:00 Liberty Hill Foundation and Local Mutual Aid
• 52:00 Anchoring to a Future of Equity, Accountability, and Care

In our first guest episode, Beth and Katie are joined by Dr. Desmond Patton—renowned social worker, AI ethics leader, and founder of SAFELab—for a soul-stirring conversation on what’s ending, what’s beginning, and why joy is more than a feeling—it’s an intentional system.

From pioneering research on youth expression and gun violence to building JoyNet, a machine learning platform designed to surface joy in digital spaces, Desmond shares how community, nuance, and vulnerability can change the future of tech. Together, the trio explores why context matters in AI, how social media misreads grief as aggression, and what it means to decolonize data through trust.

This is a masterclass in human-centered design—one rooted in lived experience, radical listening, and the belief that joy and justice are not opposites.

🔑 Topics Covered:

• What’s ending: the era of joyless performance
• What’s beginning: joy as an intentional operating system
• The origin and mission of JoyNet
• Why traditional NLP tools misinterpret Black and Brown grief
• CASM: a 7-step contextual analysis system for social media
• Building tech with, not for, marginalized communities
• How AI systems get culture—and people—so wrong
• Scaling empathy without erasing depth
• Social media as a space of both trauma and healing
• Reimagining metrics, value, and thick data
• Storytelling, digital connection, and the slow power of joy

📌 Key Takeaways:

• Joy is not frivolous; it’s resilient, rooted, and revolutionary.
• AI systems must be designed with contextual nuance and cultural fluency—or they cause harm.
• Grief doesn’t look the same across cultures, and we need tech that understands that.
• Participatory research and lived experience are non-negotiable in building responsible AI.
• The movement toward healing, justice, and connection is growing—even if it’s quiet.

⏱️ Chapters (Timestamps):

00:00 What's Ending and Beginning: Joy as Operating System

03:00 JoyNet and the Science of Digital Uplift

06:00 When NLP Fails: Misreading Black Grief as Aggression

12:00 Introducing CASM: Contextual Analysis of Social Media

16:00 InterpretMe: A Tool for Training Ethical Annotation

20:00 Why Youth Voice and Lived Experience Must Lead

26:00 Collaborating with Tech Platforms for Change

30:00 The Case for Thick Data Over Scale

35:00 Polarization, Algorithms, and the Cost of Misunderstanding

40:00 The Quiet Power of Joy Posts and the Future We Can Choose

Recorded on Memorial Day, this deeply reflective episode honors the past and questions the future. Beth Rudden and Katie Smith explore what it means to serve, belong, and protect—whether on the battlefield or in everyday life. From family histories in the military to AI's rise as the next frontier of global power, they trace the parallels between war, technology, and community.

Together, they confront uncomfortable truths about who benefits from war—past and present—and ask: What kind of future are we building? What do we owe each other? And how do we come home to each other again, in neighborhoods, rituals, and stories?

🔑 Topics Covered:

• Memorial Day reflections and military family legacies
• The value of service—military, civil, and communal
• AI as the new military-industrial arms race
• Why we need diplomats, not just data scientists
• Block parties, belonging, and reclaiming public space
• Cultural resilience vs. propaganda
• Rethinking scale: small rituals and local libraries of knowledge
• Community-led AI models (like Māori language tech)
• The enduring power of storytelling and shared experience

📌 Key Takeaways:

• Service can take many forms, and every act of care matters.
• AI is rapidly replacing diplomacy in global strategy—raising urgent ethical questions.
• Community isn't optional; it's essential to human flourishing.
• Local rituals and shared space are more powerful than we remember.
• We must question who controls technology—and who it's truly for.

⏱️ Chapters (Timestamps):

• 00:00 Memorial Day and Military Family Stories
• 06:00 Service, Sacrifice, and the Politics of War
• 12:00 Block Parties, Community, and Shared Space
• 18:00 AI, Diplomacy, and Who Benefits from Tech
• 25:00 Culture as the Ultimate Export
• 31:00 Propaganda, Power, and AI’s Role in Global Control
• 38:00 Traveling, Teaching, and Building Empathy
• 45:00 Stories That Change Us—and Why They Matter

In this probing and philosophical episode of And We Feel Fine, Beth Rudden and Katie Smith unravel the myth of effective altruism. Starting with the well-known "drowning girl" parable, they trace the roots of utilitarian thinking and its influence on Silicon Valley billionaires and AI ethics. Through a mix of humor, critique, and care, they call out the harm of individualistic philanthropy, the false promise of "earning to give," and the moral sleight-of-hand in today's tech race.

Instead, they offer humanism—not as a perfect alternative, but as a path grounded in dignity, collaboration, and embodied belonging. This episode is a rallying cry for new stories, shared responsibility, and sacred scholarship.

🔑 Topics Covered:

• The parable of the drowning girl and the rise of effective altruism
• Utilitarianism vs. humanism: what's the real moral framework?
• Billionaire philanthropy, moral math, and systemic harm
• The hidden cost of AI: water, power, and planetary resources
• Collective care vs. the myth of the lone savior
• The case for consent, rituals, and shared decision-making
• Why we need a new parable—and more than one

📌 Key Takeaways:

• Effective altruism often cloaks power in moral math.
• Human beings thrive in collaboration, not competition.
• Ethics without context or consent fails the people it claims to serve.
• Parables shape belief—and we need better ones rooted in care.
• AI must be accountable to those it claims to serve, not just those who build it.

⏱️ Chapters (Timestamps):

• 00:00 The Parable of the Drowning Girl
• 02:30 Utilitarianism and Its Consequences
• 06:00 “Earn to Give” and Billionaire Logic
• 10:00 AI Arms Race and Hidden Costs
• 19:00 Collaboration Over Competition
• 27:00 Consent, Power, and Giving Circles
• 34:00 Religion, Ritual, and the Reclamation of Space
• 44:00 Humanism, Hope, and the Case for New Parables
• 54:00 Sacred Scholarship and Peer-Reviewed Progress

In this heartfelt episode of And We Feel Fine, Beth Rudden and Katie Smith dive deep into what it means to belong, to care, and to be human in an age of artificial intelligence. From personal stories of caregiving to the systemic challenges of modern healthcare, this conversation explores how community, ritual, and resilience shape us—and how AI could support rather than replace the emotional intelligence that caregiving demands.

With humor, insight, and empathy, Beth and Katie unpack the evolution of caregiving, the intersection of tech and tenderness, and why the economy of the future must prioritize connection. Whether you’re a caregiver, a technologist, or someone craving more meaning in this digital age—this episode is for you.

🔑 Topics Covered:

• Creating belonging through caregiving
• How AI can support human connection
• Self-care and emotional intelligence
• Cultural competence in healthcare
• The future of tech in caregiving and mental health
• Personal rituals and professional resilience
• Puppies, parenthood, and taste (yes, really)

📌 Key Takeaways:

• Belonging is foundational for personal growth.
• Caregiving, though hard, can be transformative.
• AI should enhance—not replace—human connection.
• The future of caregiving is deeply communal.
• Emotional literacy is just as vital as technical skill.

⏱️ Chapters (Timestamps):

• 00:00 Navigating Caregiving and Community Support
• 14:36 Understanding the Human Experience
• 31:52 Financial Impacts on Care and AI Solutions
• 43:35 Socioeconomics and Quality of Life
• 49:41 The Importance of Taste in AI and Life

In this episode of And We Feel Fine, Katie Smith and Beth Rudden navigate the deeply personal and radically political terrain of emotional intelligence, moral imagination, and the soul of our systems. Through vulnerable reflection and philosophical exploration, they ask: What does it mean to be a good person in a society built for profit, not people?

They discuss how capitalism distorts our values, why education must evolve to prioritize virtues, and how community shapes identity—especially for those living at the margins. As AI reshapes power and possibility, this conversation calls for a new kind of literacy—one rooted in empathy, integrity, and the courage to reimagine everything.

If the world we knew is ending, what do we want to begin?

🔑 Topics Covered:

• Emotional intelligence and the processing of pain
• The role of moral imagination in a capitalist society
• Education as a vessel for values, not just knowledge
• Queer identity, community, and cultural belonging
• AI’s potential to support justice—or perpetuate harm
• Redefining wealth, success, and personal agency
• Healing through human connection
• Rewriting the story of society, together

📌 Key Takeaways:

• Emotional intelligence helps us hold pain without passing it on.
• We must re-center morality and values in education and tech.
• Community is foundational to identity, safety, and resilience.
• AI is powerful—so we must guide it with purpose and care.
• Capitalism without conscience erodes our humanity.
• The world is changing—and we have a say in what comes next.

⏱️ Chapters (Timestamps):

• 00:00 Introduction and Personal Updates
• 02:08 Emotional Intelligence and Pain
• 08:03 The Balance Between Capitalism and Morality
• 20:01 Personal Experiences with Education and Community
• 31:46 Exploring Identity in the Queer Scene
• 38:21 The Promise and Perils of AI
• 49:14 The Moral Dilemma of Wealth and Success
• 57:32 Transitioning to a New World

In this premiere episode of And We Feel Fine, Beth Rudden and Katie Smith crack open the big questions: Who owns your data? What does ethical AI look like? And how do we reclaim digital spaces for safety, joy, and human connection?

Through stories, sharp critique, and vision-casting, they explore how ontologies shape AI systems, the hidden harms of bias in tech, and why personalization can be a force for good—if driven by care, not clicks. They call for a future where technology supports thriving communities, not extraction.

This is not just a conversation about AI. It’s a conversation about us—what motivates us, what we value, and how we build a more humane internet from the ground up.

🔑 Topics Covered:

• How Big Tech extracts and profits from your data
• What ontologies teach us about understanding people and systems
• Cognitive bias in AI—and how to design for cultural nuance
• Data privacy, ethical marketing, and digital safety
• Reimagining social media beyond toxic engagement loops
• The future of work and the call for a care-centered economy
• Everyday miracles, digital dignity, and collective power

📌 Key Takeaways:

• Data isn’t neutral—it’s powerful, and it’s personal.
• Cultural bias in AI can be mitigated with better ontologies and diverse input.
• We need a new digital economy grounded in human connection and care.
• The business model of the internet must shift from extraction to trust.
• Personalization can be beautiful—when we drive it, not algorithms.
• Reclaiming our online lives means rethinking the system itself.

⏱️ Chapters (Timestamps):

• 00:00 Understanding (as an example) Palantir and Big Tech's Data Extraction
• 07:34 The Role of Ontologies in AI and Human Understanding
• 21:00 The Future of AI and Its Societal Implications
• 33:55 Safety and Moderation in Online Spaces
• 40:17 The Pursuit of Happiness and Community
• 46:52 The Need for a New Economy56:56 Building Genuine Relationships Online