Progress Report: 2021

All of our guests this year prompted conversations that had a huge impact on the way we understand and think about the world. On this special extra episode of Work in Progress, Sophia does a recap of some of the moments that’ll really stick with her as we transition from the end of one year to the beginning of the next. Plus, a look ahead at what's in store for Work In Progress for 2022!

Executive Producers: Sophia Bush & Rabbit Grin Productions

Associate Producers: Samantha Skelton & Mica Sangiacomo

Editor: Josh Windisch

Artwork by the Hoodzpah Sisters

This show is brought to you by Brilliant Anatomy

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hey, everyone, it's Sophia. Welcome to a bonus episode of
Work in Progress. Thank you so much for listening to
Work in Progress through. One of the things I've really

(00:20):
been enjoying about the year beginning to wrap up is
sitting and taking stock of where we've been, how far
we've come, the things that we've done as a society,
and also the things that I've done as an individual.
Who I've listened to, who I've learned from, what I've read,

(00:41):
and I want to speak a little bit about the
phenomenal guests that I've talked to this year. In a
lot of ways, I feel like this podcast itself is
a measure of progress and growth, which I know are
things were always working on, hence Work in Progress forever.
And the plus side of all of that is that

(01:02):
I think one here at the podcast was our strongest
set yet. All of our guests prompted conversations that had
a huge impact on the way that I understand and
think about the world, the deepening of my perspective and ideas,
And it's meant so much to hear from so many
of you that you feel that way too, when you
send in notes and tell us that you listened to

(01:23):
a conversation and it helped you expand your view of
a subject, or of a place, or of people. That
to me feels like not only we're doing it together,
but those of us who make this podcast for really
doing something right. So thank you for that. I thought
it might be neat to recap some of the moments
that I have found looking back have stuck with me

(01:45):
the most as we transition from the end of this
year to the beginning of the next. So let's get started.
In my conversation with Ebermex Candy, I got to really
confront and examine what it means to be active as
an ally. Dr Kendy's distinction between being not racist versus

(02:06):
being anti racist put a new lens on privilege. Not
just for me, I know for the world. His book
is a bestseller after all, and he helps really clarify
and crystallize the role that we can take to fight
prejudice in our country. Something he said really stuck with

(02:27):
me during our talk. He said that we as individuals
have to recognize our power. I've been thinking a lot
about what that means in terms of working towards being
an ever better version of myself. And how I might
and each of you might use our individual power to
impact the world around us. I'd love to know, as

(02:49):
we reflect together, what you think you can do to
use your individual power to impact the world around you.
Send us a note, send us an email. I'd love
to hear it. And if you took notes, and I
know a couple of you did during Dr Kendy's interview,
feel free to send us those two. It's always so
nice for me to compare my notes to yours and

(03:12):
to hear about the things that impacted me versus what
impacted you, or or if those things are the same.
With journalists Ken Armstrong and marib A Knight, we took
a deep dive into the power of investigation to uncover
otherwise invisible issues in our society. For me, it really

(03:32):
demonstrated the role that journalists play in holding our society
accountable and demanding that we live up to our ideals
and also that we confront with truth when we don't.
It's so incredibly important for all of us to protect
a free press. Kennon Marabaz Pulitzer Prize winning news story
about children being jailed in school districts of Tennessee was

(03:56):
jaw dropping and heartbreaking and eye opening in the episode
is something I carry with me. It's it's ever present
in the back of my mind, and the story itself
is definitely worth the read. I imagine many of you
read it after the episode aired, but if you haven't,
we will also put a link to that story in
today's show notes. We have to show up better for

(04:18):
our kids. We have to demand better for their futures,
and Kennan Marraba really reminded me to double down on
a personal level. Having Anita Hill on the show, it
was just such a refresher to my spirit. I've spoken
about it on the episode, but it feels worth reiterating

(04:39):
that seeing Anita speak truth to power about her experience
as a victim of sexual harassment to go up against
a Supreme Court justice is something that I drew so
much strength from, and I know so many people who
listen to the episode did as well, because so many
of us have those experiences of our own, perhaps not

(05:00):
with a justice, but with people whose power can be intimidating.
The interview dropped at a period of time where I
feel like a lot of us were wondering if things
were actually improving if if all of our work was
actually yielding progress. But talking to Anita reminded me that
sometimes when we make the most progress, when when our

(05:22):
collective voice gets the loudest, systems of power really try
to quell us. Because there are more of us than
there are of them. Power is hard to topple and change,
but it is possible. And in talking to Anita and
listening to her compare where she was during the Claris
Thomas confirmation hearings and her view of watching history repeat

(05:45):
itself with the Brett Kavanaugh hearings, I was really able
to I don't know, dive deeper and and examine perspectives
on social change. I got to take with me that
feeling that yes, sometimes the rules feel like they stay
the same, but it doesn't mean the game isn't changing.
We are making change, and it will require dedication and longevity.

(06:12):
Changesn't sexy and it doesn't happen overnight. It uh, it's dedicated,
and it requires us to stay the course. But we
see more and more people calling for things to be different,
and I believe that we are going to continue to.
As Dr King famously said, bend that moral ark of

(06:35):
the universe towards justice. Anita continues working after all she
went through, she continues to light a hope torch for
the way that the world is changing, especially for women
and victims of sexual assault and harassment. And if after
all this time, she believes it, she reminds me that
we all can too, So I highly recommend her episode

(06:58):
and her incredible book. One of the most delightful surprises
for me this year was getting to sit down with
Chef jose Andres. By talking to him, I really got
to see firsthand why he was awarded Humanitarian of the Year,
and I feel like that award should have come with
a sort of extra metal for jolliest person of the Year.

(07:20):
He's so incredibly positive. Regardless of how many disaster zones
he's worked in, how many communities he's seen just devastated
by natural disasters or man made disasters, he shows up
with a smile, and he shows up with so much
love that it really beams out of him. And for
someone who's committed to taking on and understanding a lot

(07:40):
of our deepest problems, he reminded me of two things.
First of all, we can find solutions and be a
part of them as a species. Human beings have solved
so many impossible problems. There is nothing out there it
should feel undoable, no matter how big the challenge might be,
and the set and thing is keeping our optimism alive.

(08:02):
To paraphrase Jose's own words, it's easy to get bogged
down by the things we know are wrong or unjust
or harmful. But it is so important to remember and
draw strength from all the things that we do have.
Working from all the societal and humanitarian crises we have
managed to send aid to, to move past, or even

(08:23):
to surmount. We can do hard things, and if we
do them with love, we can often do them with
a smile. My discussion with Neil cat y'all got to
cover a lot of different areas and topics, but the
overall theme that emerged from that interview where the effects
of power on integrity. I love opportunities to explore our

(08:45):
social and political realities on work in progress, and there's
no better expert than Neil to look at the judiciary
aspect of our political reality. He was able to put
into really clear words the way that our constitution was
tested by the fast few years. I honestly think this
episode is a must listen for anyone who's interested in
the impact of government and party politics, and he reminded

(09:09):
me that's so much of the founding principles and the
best principles of our country can only remain true if
we fight for them to do so, and fight we shall.
Ah again. I just feel so happy to be wrapping
out another year with all of you. When we started
the show in twenty nineteen, we had no idea what

(09:31):
it would become, and it is a highlight of my life.
For those of you who follow me on socials, you know,
I'm also experiencing another pretty great highlight right now. I
am gearing up to launch my brand new show Good
Sam premieres on CBS on Wednesday, January five at ten pm.
It feels like it's almost here, and I just can't

(09:52):
believe it. You know, we all got together to make
this TV show in and then the pandemic hit, and
everybody put in of work and tested their patients by
waiting until early to film the pilot, and then we
went back to start shooting the show at the end
of September. So it is a two year labor of
love to bring this show to you in January, and

(10:16):
I can't wait for you to see it. And because
we have been on the grind of those sixteen hour
days and doing these podcasts on the weekends, I am
going to take a little delicious hiatus break for this
holiday and spend it with my family. We've got two
weeks off during production. It's kind of like being in school,

(10:37):
right You get a two week holiday break and you
jump back in. And I've made the decision to actually
take these two weeks off to be with my loved
ones as much as possible. So that means we're going
to take a little bit of a New year hiatus,
not too long, don't worry, but work in progress will
not come back right away with a new episode for you.

(10:57):
The first week of two I will tell you that
we will be back. And I want to say again
how much getting to do this show means to me.
How much I appreciate all of you for listening and
supporting the podcast, the creativity that goes into it, the
way that people show up, open, vulnerable and honest for conversations.

(11:17):
It's something that's very rare in today's world, and we
are deeply grateful to have this space. And we only
have it because all of you show up, and so
I hope you too will take a little bit of
a break and just relish in your loved ones, whether
they're your family or your chosen family. And let's all
come back to each other rested and loved and happy,

(11:42):
and let's dive back in sending love, happy New Year
to all of you.