In the midst of a pandemic that impacts just about every single one of us, Zappos decided to create a hotline for anyone looking for help with just about anything. Zappos still sell shoes, of course, but now their customer service team is also pitching in to offer all kinds of support at a time when most of us could use an extra hand. And it’s free. Examples: Math homework. Tech help. A personal protective equipment search. Or simply a pleasant conversation during this isolating time. Zappos’ “Customer Service for Anything” team has it covered. Call, text, email. Sanity spoke with Brian Kalma, the Entrepreneur in Residence at Zappos and the brainchild behind the idea. He shares how the Zappos team got this idea up and running in less than a week flat, offers advice for organizations looking to use their unique skillsets to help in this unprecedented time, and of course, shares his favorite shoe brand!

Sanity

Ep7: Zappos’ Customer Service for Anything | Brian Kalma, Entrepreneur in Residence

You know when you meet one of those people who just makes you feel comforted and good? Chloe Groth is definitively one of them. Normally a Suzuki violin teacher, as Covid-19 hit New Orleans, Chloe took to NextDoor to offer her gift of music to those who need it most right now. She now volunteers four days a week to perform (from a distance) for elderly individuals across New Orleans. She brings along her two small sons, who sit by her feet as she unpacks her violin and performs the most special private concerts from front yards and sidewalks. Chloe kindly played for the 93-year-old grandmother of Sanity’s host and the neighborhood listened in. She began with “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” There wasn’t a dry eye on the block.  Later in the episode, hear from Hadley Heath Manning from the Independent Women’s Forum. She discusses their #InThisTogether campaign and shares about what it is like to be raising a young family with a spouse who is working on the front lines. 

Ep6: Violinist Comforting the Elderly | Chloe Groth + IWF's #InThisTogether | Hadley Heath Manning

There are over 750 distilleries across all 50 states that are now producing hand sanitizer. On this episode, hear from one of them. Troy Downing is the co-owner of Wildrye Distilling in Bozeman, Montana. From working with the highway patrol to relay sanitizer across the state to fielding requests from EMTs as far as New York to loading hand sanitizer onto planes operated by volunteer pilots, the past month and a half has been a whirlwind for Troy and his team. On this episode, Troy shares how his family has pitched in to help, how he worked to cut through red tape via the CARES Act, and his favorite spirit (or two!). 

Ep5: Wildrye Distilling | Troy Downing + Family Meal Sacramento | Clay Nutting

If it’s lunchtime in New Orleans, that means Feed the Front Line Nola, organized by Krewe of Red Beans founder Devin De Wulf, is up to three things: -Feeding health care workers at every hospital in the city -Keeping 25+ local restaurants in business -Employing local musicians to make deliveries For Devin, it’s personal: his wife is an ER doctor. She came home one night early into treating Covid-19 and mentioned how much a batch of cookies baked by an ER nurse had uplifted her team’s spirits. He had a lightbulb moment: through the Krewe of Red Beans, Devin’s existing network of restaurant owners across New Orleans could multiply that effect tenfold. And keep them in business. Devin was uniquely positioned to scale, and fast. Ever since, he and his crew have been serving meals for those on the front lines. Spreading “food love,” as he calls it. This week they served their 40,000th meal. On this episode, we speak with Devin about the work #FeedtheFrontLinesNola is doing and also speak with two local restaurant owners who are part of this network — Lisa Nelson of Queen Trini Lisa and Nathanial Zimmet of Boucherie and Bouree. Lisa shares about her Trinidadian and Tobagonian heritage and Nathanial shares his experience surviving Hurricane Katrina and seeing the city come together during times of hardship. Feeding health care workers at every hospital in the city Keeping 25+ local restaurants in business Employing local musicians to make deliveries For Devin, it’s personal: his wife is an ER doctor. She came home one night early into treating Covid-19 and mentioned how much a batch of cookies baked by an ER nurse had uplifted her team’s spirits. He had a lightbulb moment: through the Krewe of Red Beans, Devin’s existing network of restaurant owners across New Orleans could multiply that effect tenfold. And keep them in business. Devin was uniquely positioned to scale, and fast. Ever since, he and his crew have been serving meals for those on the front lines. Spreading “food love,” as he calls it. This week they served their 40,000th meal. On this episode, we speak with Devin about the work #FeedtheFrontLinesNola is doing and also speak with two local restaurant owners, Lisa Nelson of Queen Trini Lisa and Nathanial Zimmet of Boucherie and Bouree. Lisa shares about her Trinidadian and Tobagonian heritage and Nathanial shares his experience surviving Hurricane Katrina and seeing the city come together during times of hardship.

Ep4: Feed the Front Line Nola + Krewe of Red Beans | Devin De Wulf, Lisa Nelson, Nathanial Zimet

On this episode, hear from Team Rubicon’s Mike Lee about Team Rubicon’s network of 110,000 veteran volunteers, their unique perspective from helping communities rebuild after crises around the world, and the work they are doing related to Covid-19. Also hear from Trader Joe’s employee Katie Scott, who shares her experience serving customers amid the chaos in Manhattan and one small act of kindness extended to her by an Etsy shop. For Mike Lee, volunteering is an avenue to come together in good times and bad to help others. He shares some of the messages of hope he has heard around the world when communities are facing their most difficult hour. When Trader Joe’s employee Katie Scott recently purchased masks from an Etsy retailer in Brooklyn, she noted that she worked at Trader Joe’s in the City. Within a few minutes of submitting her order, Katie received a message saying that not only would part of her order be comped, but that extra masks to share with coworkers would soon be on their way . “It was just so joyful,” says Scott. “It definitely warmed my heart. And the masks looked pretty awesome too.”

Ep3: Team Rubicon | Mike Lee + Trader Joe’s in Manhattan | Katie Scott

On this episode, hear from the brainchild behind Masks for Heroes, a nationwide movement to donate personal protective equipment (PPE) and from a volunteer who helped construct a COVID-19 field hospital now operating in Central Park.Becky Vieira is one of those people who makes things happen. A mommy blogger with a sizable online following, she decided to start gathering donated personal protective equipment (PPE) after hearing about shortages in her community. A few short weeks later, her effort, Masks for Heroes, has become a network of thousands of people across the country. They’re collecting donations and getting them to healthcare workers in need from across 30+ states. From teaching followers to sew masks to connecting people who have extra fabric with people who have sewing machines to inspiring others to check their garages for N95 masks, the impact Becky and her 100% volunteer team are having is nothing short of magical. She is truly one of the Helpers.Later in this episode, hear from Mark Gundersen, a New Yorker who through his church volunteered with Samaritan's Purse to help construct a 68-bed field hospital now operating in Central Park. The fellow volunteers he met there — including nurses from across the country who made their way to New York with 24 hours notice — are true American heroes.

Ep26: Masks for Heroes | Becky Viera + A Hospital in Central Park | Mark Gundersen

The day before his school's closure due to Covid-19, Librarian Tom Bober thought quickly on his feet and ensured every single student in his school came through the library. By the afternoon, every child had checked out a stack of books to take home for the long haul — 1,700 books total. In this episode, Tom reflects on what that day was like and shares resources for parents with little ones at home (including a few of his favorite children’s books). After planning her own wedding last year, Brannon saw that the added expenses of invitations — not to mention “Change the Date” cards — can add up quickly. After seeing friends and strangers being forced to postpone their own weddings, Brannon spent her weekend designing a number of “Change the Date" card templates that are free for anyone to use. “It’s awesome that something that I pulled together in like three to four hours last Saturday is now helping people and getting spread around,” Lewis said. Download the templates for free at the SanityPod's website.

Ep25: Helping kids read and brides and grooms cope | Librarian Tom Bober & Designer Brannon Lewis

In Season One, Sanity spoke with leaders who are working to bridge division in this country. For Season Two of Sanity’s podcast, SanityPod, we’re hearing from the Helpers doing their part to get us through. In the spirit of Mr. Rogers, we’re celebrating these men and women as we navigate a crisis that impacts every single one of us. We hope you’ll find some comfort in these messages of hope, determination, and good will.

Welcome to Season 2: “Look for the helpers”

Kyle Emile talks to strangers. A lot. In cities across the country, and now around the world. His group, Free Intelligent Conversations (FreeIC for short) is on a mission to bridge divides one conversation at a time. The approach is simple: hold a sign bearing “Free Intelligent Conversation” in a high foot traffic area. What happens next is unscripted and magical and gets people talking in ways we could all benefit from in 2019. Because talking to strangers not only offers a mood boost, but can change our world views. They’re not alone in their thinking. NPR published an article this summer entitled, “Want To Feel Happier Today? Try Talking To A Stranger.” Malcom Gladwell’s latest book is titled, “Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know about the People We Don't Know.”

Ep24: “Discomfort is a small price to pay for knowledge" | Kyle Emile, Free Intelligent Conversation

Often the only person of color in her childhood classrooms, stand-up comedian Karith Foster spends a lot of her time speaking at universities such as Stanford and Oberlin about taboo subjects in a constructive way. She hates labels and the boxes they can put us in, which is why her take on diversity training actually focusses on “INversity” – meaning inclusion and introspection – mixed with a healthy dose of humor. In this episode, Karith talks about what it was like to transform a hostile audience in a jam-packed hall at Oberlin into one welcoming of different perspectives. We also discuss her work as an on-air radio personality on the controversial Don Imus In the Morning show following his comments about the women’s basketball team at Rutgers University and her appearance in the documentary “Can We Take a Joke?,” which garnered support from strange bedfellows such as the American Civil Liberties Union and the Charles Koch Institute. Karith believes firmly that people from across the political spectrum have good ideas, and the fact that “just because you are not on that side does not mean you shouldn’t think it’s a good idea too” is “insanity.” Unsurprisingly, in Karith’s words, she often feels “like a political alien.” We hope she felt right at home here at Sanity!

"It’s About Being A Decent Human Being" | Karith Foster, Speaker and Comedian

In our latest episode, Steven Pinker, a Harvard University cognitive psychologist, linguist, and author, sheds light on the quest for human progress, the Enlightenment period, and the importance of maintaining – and burnishing – our democracy.  Pinker is the author of “Enlightenment Now,” a book that dedicates its pages to the great many advances we’ve made as a society and the reasons world is actually getting better, not worse. Bill Gates calls it his “new favorite book of all time.” It’s not all roses, but Pinker’s belief system — one based on data and fact — is grounding when applied through the lens of examining today’s political polarization. His optimism for the future is both encouraging and informative. Expand your mind and have a listen.

“None of Us is Omniscient” | Steven Pinker, Harvard University

Human rights activist Faisal Saeed Al Mutar is a survivor of the Iraq Civil War, of being placed on an al-Qaeda death list by a high school classmate, and of the murder of his brother. Faisal escaped Iraq and eventually made his way to the United States in 2013. A firm believer that education and a free flow of ideas across the world can combat extremism, he founded Ideas Beyond Borders in 2017 in an effort to prevent extremism before it takes root. In this episode we talk about Faisal’s personal journey, the work Ideas Beyond Borders is doing to combat extremism, his thoughts on polarization in the United States and around the world, and his favorite American holiday. Hint: it’s right around the corner!

"Polarization is the Mother of Extremism" | Faisal Saeed Al Mutar, Ideas Beyond Borders

"It's really hard to vilify the other when you know them on a personal level." Uriel Epshtein is the executive director of the Renew Democracy Initiative (RDI), an organization that seeks to revitalize the political center by educating the American public about liberal democracy. Raised by Soviet Union refugees who lived in Israel before immigrating to the United States, Uriel’s family instilled in him a lifelong passion for reconciling people's (mis)perceptions of “the other." In this episode, we speak with Uriel about RDI and it’s spirited efforts to increase civic awareness and education and about the Peace and Dialogue Leadership initiative at Yale, an effort Uriel founded as a student to help bridge the civil-military divide. Connecting West Point cadets with college students at Yale, PDLI’s programming includes an annual eye-opening trip to both Israel and the Palestinian territories.

(Mis)perceptions of "The Other" | Uriel Epshtein, Renew Democracy Initiative

For four years, Washington's Secretary of State Kim Wyman was the only Republican to hold statewide office across the entire West Coast. You could say she knows a thing or two about working across the aisle. In this episode, Secretary Wyman shares insight on election security (and what it was like keeping Russian hackers out of WA in 2016), mail-in and paper ballots, her bipartisan reddit thread with Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon, and the uniqueness of overseeing institutional libraries in in WA prisons and state hospitals.

"I have to instill confidence in every voter, not just the people in my party." | Kim Wyman, WA Secretary of State

Did you ever choose to stay quiet in a college classroom in fear of rustling feathers? If so, the Heterodox Academy wants you to know you’re not alone. Founded in 2015, Heterodox is a network of over 2,500 academics across the country that are committed to having a diversity of viewpoints in the classroom. We spoke with their executive director, Deb Mashek, about their important work and about two elements that are critical to learning: discomfort and challenge.

"If I'm not challenging your world view...I'm not doing my job" | Deb Mashek, Heterodox Academy

We're on a quest to help you stay sane – positive, even! – in spite of today’s divisive political climate.

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