I cover politics, which means I have spent the past decade thinking about all of this basically all of the time, and what I tell myself constantly, and encourage other people to remember, is that none of this is actually about politics. It’s about basic humanity. It’s about right and wrong — and the very very clear difference between them. You don’t know what to say because no one knows what to say, and also, frankly, because it is exhausting to be on the right side of history here and still somehow be the side that feels (and lbr, probably will be) responsible for fixing the mess we didn’t make. (Like the worst group project in history!) But the fact that you are using your platform to admit that, and to make it clear that you do not support what is happening, is the right thing to do, even if it feels futile. People with platforms need to speak up because it makes it easier for people without platforms to speak up, and that’s important because the only way any of this gets better is if literally millions of us start speaking up and demanding better. It’s a domino effect and it takes years to reach critical mass. You’re helping it get there, even though I know it doesn’t feel like it.
Ali, thank you so much for your thoughtful words. I live in Minneapolis, close to where the violence happened, and have a 6-year-old who has been out of school for the last two days because of ICE's continued aggression against residents of our city...this is really heavy. I appreciate you naming the heaviness and the hurt you are feeling, as well as how wrong all of it is. It's helpful to me to know that others outside of Minnesota are paying attention and are feeling all of this deeply as well - you have such a gift for naming what is and inviting others to find connection through our shared feelings and experiences. Your podcast has been a bright light for me since I started listening in the dark days of 2020 and I literally lost my mind with excitement when I saw your post about the upcoming episode with Hope Walz (and cameo by Tim Walz!!) Thanks for all you do, and keep being the good :)
I live in Minneapolis, close to where Renee Good was killed. Thank you so much for seeing us and validating us. I know it's complex and risky to speak up when you have a public persona and I appreciate you doing so. I cried some tears of release and community when I read your letter. Also, I (like many many Minnesotans) adore the Walz family!!
I support you! Thank you for making me feel less crazy and talking about how bad certain things are. Makes me feel less like I’m the one losing my mind.
I applaud you for speaking up, especially when you are going through so much and have to deal with cruel comments. I know it’s easier said than done, but there are a lot more people with you than against you, so just let those haters sail into the wind. You perfectly summed up my feelings on the events of Wednesday and the toxic administration we are facing. I am trying to stay hopeful, but I think everyone needs to start being more vocal rather than burying our heads in the sand as I have been doing. I feel a change in the tide and we need to ride that wave. Sending all good thoughts your way.
Thank you for continuing to speak out and speak up. I’m not American (Canadian, here), but it does my heart good to know that there are people who are brave enough to resist. And that IS what you’re doing - using your public platform to call out the gaslighting and speak your truth. That is resistance, and your daughter would be proud - will be proud, when she asks.
I don’t know either, but I do know that I’ve been melting down a lot this week, about seemingly small things, seemingly at random, when everything in my immediate life is fine (even great!) I’d thought it was lack of sleep, or recovery from the holidays, or needing to drink water or something- but no, it’s probably All Of This. I (like I think so many others) consume the news and have developed a muscle to push it down, to not react like a human, because I simply have to keep going on with life and be there for my family- but that’s not possible. The rage and helplessness and terror and sadness- they have to go somewhere.
I know what you mean. I've found taking small frequent actions in support of the world I seek to be an invaluable release valve. There are so many things that fit into this category and they aren't all related to electoral politics—but one of the easiest ways to stop being stuck is to sign up for emails from a local organization or chapter doing the work. Indivisible has so many groups across the U.S. if you want a shortcut.
As an educator, I am always facing the rhetoric of “teaching shouldn’t be political.” But politics are about power and privilege—who has it, and how is it being used? Education in the US (from its moral and religious foundations, to modern questions about the role of AI in the classroom) has always been political. What people really mean is “teaching shouldn’t be partisan,” but I would argue that right now, it is partisan too. When there are clear divisions of support and denigration (and murder!) based on individuals’ identities, we have to use what structures exist to advocate for others, even if we (me) think that a two-party system is an absolute wreck.
All this to say, I think running is political too. It is having the power and privilege to choose to move our bodies individually and find connection in the community. Not everyone has this opportunity, and we have to use whatever we have to change that (and apparently for me that’s your comments section. Didn’t mean to rant and ramble so much…but to answer your question, what’s working for me right now (and always) is writing and connecting.)
Thank you, as always, for your thoughtful words. It’s a really heavy time for everyone- I think maybe we moms felt this week even harder (if that’s at all possible). I think we all saw ourselves in Renee Nicole Good. It’s a scary place out there and the unpredictability of every day makes it harder for us to feel like we are keeping our little humans safe. Please do not underestimate what you are doing right now, in this moment, for this community you’ve created. You’re keeping it real and allowing all of us the space to share our real and raw feelings too. You are not alone in any of this…most particularly Emily In Paris. I struggled too and will eventually go back.
Wishing you a quiet and peaceful weekend. Thank you for all you do 🩷
Ali, I needed this. I live in bright blue brownstone Brooklyn so I have my little bubble where everyone is shocked by current events but we all have to keep going, keep growing up, prepare for our futures. Ali on the Run holds itself in the space where I know you are a safe space for my family but you are also primarily a fun space- where I can relax and smile for an hour.
Sometimes I want to take my family and run away to another country (I know the steps to get a medical license in about a dozen countries) but then I remember this *is* my beautiful life that I’ve spent so long building and there is good all over.
So instead I’ll get up, go for a little run, then go off to make a tiny bit of the world better in the way that I can.
Thank you for this. With as much as you have going on personally, I think it's extra meaningful that you are taking the time to speak out about it. And I am with you - there SHOULD NOT be two sides to these issues. Looking forward to hearing your interview with Hope Walz!
Thank you, Ali for articulating exactly how I feel about the sadness, heaviness, and division of all that is going on in our country as I try to go about my day/life. I also struggle with how to make an impact for bringing us back together or if being kind and putting good out there really helps much. It can really weigh me down. But I am clinging to the hope (by a hair these days) that my interactions each day ARE meaningful and one person at a time may have a better moment, hour, day, because of them. Thank you for this community and for being real, even when it is hard to put it out there. Love you ❤️
Thank you Ali-it’s a dark time here in Minneapolis and I really appreciate your speaking up and, as always, how you do so in such a thoughtful, whole-hearted way.
I was reading this with the Today show headlines in the background as they were about to start to only hear about another ICE shooting in OR! This is beyond out of control what has been happening since this piece of 💩 took office (for a second time) between this, and SO many other things dividing our country. I am with you and so glad your podcast is not only about running. For the haters of you, shame on them and let them unfollow you, they are not worth having on your list of supporters! I’m so glad you took a little vacay with your BFF’s and got to spend QT with Annie. Ali, please continuing being you and focus on taking care of Ali in 2026! Be Good, Do Good, and God Bless (I borrowed this quote from my quarterback, Josh Allen Go Bills ❤️💙🏈🙏). 2026 will be a good year despite everything! Stay 💪, Ali 💕
I agree that we as a country are very divided and there is ugliness on both sides. But ugly comments like this are seen from both the left and the right. I think by highlighting just one side of the issue is hypocritical. You have listeners on both sides. I really appreciate your comments on wanting to understand. Can you have other guests from “the other side” to help understand other points of view? Just my suggestion to make this truly an inclusive community. We know your opinion and we know the guests you enjoy talking to because your views match. But I wonder if we all would just try to talk to each other to try to understand the other’s view, maybe we would move closer to unifying the country.
Keep talking! It’s not even political anymore. It’s morals and ethics. Keep saying what you think. They want us to be quiet. Ali, you’re doing great. You got this. You can do hard things. And thank you. It’s people like you that make me have hope
I cover politics, which means I have spent the past decade thinking about all of this basically all of the time, and what I tell myself constantly, and encourage other people to remember, is that none of this is actually about politics. It’s about basic humanity. It’s about right and wrong — and the very very clear difference between them. You don’t know what to say because no one knows what to say, and also, frankly, because it is exhausting to be on the right side of history here and still somehow be the side that feels (and lbr, probably will be) responsible for fixing the mess we didn’t make. (Like the worst group project in history!) But the fact that you are using your platform to admit that, and to make it clear that you do not support what is happening, is the right thing to do, even if it feels futile. People with platforms need to speak up because it makes it easier for people without platforms to speak up, and that’s important because the only way any of this gets better is if literally millions of us start speaking up and demanding better. It’s a domino effect and it takes years to reach critical mass. You’re helping it get there, even though I know it doesn’t feel like it.
Thank you for this perspective, and for everything you do trying to cover all of this chaos.
Thank you Kate for all you do and this perspective - yes it’s about humanity! I want to scream this sometimes.
Very well said. Agree 100%.
Ali, thank you so much for your thoughtful words. I live in Minneapolis, close to where the violence happened, and have a 6-year-old who has been out of school for the last two days because of ICE's continued aggression against residents of our city...this is really heavy. I appreciate you naming the heaviness and the hurt you are feeling, as well as how wrong all of it is. It's helpful to me to know that others outside of Minnesota are paying attention and are feeling all of this deeply as well - you have such a gift for naming what is and inviting others to find connection through our shared feelings and experiences. Your podcast has been a bright light for me since I started listening in the dark days of 2020 and I literally lost my mind with excitement when I saw your post about the upcoming episode with Hope Walz (and cameo by Tim Walz!!) Thanks for all you do, and keep being the good :)
Please know that so, so many of us are hurting with and standing by you and your community. Sending love from DC. ❤️❤️
I live in Minneapolis, close to where Renee Good was killed. Thank you so much for seeing us and validating us. I know it's complex and risky to speak up when you have a public persona and I appreciate you doing so. I cried some tears of release and community when I read your letter. Also, I (like many many Minnesotans) adore the Walz family!!
I support you! Thank you for making me feel less crazy and talking about how bad certain things are. Makes me feel less like I’m the one losing my mind.
I applaud you for speaking up, especially when you are going through so much and have to deal with cruel comments. I know it’s easier said than done, but there are a lot more people with you than against you, so just let those haters sail into the wind. You perfectly summed up my feelings on the events of Wednesday and the toxic administration we are facing. I am trying to stay hopeful, but I think everyone needs to start being more vocal rather than burying our heads in the sand as I have been doing. I feel a change in the tide and we need to ride that wave. Sending all good thoughts your way.
Thank you for continuing to speak out and speak up. I’m not American (Canadian, here), but it does my heart good to know that there are people who are brave enough to resist. And that IS what you’re doing - using your public platform to call out the gaslighting and speak your truth. That is resistance, and your daughter would be proud - will be proud, when she asks.
I don’t know either, but I do know that I’ve been melting down a lot this week, about seemingly small things, seemingly at random, when everything in my immediate life is fine (even great!) I’d thought it was lack of sleep, or recovery from the holidays, or needing to drink water or something- but no, it’s probably All Of This. I (like I think so many others) consume the news and have developed a muscle to push it down, to not react like a human, because I simply have to keep going on with life and be there for my family- but that’s not possible. The rage and helplessness and terror and sadness- they have to go somewhere.
I don’t know what to do.
I know what you mean. I've found taking small frequent actions in support of the world I seek to be an invaluable release valve. There are so many things that fit into this category and they aren't all related to electoral politics—but one of the easiest ways to stop being stuck is to sign up for emails from a local organization or chapter doing the work. Indivisible has so many groups across the U.S. if you want a shortcut.
Thank you for this.
As an educator, I am always facing the rhetoric of “teaching shouldn’t be political.” But politics are about power and privilege—who has it, and how is it being used? Education in the US (from its moral and religious foundations, to modern questions about the role of AI in the classroom) has always been political. What people really mean is “teaching shouldn’t be partisan,” but I would argue that right now, it is partisan too. When there are clear divisions of support and denigration (and murder!) based on individuals’ identities, we have to use what structures exist to advocate for others, even if we (me) think that a two-party system is an absolute wreck.
All this to say, I think running is political too. It is having the power and privilege to choose to move our bodies individually and find connection in the community. Not everyone has this opportunity, and we have to use whatever we have to change that (and apparently for me that’s your comments section. Didn’t mean to rant and ramble so much…but to answer your question, what’s working for me right now (and always) is writing and connecting.)
Thank you, as always, for your thoughtful words. It’s a really heavy time for everyone- I think maybe we moms felt this week even harder (if that’s at all possible). I think we all saw ourselves in Renee Nicole Good. It’s a scary place out there and the unpredictability of every day makes it harder for us to feel like we are keeping our little humans safe. Please do not underestimate what you are doing right now, in this moment, for this community you’ve created. You’re keeping it real and allowing all of us the space to share our real and raw feelings too. You are not alone in any of this…most particularly Emily In Paris. I struggled too and will eventually go back.
Wishing you a quiet and peaceful weekend. Thank you for all you do 🩷
Ali, I needed this. I live in bright blue brownstone Brooklyn so I have my little bubble where everyone is shocked by current events but we all have to keep going, keep growing up, prepare for our futures. Ali on the Run holds itself in the space where I know you are a safe space for my family but you are also primarily a fun space- where I can relax and smile for an hour.
Sometimes I want to take my family and run away to another country (I know the steps to get a medical license in about a dozen countries) but then I remember this *is* my beautiful life that I’ve spent so long building and there is good all over.
So instead I’ll get up, go for a little run, then go off to make a tiny bit of the world better in the way that I can.
Thank you for this. With as much as you have going on personally, I think it's extra meaningful that you are taking the time to speak out about it. And I am with you - there SHOULD NOT be two sides to these issues. Looking forward to hearing your interview with Hope Walz!
Thank you, Ali for articulating exactly how I feel about the sadness, heaviness, and division of all that is going on in our country as I try to go about my day/life. I also struggle with how to make an impact for bringing us back together or if being kind and putting good out there really helps much. It can really weigh me down. But I am clinging to the hope (by a hair these days) that my interactions each day ARE meaningful and one person at a time may have a better moment, hour, day, because of them. Thank you for this community and for being real, even when it is hard to put it out there. Love you ❤️
Thank you Ali-it’s a dark time here in Minneapolis and I really appreciate your speaking up and, as always, how you do so in such a thoughtful, whole-hearted way.
I was reading this with the Today show headlines in the background as they were about to start to only hear about another ICE shooting in OR! This is beyond out of control what has been happening since this piece of 💩 took office (for a second time) between this, and SO many other things dividing our country. I am with you and so glad your podcast is not only about running. For the haters of you, shame on them and let them unfollow you, they are not worth having on your list of supporters! I’m so glad you took a little vacay with your BFF’s and got to spend QT with Annie. Ali, please continuing being you and focus on taking care of Ali in 2026! Be Good, Do Good, and God Bless (I borrowed this quote from my quarterback, Josh Allen Go Bills ❤️💙🏈🙏). 2026 will be a good year despite everything! Stay 💪, Ali 💕
I agree that we as a country are very divided and there is ugliness on both sides. But ugly comments like this are seen from both the left and the right. I think by highlighting just one side of the issue is hypocritical. You have listeners on both sides. I really appreciate your comments on wanting to understand. Can you have other guests from “the other side” to help understand other points of view? Just my suggestion to make this truly an inclusive community. We know your opinion and we know the guests you enjoy talking to because your views match. But I wonder if we all would just try to talk to each other to try to understand the other’s view, maybe we would move closer to unifying the country.
Keep talking! It’s not even political anymore. It’s morals and ethics. Keep saying what you think. They want us to be quiet. Ali, you’re doing great. You got this. You can do hard things. And thank you. It’s people like you that make me have hope