EPISODE · Feb 4, 2026 · 39 MIN
S7E9 - Making For Minnesota
from The Spark File with Susan Blackwell and Laura Camien · host Susan Blackwell and Laura Camien
In “Making for Minnesota,” we’re asking a question that feels both tender and urgently practical: when the world is loud and scary, what can you make? Susan shares what happened after our free workshop Be the Change, But How—and how (per Martha Beck) creativity can interrupt anxiety by flipping a different switch in the brain. From there, we follow the sparks straight into Minnesota: community action in bitter cold, a heartbreaking loss, and a clear call to stop doom-scrolling and start making one thing—one call, one letter, one love note, one hat, one meal, one song, one brave conversation. This episode is part love letter, part resource list, part nervous-system balm—and a reminder that you don’t have to solve everything. You just have to make something. Featuring tools like Five Calls, a brilliant “how to help from outside Minnesota” post by Naomi Kritzer, the Overton Window, protest knitting history, and the kind of small, human neighbor-connection that turns fear into fuel. (Also: yes, we laugh. Because we’re us.) Listen if you need a hand on your shoulder and a gentle nudge: chin up, eyes out—make one thing today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
What this episode covers
In “Making for Minnesota,” we’re asking a question that feels both tender and urgently practical: when the world is loud and scary, what can you make? Susan shares what happened after our free workshop Be the Change, But How—and how (per Martha Beck) creativity can interrupt anxiety by flipping a different switch in the brain. From there, we follow the sparks straight into Minnesota: community action in bitter cold, a heartbreaking loss, and a clear call to stop doom-scrolling and start making one thing—one call, one letter, one love note, one hat, one meal, one song, one brave conversation. This episode is part love letter, part resource list, part nervous-system balm—and a reminder that you don’t have to solve everything. You just have to make something. Featuring tools like Five Calls, a brilliant “how to help from outside Minnesota” post by Naomi Kritzer, the Overton Window, protest knitting history, and the kind of small, human neighbor-connection that turns fear into fuel. (Also: yes, we laugh. Because we’re us.) Listen if you need a hand on your shoulder and a gentle nudge: chin up, eyes out—make one thing today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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S7E9 - Making For Minnesota
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