What if the way out of our polarized era isn’t through more politics, but more hobbies? In a time when everything feels divided, hobbies might just be the thing that brings us back together (or at least a little more tolerant of our different backgrounds, perspectives, and algorithms). We explore how shared passions – whether it’s baking or birdwatching – can bridge political divides, build real community, and remind us what joy feels like. Plus: tips for finding or rediscovering the hobbies that make you feel the most like yourself.

The “Who Has Time For This?” podcast is hosted and produced by Caitlin Bagley and Katie Kelly.

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FEATURED IN THIS EPISODE:

Bowling Alone

Robert D. Putnam

2000

Every Hobby Has a Story

Niche to Meet You Podcast

August 2025

'Tragic optimism': The antidote to toxic positivity

Allie Volpe, BBC

March 8, 2021

Joy as Resistance

Isla Flaherty, The Preamble

August 25, 2025

Granny Hobbies

Hitha Palepu, Instagram

August 22, 2025

Having Hobbies Can Really Boost Your Well-Being – Here’s How to Find One You Love

Shelby Deering, Real Simple

February 22, 2023

Millennials Are Dying at an Alarming Rate

Elizabeth Wrigley-Field , Andrew Stokes , and Jacob Bor, Slate

August 20, 2025

Remember when people used to be interesting?

Ashley Embers, YouTube

July 2025

The Wellness Recession is Coming: Why Community, Not Consumerism, Will Save Us

Yasmine Jameelah, PopSugar

July 15, 2025

I Tried 17 Hobbies in 1 Year

Marina Cooley, Professor Off Duty

June 4, 2025

Democrats Need More Hobbies

David Litt, The Atlantic

June 19, 2025

@amandasmildtakes, Instagram

@emilyinyourphone, Instagram

How Hobbies Have Infiltrated American Life

Julie Beck, The Atlantic

January 4, 2022

How Leisure Time Became Work

Shirley Li, The Atlantic

Dec. 1, 2021

What We Lose When We’re Priced Out of Hobbies

Tyler Austin Harper, The Atlantic

April 19, 2025

Turning a Hobby into a Habit

Maya Chung, The Atlantic

August 1, 2025

In this **special edition** episode, Caitlin and Katie process the assassination of Charlie Kirk and its aftermath, dissecting the conversations happening in real time on social media and in the news, and navigating our way out of what feels like our country's modern rock bottom.

Sources:

“An Open Letter to Anyone Who Will Read It” – Caitlin Bagley, Cate.GPT Substack

https://categpt.substack.com/p/an-open-letter-to-anyone-who-will

“Charlie Kirk was Practicing Politics the Right Way” – Ezra Klein, The New York Times

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/11/opinion/charlie-kirk-assassination-fear-politics.html

“Stop Acting Like This is Normal” – Ezra Klein, The New York Times

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/07/opinion/trump-senate-democrats-shutdown.html?searchResultPosition=9

“Charlie Kirk’s Legacy Deserves No Revisions” – Matt Bernstein, A Bit Fruity

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unXhfSyk9h8&t=3377s

“Charlie Kirk: In His Own Words” – @sharonsaysso, Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/p/DOhRnNDAXpr/?img_index=1

“The Reaction is Asymmetrical,” - Anne Helen Peterson, Culture Study Substack

https://substack.com/home/post/p-173467662

Charlie Kirk Once Pushed a 'Secular Worldview.' Now He's Fighting to Make America Christian Again.” - by Mike Hixenbaugh and Allan Smith, NBC News https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/charlie-kirk-turning-point-donald-trump-christian-nationalism-rcna156565

Christians Against Christian Nationalism, https://www.christiansagainstchristiannationalism.org/statement

On Charlie Kirk’s Debate Style - @the.elder.millennial.mom, Threads https://www.threads.com/@the.elder.millennial.mom/post/DOqibgqjaMJ?xmt=AQF0U0uBS5HKzzP9hVwJV0OyNbFQX69erZOqM4R5_jimjw&slof=1

“The Washington Post Fired Me — But My Voice Will Not Be Silenced.” - Karen Attiah, The Golden Hour Substack https://substack.com/@karenattiah/p-173531760

“Study: 14 Million Lives Could Be Lost Due to Trump Aid Cuts” - Jonathan Lambert, NPR https://www.npr.org/sections/goats-and-soda/2025/07/01/nx-s1-5452513/trump-usaid-foreign-aid-deaths

“The Real ‘Political Violence’ in America” – Taylor Lorenz https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k__vlLU6gqk

“How Russia Harvested American Rage to Reshape U.S. Politics” – Nicholas Confessore and Daisuke Wakabayashi

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/09/technology/russia-election-facebook-ads-rage.html

Join us for a very special episode where we deviate from our usual formula to analyze the hit TV show Stranger Things! Though this episode is mostly for fun, we do still bring politics and culture into the discussion- we just can't resist!

Follow Who Has Time for This? on social media for more:

Instagram: @whohastimeforthispodcast

YouTube: @whohastimeforthispodcast

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Sources:

Chronology of the Equal Rights Amendment, 1923-1996

https://now.org/resource/chronology-of-the-equal-rights-amendment-1923-1996/

The Devil Is in The Details: An Analysis of the Satanic Panic

https://digitalcommons.memphis.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4629&context=etd

How AIDS Remained an Unspoken—But Deadly—Epidemic for Years

https://www.history.com/articles/aids-epidemic-ronald-reagan

A LAWYER'S EVIDENCE that Mike and Will become a gay romantic pair in Stranger Things

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLCWYfRvCmo&list=LL&index=6

Reagan Administration's Chilling Response to the AIDS Crisis

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAzDn7tE1lU

Stranger than you think (example: “Stranger Things”)

https://tvmicroscope.substack.com/p/stranger-than-you-think-example-stranger

Why Stranger Things Has the Best Chemistry on TV | On Writing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MG3fSl5H8Ug

16 Times Stranger Things Predicted It's Own Plot!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYYQbRtuPnI&t=41s