Some very good, extremely happy news (for once). - Tangle

Summary

Podcast Summary: Tangle
Episode: Some very good, extremely happy news (for once)
Host: Isaac Saul
Release Date: January 21, 2025

Introduction: A Special Announcement

In this heartfelt episode of Tangle, host Isaac Saul diverges from the typical political discourse to share a deeply personal and joyous milestone—the birth of his first child. Opening the episode with a tone of suspense and humor, Saul sets the stage for an intimate narrative that underscores the podcast's commitment to positivity amidst a often tumultuous news landscape.

Notable Quote:
"If you're listening to this recording, I've died. This is a message kind of like that, except I'm alive and well." [00:00]

Celebrating Parenthood: A Surprising Positivity

Saul reflects on his journey supporting his wife through pregnancy, contrasting his personal experiences with the prevailing narratives in media and online discourse. He observes that while articles often highlight negative trends such as declining fertility rates and societal shifts away from family values, his personal encounters tell a different story. The outpouring of genuine joy and support from friends, family, and even strangers showcased a collective appreciation for children and family life.

Key Insights:

Contrasting Narratives: Despite the abundance of media coverage on declining interest in parenthood, Saul's real-world experiences suggest widespread support and enthusiasm for expanding families.
Universal Support: The positivity Saul encountered transcended political, racial, and socioeconomic boundaries, indicating a shared human appreciation for the beauty of new life.
Authenticity vs. Perception: Saul challenges the cynical view that positive remarks from well-wishers are merely polite pleasantries, asserting the authenticity of the support he received.

Notable Quote:
"Every single person I've told my wife was pregnant... has genuinely lit up at the news, shared some beautiful wisdom or advice, and proceeded to ask caring and thoughtful questions about her health and how we are holding up." [02:15]

Transitioning Tangle: Embracing Team Leadership

Acknowledging the demands of fatherhood, Saul announces his decision to take a temporary leave from his role at Tangle. He provides a comprehensive overview of Tangle's evolution from a solo newsletter to a thriving media platform staffed by a dedicated team. This transition signifies his trust in his colleagues and their ability to uphold the podcast's mission during his absence.

Key Points:

Growth of Tangle: From its inception on Substack with a small subscriber base to a robust operation serving over 300,000 members and garnering hundreds of thousands of downloads monthly.
Team Dynamics: Introduction of key team members like Magdalena (Head of Social Media and Ad Operations), Ari, John, and Will, who have been instrumental in scaling Tangle.
Operational Continuity: During Saul's paternity leave, responsibilities such as the "My Take" section will be managed by different team members each episode, ensuring diverse perspectives and sustained quality.

Notable Quote:
"I'm going to let them take control of everything and I'm going to fade into the background and focus on my family." [08:30]

Reflections and Gratitude: Honoring the Community

Saul extends profound gratitude to the Tangle community, attributing the platform's success to the unwavering support of its members. He emphasizes the importance of maintaining open-mindedness and fostering understanding across political divides—a core tenet of Tangle's vision. Moreover, he invites listeners to support the podcast further by becoming members, highlighting how membership sustains the team's efforts and mission.

Key Highlights:

Acknowledging Support: Recognition of the community's role in providing job stability and enabling Saul to focus on both his professional and personal life.
Trust in the Team: Confidence in his team's ability to maintain Tangle's standards and mission without his direct oversight.
Call to Action: Encouragement for new listeners to join as members to support the continued delivery of balanced and engaging political discourse.

Notable Quote:
"All of this is only possible because of our members. Members are what have allowed me to build this team and also keep this running even while I'm taking paternity leave." [09:00]

Looking Ahead: Temporary Farewell with a Promise

Concluding the episode, Saul provides a tentative timeline for his return, aiming for an uninterrupted paternity leave lasting about a month. He expresses a desire to disconnect from daily operations and immerse himself in family life, offering listeners a glimpse into the personal side of podcasting. Saul reassures the audience of Tangle's resilience and adaptability, promising a return to normal operations by March, though he remains flexible based on his family's needs.

Final Thoughts:

Balancing Personal and Professional Life: Saul's decision underscores the podcast's human element, highlighting the importance of personal milestones amidst professional commitments.
Commitment to Quality: Assurance that Tangle will continue to deliver insightful and balanced content, even in his absence.

Notable Quote:
"I hope you all enjoy a little something different these next few weeks. And I will see you guys soon. So have a good one. Peace." [09:XX]

Conclusion

In this special episode, Isaac Saul masterfully intertwines personal joy with professional transparency, offering listeners a narrative that reinforces Tangle's ethos of positivity and balanced discourse. By sharing his experience and entrusting the podcast to his capable team, Saul exemplifies the values of community support and adaptability. This episode not only celebrates a new chapter in Saul's life but also reaffirms Tangle's commitment to fostering understanding and optimism in the political landscape.

For More Information:
Subscribe to Tangle and support its mission by becoming a member at readtangle.com or supercast.com/tangle.

Transcript

Isaac Saul (0:00)

Foreign Good afternoon and good evening, and welcome to a very special Tangle podcast. This is kind of like in the spy movies, you know, where it's. It's like if. If you're listening to this recording, I've died. This is a message kind of like that, except I'm alive and well. I hope I'm recording this on January 9th. And if you are listening to this recording, it means that something very special has happened. My wife probably just gave birth to our first child. One thing I've realized from a career in covering the news is that staying so plugged in often evokes these feelings of negativity. At Tangle, we try to combat this in small ways, like with our have a nice day section at the end of every newsletter and podcast. We also make a conscious effort to write about solutions and problem solvers, not just dysfunction and corruption. But today, I'm excited to share this unambiguously good and happy news about the birth of my child. And I'm sharing this with you all, not just because I am overjoyed and forever changed, but because it will impact some things here at Tangle in the coming weeks and months. So I recorded this message to you guys, obviously before my baby came, and I have turned it over to our podcast editor, John, and asked him to publish this whenever I alerted them that the baby arrived. So this means everybody is good and healthy and the baby's here. And I just want to say a couple of things. First, since I write about our country's political and cultural landscape for a living, I want to share one quick observation from my time supporting my wife through her pregnancy. America seems very pro child to me right now. You spend enough time online or in the commentariat and you probably think a huge swath of Americans hate kids, are anti family, or don't appreciate the beauty and magic of pregnancy and children. The supply of articles about people not having kids, not wanting kids, and plummeting fertility rates really seems endless. Of course, these articles are based on real events and accounts, but my personal experience has been the complete opposite. Every single person I've told my wife was pregnant, stranger and family alike, has genuinely lit up at the news, shared some beautiful wisdom or advice, and proceeded to ask caring and thoughtful questions about her health and how we are holding up. Every parent I've spoken to has said some variation to me of it's the best thing ever. Stressful, sure, sleepless, maybe, but unendingly rewarding, unquestionably fun, and eternally fulfilling. This kind of feedback came from people from across political affiliation, class, race, religion and cynics might suggest these are just polite things to say to expecting parents, or that this positivity will all change now that the baby is here, or that my perception is warped because I'm the dad, not the pregnant mom. I can't deny my experience has been vastly different from my wife's, and maybe I'm hanging onto the positivity in some uneven way, but the response I got during this pregnancy struck me as at least a bit surprising and a nice surprise too. I've really felt nothing but love and support, and that felt worth saying here on this podcast with the platform that I have. Of course, my son's birth does create some issues for me. A registered workaholic, longtime listeners know my history with Tangle, but some of you who are new here may not the short and sweet is that I started this whole thing as a newsletter alone over five years ago on a platform called Substack. I sent my first email to 13 friends and family working on Tangle around my day job as an editor. From 5am to 8am and 6pm to 9pm every day, I've published thousands of newsletters and podcasts since, all in what is essentially the same format. We have today a neutral introduction of a topic, what the left is saying, what the right is saying, and then my take. Until 2023, I was doing most of that writing alone. Magdalena, our head of social media and ad operations, has been with me since the second year. But it wasn't until 2023 that I hired Ari, John and Will and we started bringing in intern cohorts and part time editors to help. Today our mailing list has over 300,000 subscribers. This podcast gets hundreds of thousands of downloads a month. Our work is read all across the world, and we have sometimes as many as 10 people working on Tangle in any given week. Through the 2019 Democratic primary, the 2020 presidential race, the pandemic, the 2022 midterms, the 2024 presidential race, and everything that's happened in between. I've never really stepped away from Tangle. We take healthy breaks for the holidays, like the 10 days off we just had around Christmas and the New Year's. But those breaks usually consist of me catching up on work I'm behind on and doing all the tasks that fell through the cracks while we were churning out newsletters and podcasts every day. It's not really time off, but now with my son here, my first child, I'm actually taking a deep breath. I'm taking my hands off the steering wheel and I'm leaving this podcast and the newsletter in my team's hands for the next few weeks. I'm nervous about this, to be honest, but I'm also confident my team is curious. They're open minded, they're fair, they're brilliant, they know me, they live and breathe Tangles mission and they understand our voice. Frankly, they've picked up much of the work that goes into producing the daily newsletter and podcast already while I focus mostly on just writing the My Take section, hosting this podcast and producing our members only Friday editions. For the next few weeks though, I'm going to let them take control of everything and I'm going to fade into the background and focus on my family. Editorially, the most important thing for you to know is that while I'm out, the My Take section will be written and recorded here by a different member of the Tangle staff who will be identified in each podcast. We will include a note atop each of the My Take sections to remind you that it isn't my writing or My take in that day's take and you'll be able to file all of your criticisms and compliments with whoever is filling in for me. So have fun with that. To be candid, I'm not entirely sure when I'll be back. I'm shooting for a month of uninterrupted paternity leave and I'm going to try to keep my nose out of the day to day and just enjoy the daily Tangle newsletter and podcast for the first time ever. As a consumer, I should be easing my way back in late February and I presume we'll be back to normal operations sometime in March. Though all of this is subject to change based on the needs of my family and my wife and my son in advance, I came here to just say thank you for a few things. First, for supporting our work, which has given me a stable job in the media industry for the last five years and made it possible for me to support my family. Second, for understanding why I'm taking this brief break, and also for trusting the people I've put into place to carry on the Tangle mission. And third, for helping us prove that there are so many people out there in the world who are still willing to engage the other side, have their minds changed, and better understand people they disagree with, even in times as divided and difficult as these. As always, all of this is only possible because of our members. Members are what have allowed me to build this team and also keep this running even while I'm taking paternity leave. So if you want to throw your support behind this work and you have not yet, the best way to do so is with a membership. You can find those on our website readtangle.com or by the tangle media supercast.com I appreciate you all. I hope you all enjoy a little something different these next few weeks. And I will see you guys soon. So have a good one. Peace. It.