Podcast Summary: "What to Do With Rage" — We Can Do Hard Things with Megan Watterson
Date: March 10, 2026
Hosts: Glennon Doyle, Abby Wambach, Amanda Doyle
Guest: Meggan Watterson
Overview
In this raw and unguarded episode, the Pod Squad—Glennon, Abby, and Amanda—invite feminist theologian and writer Megan Watterson to discuss the experience, power, and purpose of rage, especially as it relates to recent revelations about abuse, complicity, and the need for change. Anchored in stories from history, theology, and their own lives, the conversation moves from grief and outrage to creative, collective action. The episode challenges the notion of “acceptable” anger, explores the connection between rage and love, and calls for reclaiming spiritual authority from patriarchal systems.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Rage as a Response to Injustice and Abuse
[02:11] Megan Watterson:
- Megan describes feeling a unique, "feral" rage after reading disturbing details from the Epstein files, especially around Deepak Chopra's involvement and the dismissive treatment of survivors.
- She explains how the world "ended" for her after this discovery and how rage became both overwhelming and creatively generative:
“I was channeling enough rage to literally reconfigure the world. But I also couldn't make my bed. It was that kind of situation.”
- She finds solace in making a list inspired by painful history: “How Women Pray When the World is on Fire,” cataloguing historical acts of women’s resistance.
2. Historical Models of Women’s Resistance
[07:23] Megan Watterson:
- Shares stories of women like Mary Maloney, who used creative protest (a ringing bell to drown out Churchill) and the Mothers of the Disappeared in Argentina, and Julia Butterfly Hill, who lived in a redwood for nearly two years.
- Emphasizes creativity as powerful resistance:
“We’re not going to do what we’re told to do anymore. That’s done, that’s ended. That world is over.”
3. Personal Action, Not Perfection
[11:58] Abby Wambach:
- Abby reflects on taking action—leaving Wasserman agency—even without knowing the next step:
“What I loved about your statement...when you said, I don’t know what my next steps are, I just know where I can’t be. And I felt like that was so important.”
- Encourages listeners to act even before having a plan; waiting for clarity can be a form of paralysis.
4. Rage, Love, and the Divine Feminine
[15:42] Megan Watterson & Abby Wambach:
- The hosts discuss the hypocrisy of men—including self-proclaimed spiritual leaders—profiting from and acting as gatekeepers to women’s spirituality.
- Megan: “If we claim our worth, we will know our power...The men have positioned themselves as gatekeepers to the divine via the patriarchy.”
- The true divine connection is internal, not given or withheld by institutions.
5. Reclaiming Spiritual Authority: The Stories of Mary Magdalene and Thecla
[24:06] Megan Watterson:
- Megan draws a parallel between the Church’s refusal to believe Mary Magdalene (calling her a prostitute) and our culture’s disbelief of survivors today.
- Abby reframes the importance of self-belief:
“We must believe us...We disconnected ourselves from our inner selves and gave the strings away. Now we have to wrest those strings back.”
- The story of Thecla (who baptizes herself) becomes a metaphor for claiming worth and spiritual authority without waiting for outside validation.
6. Rage as a Sacred and Collective Energy
[32:15] Abby Wambach, Megan Watterson:
- Rage is reframed as a natural, even sacred, outgrowth of love:
“The people who are most filled with love are the people who are most filled with rage right now.” (Abby, [33:00])
- Megan notes that spiritual traditions emphasizing submissiveness were crafted to control marginalized people. Sacred rage, she says, is listening to the voice of love.
7. End of Faith in Institutions—and Self-Baptism
[34:55] Abby Wambach, Megan Watterson:
- The hosts reflect on the collapse of trust in politics, wellness, and religious institutions.
- Women can no longer wait for recognition from broken systems—they must “baptize themselves” (as Thecla did), claim their inherent worth, and support each other.
- Collective action is modeled through stories:
“Once it was modeled...what we can allow ourselves to completely unplug from is the Christianity that was established in the 4th century under the patriarchy.” (Megan, [37:50])
8. Solidarity and Supporting Each Other
[50:49] Abby Wambach:
- Urges listeners to “throw cardamom”—support women who step up, rather than falling into internalized misogyny.
- Not all women in power are to be automatically supported if they are “water carriers for the patriarchy,” but those authentically acting with love and courage should be uplifted.
9. Practical Tools and Rituals for Surviving Turbulent Times
[52:35] Megan Watterson:
- Megan stresses validating your own feelings, practicing grounding rituals (like soul-voice meditation), and staying connected to love in the face of triggering news.
- Anticipates a new kind of collective awakening “where love reaches where it has never been before.”
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
On Internal Authority:
- “Everything comes from within.” — Megan Watterson [02:11]
- “The ultimate source of power is the love that we can source inside of us. No one can keep it from us.” — Megan Watterson [16:48]
On Action Amid Uncertainty:
- “You don’t have to know what happens next. You just have to know where you can’t be.” — Abby Wambach [11:58]
On Rage as Love:
- “I feel like the people who are most filled with love are the people who are most filled with rage right now.” — Abby Wambach [33:00]
- “Sacred rage is listening to the voice of love.” — Megan Watterson [34:34]
On Supporting Each Other:
- “You were like, okay, Paul, I’m just gonna go ahead and baptize myself and write what I know is true. Because there’s another path where you just argue with Paul for your whole life...” — Abby Wambach [50:50]
- “Now is the time...if there is a woman who is showing up, who is embodying this, who is doing her work, who has baptized herself, and who your nervous system knows is real, throw cardamom.” — Abby Wambach [51:13]
On Winning:
- “Does winning look like saying no, like they did? No, thank you to that...and creating something full of life and beauty. Is that winning?” — Abby Wambach [56:46]
Timestamps for Important Segments
| Timestamp | Segment / Topic | |------------|----------------------------------------------------------| | 02:11 | Megan discusses the feral rage and Deepak Chopra | | 05:46 | Historical stories of women's protest and resistance | | 11:11 | Abby on agency and making difference | | 15:26 | Deepak Chopra’s hypocrisy; divine authority discussion | | 19:18 | Internal worthiness and intuition | | 24:06 | Megan on believing Mary Magdalene, survivors | | 27:27 | Abby on self-belief and reclaiming agency | | 28:39 | Abby’s ESPYs story and awakening to rage | | 32:15 | Re-framing rage as love | | 34:55 | Collapse of trust in institutions | | 37:49 | Self-baptism, reclaiming pre-patriarchal spirituality | | 41:28 | Organizing for faith and justice (Sacred shoutout) | | 45:52 | The importance of showing up for each other | | 52:35 | Grounding rituals and collective awakening | | 56:46 | Redefining winning and resisting false power | | 58:26-58:56| Closing expressions of love and mutual support |
Key Takeaways
- Rage is a sacred energy and a sign of deep love, not a failing.
- Creative, collective action by women—past and present—is powerful and necessary.
- Spiritual authority and worthiness are internal, not institutionally granted.
- Self-validation and authenticity trump external approval and perfection.
- Supporting women who authentically show up with courage is vital. “Throw cardamom.”
- Now is the time to reclaim, reconnect with, and act on our deepest knowing and love, even in the wilderness.
Memorable Closing:
“Let’s anoint each other...Let us forever. We love you, Megan.” — Abby Wambach & Megan Watterson [58:45-58:56]
This episode is a call to harness anger as creative, collective fuel, root your actions in love, and refuse to surrender spiritual power to broken systems. Rage does not make you broken. It means you’re awake, alive, and ready to help make the world anew.