UNDISTRACTED With Brittany Packnett Cunningham
The Meteor, Collective Media·130 episodes·Bi-weekly
Want a better world? And a group chat to help you get there?
Brittany Packnett Cunningham is your woman. On UNDISTRACTED, a weekly show from The Meteor and Collective Media, she, her group chat and her guests decode and dissect the most pressing issues of our time and the cultural topics you care about most, from the latest headlines to deep dives with today’s most fascinating changemakers.
UNDISTRACTED is your weekly guide to the revolution that’s happening in our politics, our pop culture, and our lives.
Episodes
Latest Episode
August 13, 2026 · 1h 0m
In less than three months, the midterms will be upon us. Should we be panicked? Confident? Somewhere in between? Brittany Packnett Cunningham sits down with political strategist and Native Land Pod co-host Angela Rye to talk about all of it: the rise of progressive candidates, what Democrats would do if they had “nuts and ovaries,” and why Black voters continue to shape the future of American politics. (And don’t miss Angela’s words for people who keep telling Kamala Harris not to run…)
More Episodes
Aug 6 · 59m
In a moment when Black-led institutions are facing unprecedented attacks, Brittany sits down with two visionary women who know what it takes to build, protect, and transform them from the inside. Reverend Dr. Shavon Arline-Bradley, President and CEO of the National Council of Negro Women, and Bishop Vashti McKenzie, the first woman elected bishop in the AME Church, discuss why Black women's leadership has always been essential to movements for justice, the unseen work required to keep institutions alive, and how faith, sisterhood, and shared power offer a blueprint for the future. Together, they explore why real change requires both protest and institution-building, and why protecting the spaces we create for ourselves may be one of the most radical acts of all.
Jul 30 · 54m
He’s the much-watched governor making political headlines—but long before Wes Moore was the governor of Maryland, his wife Dawn Moore was a political superstar there. In this rare joint sitdown, they join Brittany Packnett Cunningham for a wide-ranging conversation about public service, governing through one of America's most politically turbulent moments, and what it’s like to be the only Black First Family of a state right now.. They also tackle the Trump administration's impact on Maryland, and address controversies around reparations, data centers, and women's leadership. Then, Brittany is joined by Dr. Brittney Cooper for Untrending news—including the tragic death of 16-year-old Juliana Nzita; what’s up with gender testing in women’s tennis; and all the joy on display during WNBA All-Star Weekend. Mentioned in this episode: Politics, Morality and Civility by Václav Havel https://ttf.org/product/politics-morality-and-civility/
Jul 23 · 47m
If everyone is against the Republican hatemongering, why can’t we, you know, get rid of them, for real this time? YouTuber Brian Tyler Cohen, author of the new book The Day After: How to Wield Power in a Post-Trump World, has the answer. He sits down with host Brittany Packnett Cunningham to explain. They get into Brian’s theory of why “wrong and strong” is beating “right and weak,” and they both dish out some free advice for Democrats about what real winning would look like, and how we can get there (fast, please). Then Brittany is joined by group chat bestie Dr. David Johns to break down the latest Untrending news, from the government's handling of a nationwide cyclospora outbreak to the Heritage Foundation's latest attacks on women's sports. Also: Shakira Shakira!
Jul 2 · 49m
What does reparations actually mean? And why is it important to talk about right now? In this special live episode of Undistracted, Brittany Packnett Cunningham sits down with someone perfectly positioned to answer those questions: Pulitzer Prize-winning 1619 Project creator and New York Times journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones. Together, they get into why the economic practice of slavery requires an economic solution (yes, reparations is broader, but “frankly, I’m most interested in cash,” says Hannah-Jones); how reparations for Black Americans is different (and isn’t) from Germany’s reparations to Holocaust survivors; and why, most of all, our history shows that we have to have hope. Plus, in the group chat, Brittany hears from Liberation Ventures’ co-founder and CEO Aria Florant and author and activist Preston Mitchum, for a conversation about their own personal relationships to reparations, and how imagining a different future is itself an act of resistance. We want to thank Liberation Ventures for their support of this podcast. You can support their work by following @LiberationVenture, joining the #WeekOfRepair hashtag and/or signing up for their newsletter at: https://www.repair-is.org/take-action And we’d like to thank these key reparations activist groups for joining the live event audience: The Braxton Institute, The Black-Eyed Susans for Repair, Leaders of a Beautiful Struggle, Why We Can’t Wait Coalition, DC Justice Lab, Thurgood Marshall Civil Rights Center and Get Free.
Jun 25 · 57m
It’s a magic moment for sports—and no, we’re not talking about the Knicks over in the MNBA, we’re talking the WNBA, where women just negotiated a huge, historic new collective bargaining agreement for themselves. What’s next, and what can the rest of us learn from this victory? Brittany Packnett Cunningham is joined by journalist, author, and media powerhouse Jemele Hill for a conversation about how these players fought for “dignity and respect,” and why they’re more activist than many male athletes. They also unpack how the Men's World Cup is influencing America's global reputation (maybe…for the better?), and the political power of the soccer stadium. Plus, Dr. Brittney Cooper joins the group chat to talk about Michelle Obama’s speech, her sorta-friendship with George W. Bush—and the four-year anniversary of the overturning of Roe v Wade.
Jun 18 · 50m
As we get ready to celebrate Juneteenth and the nation's 250th anniversary, Brittany Packnett Cunningham is asking: What would it actually take to repair the worst of America’s history, and build the future we deserve? To talk about the idea of reparations, Brittany sits down with The Atlantic’s Adam Serwer to unpack why this idea matters now, why “we’re not just talking about slavery,” and what we should learn from other countries that have done it (successfully and not). Then, group chat bestie Dr. David Johns joins Brittany for an Untrending News conversation on what reparations would look like—and the joy they would unlock. This episode launches a special Undistracted series on reparations in 2026. It was produced with support from Liberation Ventures and The Meteor Fund. You can support Liberation Ventures’ work by following their page, @LiberationVentures, joining the #WeekOfRepair hashtag, and signing up for their newsletter: https://www.repair-is.org/take-action
Jun 11 · 50m
We’re talking Summer House and Freedom Summer in this episode! Because we love our reality TV and also we love our democracy. Our special guests? Attorney, activist, and Bravo alum Preston Mitchum, and group chat regular Dr. Brittney Cooper. Together with Brittany, they cover everything from Trump’s repeated tantrums before Black women reporters to why book bans continue to backfire. Plus, the group weighs in on Summer House reunion chaos, and why Serena Williams and Allyson Felix coming out of retirement feels bigger than sports. Because when institutions are under pressure, culture tells us just as much as politics. To learn more about Freedom Schools and find one near you: https://freedomschoolpartners.org/
Jun 4 · 52m
She’s the scholar behind the idea of intersectional feminism—and but those words aren’t just political to her, they’re personal. In her new memoir Backtalker, Dr. Kimberlé Crenshaw traces her own life from childhood in Ohio to work on Anita Hill’s legal team to helping popularize ideas like critical race theory. Now she sits down with Brittany to talk about all of it, and how she’s learned to challenge systems that were never built to see Black women clearly. Plus we’ve got a full and fearless UNtrending News for you, with group chat besties Dr. David Johns and Dr. Brittney Cooper joining Brittany to analyze what’s happening with Delaney Hall protests, voting-rights wins, and, wait for it, Jay-Z’s new Blue Ivy look. Mentioned in this episode: To join Kimberlé Crenshaw's Backtalkers Academy at https://www.aapf.org/backtalkers-academy You can donate to support the Delaney Hall detainees and affected families at https://linktr.ee/supportourfamilies To take action for voting rights this midterm election, visit FreedomSummer2026.com Follow Brittany: https://www.instagram.com/MsPackyetti https://www.tiktok.com/@mspackyetti https://www.youtube.com/@MsPackyetti https://www.threads.com/@mspackyetti Episode website: https://www.stayundistracted.com To subscribe to The Meteor: https://www.wearethemeteor.com/newsletters https://collective.media
May 21 · 35m
A lot of conversations about AI are either sales pitches (“the efficiency!”) or horror stories (“the extinction!”). This week, Bridget Todd, technologist and host of There Are No Girls on the Internet, joins us for something better—an informed, 100% human discussion of what it will take to make AI work for us, and whether there’s still time to do that. (Yes, but move fast.) She, host Brittany Packnett Cunningham, and group-chat regular Dr. David Johns break it down in a wide-ranging conversation: Together, they unpack the rise of AI-generated Black identities, nude deepfakes, the risks to child safety, and what to do about “girlboss AI.” It’s an episode that challenges us to think critically about the systems shaping our lives…because nothing about this future is inevitable. Follow Brittany: https://www.instagram.com/MsPackyetti https://www.tiktok.com/@mspackyetti https://www.youtube.com/@MsPackyetti https://www.threads.com/@mspackyetti Episode website: https://www.stayundistracted.com To subscribe to The Meteor: https://www.wearethemeteor.com/newsletters https://collective.media