In this transcript, the speaker expresses their fear and discomfort in starting a live stream or podcast. They mention their struggle with figuring out where to start, considering the intersection of digital politics and everything being political and digital nowadays. Despite feeling out of their comfort zone, they decide to jump in and start the podcast, hoping to have meaningful conversations with interesting people and discuss common frustrations and struggles.

They mention that they’ve been involved in web work since 2005 and have a degree in politics, which has led to an interest in the collision of these two worlds. They joke about calling their podcast “Coffee with Tara” as a play on their own name, despite the pun not working when pronounced out loud. They reflect on the chaotic state of the world and how people’s views on it can be cynical or optimistic. They lean towards the optimistic view, believing that the world and democracy evolve and problems are being worked through. They mention being in the industry for years and having opinions on the ethics and agendas of the people in it. They reached a point where they no longer found happiness in their work and wanted a change. They express frustration with the unethical use of data and the emphasis on pleasing tech companies in user experience design. They explain that they chose this career path because of idealistic views but didn’t fully comprehend the extent to which they could be complicit in certain issues. They describe themselves as politically left and critical thinkers who have a healthy skepticism towards authority.