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The Attention Economy Navigator, January 2026 w/ Shaira Chaer and Jess St. Louis

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Block & Build
Block & Build
The Attention Economy Navigator, January 2026 w/ Shaira Chaer and Jess St. Louis
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This month on the Attention Economy Navigator, our guide to what you should be paying more attention to, and what you can probably pay less attention to. And why those stories might not be what you’d assume.

Joining to help build this month’s Attention Economy Navigator in real time are friends of the pod Shaira Chaer, Senior Strategist at ReFrame, and Jess St. Louis, an organizer and narrative strategist based in North Carolina.

Just a quick content note: this discussion includes stories about murder, gun violence, an antisemitic attack against a house of worship, revenge porn, and child sexual abuse material. It’s been a rough few weeks in the headlines, please take care of yourself!

Find the full navigator chart here. You can also watch the panel plot these stories in real time on YouTube.

Stories we referenced in this episode:

January 2026 Attention Economy Matrix: an XY axis grid with a collection of images and headlines.

We swear we wanted to talk about something lighter that still provides insight, but it’s been a rough couple weeks.

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Episode Guests

Jess St. Louis

Jess St. Louis is a white lesbian trans woman who works as a narrative strategist and somatics practitioner and calls Greensboro, North Carolina home. She has over a decade of experience in organizing, narrative strategy, and leadership development and is currently spending her time collaborating with organizations like the Carolina Federation, running the Transformative Communicators Embodying Leadership program, and offering 1:1 leadership coaching. She is a contributing co-author to Liberation Stories: Building Narrative Power for 21st Century Movements (aff) published by The New Press and has had her work published in Autostraddle. She has served as a coordinator with ReFrame, and has also worked with Center for Story-Based Strategy, RoadMap Consulting, the US Human Rights Network, the Racial Justice Action Center, and more.

Shaira Chaer
Shaira Chaer

Shaira Chaer (b. 1989) is a first-generation Dominican-American researcher, writer, and multi-hyphenate creative born and raised on unceded Wappinger, Munsee Lenape, and Schaghticoke land. Chaer received their B.S. in Human Services at CUNY City Tech in 2012 and completed an M.A. in Urban Studies at the CUNY Institute of Labor and Urban Studies in 2016. They have a background in public health, policy, food justice, and cultural organizing. Chaer has written for several publications, including Remezcla and Vibe Magazine. They have shown work at Bronx Arts Space, Andrew Freedman Home, New Women Space, and Junior High Gallery. Chaer is a Senior Strategist at ReFrame, where they conduct narrative research in support of justice and liberation for all people and the planet.

About the Host

Cayden Mak
Cayden Mak

Cayden Mak is the publisher at Convergence Magazine and the host of Block & Build: Roadmaps for the Left.

Prior to Convergence, Cayden spent nearly a decade in various roles at 18 Million Rising, including five years as Executive Director and two as Chief Technology Officer, developing the organization inside and out into the digital-first anchor of national progressive Asian American organizing. His other movement work has included organizing for community-designed affordable housing with the Save E. 12th Coalition, co-founding Youngist, a youth media collective, organizing graduate research assistants for a labor union, and helping coordinate tracks and network gatherings at the Allied Media Conference. He serves as Chair of the Board of Directors for the Kairos Fellowship.