Podcast appearances and mentions of Melissa Walker

This week on The Nick Halaris Show we are featuring Melissa Walker, the Head of the Giving Circles Program at the States Project, an organization focused on leveraging the consistently overlooked and massively underestimated power possessed by State legislatures in our system.  On top of being a passionate civic activist, Melissa is a popular author of teen novels and an accomplished magazine contributor.Ready to dive in? Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music and YouTubeor on your favorite podcast platform.I wanted to have Melissa on the show to learn more about the States Project and the role they are trying to play in improving our American democracy.  In this day and age, when hardly a citizen can even name their state representatives let alone know what policies they stand for, Melissa and her colleagues at the States Project are smart to focus here.  While the big-money players have all but captured the national scene, State legislature elections are as accessible as they are impactful.  The American Constitution grants vast power to the states and state-level laws are often much more impactful to citizens' daily lives than Federal laws.   Tune in to this inspiring episode to learn:  Stay tuned to the end to learn why Melissa set aside her thriving career as an author to work on the States Project full-time and why she believes this work is the most powerful thing she can do today.  As always, I hope you enjoy this episode.  Please like and follow The Nick Halaris Show. Thanks for tuning in!    Connect with Nick Halaris: Nick Halaris website and newletter (sign up!) Nick Halaris on Instagram Nick Halaris on linkedin Nick Halaris on Twitter

Send us a textHelp Support Full Spirals and give the Arts a Voice!Join the community of "Spinners" on Patreon and contribute to the production of our impactful content HERE!Make a one time donation of your support in any amount HERE! Project: I'm Speaking, featuring MELISSA WALKERMelissa Walker is a bass player/ singer songwriter from British Columbia, Canada. As a supporting musician she has toured extensively throughout Canada, US, Germany, and Australia, and she bravely shares both her story and her voice in this delightful episode! During the pandemic Melissa took up songwriting and is currently in the process of releasing her first full length solo record.  She's also a carpenter and enjoys woodworking, spending time with her dog Ella, and sharing a life with her partner.Join Stacy and Melissa in this ENCORE episode as they chat about the processes of coming forward, taking up space and making beautiful music!Support the show

While we're off this week, we're encouraging everyone to listen to our Stop Book Banning episode, rereleased with new content! This week, we're talking to Maggie Tokuda-Hall, one of the founders of Authors Against Book Bans about the growth of book bans around the country in 2024. Book bans in United States schools and libraries are at their highest since the ALA Office of Intellectual Freedom started collecting data, happening around the country, in every state, and disproportionately affecting books by and about LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC people. What's more, challenges are likely underreported, because librarians who are resisting them are facing unprecedented workplace retribution and in some cases physical danger.Book Bans are on the ballot this year in every state and local election, up and down the ticket. State legislatures, local town councils, county leadership and school boards are being overrun with candidates supported by conservative activists looking to limit access to books and ideas that offer identity, empathy, awareness, and power to young people around the country. We're concerned, so today, we're releasing a special episode of Fated Mates focused on book bans across the country. We interview three experts on what's happening, who is most impacted, and how we can all help. Show notes are extensive, and we hope you'll take a look at them. The GuestsMaggie Tokuda-Hall, author, activist, podcaster and founding member of Authors Against Book BansJarett Dapier, librarian, activist and author of Mr. Watson's Chickens. Jarrett is offering his complete stage adaption of Chris Crutcher's YA novel "The Sledding Hill" to the Office for Intellectual Freedom in support of Banned Books Week as a free download to read. Schools and communities interested in performing the play can do so with a $75 donation to the ALA's Office of Intellectual Freedom. Lily Freeman, activist and student in Central Bucks County, PA. Read Lily's op-ed in the Philadelphia Inquirer and follow her instagram at ProjectUncensored. Congratulations, Lily, on your graduation!Melissa Walker, political activist at The States Project, journalist, and Middle Grade and YA author of Violet on the Runway, Let's Pretend We Never Met, Small Town Sinners and more. The ResourcesAuthors Against Book Bans, the author and creator wing of the fight for the freedom to readThe Youth Censorship Database at the National Coalition Against CensorshipBook Riot's censorship coverage is excellent and updated almost daily. They have an excellent explainer for

Doree and Elise bring on return guest Melissa Walker (Head of Giving Circles at The States Project) to discuss why you should care about state legislatures, which states The States Project is really focusing on this year (and why), the ~vibes~ in politics right now, and the amazing changes that Forever35 listeners have helped enact in the last few years through our Giving Circle. To leave a voicemail or text for a future episode, reach Doree & Elise at 781-591-0390. You can also email the podcast at forever35podcast@gmail.com.Visit forever35podcast.com for links to everything they mention on the show or visit shopmyshelf.us/forever35.Follow the podcast on Instagram (@Forever35Podcast) and sign up for the newsletter at forever35podcast.com/newsletter Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Christopher Dunn has been in prison for 33 years for murder. Last week, a St. Louis judge overturned his conviction and ordered his release. However, the Missouri attorney general filed a notice of appeal with the state Supreme Court and told the prison to keep Dunn in jail while the legal battle plays out.The FDA has approved a new blood test that could change the way we detect colon cancer, which is the second most common cause of cancer-related deaths in U.S. adults. CBS News chief medical correspondent Dr. Jon LaPook explains.CBS Saturday Morning co-host Dana Jacobson catches up with Lauren Scruggs at Team USA House in Paris to discuss her historic achievement and its impact on young athletes.Actor Jay Ellis, famous for his performances in "Insecure" and "Top Gun: Maverick," joins "CBS Mornings" to talk about his new book, "Did Everyone Have an Imaginary Friend (or Just Me)?: Adventures in Boyhood."Award-winning actor Zooey Deschanel takes on a colorful role in "Harold and the Purple Crayon," where she stars alongside Zachary Levi. The film adapts the classic children's story, bringing its magical elements to the big screen.Melissa Walker and nine-time Grammy winner Christian McBride share their passion for music with "Jazz House Kids," a nonprofit that has produced top jazz musicians and provided free instruments and education to thousands of young artists.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The States Project is an organization that believes state legislatures are the strongest force for change in the country. The Democratic-aligned group was founded by former New York state Sen. Daniel Squadron in 2017 and is focused on winning governing majorities by making state legislative campaigns more effective and better funded. The actor J. Smith-Cameron and author Melissa Walker are two members of the States Project team, and they say they're starting to see the fruits of their grassroots efforts. Smith-Cameron and Walker joined NY1's Errol Louis to discuss the States Project's goals for this election year. They also explained the power of state legislatures and how, unlike congressional races, they usually don't require massive fundraising for victory. Smith-Cameron also talked about her role on the smash hit television show “Succession” and her many years as a New York stage actor.  Join the conversation, weigh in on Twitter using the hashtag #NY1YouDecide or give us a call at 212-379-3440 and leave a message. Or send an email to YourStoryNY1@charter.com

Today Virginia is chatting with Melissa Walker, head of Giving Circles at The States Project about how to save democracy.The States Project works to flip state legislations blue around the country. In 2022, Burnt Toast raised over $28,000 to hold ground in the Arizona State Senate. Last year we raised over $15,000 to elect majority making candidates in Virginia, where we defended the State Senate and flipped the House of Delegates to put a wall in front of Governor Youngkin's right wing agenda. You can help us do it again! Join the Burnt Toast Giving Circle and vote in our poll for the state you want us to support. You can also start your own Giving Circle to support the state of your choice!To tell us YOUR thoughts, and to get all of the links and resources mentioned in this episode, as well as a complete transcript, visit our show page. If you want more conversations like this one, please rate and review us in your podcast player! And become a paid Burnt Toast subscriber — subscriptions are just $7 per month! —to get all of Virginia's reporting and bonus subscriber-only episodes. And don't forget to check out our Burnt Toast Podcast Bonus Content! Disclaimer: Virginia is a journalist and human with a lot of informed opinions. Virginia is not a nutritionist, therapist, doctor, or any kind of health care provider. The conversation you're about to hear and all of the advice and opinions she and her guests give are just for entertainment, information, and education purposes only. None of this is a substitute for individual medical or mental health advice.FAT TALK is out! Order your signed copy from Virginia's favorite independent bookstore, Split Rock Books (they ship anywhere in the US!). Or order it from your independent bookstore, or from Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Target, or Kobo or anywhere else you like to buy books. You can also order the audio book from Libro.fm or Audible.CREDITSThe Burnt Toast Podcast is produced and hosted by Virginia Sole-Smith and Corinne Fay. Follow Virginia on Instagram, Follow Corinne  @SellTradePlus, an Instagram account where you can buy and sell plus size clothing and subscribe to Big Undies.The Burnt Toast logo is by Deanna Lowe.Our theme music is by Jeff Bailey and Chris Maxwell.Tommy Harron is our audio engineer.Thanks for listening and for supporting anti-diet, body liberation journalism.  This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiasolesmith.substack.com/subscribe

We are time traveling back to 1994 for Episode 118 of The Bulletproof Podcast as we discuss Timecop starring Jean-Claude Van Damme! Join your hosts Chris the Brain and Chad Cruise and special guest, Ryan Campbell, as they look back at Jean-Claude Van Damme's biggest box office hit, 1994's Timecop. The Civil War era intro, the countertop splits, Ron Silver's diabolical Senator McComb, John L. Sullivan having his name dropped, the love story between Max and Melissa Walker and the special effects are all topics of discussion. Plus, the guys attempt to avoid driving themselves crazy trying to make sense out of time travel, Chad talks about his favorite social media platform and June 2024 Chris the Brain shares a message he received from October 2024 Chris the Brain!   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Wanna win back democracy? Start with the states. The federal government is clearly essential, and to save our nation the Democrats must win the Presidency, House and Senate in '24, but we can't stop there. So many of the terrible laws we're seeing around the country come directly from Republican state legislatures. People like to blame the president when things don't go their way, but so much of what affects our daily lives is decided in state houses. Which is why joining the State's Project is one of the most effective ways to fight back. They've done the preparation. You just gather your people and start stacking up the wins. It's not just effective. It's fun. It's FUN to WIN.  As always, if you find worth in what we do, please consider SUBSCRIBING to PoliticsGirl Premium. You'll get this podcast ad free, along with a bunch of other perks, like the rants directly to your inbox and the knowledge that you're making this kind of highly researched, factual information possible.  If that interests you, please go to https://www.politicsgirl.com/premium and subscribe today!! Thank you so much! xoPG Guest social: www.statesproject.org Twitter: @StatesProjectUS Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/StatesProjectUS Instagram: @statesprojectus YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheStatesProject As always, please RATE and SUBSCRIBE so we can grow the show, open the dialogue, and inspire change moving forward!   All show links here!: https://linktr.ee/politicsgirl This episode is sponsored by… https://rocketmoney.com/PoliticsGirl https://rhone.com/politicsgirl code: PoliticsGirl https://oneskin.co code: politicsgirl

The Lincoln Project's own Rick Wilson skewers Trump's embarrassing appearance at the Libertarian Party's convention. NBC's Mike Hixenbaugh discusses his book, They Came for the Schools: One Town's Fight over Race and Identity, and the New War for America's Classrooms. The States Project's Melissa Walker examines how they are helping Democrats win elections through giving circles.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Couch Potato Theater: Timecop (1994) w/ Jean-Claude Van Damme Watch the video version of this Couch Potato Theater episode on the Fandom Podcast Network YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@FandomPodcastNetwork Welcome to Couch Potato Theater here on the Fandom Podcast Network! On Couch Potato Theater we celebrate our favorite movies! On this episode we celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the Sci-fi action classic Timecop (1994) starring Jean-Claude Van Damme! Timecop is a 1994 American science fiction action film directed by Peter Hyams and co-written by Mike Richardson and Mark Verheiden. Richardson also served as executive producer. The film is based on Timecop, a story created by Richardson, written by Verheiden, and drawn by Ron Randall, which appeared in the anthology comic Dark Horse Comics, published by Dark Horse Comics. It is the first installment in the Timecop franchise. The film stars Jean-Claude Van Damme as Max Walker, a police officer in 1994 and later a U.S. federal agent in 2004, when time travel has been made possible. It also stars Ron Silver as a corrupt politician and Mia Sara as Melissa Walker, the agent's wife. The story follows Walker's life as he fights time-travel crime and investigates the politician's plans. Timecop remains Van Damme's highest-grossing film as a lead actor (his second to break the $100 million barrier worldwide.) Although met with mixed reviews, it is generally regarded by critics as one of Van Damme's best films.   Fandom Podcast Network Contact Information   - The FANDOM PODCAST NETWORK YouTube Channel:  https://www.youtube.com/c/FandomPodcastNetwork   - Master feed for all FPNet Audio Podcasts: http://fpnet.podbean.com/   - Couch Potato Theater Audio Podcast Master Feed:  https://fpnet.podbean.com/category/couch-potato-theater   - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Fandompodcastnetwork - Email: fandompodcastnetwork@gmail.com                                                                                          - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fandompodcastnetwork/                                                        - X (Twitter) : @fanpodnetwork / https://twitter.com/fanpodnetwork   - Tee Public Fandom Podcast Network Store:  https://www.teepublic.com/stores/fandom-podcast-network #FandomPodcastNetwork #FPNet #CouchPotatoTheater #Timecop1994 #Timecop #TimecopMovie #JeanClaudeVanDamme #PeterHyams #MiaSara #RonSilver #BruceMcGill #GloriaReuben #TimeTravel #TimeTravelMovies #MarkIsham

TEAMCPNZ Quick Connect EP 2 – 'Stay informed and stay connected' Melissa Walker completed the full Ironman in Taupo last Saturday and had an absolute blinder in tough conditions. She has been working with Team CP over the past 18th months and in that time has built through local triathlon events, Ironmaori Half in November to completing IMNZ last weekend. Like most of us Mel's build up has not been without its challenges and we look forward to sharing Mel's story. We also catch up with CP Coach, Tim Hanson, to chat all things to do with our first Kathmandu Coast to Coast Skills Course, happening April 7. We are super excited to announce we will be holding these in both Auckland and Christchurch on Sunday 7 April. https://www.teamcp.co.nz/whats-on/kathmandu-coast-to-coast-skills-course/ CP MEDIA Richard Greer – @ric.greer https://www.teamcp.co.nz @teamcpnz https://www.facebook.com/teamcpnz richard@teamcp.co.nz

Control of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives hinges on a special election taking place today in the suburbs of Philadelphia. Democrats currently have a one-seat majority in the chamber. The results of today's race will determine if Democrats can pick up one more seat or if they become tied with Republicans. We're joined by Melissa Walker, head of Giving Circles over at The States Project, to learn more about who's running and what's at stake.It's looking like a whirlwind of a week for Trump and the many battles he faces in court. After an appeals court ruled last week that he did not qualify for immunity from prosecution, Trump and his lawyers appealed to the Supreme Court on Monday and asked them to pause the case. Meanwhile, the hearing to address the allegations that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis engaged in an improper and unethical relationship with her lead prosecutor will take place on Thursday.And in headlines: Israel's military killed at least 67 Palestinians in Rafah, a new bill that was introduced in Wyoming could take trans kids away from their parents if they receive gender-affirming care, and Uber, Lyft, and DoorDash drivers will walk off the job this Valentine's Day.Show Notes:The State's Project — https://statesproject.org/Vote Save America — https://votesaveamerica.com/Palestine Red Crescent Society — https://www.palestinercs.org/enWhat A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcastFollow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/

“There were people who had needs inside of our church that I had been overlooking.” Just six months into a new care ministry role, Melissa felt like a failure. The Exec. team decided to shift the focus from external efforts to internal efforts of care within the church that were not yet foundationally strong. Listen to today's episode for five areas Melissa was able to guide the team toward a stronger system of care. Quotes Your care ministry is unique. Care is complex and its responsibilities can take people by surprise. There were people who had needs inside of our church that I had been overlooking. Prayer is the foundation of a church's care ministry. Ministry is dying to ourselves daily. Resources Care Ministry Cohort Components Of Care Ministry Connect with Hope Made Strong Website: HopeMadeStrong.org Socials: Facebook – Instagram – Twitter – YouTube

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**About The Guest(s):** Melissa Walker is an HR consultant and executive and professional coach with an MBA in organizational behavior. She specializes in working with teams and organizations to improve their people processes. **Summary:** Melissa Walker joins the show to discuss how hiring managers can make the hiring process easier for job seekers. She emphasizes the importance of hiring managers understanding that job seekers are also evaluating the company during the interview process. Melissa suggests that hiring managers should get involved in job search groups and network to find great talent. She also advises hiring managers to provide detailed information about the role they are hiring for and to give feedback to candidates, both to improve the recruitment process and to help candidates improve for future interviews. **Key Takeaways:** Hiring managers should get involved in job search groups and network to find great talent. Hiring managers should provide detailed information about the role they are hiring for to recruiters. Hiring managers should give feedback to candidates to help them improve and to improve the recruitment process. **Quotes:** "Hiring managers a lot of times rely on talent acquisition to help fill the positions. And what they can do to help that process is make sure they're giving talent acquisition all the details they need." - Melissa Walker "If you're hiring, is that important to the company, to the success of the company? People you hire, they make a difference." - Melissa Walker **Chapters:** (0:00:03) Introduction to the podcast and the importance of networking (0:01:15) How the hosts connected and started the show (0:03:10) The importance of making the hiring process easier for job seekers (0:04:48) Encouraging hiring managers to network and find talent (0:06:01) Using networks like LinkedIn and social media to engage teams (0:07:04) The need for feedback from hiring managers to improve the recruitment process (0:08:27) Disparity between expectations of recruiters and hiring managers (0:08:44) Importance of providing detailed information about job roles (0:08:51) The value of giving feedback to job seekers (0:08:50) Example of a hiring manager who provides feedback to candidates (0:09:18) Suggestions for providing feedback to candidates during the hiring process (0:09:50) Request for a campaign against ghosting in the hiring process (0:10:05) Importance of prioritizing hiring and the consequences of not doing so (0:10:53) Questioning the reasons for the lengthy hiring process (0:11:38) Mention of candidates ghosting employers and recruiters (0:12:15) Discussion on candidates not showing up for interviews (0:12:28) Mention of an underground website for hiring someone to interview on your behalf (0:13:01) Shift from phone screenings to video interviews (0:13:11) Highlighting Melissa Walker's experience in hiring and recruiting (0:13:30) Conclusion and invitation to connect with Melissa Walker **Additional Resources**

Melissa Walker & Erin DuFresne from Ancient Peaks Winery, and Candice Sanders, from Cancer Support Community dropped by First Look with Andy Morris to talk about a Big fundraiser they have coming up.

Special announcements:  Terrell Starr of the Black Diplomats podcast will join Gaslit Nation Tuesday September 12th at 12pm ET for a live taping – get your ticket by subscribing at the Truth-teller level or higher and join the conversation in the chat! The access link will be sent exclusively to our Patreon community the morning of the show. Sign up at Patreon.com/Gaslit  Historian Ruth Ben-Ghiat, author of the bestselling book Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present, and Russian mafia expert Olga Lautman of the Kremlin File podcast, will join Andrea at a special in person live taping of Gaslit Nation Monday September 18th at 7pm ET at P&T Knitwear on the Lower East Side. Patreon supporters can join Andrea for an exclusive early meet up at 6pm ET for signed Mr. Jones posters. Free N95 masks will be available at the event.  In this super caffeinated episode, Andrea breaks down the recent news on the climate crisis exposing Burning Man and America's Grover Norquist crisis; the classic authoritarian story of business elites fueling the rise of Nazis – this time by flocking to Florida for the tax breaks; how Twitter helped Saudi Arabia target and destroy the lives of activists; the apparent self-censorship on Twitter as people make moral compromises to try to game the Big Brother algorithm by avoiding issues Elon Musk works against like Ukraine and trans rights – Gaslit Nation sees you!  J. Smith-Cameron, “Gerri” on Succession and the star of theater, film, and TV, shares an important call-to-action to protect quality of life and democracy in Virginia in the impending state elections there, which will help determine which party wins the electoral college in 2024. To join J. and Andrea at State Fair, their States Project giving circle, for events to reach voters in Virginia, sign up here. Our efforts helped a grassroots victory flip the Pennsylvania state House from Republican to Democratic control, helping protect the integrity of the vote there in 2024.  Finally, Daniel Squadron, a former New York state Senator, and Melissa Walker, a novelist and activist, of the States Project join Gaslit Nation to expose the far-right machine fueling “Posh Trump” Glenn Youngkin, the Governor of Virginia and a potential presidential candidate who would bring a dog whistler-version of Trumpism to the White House.  This week's bonus episode will be a special Q&A answering questions from our Patreon community. To have your question answered and join the conversation, support the show by subscribing at the Truth-teller level or higher. Your subscription sends every episode ad free to your inbox and gives you full access to our archives, including all bonus episodes, and supports independent journalism during this critical time. Thank you to everyone who supports Gaslit Nation – we could not make the show without you!  Gaslit Nation will remain on Twitter, but would like to expand to other platforms to break our dependency on Apartheid Barbie's “authoritarian town square.” Follow us here and let's continue the conversation – more platforms will be added and developed soon:  Threads @GaslitNation  Instagram @GaslitNation  Facebook @GaslitNation Mastodon @GaslitNation  YouTube @GaslitNation Tiktok @GaslitNation Spoutible @GaslitNation  Post at @GaslitNation  BlueSky  @GaslitNation (Jack Dorsey betrayed us before by selling us out to Elon Musk, he'll do something like that again. Dorsey also let the Saudis use Twitter to hunt down dissidents according to a chilling lawsuit against Twitter).    Show Notes: Join Andrea and J Smith-Cameron at our giving circle State Fair to help protect democracy in Virginia this fall. More info here: https://www.grapevine.org/giving-circle/zjrhpjw/State-Fair Americonned: Organize, Fight, Win https://www.gaslitnationpod.com/episodes-transcripts-20/2023/07/12/americonned?rq=Americonned Twitter accused of helping Saudi Arabia commit human rights abuses https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/sep/04/twitter-saudi-arabia-human-rights-abuses Teen and mom plead guilty to abortion charges based on Facebook data  ttps://techcrunch.com/2023/07/11/teen-and-mom-plead-guilty-to-abortion-charges-based-on-facebook-data/ “We Didn't Find Genocide in Ukraine,” UN Commissioner Erik Møse Says https://gwaramedia.com/en/we-didn-t-find-genocide-in-ukraine-un-commissioner-erik-mose-says/ Is Twitter Censoring LGBTQ+ Content? What We Know, What We Don't https://www.newsweek.com/twitter-lgbtq-censor-censorship-elon-musk-1792139

On this episode, Nancy welcomes back Melissa Walker of the States Project (formerly known as Future Now). Melissa appeared on the very first episode of this podcast, when deep in Covid lockdown, she schooled us on why we should be focusing on winning state races versus focusing on big, expensive federal seats. On this episode, Melissa is back to talk about why state elections matter now more than ever, how tiny margins can create huge policy and power shifts, and why this year's elections in Virginia are of vital importance. Melissa doesn't sugarcoat the fight that lies ahead, but she will give you the inspiration and information you need to be a fierce and focused warrior. For more information about the States Project and how to join or start a giving circle, check out their website at statesproject.org.

Above It All episode 40, a roofing podcast by Johns Manville,  features Owner Services Marketing Manager, Melissa Walker. In this episode we cover what BURSI brings to contractors, arhcitects, and designers in terms of roofing education from the building envelope standpoint, and from a general roofing systems standpoint. Join us, and discover how BURSI can enhance your roofng knowledge. 

Montclair Jazz Festival's lineup includes acts such as Regina Carter, Steve Turre, Melanie Charles, Edmar Castaneda, Michael Mwenso and more. We talk about the 14th annual event with the festival's music director and curator Christian McBride and Melissa Walker, the founder & president of Jazz House.  *The segment is guest-hosted by Arun Venugopal.

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The author of ten novels for young adults and children, Melissa Walker, got involved in politics in 2016 as a leader at The States Project, a left-leaning political group focusing on state legislative races. Last year, The States Project spent nearly $60 million in races in five states with some key wins. In her role, Walker gathers people to share stories about how they can pool their resources and change the balance of power in state legislatures. She joined NY1's Errol Louis for a discussion about how she suddenly found herself getting involved in politics, the success of The States Project, and why state legislative campaigns matter but are often overlooked. Join the conversation, weigh in on Twitter using the hashtag #NY1YouDecide or give us a call at 212-379-3440 and leave a message. Or send an email to YourStoryNY1@charter.com

You only have to look around the country right now to see the power state legislatures have over almost every part of our lives. While the 10th Amendment is a check on the power of the federal government, it gives state leadership an almost infinite amount of power, and in the wrong hands, this unchecked influence has been an absolute disaster for human rights, civil rights and democracy. For 40 years, while Republicans invested billions of dollars and focused energy into building and holding state governing majorities Democrats focused the majority of their attention and money on national races and, while it seemed like things were progressing around the country, individual states were actually putting the pieces in place for regressive laws that would take us back. This stops today. You wanna fight back? We do it at the state level and the States Project tells us how.  Guest social: www.statesproject.org Twitter: @StatesProjectUS Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/StatesProjectUS Instagram: @statesprojectus YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheStatesProject Please RATE and SUBSCRIBE so we can grow the show, open the dialogue, and inspire change moving forward!   All show links here!: https://linktr.ee/politicsgirl Thank you to today's sponsors! trymiracle.com/politicsgirl Code: PoliticsGirl https://genwhypod.com/

Season TWO Episode TWENTY-ONE of the Your Story Our Fight® podcast welcomes Melissa Walker. Melissa is a Medical Writer, with a biomedical research background focusing on traumatic spinal cord injury and traumatic brain injury. She earned her Ph.D. in Medical Neuroscience from Indiana University School of Medicine before returning to UCLA department of Neurosurgery, for postdoctoral research. She was diagnosed with Graves' thyroid disease in 2002, and has had Hashimoto's since 2003, after radioiodine ablation therapy. She was diagnosed with Systemic Lupus and Rheumatoid Arthritis in 2005, and Sjogren's in 2016.

In late 2016, Melissa Walker was working on her 10th novel when she went to a holiday party and heard then Senator Daniel Squadron talk about the importance of state-level politics—even for the national landscape. She was inspired to take action. That action eventually grew into a pivot from full-time writing to full-time work with The States Project. This conversation is everything I wanted from the Pivots, Comebacks and Reinventions series. It's a great example of how passion and purpose can realign for a season or a reason, while the writing is still always there. It got surprisingly emotional for both of us; I hope you enjoy it as much as we did. (This conversation is explicitly political in places, which may or may not be your jam!) Selected Links: The States Project - get involved Melissa's books Get the show notes / newsletter Get the book Thanks to Dave Connis for the theme music. www.sarazarr.com

On today's episode, Sharon talks about the importance of state legislatures with Melissa Walker, an expert from The States Project. Melissa, and The States Project, aims to educate the public on the very real powers that our governing state bodies hold. Don't like a new law in your state? Don't blame your senator, hold your state legislators accountable. And the same goes for the reverse: if you want to create real change, you may want to concentrate on influencing your state leaders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Project: I'm Speaking, featuring MELISSA WALKERMelissa Walker is a bass player/ singer songwriter from British Columbia, Canada. As a supporting musician she has toured extensively throughout Canada, US, Germany, and Australia, and she bravely shares both her story and her voice in this delightful episode! Over  Covid Melissa took up songwriting and is currently in the process of releasing her first full length solo record.  She's also a carpenter and enjoys woodworking, spending time with her dog Ella, and sharing a life with her partner.Join Stacy and Melissa as they chat about the processes of coming forward, taking up space and making beautiful music! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/stacy-parish/supportSupport the show

Jeff & Will present a re-broadcast of the October 14, 2022 episode of "Fated Mates" that discussed book bans in the U.S. Ahead of the November elections, this is a crucial topic that affects everyone, and is just one of many important issues on the ballot across the country. "Fated Mates" hosts Sarah MacLean and Jen Prokop interview three experts on what's happening, who is most impacted, and, most importantly, how we can all help. In this extended episode you'll hear from Jarrett Dapier, librarian, activist and author of the children's book "Mr. Watson's Chickens;" Lily Freeman, an activist and student in Central Bucks County,Pennsylvania; and Melissa Walker, a political activist at The States Project, journalist, and a middle grade and YA author. Complete shownotes for episode 401 along with a transcript of the show are at BigGayFictionPodcast.com. Big Gay Fiction Podcast is part of the Frolic Podcast Network. Find many more outstanding podcasts at frolic.media/podcasts!  "Fated Mates" content is copyright 2022 by Sarah MacLean & Jen Prokop and is reproduced with permission.

In 2022, book bans in United States schools and libraries are at their highest since the ALA Office of Intellectual Freedom started collecting data. Bans are happening around the country, in every state, and disproportionately affecting books by and about LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC people. What's more, challenges are likely underreported, because librarians who are resisting them are facing unprecedented workplace retribution and in some cases physical danger.Book Bans are on the ballot on November 8th, in every state and local election, up and down the ticket. State legislatures, local town councils, county leadership and school boards are being overrun with candidates supported by conservative activists looking to limit access to books and ideas that offer identity, empathy, awareness, and power to young people around the country. We're concerned, so today, we're releasing a special episode of Fated Mates focused on book bans across the country. We interview three experts on what's happening, who is most impacted, and how we can all help. Show notes are extensive, and we hope you'll take a look at them. Thank you to librarians, teachers, and kids and families who are standing up and speaking out. We are proud to stand with you. GuestsJarett Dapier, librarian, activist and author of Mr. Watson's Chickens Lily Freeman, activist and student in Central Bucks County, PA. Read Lily's op-ed in the Philadelphia Inquirer and follow her instagram at ProjectUncensored.Melissa Walker, political activist at The States Project, journalist, and Middle Grade and YA author of Violet on the Runway, Let's Pretend We Never Met, Small Town Sinners and more. ResourcesThe Youth Censorship Database at the National Coalition Against CensorshipBook Riot's censorship coverage is excellent and updated almost daily. They have an excellent explainer for how to find and develop a local anti-censorship groupIntellectual Round Table Freedom Blog: an exhaustive list of links related to news about challenges, censorship, and banning incidents, developing issues, and controversies that is updated weeklyPEN America's data on School Book Bans and Index of Educational Gag OrdersAmerican Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom, full of resources and toolkits on challenges and how to combat themWhat's happening in Central Bucks County, PA is happening all over the country. Kids, families and educators are protesting loudlyAdvocates for Inclusive Education, for more information on what's happening on the ground in Bucks County, PAA map from ALA Banned Books week at the University of Illinois Library, and another from Red Wine & Blue. Teens around the country can get library cards from the Brooklyn Public Library. To apply for the card, teens can send a note to BooksUnbanned@bklynlibrary.org, or via the Library's s teen-run Instagram account, @bklynfuture. The $50 fee normally associated with out-of-state cards will be waivedLearn more about the Book Ban Busters at Red Wine & Blue.Ballotpedia is a resource for your local ballot and your local election mapsVote.org, to check your voter registration, locate your voting place and moreHow to HelpEducate yourself about the book challenge process in your school district: How it works, who sits on the book challenge committee, how those committee members are appointed.If there are book bans and protests in your school district, attend local school board meetings and support students, teachers & librarians who are speaking up. Tell your local public and school librarians they have your support. Write letters. Visit the library. Thank them for standing for intellectual freedom.Research school board candidates in your district. Vote accordingly. Consider running for something! Your school board and your state legislature need you! Consider this us telling you seven times! (We'll phonebank for you!) Vote to flip your state legislature blue. Rally your friends to join you in a Giving Circle at the States Project.Donate to organizations (listed below) that support intellectual freedom and combat book bans. Organizations to Support (and Volunteer with)You can join PenAmerica, and your membership helps defend free expression, support persecuted writers, and promote literary culture.Donate to the Freedom To Read Foundation and become a member. The Freedom To Read Foundation effectively conducts important first amendment legal work regarding book bans and censorship.GLSEN, Creating a Better World for LGBTQ StudentsIntellectual Freedom Endowment Fund at the American Library AssociationThe National Coalition Against Censorship, providing direct intervention for people and groups facing censorshipThe States Project, helping to flip (or keep) state legislatures blueThe Trevor Project, supporting LGBTQ young people 24/7, all year roundWe Believe in Education, a movement of parents and families fighting for students' freedom to learnThe Most Banned Books of 2021Gender Queer by Maia KobabeReasons: Banned, challenged, and restricted for LGBTQIA+ content, and because it was considered to have sexually explicit imagesLawn Boy by Jonathan EvisonReasons: Banned and challenged for LGBTQIA+ content and because it was considered to be sexually explicitAll Boys Aren't Blue by George M. JohnsonReasons: Banned and challenged for LGBTQIA+ content, profanity, and because it was considered to be sexually explicitOut of Darkness by Ashley Hope PerezReasons: Banned, challenged, and restricted for depictions of abuse and because it was considered to be sexually explicitThe Hate U Give by Angie ThomasReasons: Banned and challenged for profanity, violence, and because it was thought to promote an anti-police message and indoctrination of a social agendaThe Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman AlexieReasons: Banned and challenged for profanity, sexual references and use of a derogatory termMe and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse AndrewsReasons: Banned and challenged because it was considered sexually explicit and degrading to womenThe Bluest Eye by Toni MorrisonReasons: Banned and challenged because it depicts child sexual abuse and was considered sexually explicitThis Book is Gay by Juno DawsonReasons: Banned, challenged, relocated, and restricted for providing sexual education and LGBTQIA+ content.Beyond Magenta by Susan KuklinReasons: Banned and challenged for LGBTQIA+ content and because it was considered to be sexually explicit.

Alcoholism. Bankruptcy. Miserable career. This was life before Liam finally did what we wanted to do: copywriting. It wasn't long after freelancing that he was introduced to the Home Service industry. But it was ResponsiCon 2022 that accelerated his immersion and opportunities in the industry, which led to establishing a business model devoted to providing money-making messaging to Home Service business owners at scale. Now, a sober, fulfilled man on a mission, he's here to spread the word about words (pun intended). Time Stamps

This week on Comes A Time, upright bass giant Christian McBride joins Mike and Oteil to talk about playing with James Brown and other legendary musicians like Bob Weir and Paul McCartney, why the road isn't always as glamorous as it seems, and how his Philadelphia roots made him an open-minded musician. You'll also hear Christian express his admiration for his mentor Ray Brown, describe his unconventional early musical education, and talk about why he needs to be alone for 15 minutes before and after taking the stage. Christian McBride has been a standout jazz bassist since the late 80's, and has performed with an impressive list of fellow superstars including James Brown, Herbie Hancock, Paul McCartney, Ray Brown, and Chick Corea. The 8-time Grammy winner is often praised for his ability to make swinging jazz bass lines sound funky, and he continues to shape his all-inclusive, forward-thinking outlook on music through incendiary live shows with the Christian McBride Band. Aside from his musical work, he also hosts “The Lowdown: Conversations With Christian” on SiriusXM satellite radio, and National Public Radio's weekly “Jazz Night in America.” Christian also works with Jazz House Kids, the nationally-recognized community arts organization founded by his wife, vocalist Melissa Walker. -----------*DISCLAIMER: This podcast does NOT provide medical advice. The information contained in this podcast is for informational and entertainment purposes only. No material in this podcast is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment and before undertaking a new health care regimen*-----------This podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Please leave us a rating or review on iTunes!Comes A Time is brought to you by Osiris Media. Hosted and Produced by Oteil Burbridge and Mike Finoia. Executive Producers are Christina Collins and RJ Bee. Production, Editing and Mixing by Eric Limarenko and Matt Dwyer. Theme music by Oteil Burbridge. Production assistance by Matt Bavuso. To discover more podcasts that connect you more deeply to the music you love, check out osirispod.com-------Visit SunsetlakeCBD.com and use the promo code TIME for 20% off premium CBD products See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

On the July 16 edition of the WBGO Journal, the new class of NEA Jazz Masters is announced, WBGO's Gary Walker chats with pianist Bill Charlap about "Jazz in July" and singer and executive producer Melissa Walker runs down the 2022 Montreal Jazz Festival

This week on Comes A Time, upright bass giant Christian McBride joins Mike and Oteil to talk about playing with James Brown and other legendary musicians like Bob Weir and Paul McCartney, why the road isn't always as glamorous as it seems, and how his Philadelphia roots made him an open-minded musician. You'll also hear Christian express his admiration for his mentor Ray Brown, describe his unconventional early musical education, and talk about why he needs to be alone for 15 minutes before and after taking the stage.  Christian McBride has been a standout jazz bassist since the late 80's, and has performed with an impressive list of fellow superstars including James Brown, Herbie Hancock, Paul McCartney, Ray Brown, and Chick Corea. The 8-time Grammy winner is often praised for his ability to make swinging jazz bass lines sound funky, and he continues to shape his all-inclusive, forward-thinking outlook on music through incendiary live shows with the Christian McBride Band. Aside from his musical work, he also hosts “The Lowdown: Conversations With Christian” on SiriusXM satellite radio, and National Public Radio's weekly “Jazz Night in America.” Christian also works with Jazz House Kids, the nationally-recognized community arts organization founded by his wife, vocalist Melissa Walker.   ----------- *DISCLAIMER: This podcast does NOT provide medical advice. The information contained in this podcast is for informational and entertainment purposes only. No material in this podcast is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment and before undertaking a new health care regimen* ----------- Visit SunsetlakeCBD.com and use the promo code TIME for 20% off premium CBD products Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's PoliticsGirl: Candid Conversation is with Melissa Walker, Head of Giving Circles at The State Project. How do we fight back in a broken system where the deck is stacked against us? The States Project believes everything we care about starts in the states. Yes, we have to hold onto the House. Yes, we need at least 2 more Democratic Senators to negate the power of Manchin and Sinema, but if you really want to make a real difference with your time and money, we have to turn our focus to the states. Over the past 40 years, Republicans have invested billions of dollars and focused energy into building and holding state governing majorities, an investment in strategic thinking that has resulted in Republican state lawmakers having almost unchecked and absolute power. If we want to turn this around we need to be as strategic as they are. Democrats might be late to the party but if we're clever we can turn the tables. The States Project tells us how. Guest social: www.statesproject.org Twitter: @StatesProjectUS Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/StatesProjectUS Instagram: @statesprojectus YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheStatesProject Please RATE and SUBSCRIBE so we can grow the show, open the dialogue, and inspire change moving forward! All show links here!: https://linktr.ee/politicsgirl   Thank you to today's sponsors! www.athleticgreens.com/politicsgirl www.littlepassports.com/politicsgirl www.calm.com/PoliticsGirl Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Doree finds a toner she doesn't hate and Kate lives up to the middle name Horse. Then, Melissa Walker, Head of Giving Circles at The States Project, joins the podcast to talk about how she went from a YA author to fighting politics, why it's so important to focus on state-level elections and government, and how she takes breaks when things feel like too much. To leave a voicemail or text for a future episode, reach them at 781-591-0390. You can also email the podcast at forever35podcast@gmail.com.Visit forever35podcast.com for links to everything they mention on the show or shopmyshelf.us/forever35.Follow the podcast on Twitter (@Forever35Pod) and Instagram (@Forever35Podcast) and join the Forever35 Facebook Group (Password: Serums). Sign up for the newsletter! at forever35podcast.com/newsletter. This episode is sponsored by:WONDERCIDE - Try Wondercide Flea & Tick Spray today at wondercide.com/forever35 and get 20% off.PODCRUSHED - Follow and listen to Podcrushed wherever you get your podcasts!CALM - For 40% off a Calm Premium subscription, head to calm.com/forever35.MASTERCLASS - Visit masterclass.com/forever35 for 15% off the Annual All-Access Pass. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

What is the impact of illness or infection on a patient with mitochondrial disease? Patients, parents, and healthcare providers with firsthand experience of mitochondrial disease have probably experienced the consequences of an illness or infection. Illnesses and infections have a more dramatic and prolonged impact on children and adults who suffer from mitochondrial disorders, often causing long periods of fatigue, regression in developmental milestones, skills or baseline function, and exacerbation or complaints of additional (unrelated) symptoms during and after the period of illness. In addition, some physicians and families notice an increased susceptibility to illness for patients with mitochondrial disease. However, there is limited published data on systematic analysis of immune system in patients with mitochondrial disease. Research focusing on the relationship between immune function and the mitochondria has been mostly limited to cell-based studies. Join us to listen, learn and discuss the recent research and publication from an interdisciplinary collaboration between clinical investigators, Dr. Melissa Walker (Neurology), Katherine Sims (Metabolic Diseases) and Jolan Walter (Pediatric Immunology) at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA. These clinicians sought to determine how often infection and illness (including a systemic inflammatory response) occurred in patients with well-defined mitochondrial disease and immunodeficiency. A subset of their mitochondrial patients with evidence of immune abnormaliites repsponded well to immunoglobulin replacement therapy with less infections, preserved developmental milestones and improved quality of life. About the Speaker Dr. Katherine Sims is a Pediatric Neurologist at the Massachusetts General Hospital. Her clinical work over the last 30 years has focused on the broad scope of neurogenetic disorders including those of the lysosome, particularly neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis [Batten disease, NCL disorders], Fabry disease, Norrie disease, general neurometabolic disorders and, most recently, the primary mitochondrial energy metabolism disorders Over the last 15 years, Dr. Sims, working as clinician scientist, has directed the design and development of Patient Registries and BioRepositories for Mitochondrial, NCL and Norrie diseases. She is an expert diagnostician and works with great facility in identifying clinical cases and facilitating entry into appropriate clinical translational studies. Jolan E. Walter, MD, PhD is the Director of Pediatric Immunodeficiency Program at Massachusetts General Hospital for Children. Dr. Walter’s clinical care focuses on patients with immune deficiency. She jointly follows patients with mitochondrial disease and immune dysfunction with the Neurogenetics Program (Dr Kathy Sims, Dr Amel Karaa and Dr Melissa Walker). She also conducts translational research on autoimmune manifestation of primary immunodeficiencies. Dr. Walter has graduated with a MD and PhD from University of Pecs, Hungary. Dr. Walter is has trained in Pediatrics at Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters, Eastern Virginia Medical School and in Allergy/Immunology at Boston Children’s Hospital. During her training, she conducted research both in the field of Virology and Immunology. Melissa A. Walker, MD, PhD is a fourth year trainee in the Massachusetts General Hospital Child Neurology Residency ProgramDr. Walker’s clinical and scientific interests focus on improving the understanding and treatment of primary mitochondrial disorders. Dr. Walker received her MD and PhD degrees from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York City, New York. She train

This week Busy & Caissie had already recorded an entirely pleasant podcast when, on Monday evening, Politico published a leaked draft of SCOTUS' opinion on overturning Roe v. Wade, rendering the jovial nature of the pre-recorded pod meaningless & sour. So, they scrapped it & started again, because JFC, abortion is healthcare! In this episode, they speak with activist & organizer, Melissa Walker, from The States Project, as well as executive director of Women's Equality Center & an architect of the Green Wave movement which recently decriminalized abortion in Colombia, Paula Ávila-Guillén. Both women share tips for how to do your best at protecting bodily autonomy & reproductive rights for everyone in America. RESOURCES: http://Statesproject.org http://Openstates.org https://www.la-wec.org/ https://shoutyourabortion.com/ SPONSORS: http://ForiaWellness.com/BEST for 20% off your 1st order http://ReliefBand.com CODE: BEST for 20% off, free-shipping & 30-day money back guarantee http://Zocdoc.com/DOINGHERBEST, sign up for FREE & book an appointment with a top rated doctor I Love That For You, starring Vanessa Bayer, Jenifer Lewis & Molly Shannon, streaming now on Showtime http://DrinkBev.com/BUSY CODE: BUSY for 20% off your 1st purchase http://Bruush.com/BUSY for 20% off your Bruush kit & plan

Dolly Parton is America's most beloved artist, and each year, millions of people flock to East Tennessee's Smoky Mountains to make new memories at her Dollywood theme park and resorts. In this episode of the podcast, we get to hear from The Dollywood Company's Director of Financial Planning & Analysis, Melissa Walker. We cover a lot of ground in this episode: What was the Dollywood strategic plan's role in response to COVID lockdowns in 2020-2021. How is Dollywood handling the post-COVID brand experience now? The Dollywood brand experience is cherished by generations -- how does strategic planning handle the demand for tradition and innovation? Melissa was very generous with her time and gave us a practical look into how strategic planning guides, grows, and protects the Dollywood brand. You do not want to miss this episode.

We're joined by Melissa Walker, costume designer for Pen15 and Dollface Season 2! We discuss her inspo and mood boards for all of Pen15's cringe-nostalgic Y2K looks, the evolution of the Dollface girls' personal style, and how the socio-economic nuance is subtly displayed throughout the wardrobes of both of her shows' characters. Melissa also talks about Land That Look, which helps costume designers create their own lines inspired by the work they do in film and TV, and how she prioritizes spotlighting small brands and indie designers in her work, plus, she drops a ton of insight into the costume design world. A must-listen for Pen15 and Dollface fans, and anyone interested or wanting to break into costume design. Tune in now, baby!    Follow Melissa on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/ruckusaurus/ Check out Land that Look and get some Y2K inspired gear https://www.landthatlook.com/collections/club-y2k

It's far from unknown that to run a campaign in this day and age, fundraising is critical. Money, money, money, as they say is a key consideration as to whether a campaign will be successful or not. You'd think it would be based on who's the best possible representative for a community…but alas, that's a rant for another day. In this episode, we explore the difference between how state and federal campaigns are funded, AND importantly, how Republicans and Democrats have a very different approach to it all. To give us the good, the bad, and the ugly of the scenario, we chatted with the wonderful Melissa Walker, who is the Head of Giving Circles at The States Project.The States Project:https://statesproject.org/Novo Referral Link (For our entrepreneurs & small biz pals):https://onboarding.novo.co/signup?referral_code=SamanthaKanterJoin our Tennis Club via Break The Love:https://www.breakthelove.com/clubs/girlandthegovWinc (21+ only):https://winc.mivh.net/vn1kZWBrand Ambassador Program:https://www.girlandthegov.com/the-ambassadorsInternship Description:https://www.girlandthegov.com/careersThe Daily Episode: Ukraine Puts Putin's Playbook to the Testhttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ukraine-puts-putins-playbook-to-the-test/id1200361736?i=1000555092099Title 42 explainer epi!https://girlandthegov.buzzsprout.com/1380769/8461850-understanding-immigration-in-the-us-with-layla-razavi-deputy-executive-director-at-freedom-for-immigrants

"Middle Ground with JLE L.L.C." Podcast "Where We Treat You Like Family" welcomes Pain 2 Purpose Life Coach, Published Author, Professor, Host/Producer of Brilliant Black Man Show at Transformation Talk Radio & CEO/President of WOW Ministries, LLC Melissa Walker-Johnson as she shares her journey.

Listen now | We gotta save democracy! Join the Burnt Toast Giving Circle (with Melissa Walker from The States Project).

These are the folks who are going to a state capitol and deciding whether to expand Medicaid or deciding whether there’s one abortion clinic left in the state or deciding whether there’s LGBTQ protections for folks on the job. It’s wild that there aren’t more eyes on it, but it’s not the way we’re trained.Welcome to Burnt Toast! This is the podcast where we talk about diet culture, fat phobia, parenting and health. Today I am chatting with Melissa Walker, who is the head of Giving Circles at The States Project. This is a little bit of an unusual episode for Burnt Toast! I know you come here for the analysis of diet culture and anti-fat bias, but today we’re gonna save democracy. I am so excited to launch the Burnt Toast Giving Circle, which will raise money to flip state legislatures in battleground states. If you have been in a rage about the state of our country and you want to do something about it, I am hoping this will be your thing! Because together we can have a huge impact. I’m setting a goal that our can raise $10,000 — which is 1,000 Burnt Toast listeners giving ten bucks each. There are a lot more than a thousand people who listen to this podcast and read this newsletter. So even if you’ve only got five dollars or two dollars to give, please join us. And if you want to give more, that is great, too. (And keep listening, we’ve got more ideas for how you can get even more involved.) Episode 34 TranscriptVirginiaWhen I think about the political issues that are keeping me up at night, it’s stuff like: What’s going to happen when we lose Roe? Why did Build Back Better fail so spectacularly around paid family leave and child care? What is happening in Ukraine right now? Thinking nationally about politics is how I’ve been trained to think about politics. So, let’s start by helping people (me) understand why does state government matter so much? MelissaState governments have really been overlooked for a very long time. When I started looking into this work, which honestly was in late November 2016, I started to understand that most folks don’t really know who their state representatives are. When I looked up who my state senator was, I had never heard of him. I did not have eyes on the people going to Albany for me. I started to understand that everything that I was worried about, and everything that I cared about, in terms of our country was actually being controlled in state legislatures and not in Washington, DC. State legislatures are in charge of everything from environmental policy to education funding to gun safety to healthcare to civil rights. They’re also in charge of the very core of our democracy: Voting rights are decided state by state. State legislatures decide whether to suppress or expand voting. They have the power to gerrymander. They are drawing the district lines that decide who goes to the state legislature, who goes to Congress, who goes to Washington DC. So I started to see that there were all these kitchen table issues being decided in state legislatures and that they were also incredible tools of federal power. A lot of things started to make sense to me that hadn’t before. I started to think about things like my home state of North Carolina, where the bathroom bill passed, and I started to understand that lawmakers in Raleigh did that. Things like the Stand Your Ground gun law in Tallahassee that let Trayvon Martin’s murderer go free (and then passed in 25 other states)—that was lawmakers in Florida, and then in those other states. And in Flint, Michigan, I realized, oh, that’s a Lansing problem. That’s not a Washington DC problem. VirginiaThis is blowing my mind. Why do you think we are so trained to focus on Washington? Why am I now having this epiphany? Why don’t we think about states?MelissaWell, it’s complicated. There are really 50 mini Congresses in this country and they’re deciding things state-by-state. These are local races. They do not get national attention. The truth is that there is someone who’s been paying attention to state legislatures and it’s the radical right. They’ve been organizing for state legislative power for a very long time. From 2010 to 2016, we lost nearly 1,000 state legislative seats. And in those states where Republican majorities took over, people’s lives got bad. They defunded education. They put in right to work laws. They gutted environmental protections. And when people’s lives got bad, they didn’t say, oh, that must be my state senator, I’m gonna go down to Main Street and talk to them, because they have an office there (because they do). Most people don’t know who their state senators are, even maybe that they have one. So they blame what they could see on what they hear about on the news every day, which is Washington DC, often the president, sometimes something about Congress. The roots of Trumpism were being seeded in state legislatures. It’s a body that operates in darkness and it really has been overtaken by special interests.VirginiaIt makes me think a lot about the role of the media here. You and I both come from journalism and those headlines are always Washington-based. Local media is so decimated right now. Local newspapers are so underfunded, and non-existent in so many places, that they’re not able to play that crucial role. And I mean, how many times as a national magazine editor did you say, “That story is too local, that’s not going to be interesting to our national readers.?” It happens all the time. Melissa When we hear “Oh, Texas just passed this law limiting abortion,” people say, “Well! That Ted Cruz is terrible.” And this law has nothing to do with Ted Cruz. This is lawmakers in Austin who are in the state legislature and they only officially have session every two years. Something that people don’t know about state legislators is that in 40 states, it’s a part time job. It pays very, very little. These are the folks who are going to a state capitol and deciding whether to expand Medicaid or deciding whether there’s one abortion clinic left in the state or deciding whether there’s LGBTQ protections for folks on the job. This is where this stuff has been decided. It’s wild that there aren’t more eyes on it, but it’s not the way we’re trained.VirginiaFor those of us who live in blue states, why should we care about the laws in other states? MelissaWell, states are meant to be laboratories for democracy. Like marriage equality going from state to state to federal or healthcare going from Hawaii to Massachusetts to becoming the ACA. They really are meant to be incubators of good policy, ideally. Right now, a lot of states are incubators for voter suppression bills and bans on choice and bans on trans kids playing sports. Those laboratories for democracy should not be allowed to be laboratories for autocracy. We should also care about state legislatures because they are immense tools of federal power. As I said, state legislatures in most states have the power to draw the district lines that decide who goes to Congress. So they are promoting their own party in many cases in the drawing of those lines and making it so that the folks in power at the federal level are coming from from the party of their choice. They also control voting laws. So if you care who wins the presidency, you should care whether votes are limited in certain states or not. The last thing I’ll say is, if you care about the Supreme Court, you should care about state legislatures. Because the Supreme Court does not write laws, they rule on laws, many of which are written in state legislatures—sometimes explicitly written in state legislatures to rise up and challenge a Supreme Court ruling, like in the case of the Mississippi law that’s currently challenging Roe v. Wade.VirginiaThis feels like something we should have been covering in 10th grade social studies and we definitely didn’t. Of course, some of my listeners are going to be like, “Why are we talking about state legislatures on a podcast about diet culture?” So we’re going to connect those dots for everyone right now. Yes, this is a podcast about anti-fat bias and diet culture, and there are a lot of reasons why people don’t realize how political those issues are. You know, we think in terms of body positivity and body image and we don’t think enough about ending weight discrimination, which is absolutely a legal and social justice issue. And a really great example of the potential of state legislature is Massachusetts, which right now as we’re recording this, has a bill pending that would prohibit size discrimination. That’s one of the first places in the country that would be formally legislating against fatphobia. I’m curious if that’s at all on your radar. As you said, states are incubators. So is this the place where we could be getting this work done?MelissaAlthough we know that federal law does prohibit employers from firing employees on the basis of race, color, age, gender, religion, or national origin, those laws don’t provide any protection for weight discrimination, even though obviously, there’s plenty of evidence that it’s a real phenomenon. And that’s also true for LGBTQ+ discrimination—federal law does not protect against that, but certain state laws do. Many states have made progress on that front. But so far, the only state that I found that has an explicit law on the books that forbids discrimination and employment based on weight is Michigan. So Michigan has a law that passed in 1976. It also forbids discrimination on the basis of age and height, but that is the only state at this point that has that on the books. I believe Massachusetts would be the second.VirginiaWell, way to go Michigan! There was some amazing fat activism happening in the 70s and I’m guessing a lot of those folks were in Michigan and got that done. And I guess the point we want to make here is that another reason to be focusing on state legislatures is that there’s real potential for this issue to get traction in states with your state senator down on Main Street, where you can go have a conversation about this, as opposed to ever getting this issue to have traction in Congress.MelissaLooking up who your state reps are, knowing them, and then making them people you that you talk to and really engage with and advocate with is a great thing. State reps will take your call. They will take your meeting. They are not as busy as your federal reps, and they are interested in having an engaged voting bloc—or they should be. You have a lot of influence there. I’ll also say that this is a method that’s been used by really big movements. After Sandy Hook, when federal gun legislation just didn’t move, Moms Demand Action focused on state legislatures. That’s why you may have seen the Moms Demand folks out there in their red t-shirts, gathered in state capitals. Because they know the only way to move on this right now is state by state by state by state. They’ve been able to pass red flag laws in a lot of states and get things done. So it is definitely a way in. I would also like to argue that it is a more foundational shift than changing federal law, because when you shore up something at a state by state by state level, you’re really shoring it up. A law like the Affordable Care Act, that is a federal health care law but twelve states still haven’t expanded Medicaid. You’ve got these majorities in states that are in charge of implementing federal law and if they don’t have that law as part of their state priority, it’s just not always a guarantee. So it’s really great to shore things up at the foundations.VirginiaAnd the the legal and social justice issues that come up around size, things like parental rights, health care access—all of these really are local issues. These are issues where you need to see the change made in your school or in your local child welfare office, or in the doctor’s offices in your community. Okay, let’s talk a little bit about what is happening this year. Talk to us about what states are you most worried about or focused on? Where do we have the chance to have some real impact?MelissaAbsolutely. So, yes, the midterms are coming. There will be so much national media focused on Congress, on the US House, the US Senate—and, of course, those are important. This year, we have so far identified six states where we think we can be most impactful and those are Arizona, Michigan, Minnesota, Pennsylvania. And then Maine, where we want to protect a blue majority, and Nebraska where we’re trying to defend against a Republican supermajority. In the first states I mentioned, we are trying to change the balance of power in the legislature to flip those states. What’s interesting about these races is, as I mentioned, they’re still local. They’re often won on the margins and we’re very, very close in states like Arizona, where just one seat in each State Chamber would tie the chamber and two seats in each State Chamber would flip the chamber. Michigan, it’s the same low numbers: three seats in each chamber would tie; four seats in each chamber would flip. After the 2020 census, we’re seeing in certain states that we have fairer maps. In Michigan it’s because of a ballot initiative that instituted the drawing of maps by an independent commission. VirginiaWait, I just need to pause there. That’s new that they’re not always drawn by an independent commission?MelissaIt’s true.VirginiaOkay, taking a breath with that.MelissaI know. They’re drawn by the legislative majority who, of course, want to secure their own power. VirginiaThat’s not at all screwed up. So yeah, good job, Michigan!MelissaSo, we’re seeing better maps in a couple of states. These are places where we really see the potential to shift power. And, I will say this: It is often cheaper to change the balance of power in a State Chamber than it is to win a single competitive congressional seat. Because congressional races cost millions and millions of dollars and state legislative races don’t. It is absolutely a place where there is major bang for your buck, in terms of trying to affect the outcomes.VirginiaWe are distracted by those congressional campaigns and by the whole federal narrative when this is where real work is happening. MelissaOne moment to define it is that in 2020, we saw Sarah Gideon run against Susan Collins in Maine for the Senate seat. She finished her campaign with $15 million left over. Which was much bigger than The States Project’s entire budget in 2020 to work on twelve state legislatures. We know that these big races get a lot of attention and a lot of emotional giving, right? You’re angry at Susan Collins, you’re gonna give money to her opponent. You’re angry at Mitch McConnell. You’re angry at Lindsey Graham. And those races tend to kind of eat up people’s emotions and have them just doing that panic giving. And that’s not strategic political giving.VirginiaIt’s not. It’s just what I do at five in the morning when I’m angry. So, panic giving is not actually sound political strategy?MelissaRight. But it’s hard to know where to dig in. Those are the places that are in the spotlight. That’s why I think it’s really exciting to do something like a Giving Circle where folks are coming together and have this strategic focus on the specific district in a state that it’s going to take to change the balance of power.VirginiaYes. Let’s talk about how this works. What is a Giving Circle? And how is the Burnt Toast Giving Circle going to either help flip a state or shore up a majority? Walk us through the process.MelissaGiving Circles are groups of people who come together to raise resources to try to change the balance of power in a state. Every Giving Circle starts with one person who says, “Okay, I’m raising my hand, I want to start this, I want to do it,” and then engaging the other people in their orbit, whether it’s neighbors, friends, listeners, readers. And saying to them, “Will you do this with me?” And what it really is, is a math problem. Because again, like I said, small dollars are hugely impactful in these races. When a Giving Circle comes together and raises $10,000—that’s 100 people giving $100—that kind of money can be incredibly impactful in a state legislative race. And that is what we’re seeing when we have giving circles come together. We have giving circles who choose Michigan and giving circles who choose Arizona, and some giving circles raise a lot more and some giving circles raise less. But everyone together walks with power. That’s one of the most incredible parts of being part of the giving circle. In my giving circle, I know that there are individual donors who give $10 and there are individual donors who give $10,000. But we all come together and walk into a state with a total that makes an impact. And that’s what we’re trying to do.VirginiaThat is very powerful. So for the Burnt Toast Giving Gircle, I am the person raising my hand saying I am doing this and I want Burnt Toast listeners and readers to all join in. There are way more than a hundred of you, like many times that, so we have the potential to raise some real money here. And Burnt Toast, the newsletter, is going to match the first $1000 that we raise. And at some point we are going to pick which state the money’s going to—right, Melissa? That’s phase two of this?MelissaYes, absolutely. The second piece of this is which state from The States Project’s targets do we want to choose? And that’s a decision that giving circles often make together through a vote, or sometimes the leadership team comes up with a decision. Either way, it’s participatory and fun. Then you get to dig into the stories that are coming out of the states that you choose and you get to see the landscape and the stakes and the opportunity. What the balance of power is, which districts do we need? Which candidates are we with? That’ll happen after the primaries. At some point, another Giving Circle leader said to me, “Oh, I get it, we’re a giving circle, we hit our goal, and then we become a learning circle. And we learn all this together.”VirginiaYes! I want it to be a participatory process. I want everyone who wants to join in to join in today and give money. Then in future podcast installments, we will talk about these different states. We will have some sort of poll. I think that’s really important. I want everyone to feel like we all are making this decision together and that we all have a stake in this. MelissaOne more thing, just in terms of practical actions for the Giving Circle, if someone’s thinking like, Okay, I want to donate but maybe I also want to join in somehow in a deeper way. There are a couple of things. If you feel moved, like “Oh my gosh, we’ve got to focus on state legislatures and I want to help Burnt Toast get over the top,” I would ask that folks think about: Can I give some and can I raise $1,000 for the Burnt Toast Giving Circle? Raising $1,000 for the Burnt Toast giving circle means asking 25 people for $40 or asking 40 people for $25. It’s really a math problem. De-emotionalizing the money part of it and saying, “I have a mission. I really believe in trying to change the balance of power and state legislatures for all these reasons. And I’m going to talk to my friends about it” does two things: Hopefully it raises $1,000 for the circle. It also helps people understand that they should be looking in this direction and thinking about state legislatures because part of our goal is to just get more people reading the news in a different way. When they read about the Texas abortion ban, they’re not cursing Ted Cruz. They’re finding out the name of the Texas Republican legislators who passed that bill. VirginiaIf there’s anyone who wants to take it to that level, I can help with that. We’ll put some language in the transcript for this episode that you can forward around to your twenty-five to forty friends. Obviously, sharing this episode will be a great way to do that, but I’ll try to make it real easy with some bullet points to help with this. I’m really excited. [VSS note: Scroll down for a template you can copy and paste!]MelissaWe are in this moment when there are so many kind of big doom and gloom articles about the death of democracy and what we’re really facing here. And I am glad those articles are being written because they’re absolutely true. We are on the precipice. We are on the brink of a really big moment. But we need to not get tired in that moment. And those articles can make you feel like you want to lie down on your couch or pull a blanket over your head. Let’s be honest, like, how could you possibly plug in and do anything about what’s happening? And how could one little person do something?But here’s the thing, those articles don’t light a path to action, they just lay out a big plan by the radical right to steal the presidency in 2024. If you read them carefully, you’ll see that they’re laying out a plan to steal the presidency in 2024 through state legislatures. So the answer is: It’s one State House seat in Arizona and one state Senate seat. It’s three State House seats in Michigan and three state Senate seats. It’s 12 State House seats in Pennsylvania on better maps than we’ve had in a decade. I could go on and on. But there is a path to action here and it is not as big and scary as federal races. It’s about getting involved at this level and understanding that when you get involved at this level, you are working on the foundations of democracy, the place that is starting to crumble and the place that we have to shore up. So I’m excited that the Burnt Toast Giving Circle is lighting that path to action. Butter For Your Burnt ToastMelissaSo at the risk of being a one trick pony here, I will say that the the book that I’m currently recommending is a book called Laboratories for Autocracy by David Pepper. He is an amazing former head of the Ohio state party. He has really laid out why state legislatures matter so much and what has been going on in them for a very long time. So I’m really loving that book and recommending it. He’s doing some amazing organizing around it as well. And I’m also going to recommend a podcast called PoliticsGirl, because, yeah, she’s wonderful. She talks about politics in very tangible terms. And she always brings us so much hope. Her drumbeat is hope and action. I think we can all use a little bit of that right now.VirginiaOh, man, we really can. Those are great recommendations. My listeners are often much smarter than me, but I have definitely approached this whole conversation with an awareness of how much learning I have to do about these issues. I think that is a common experience for a lot of us who have been just doing the panic giving and the raging. So, if you’re listening and you’re new to this, we are all learning together, and I really appreciate these recommendations to help with the learning. My recommendation is going to be totally off topic as they very often are. My recommendation is, if you have an injury, you should go to physical therapy and actually do your exercises. Because as loyal listeners know, in the last month I both threw out my back and sprained my ankle. It was a real good January. And I am now going to physical therapy twice a week. It’s kind of amazing how well it’s working. I was feeling very much like, well I’m over 40 now and this is my life. My body just hurts all the time. The thing about physical therapy exercises is they’re super boring and unglamorous. It’s not a workout where you’re like, “Wow, I crushed that. That was an amazing experience.”MelissaOh my gosh, I feel like this is a metaphor for state legislature.VirginiaIt kind of is! Okay, we’re really in sync, even though I didn’t intend it. It’s very boring, like I’m gonna move my ankle 20 times to the left, and then 20 times to the right.MelissaBut then what do you have? You have a working ankle! Amazing! Big changes!VirginiaThe foundation of my body’s democracy! Obviously, physical therapy is not accessible to everyone due to all of the problems with our healthcare system. But I just want to say if you’re struggling with any kind of injury and not dealing with it, as I did not deal with my back pain for about three years, it turns out that actually dealing with these things is a good thing to do. So that’s my little tip for the week. Melissa, thank you so much for being here. This was a great conversation, and I’m really excited about where we’re going to go with this. Tell our listeners how they can learn more about The States Project and your work.MelissaAbsolutely. So if you go to The States Project you’ll be able to read more about what we do, look at our target states, dig in and see the balance of power in each State Chamber and go as deep as you want. So we’ll be there.VirginiaAwesome. And again, here is the link for the Burnt Toast Giving Circle. So click that right now and make your donation. Thank you so much for listening to Burnt Toast!The Burnt Toast Podcast is produced and hosted by me, Virginia Sole-Smith. You can follow me on Instagram or Twitter.Burnt Toast transcripts and essays are edited and formatted by Corinne Fay, who runs @SellTradePlus, an Instagram account where you can buy and sell plus size clothing.The Burnt Toast logo is by Deanna Lowe.Our theme music is by Jeff Bailey and Chris Maxwell.Tommy Harron is our audio engineer.Thanks for listening and for supporting independent anti-diet journalism.Sample EmailFeel free to copy and paste this, or make it your own! Hi friends! Wow, so things are terrible right now. Texas is investigating the parents of trans kids. States are shutting down abortion access all around us. Voter’s rights are decimated in too many states. Ukraine. And, although this year is not a presidential election, it’s never too soon to start worrying about what will happen in 2024. Our democracy is on a precipice right now, in so many ways. I’ve been trying to figure out what I can possibly do and one path to a better democracy, and a better world, has become clear: We need Blue majorities in as many state legislatures as possible. Abortion rights, trans rights, healthcare access, voters’ rights and so many other issues are decided by state governments—and in ways that then determine who makes decisions at the federal level. I’ve decided to raise $1000 for the Burnt Toast Giving Circle, which will be working to flip a state legislature in November. Small dollars and early money make all the difference in these races, which are usually incredibly tight and won on the margins. But that also means we have a chance to make a huge impact. I just need 100 of you to give $10, or 40 of you to give $25, or 25 of you to give $40 and we’re there. To learn more about the importance of state legislatures, and the power of giving circles, here’s a podcast episode from Burnt Toast creator Virginia Sole-Smith in conversation with Melissa Walker, head of Giving Circles for the States Project. I hope you’ll join us! PS. Any questions? I’m keeping comments open to everyone this week, so if you have questions or suggestions on how we can make our Giving Circle as successful as possible, post them here and Melissa or I will weigh in! (I do this with some trepidation and will be moderating closely for toxicity, so be cool! We’re all working towards the greater good here.) This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiasolesmith.substack.com/subscribe

In this conversation, I am speaking with Melissa Walker MA, LPC, R-DMT about the integration of the worlds of somatic psychotherapy, dance/movement therapy and sex therapy. Melissa takes us along her personal journey of how a full body "yes," arose in relation to witnessing bellydance as a teenager, which propelled her on the path that lead to publishing of her book, Whole Body Sex: Somatic sex therapy and the lost language of the erotic body in January 2021. Melissa describes the importance of cultivating safe-enough space for conversations and experiences to unwind the harmful conditioning that has been inherited from a sex-negative culture to free us to access pleasure and cultivate intimacy. She invites us into the magnificence of the body and the language of the erotic self, which is a world of discovery and a foundation for learning to relate lovingly to another. Melissa can be found online at www.embodiedrelationshipscenter.com/, and in addition to clinical work with individuals, couples and groups, Melissa provides trainings for therapists on her method of somatic concentric sex therapy, with trainings coming up in February in Boulder, Colorado and August, 2022 in Bellingham, Washington. For more information or to join us, visit: https://embodiededucationinstituteofchicago.hubspotpagebuilder.com/sex-therapy-training For trainings and clinical support, visit Melissa at https://www.embodiedrelationshipscenter.com/concentric-sex-therapy Become a patron of the Return to Embodiment Podcast at https://www.patreon.com/returntoembodiment --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Howdy crew, we got a marriage pod for you! For the first time in Waste fo Time history, we bring in one of the host's significant other as Melissa Walker joins Cole, Luke, and Will to dissect some very expensive sleeping habits, discover the worst things about Cole, try to climb the Liar Liar mountain, and get people riled up by drafting our most overrated movies. No better way to waste your time than by getting expert opinions on your toughest conundrums. Submit your questions for the pod here: https://forms.gle/xk6E1tcB1Cf7hwwZ6. Follow us on socials @WasteofTime_Pod.

Join us as we talk to Melissa Walker about her leadership in Jazz House Kids as well as the Montclair Jazz Festival!

Bodyful is my 5th podcast to produce, and I've never been this excited or proud to share anything I've created. Already, just with this first interview and the future guests I have lined up so far, I know this is going to be something really special. On episode #1, I'm speaking with Colorado-based thearpist and author, Melissa Walker.

Melissa Walker is an author of 10 novels for young adults and children. A former magazine editor, she now enjoys gathering people together to share stories about how they can pool their resources and change the balance of power in state legislatures.  Her work has appeared in publications including The New York Times and Teen Vogue. We talked about how voters can make a massive impact by joining forces with friends and family and focusing on state reps. Local politics has an enormous effect on laws that affect our lives and it's easier than you may think to make a real, positive difference. No matter how politically informed you may be, there's probably something in this show you may not be aware of. Information is power!  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As part of Marriage Week 2021, we sit with Melissa Walker to discuss a crucial topic. Jesus + Therapy. Is it okay for a Christian to see a therapist? Does it mean you have limited faith? Additionally, How do you support a spouse who is struggling with mental illness. C O N N E C T W I T H US: Email: hello@beyondtheaisle.org Instagram: @beyondtheaisle Facebook: Beyond The Aisle SHOP OUR COLLECTION: https://www.declarationsbybta.com/