Podcasts about she should run

The B The Way Forward team is hard at work on Season 2, premiering in December 2024. But you won't have to wait until then for more of the the honest, insightful, and inspiring conversations you've come to expect from this feed. Introducing B The Way Forward: Interludes - special episodes and conversations that stand apart from our regular season, but are just too good not to share. First up, two interludes focused on ways that our democracy is working at a time when many of us are scared it's on the verge of becoming irreversibly dysfunctional. The first is a special conversation - taped live at Grace Hopper Celebration 2024 - with the United State's Chief Information Officer of the White House, Clare Martorana and the Senior Advisor to the Chief Information Officer, Noreen Hecmanczuk [Heck-min-zek]. Clare and Noreen share how the OFCIO is using technology to transform the way we interact with our government, and make it easier for citizens to participate. Then, a conversation with Erin Loos Cutraro the founder and CEO of She Should Run, a national non-partisan organization working to drastically increase the number of women considering a run for office. And this first min-series of Interludes wraps up with two more episodes taped live at GHC24. Both focuson how we can create innovation that makes the world a more equitable place - and despite what some folks may say - do it while also creating successful businesses. So if you haven't already, follow B The Way Forward wherever you listen, or watch video versions of these episodes at anitab.org/podcast.

CLICK HERE to send me a text, I'd love to hear what you thought about this episode! Leave your name in the text so I know who it's from! Another week, another inspiring Milwaukee woman. This week I'm talking with the founder and CEO of She Should Run, a national, non-profit, non-partisan organization working to increase the number of women considering a run for public office. If your mind immediately goes to state capitols and white houses when you think politics, think again! Politics is local, and this conversation can't help but inspire listeners to get involved (whether you run for office or not). When women run, they win. And when women win, we ALL win! Locals and Links we love! Website: https://www.sheshouldrun.org/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sheshouldrunInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/sheshouldrunFind out which public office you should run for with their fun quiz HERE.Encourage a friend to run with their free e-postcards HERE. ARE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE OR HAVE YOU VOTED EARLY? Find everything you need HERE. If you loved this show, you'll definitely want to listen to last week's episode with State Rep Deb Andraca and her Campaign Director Erin Stilp. Find it HERE or wherever you get your podcasts. Show your love for Cream City DreamsIf you haven't already, be sure to follow Cream City Dreams on Facebook and Instagram. Sign up for the newsletter HERE.  And I'd LOVE it if you rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts. If you're feeling especially generous, you can always Buy me a Coffee to help keep the lights on!Support the show

"There's a huge percentage of the population that's not thinking about their potential." In this episode, WomenHeard host Julie Hochheiser Ilkovich speaks with Erin Loos Cutraro in a pivotal presidential election year. As the Founder and CEO of She Should Run, Erin leads this national, nonpartisan nonprofit seeking to drastically increase the number of women considering a run for public office. After teaching middle school history, she got her master's degree. She pivoted into politics after a graduate school connection introduced her to a statewide campaign in Erin's home state of Missouri. In her prior role as a Deputy Director of Communications, she supported the Missouri Secretary of State with writing, voter access, understanding her voice, plus managing intentions and risks.  This opportunity sparked a renewed interest in politics and a chance to apply her skills to education reform, reproductive justice, and supporting women running for office - the latter of which inspired She Should Run! The organization is committed to increasing the number of women in the political leadership pipeline, in parallel with the projected tracking of the US 2060 population. Listen to this episode to learn more about the world of political communications, how you can further prepare for the general election, or dig into your own journey to running for office. 

Can we fix the polarization that has engulfed our politics and government? According to a recent Pew Research Center poll, public trust in government has edged near all-time lows in recent years. The nonpartisan organization She Should Run believes part of the answer to fixing this problem includes increasing the number of women in public office. To understand how increasing women's participation in public office could improve public trust in government, podcast producer Zach Ewell spoke with Tracey Vasile, a member of the Planning Board for Foxborough, Massachusetts, home of the New England Patriots. Vasile is also senior vice president for client strategy at Verisk, an information services company that specializes in risk. The New England native discusses her journey serving in elected office, the importance of women running, and recent risk trends.

Women Veterans ROCK On The Hill - The Podcast! is the Award-Winning Podcast for Today's Women Veterans and Military Families. Its New People, New Policies & Prose with Dynamic Women Leaders for Women On The Move!  We are the Premier Civic, Business, and Nonprofit Leadership Community for Today's Women Veterans, Military Millennials and Generation Z Emerging Leaders. In today's episode of "She Should Run!" - You will meet - Ms. Mishon Montgomery, Program Director at She Should Run - in the great State of Nevada. This is a nonpartisan and nonprofit 501c3 organization that is dedicated to supporting women from all political leanings and backgrounds to see themselves as future candidates for public office.   Learn about the many Pathways to Public Leadership - and - How To Prepare For Elected Office in today's exciting conversation.  Also, visit www.SheShouldRun.org to get your very own "Starter Kit" and to support them with your donations too! Contact Us at www.WomenVetsRock.org to learn more about The Work & The Vision of The 2030 Commission For Women Veterans & Military Families. Subscribe Today and Stay Connected As A Member of "The Women Veterans ROCK Podcast Posse!" ABOUT THE HOST Deborah Harmon-Pugh is a recognized authority on Women's Leadership in America. She has dedicated the past two decades to assisting women advance into positions of influence by leveraging their expertise and leadership strengths. She is the creator of proven and powerful Leadership Development Programs that guide women to becoming leaders in Civic Leadership, Business Leadership, and Nonprofit Leadership. Professor Deborah Harmon-Pugh is the National Campaign Chair of Women Veterans ROCK; The Women Veterans Civic Leadership Institute; and The Women Veterans Public Policy Delegation To Capitol Hill. She teaches in the Graduate School of Studies at Chestnut Hill College and the Undergraduate School of Continuing Education and Professional Studies. Professor Deborah Harmon-Pugh is a retired Military Spouse of 27 years. ABOUT OUR SPONSOR Comcast NBCUniversal - We thank Comcast NBCUniversal for their support of Women Veterans, Military Families, and America's entire Military Community. For more information on how Comcast NBCUniversal is supporting the military community, visit the link below. ⁠⁠www.corporate.comcast.com/values/military⁠⁠ VISIT US & SUBSCRIBE TODAY Our Website Is: ⁠⁠WomenVetsRock.org ⁠⁠ FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA ⁠⁠Facebook: @WomenVeteransRock⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Twitter: @WomenVetsRock⁠⁠ ⁠⁠LinkedIn: @WomenVeteransRock⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Instagram: @WomenVetsRock⁠⁠ ⁠⁠YouTube: @WomenVetsRock

Join us in this exclusive interview with Erin Loos Cutraro, the CEO and founder of She Should Run, as we delve into the transformative world of women in politics.

Visit :www.SheShouldRun.orgOn this episode of the Circuspreneur Podcast, host Shenea Stiletto interviews the CEO and Founder of She Should Run Erin Loos Cutraro. She Should Run is the trailblazing nonpartisan nonprofit on a mission to revolutionize the landscape of women in American political leadership by shattering barriers and redefining possibilities for women in elected office. Since its inception, She Should Run has become a beacon of empowerment, offering powerful first steps in civic engagement to hundreds of thousands of women from all walks of life whose formidable leadership potential would go otherwise untapped in conventional political recruitment.

In our latest episode, we interview Erin Loos Cutraro, the founder and CEO of She Should Run, a nonprofit dedicated to encouraging women to run for office - it's so needed! Did you know that women still hold less than 30% of all elected offices across the federal, state, and local level, and the numbers are even lower when looking at women from underrepresented communities? Black women comprise less than 6% of officeholders in Congress, statewide elective executive offices, and state legislatures; only 7.9% of all women state legislators identify as Latina; and, roughly 0.23 percent of U.S elected officials identify as LGBTQIA+. Women are still less likely than men to have thought about running for office or to express interest in running for office in the future. Women are less likely to have opted into leadership roles from a young age. In fact, few of us– less than 2%– grow up with the dream to run for office one day. There's lots of work to do!Before the interview, we chat about the movie American Fiction and how the Black American experience is portrayed in media. [00:02:22] Felicia and Rachel discuss the movie American Fiction.[00:10:50] Interview with Erin.[00:11:15] Origin story and childhood upbringing.[00:18:34] Challenges for women candidates.[00:22:42] Running for office aspirations.[00:23:46] Women in political roles.[00:29:35] Nonpartisan space and misconceptions.[00:33:13] Running for public office journey.[00:36:17] Women's surge after 2016 election.[00:41:17] A different political climate.[00:45:35] Overcoming political exhaustion and paralysis.[00:49:12] Finding women who aren't looking.[00:53:12] The importance of diverse opinions.[00:57:28] Future goals and hopes.[01:00:49] The opportunity in Gen Z. Links mentioned:https://sheshouldrun.orghttps://www.linkedin.com/in/erinlooscutraro Visit us at https://shegeeksout.com to stay up to date on all the ways you can make the workplace work for everyone! Check out SGOLearning.com and SheGeeksOut.com/podcast for the code to get a free mini course.

In this episode of Civic Warriors, we speak with Kaitlyn Newman, Director of Development, from She Should Run. Support the show

Women Veterans ROCK On The Hill - The Podcast! is the Award-Winning Podcast for Today's Women Veterans and Military Families. Its New People, New Policies & Prose with Dynamic Women Leaders for Women On The Move!  We are the Premier Civic, Business, and Nonprofit Leadership Community for Today's Women Veterans, Military Millennials and Generation Z Emerging Leaders. In today's episode of "She Should Run!" - You will meet - Ms. Mishon Montgomery, Program Director at She Should Run - in the great State of Nevada. This is a nonpartisan and nonprofit 501c3 organization that is dedicated to supporting women from all political leanings and backgrounds to see themselves as future candidates for public office.   Learn about the many Pathways to Public Leadership - and - How To Prepare For Elected Office in today's exciting conversation.  Also, visit www.SheShouldRun.org to get your very own "Starter Kit" and to support them with your donations too! Contact Us at www.WomenVetsRock.org to learn more about The Work & The Vision of The 2030 Commission For Women Veterans & Military Families. Subscribe Today and Stay Connected As A Member of "The Women Veterans ROCK Podcast Posse!" ABOUT THE HOST Deborah Harmon-Pugh is a recognized authority on Women's Leadership in America. She has dedicated the past two decades to assisting women advance into positions of influence by leveraging their expertise and leadership strengths. She is the creator of proven and powerful Leadership Development Programs that guide women to becoming leaders in Civic Leadership, Business Leadership, and Nonprofit Leadership. Professor Deborah Harmon-Pugh is the National Campaign Chair of Women Veterans ROCK; The Women Veterans Civic Leadership Institute; and The Women Veterans Public Policy Delegation To Capitol Hill. She teaches in the Graduate School of Studies at Chestnut Hill College and the Undergraduate School of Continuing Education and Professional Studies. Professor Deborah Harmon-Pugh is a retired Military Spouse of 27 years. ABOUT OUR SPONSOR Comcast NBCUniversal - We thank Comcast NBCUniversal for their support of Women Veterans, Military Families, and America's entire Military Community. For more information on how Comcast NBCUniversal is supporting the military community, visit the link below. ⁠www.corporate.comcast.com/values/military⁠ VISIT US & SUBSCRIBE TODAY Our Website Is: ⁠WomenVetsRock.org ⁠ FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA ⁠Facebook: @WomenVeteransRock⁠ ⁠Twitter: @WomenVetsRock⁠ ⁠LinkedIn: @WomenVeteransRock⁠ ⁠Instagram: @WomenVetsRock⁠ ⁠YouTube: @WomenVetsRock

This week on Ending Domestic Abuse, Dr. Ludy Green speaks with Erin Loos Cutraro, founder and CEO of She Should Run - a nonprofit that encourages women from all backgrounds to run for public office! Erin's incredible career spans education, politics, and strategic planning, all of which were underscored by Erin's dedication to gender equality for women and girls. Join us as Erin shares more about the work of the organization She Should Run, why it is so important to encourage women to run for office, and how you can get involved! 

Dr. Megan Moreno, leader of the social media and adolescent research team at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine, Dr. Megan Moreno, joins to talk about what's missing from the current conversation about teens and social media. A Then Erin Loos Cutraro, founder of She Should Run, joins to talk about how and why we should continue too get more women to run for office. Guests: Erin Loos Cutraro, Dr. Megan Moreno

We're celebrating Women's History Month with an extra helping of feminist and female-empowered titles in our HERsay Podcast x Barnes & Noble March Book Picks episode. Guest Brigette Meskell, from Barnes & Noble in Webster, NY, chats with Caroline about this month's selections, including a century-spanning vampire tale, a memoir of same-sex relationship abuse, a deep-dive into the many faces of love, and why cats are so often associated with women. Listen now, and visit us on Instagram to let us know what YOU're reading. Proceeds from books purchased through HERsaypodcast.com this month go to She Should Run, working to dramatically increase the number of women running for public office. HSP x BN March Book Picks: The God of Endings by Jacqueline Holland In the Dream House: A Memoir by Carmen Maria Machado All About Love: New Visions by bell hooks Cat Call: Reclaiming the Feral Feminine by Kristen J. Sollee Music credit: Tall Journey by Blue Dot Sessions    

As Head of Diversity & Culture at Yahoo, Inc., Alicin leads Yahoo's diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts globally, in addition to building upon Yahoo's passionate and positive team culture. Alicin discusses how to enhance belonging within the corporate culture and shares her insights on the value of Feminine Leadership and the need for high EQ in corporate leaders, something already practiced by her CEO. Listen to find out who and how! For over 25 years, Reidy-Williamson has led Culture, Purpose, and DEI for top companies. She previously served as Chief Inclusion Officer at Endeavor, leading inclusion strategies globally across multiple businesses. Prior to Endeavor, she was Managing Principal for The Raben Group, a national public policy and communications strategy firm, where she developed the DEI practice. Reidy-Williamson also spent 13 years at Viacom and MTV Networks, launching the company's efforts in corporate responsibility, diversity and inclusion, and public affairs, while managing their growth. Reidy-Williamson's passion extends beyond the corporate environment and into her community. She is on the board of March on Washington Film Festival, the Diversity Advisory Council Chair for Operation Homefront, and sits on the board of She Should Run. You can follow our series on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts and on the Fiftyfaces Hub - fiftyfaceshub.com. This series is hosted by Liana Slater and featured on the Monumental Me website at www.monumentalme.com/podcast. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/mindshare/support

On this midweek show, newly-elected Chair of the Washington State Democratic Party Shasti Conrad joins Crystal for a conversation on what the role entails, lessons learned from the previous Chair, and her plans for continuing forward as a strong and effective political party. As leader of an umbrella organization for local party organizations across the state, Shasti acknowledges the futility of a top-down approach and the need to listen and to understand what resonates with Democrats from different areas. Discussion of her plans to broaden the Party's appeal includes creating inclusive spaces, expanding the base, messaging Democratic wins, and showing up and investing in rural areas.  Crystal and Shasti then tackle the question of “who is a Democrat” and the dilemma faced in sharing Party resources with: those who are ideologically aligned but not labeled as D, versus those who self-label as D but are not ideologically aligned. Finally, Shasti shares her dream of strengthening the Party through bench building of candidates and support staff by making campaign work attractive, which includes taking seriously the violence and hostility predominantly targeting Black candidates and staff members, building sustainable pipelines for careers in politics, and encouraging good working conditions through unionization. As always, a full text transcript of the show is available below and at officialhacksandwonks.com. Follow us on Twitter at @HacksWonks. Find the host, Crystal Fincher, on Twitter at @finchfrii and find Shasti Conrad at @ShastiConrad and the Washington State Democratic Party at @washdems.   Shasti Conrad Shasti Conrad was elected as Chair of the Washington State Democratic Party in January 2023. She is the first woman of color and youngest chair of the Washington State Democrats! She is also the first South Asian woman to lead a state party in the entire country! Previously, Shasti was the Chair of the King County Democrats from 2018-2022, making her the first woman of color chair in the org's history. She is a versatile strategist and thought leader with a broad range of political, policy and operations experience within government at all levels and throughout the private and non-profit sectors. She launched her own consulting firm in 2016 to support government, campaign, and business clients looking to better our world. She was named to the American Association of Political Consultants' 40 under 40 list and Seattle Met's 100 Most Influential List (top 10 in politicos category).   Resources Washington State Democratic Party   “Washington State Democrats Elect Shasti Conrad as Party Chair” from Washington State Democrats   “WA Democrats choose Shasti Conrad as new leader” by David Gutman from The Seattle Times   “Building Resilient Organizations: Toward Joy and Durable Power in a Time of Crisis” by Maurice Mitchell for Convergence Magazine   Transcript [00:00:00] Crystal Fincher: Welcome to Hacks & Wonks. I'm Crystal Fincher, and I'm a political consultant and your host. On this show, we talk with policy wonks and political hacks to gather insight into local politics and policy in Washington state through the lens of those doing the work with behind-the-scenes perspectives on what's happening, why it's happening, and what you can do about it. Be sure to subscribe to the podcast to get the full versions of our Friday almost-live shows and our midweek show delivered to your podcast feed. If you like us, the most helpful thing you can do is leave a review wherever you listen to Hacks & Wonks. Full transcripts and resources referenced in the show are always available at officialhacksandwonks.com and in our episode notes. I'm thrilled to be welcoming back to the program, the now-Chair of the Washington State Democrats - Shasti Conrad - welcome. [00:01:01] Shasti Conrad: Hi Crystal, it's so great to be here. [00:01:03] Crystal Fincher: Great to have you here. So you were just recently elected as the chair of the Washington State Democrats, after a pretty notable tenure as the Chair of the King County Democrats. Starting off for a lot of people who may not be familiar - what does the Chair of the Democratic Party do? [00:01:24] Shasti Conrad: That is a great question and one that I have been getting quite a bit. So the State Party Chair, basically - I see it - job number one is to win elections for Democrats up and down the ballot. That's job number one. Job number two is really studying the vision and strategy for what the Democratic Party looks like, how it works, how it's built here in Washington State. We're here to work with our allies in labor and to build winning coalitions across the state and across the progressive movement. I've often described the party as - we are the steady drumbeat - we are here to make sure that candidates and campaigns have the resources that they need, that they have the volunteers, that they have the - they know the relationships, the community leaders. And then the candidates in the campaigns - they bring the jazz, right? They bring the energy, the nuances that match the different communities that they're representing - and we're here doing all year-round organizing to make sure that we're ready for whoever steps forward to run for office - that we can support them and get them across the finish line. [00:02:36] Crystal Fincher: That makes sense. So now you are taking over after Tina Podlodowski stepped down after a pretty successful run, by those metrics, as the Chair of the State Party. What lessons did you learn from Tina, and what are you carrying forward from her? [00:02:53] Shasti Conrad: I think that Tina deserves a ton of credit for the successes that we have had here in Washington state for the last six years. We had the three most successful cycles in terms of delivering Democratic wins across the state. We elected the most diverse State Legislature - each cycle we just kept improving and growing our majorities - this past cycle was probably one of the most successful cycles that we've had, certainly one of the best for Democrats in probably at least 20 years. We now have control of - the Democrats are in office for all of the statewide offices. We finally got a Secretary of State for the first time in, I think, 56 years as a Democrat in Secretary Hobbs. And so much of that credit does go to Tina. I think Tina really built the State Party as an organizing machine - she invested in it. We talked about doing this multi-cycle organizing, all year-round organizing. She helped to move the Party from it being - there were times when I think the Party was a bit of a social club - it was a bit about just who of our friends were gonna run for some of these different offices. And Tina really, especially in the Trump era, really built up the resistance and helped us make sure that we were winning. We can't lose any of that ground. Tina was a great ally for me these last several years while I was Chair of the King County Democrats, and so I learned a great deal from her. And we're not gonna go backwards, that's for sure. I think Tina would be the first one to say this, which is - now that we've built such a solid organizing foundation, in my tenure my hope is that we get to grow and expand it, particularly in bringing in more diverse folks into the Party. And that's inclusive of young people, that's inclusive of people of color, communities of color - and really helping to get more people into these leadership roles. The Washington State Democrats - we're comprised of 88 different local party organizations, so there's a lot of different regionality, diversity - but I think across the Democratic Party, we have our work cut out in trying to make sure that we are fully reflective of the state. And there's some of that work that I think I definitely wanna grow upon what Tina has built. [00:05:17] Crystal Fincher: Now you mentioned those local party organizations - like county party organizations, legislative district organizations, affinity caucuses, that type of thing. I think a lot of people don't realize necessarily that those are not branches, those are not subsidiaries of the State Party - they're actually their own independent organizations, their own bylaws, and can do what they want. They can't in most situations be told what to do by the State Party - it doesn't work like that. So basically it's a big statewide coalition of Democratic organizations. In that kind of structure, how do you galvanize and expand the organizing footprint in the entire state - in more metropolitan areas like King County, in rural areas in Central and Eastern Washington, Southwest Washington - and lots of different areas, different needs, different representation, different issues that they may be dealing with. How do you approach that, or how will you approach that across the state? [00:06:19] Shasti Conrad: Yeah, it's definitely a tall order to try to get all oars in the water rowing in the same direction. I have found that it's - we can be unified in our values, but it's important for us to be localized in our messaging. We're certainly seeing this here in Washington state, but I think this is something that the entire Democratic Party writ large is dealing with, which is that urban and rural divide and really thinking about - the ways in which we talk about things in King County and Seattle doesn't necessarily work in Spokane or in Walla Walla. And I look at Washington state as a microcosm for national Democratic Party politics. In Washington state, we have Pramila Jayapal, who is the Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. We now have Representative Suzan DelBene, who leads the DCCC, which is more moderate arm of trying to make sure that we are helping Democratic Congressional members get re-elected. And then you have our newest member of the Congressional delegation in Marie Perez. And Marie ran in - down in Southwestern Washington - as a very working class, working mom Democrat that was able to work with Republicans and get Republicans to support her. She won by just a couple thousand votes against a complete MAGA Republican. And so that's a big spectrum. And that is what I, as Chair, have to try to make sure that folks along that full spectrum feel that the Democratic party is theirs. And so like you said, each of the different party organizations are their own entities. It's not a top-down approach. We, as the State Party, are somewhat of an umbrella organization, but we're here to work alongside those different party organizations. And so it's a lot of just - it's a lot of listening, it's a lot of really making sure that folks are feeling that their lived experience is valued, that their perspective - that they know their neighbors, that they know what's gonna work with talking to their neighbors and moving them along. And that there's space for that, that it doesn't just come down from on high. One of the things that I've spent the last several years having to do quite often is unpacking when people say - Oh, the Democrats. It's like - Okay, but who are you actually frustrated with? Are you frustrated with the DNC, which sets the national stage and national messaging? Are you frustrated with the Senate Caucus or the House Caucus? Are you frustrated with your local party organization? What are these different pieces, and how do they all work together in this big ecosystem? And how can we help? How can we address your concerns? And a lot of that, I think, comes down to just people-to-people canvassing and organizing in those conversations, as well as really making sure that the messaging is resonant in those particular communities. [00:09:15] Crystal Fincher: So you talked about expanding the organizing apparatus - certainly something that you've talked about. In your tenure as Chair of the King County Democrats, was participating in all elections - not just the even-year elections right now that are legislative statewide, but also in what are currently - hopefully not for much longer - but currently odd-year elections for school boards, city councils, mayors, county council positions. Those elections haven't traditionally seen a lot of participation or engagement from the Democratic Party and local party organizations. What is gonna be your approach to that? [00:09:58] Shasti Conrad: Definitely. I think we saw, particularly in the last several years, the ways in which the Republican Party was doing a better job at building the bench than we were. They were having their folks run, and they were - run for these various seats, like you just said, like school boards and city council seats and whatnot. And they were going unchallenged. Democrats were not running for them because we just weren't paying attention in a lot of ways - we weren't indexing what all of those opportunities were. When I was Chair of King County Democrats, in an odd year, we had over 300 seats that folks could run for. And folks just didn't know that. And as soon as we started to talk about that, and started to actually really recruit, and also demystify the process - people didn't even know - how do you run? What does it take to run? How do I get onto the ballot? And once we started saying - Actually, there's a filing week in May where you go to - for King County Elections, or whatever your local county elections office is - and you can file online. Sometimes they have different fees, but they range in size - and you get your name on the ballot, and then you get to know your neighbors, and you encourage folks to vote for you. And so already this year at the State Party, I have asked our data team to look at opportunities where - what are the races across the state that we could win, that are at a nice edge. And one of the - really excited about this - so one of the things we just found when we were looking at the data this past week is that in the town of Sunnyside, which is in Yakima County, there are three seats that are up that are currently held by people that are leaning Republican. All three of those people won by less than 100 votes when they ran last time - one won by one vote. All three of them are men and they lean Republican. Sunnyside is a city that is 70% Latino. If we do the organizing work, if we get a Spanish language organizer, if we encourage those people to register to vote, we get some great candidates who represent the community - we could get those seats. And we could really make a difference that then, once those folks have some experience - their name's already been on a ballot - then in a couple of years, maybe they decide that they run for the next level of government. Maybe they even run for the State Legislature. And people have gotten to know them, they've been able to build up a resume. And that's the type of investment and engagement that I think is gonna be really important and a real opportunity for us to change up, particularly in these places that when you look at the map, they just look red. But then when you can get underneath that, there might be some opportunities where we can actually make a difference, pick up some of those seats, and start changing who's representing these folks. [00:12:51] Crystal Fincher: And part of that is also recruiting candidates. You talked about recruiting great candidates - that's been an area where there have been some excellent successes and there's still a lot of opportunity, some things haven't quite been mined yet for opportunity. What do you see the Party's role in developing leaders, and what can the Party do to help that happen? [00:13:12] Shasti Conrad: Yeah, I think - for years, we've talked about developing campaign-in-a-box - having some of these templates of - it's just people just don't, they don't know, right? They don't know - how do I find a treasurer? How do I set up a website? How do I - do I need to put a mailer together? How do I call people? How do I do all of these things? And for those of us who've been in this work, we do this year after year, but most people just - they're living their lives, they're not paying attention to the ins and outs of political work. And so I think that's something that we can develop the resources and the tools - there's been, especially in the Trump, post-Trump era - there've been a number of outside organizations that have developed really solid candidate training programs like Emerge, Institute for a Democratic Future, there's Run for Something, She Should Run - there's a bunch of these different organizations that are doing a great job. And I think that that's where we can partner with those folks. We've had our own candidate training program at Rise and Organize in the State Party. I am really passionate about training up the next generation of staffers and campaign managers and doing that type of leadership as well, because I also think that that's partially what we're missing in the ecosystem - is all of that support. So you get someone who's gonna step forward and decide to run, but they need help - they need a Crystal Fincher in their support system. And we need to be developing more of us that can help them do that, so I think that's something that we'll tackle in this next cycle as well, if the State Party is developing that training and organizing training. And then on the candidate recruitment side, it's really, it's just, it's finding those gems of talent. There are such great community leaders who - they're really active in their churches or they're really active - they're a nonprofit leader. They're doing this great work, but they just never thought about running for office. But talking about the impact and talking about - Okay, you're able to do this great work in your community or in your job. Let's take it to the macro level. Let's help you be able to do it for cities, and school boards, and the State Legislature, and things like that. [00:15:20] Crystal Fincher: Another issue that I think people on the ground, who may not pay close attention to party politics but they look around and they look at who Democrats are nationally, looking locally who are Democrats - wondering - there's lots of talk about - Okay, should Democrats be trying to win voters who may be disaffected from the Republican Party, or focus more on turning out people who may not be motivated to vote often for whatever reason. Do you do both? Do you do neither? What is that? And who is the base? Who is the party? Who is a Democrat? How do you approach that? Is this a big tent party that takes anyone? Is this a party that has strict ideological boundaries? What do you think that is and what will your approach be as Chair? [00:16:12] Shasti Conrad: Certainly, and I think that those answers are different in different places throughout the state, throughout the country. We are certainly a big tent. We have to create a space where the Party feels like it's welcoming, feels like it's inclusive, feels like it's a place where folks can make it their own. We need to be clear and aligned in our values - which is that we stand up for human rights, we stand up for people who are vulnerable, we're about choice, we're about freedom. These are the things that we are clear about. But there are some places where - I go back to CD3 because of just, it's the most, it's the biggest example of where that was a real opportunity for growth for us, because Marie Perez really did have to have conversations with folks who had been supporters of the Republican Party, who had voted for Jaime Herrera Beutler. But as the Republican Party has become more and more radicalized - where they are - they're not speaking for folks who maybe are a little bit conservative in their, some of their values, but for the most part are just trying to feed their families, get to work, pay the bills. The Republican Party has abandoned those folks too. And we have to be able to say the Democratic Party will make space for you if you are willing to recognize that there are some of these lines that will not be crossed, which is that we believe that everyone has right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, and all of that. And then I also think that we have to expand the base. And that means really making investments with - into communities of color, young people - I think the Party is dealing with a relevancy problem when it comes to young folks, right? Young people have seen across their entire lives the ways in which our biggest challenges keep not being addressed. And at times, on both sides of the aisle, politicians have paid a lot of lip service but nothing changes. You can feel that, you can feel the lack of movement, and then this prioritizing of incrementalism over actually doing big, bold changes - transformative work. And so we have to demonstrate that we actually are going to do the work, that we're going to make the change, that we're going to not just talk the talk. Joe Biden wasn't my first choice as president several years ago, but he has - you have to give him credit for the fact that he has been a very progressive president. We have done big things underneath his leadership the last several years, and we're not doing a good job of talking about that. We're not doing a great job of actually messaging to say - Look at what the childcare tax credit was able to do - it halved childhood poverty, it made a big difference. We are delivering and bringing infrastructure projects back into the state - money is getting moved, things are improving. The economy has been tough, but we're making it through. That's under Democratic leadership. That is without Republicans helping. And . We believe in climate change. The Republicans don't. And these are big issues, particularly I think for young people as they're looking at a future that feels like it might be worse than their parents'. So we've got to do that work. And I think we've got to actually make it action oriented too. And that's a big part of what my job will be and what we will be trying to set with the State Party is that direction and that - those changes to make the Party feel like it is a much more welcoming place and a place where people can do good work and see change happen. [00:19:55] Crystal Fincher: I think that's spot on, really smart to recognize. Younger people actually are - definitely are feeling disaffected, trying to find reasons why they should trust institutions or institutional power after seeing so many examples of it not being helpful. And that you have to have an action-oriented approach that enables people to see the change around them without relying on rhetoric or seeing that rhetoric unfulfilled. With that, how do you play a role in messaging what Democrats are doing on a national and statewide level? How can the party improve that? [00:20:34] Shasti Conrad: One of my frustration points from the last several years is I have felt we spent a lot of time identifying and speaking about our values in reaction to the other side. And you heard me probably just do it just a few minutes ago. And so often we put ourselves against - because that's who they are, we are this. And I think it's important that we start to make the shift where we start to take some of the power back and start to control the narrative by saying - This is what it means to be a Democrat. And this is what Democrats are delivering. This is what Democrats are doing. Like I said, we are the party of choice and freedom and opportunity and optimism. We're more than just the fight, right? And also I think a lot of times we just talk about winning and losing elections, but I wanna take us also to the - how are we making a difference in people's lives? What does it mean to win? Because just winning - sure, we pat ourselves on the back, we get to run up the score and be like - Look, we have this many more than them and good for us. But is it actually making a change? Are people actually feeling like they are better represented, that their lives are improving because we have the majority in the State Legislature here in Washington state? I think that's true, but we have to make sure that we're talking about that. When things are getting passed through the State Legislature, when we're taking up the middle income housing bill, when we're taking up gun safety bills, when we are looking at the wealth tax - these are things that are going to actually make an improvement on people's experience, what their time on this earth is gonna be like. And that, I think, is really important for us to talk about and take it to that next step. And I think folks are tired - they're tired of the - we get these emails where it's like urgent, deadline, biggest fight of our lives. And it's hard because it's true - every election is, feels like it's the most important one - but at some point that just, it's burning folks out. And so we've got to just be able to be honest and level with folks - Hey, I don't know if this is gonna be radically different, but this is the right step that we need to take. It's like I-135 - I was so happily surprised that it did as well as it did. It's a step in the right direction. Is it gonna solve the housing and homelessness crisis in Seattle? No, but it is going to help us move in a direction where we can actually start to look at some solutions. And so I'm grateful that folks decided to step forward and vote and participate and do, especially in an off-cycle, odd year election. And again, it's we just have to be - we have to be able to level with folks. And that, I think, is a change in tone that I hope I can help to bring to the Party here in Washington state. [00:23:22] Crystal Fincher: I think Seattle's Initiative 135 for social housing is a really great and instructive example for how we can organize and what the opportunity is. We saw seniors who were afraid that they weren't gonna be able to age in place. We saw young people who wanted to make sure that there was gonna be a space for them in the community - urbanists, communities of color. The DSA was canvassing in support. We saw local democratic party organizations - from the King County Democrats, 46th District Democrats, and a number of folks and coalitions coming together. Some elected leaders, community leaders, activists - all coalescing around this. And really willed that to victory, as you said, during an off-year - not in those higher turnout elections that have Congresspeople and the president on the ballot. And in February, no less - I'm still excited by that. But it does bring up some interesting questions going back to - Okay, who is a Democrat and who is the Democratic Party there to serve? Because in Washington state, particularly to a degree that a lot of other states don't, there's an interesting dynamic here in that it's not just the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. Certainly we have very competitive Democratic and Republican races - we've both been involved in quite a few of those. But also in several areas in King County, especially in Seattle, Washington - Republicans aren't as much of a competitive party to Democrats as the DSA, Democratic Socialists of America, or the People's Party. People who predominantly skew younger and don't necessarily find themselves completely aligned with the Democratic Party - a lot of times due to national issues - but are saying, I am aligned with these values. I am finding more action and I feel that there is more honesty about those values outside of the Democratic Party in something like the DSA or other organizations. And that playing out in interesting ways, whether it's access to the Party database and VoteBuilder, endorsements in local party organizations, and so on and so forth. How will you be going about defining who is a Democrat, in ways that are consequential when it comes to running for office or advancing policy and the utilization of State Party resources? [00:25:52] Shasti Conrad: You have to be able to say that you're a Democrat, right? You have to be willing to identify as a Democrat in order for us to be able to share those resources. It's like any other kind of club or organization - you have to be willing to sit with us at the lunch table and say that you're willing to work with us to be able to do that. But I am clear that, particularly in urban areas in Seattle and King County in particular, that we as a Democratic Party - we have been losing out folks to alternative parties. You mentioned DSA, Working Families Party, the People's Party - we have been losing out. And particularly young people are finding that moving to some of these other parties is where they feel like they identify better, that they feel like they're being seen, that they feel like they're able to get more work done. And I think that's something that we have to address. We talk a lot about recruitment. We talk a lot about trying to get people to come into the Party. But I don't think we've spent enough time really talking about - what is the experience of being in the Party? It's the retention piece of it - it is the experience of when you come into a party organization - who are you being met by? Are our folks being welcoming? It's not a secret that a lot of our Party spaces are - it's mostly run by folks that are older, it's retired folks - because they have the time. And I value that work - so I've learned from so many of our elders, who have been organizing and doing this work since the '60s, right? And they have committed their lives to doing this. And that is something that I value and appreciate and respect. But you look at any kind of organization, company, brand - and if your workforce was all 65 and older, you would say - That's probably not a sustainable brand. We've got to figure something out. And so I think making room to create these intergenerational communities where younger people can see themselves - and not just as tokenized members, but as leaders. I'm the first woman of color in this role. And I'm also the youngest Chair - I'm under 40, and that makes me the youngest Chair in Washington State Party's history. And I think that I'm a marker of showing what - this next generation of leadership - that it's time. It's time for us to move into these roles and into - both in terms of the visibility, but also in just the change in perspective and the ways that we organize. And that's something that I think is - we're gonna have to show that. We do a lot of telling, but we're gonna have to really demonstrate that those changes are gonna happen. And that - particularly those younger folks that are choosing to go to other spaces, that they can see themselves in the work. Really quickly, I'll just say Maurice Mitchell, who's the head of the Working Families Party nationally, wrote a really beautiful article a couple months ago where he talked about what was needed for continuing the work in the progressive movement. And he talked about the need to be able to meet the moment, to build winning coalitions, and to bring joy into the work. And what I say to that is - I agree 100% - we are in alignment there. It's just maybe a little bit of a difference in tactics and in institutions. My sense is that the Democratic Party is what we have and what will be here, and that it needs to be built and transformed from within - to be able to meet the moment, to be able to build winning coalitions. And we've got to infuse it with more joy - to push back against the institutional burnout that is happening everywhere. And my hope is by doing that, folks will see that we, the Democratic Party, can also be a part of where they can do their organizing work. It can be a part of the coalitions that they want to be a part of, and that they'll see themselves as members of the Democratic Party, alongside maybe some of these other organizations. [00:29:49] Crystal Fincher: And following up on that - just because this has come up in so many different situations and circumstances here in Washington state, so you say - Okay, you need to be a member of the Party. Can someone align themselves with more than one party? If they say - Hey, I'm in DSA and I'm a Democrat? Do you feel that that counts as membership in the Democratic Party? Does it have to be exclusively the Democratic Party? I know some local party organizations have different approaches to this. What is the State Party approach? [00:30:21] Shasti Conrad: It is a case-by-case scenario. Again, as we talked about earlier, each of the party organizations have their own rules, their own sets of how they do things. And so I don't think that it's right for us, at the state, to go against what some of those different organizations have said. So it is case by case, but I will always just advocate that I want folks to feel proud to be a Democrat and so it is important - to be able to have access to resources and whatnot - that they are willing to say that and are willing to come and be a part of the work. And we have wonderful volunteers that are part of this Party that are doing great work. And I hope that folks who maybe have been a little bit wary of getting involved in the Party will just come and give it a try, and will see that it's a new day and folks are, I think, a bit more willing to work with people who come from different backgrounds and different perspectives. [00:31:17] Crystal Fincher: Definitely. And it is a very King County-centric issue to be having to negotiate through - Okay, we seem to be aligned on values, but this person says they're in the People's Party and we're Democrats - and working through that. But what has happened in situations where there is a clear lack of alignment, whether it be from people who are self-labeling themselves as Democrats - but who are predominantly supported by Republicans, or just officially endorsed by the Republican Party, have a history supporting and donating to Republicans. And that has been called out by your predecessor, Tina Podlodowski, in a few different situations - revoking access to the Party database, or preventing access to Party resources, and standing behind the refusal to endorse from several organizations. Do you anticipate that continuing? What's your approach to people who seem to be clearly misaligned, but who insist on calling themselves Democrats? [00:32:22] Shasti Conrad: Certainly, this is - probably at times I was somebody who was like - Hey, Tina, what do we do here? And maybe was pushing her in some ways on some of these issues. And now, as I'm in the role, I understand better what the challenges are - 'cause it's nuanced. To be able to set one policy that works for the entire state, it's difficult because the issues here in King County are - this person wants to organize with the Working Families Party, can they also be considered a Democrat? In other parts of the state, it's - No, this person is a full Republican, but we don't have any Democrats that are running. Can we endorse the Republican? And then we even had a case last year in King County where somebody was running as a Democrat who was on a - that was for a white supremacist rally. And those are our data we have to be so careful with. This is people's personal private data that we are responsible for, and so we have to be careful about how that is shared. And so that is something that I take very seriously. And I think that there's a lot more that we could be doing to ensure privacy and security for our candidates, for our elected officials, for our members, for our volunteers, and whatnot. And so these are things that I now think about when making these types of decisions - that it was easier when I wasn't in the catbird seat to be able to say - Hey, why can't we do X, Y, and Z? And it's - Now I'm on the inside, I get it. So these will be things that we'll get and review as they come up, but it is certainly a challenge and I think making sure that our folks are safe is the number one priority. [00:34:06] Crystal Fincher: That makes sense. There was - speaking of folks being safe - several notable instances of predominantly Black candidates and staff members of those Black candidates being targeted for violence and hostility during campaigns. Several of those instances made news, several more didn't - but certainly a concern among people who are volunteering and who are turning out in the Party apparatus to help their local and federal candidates. What is the Party's responsibility in keeping candidates safe, especially those candidates who have shown to be targeted at a higher rate than others? And what more can the Party do to address that? [00:34:50] Shasti Conrad: Absolutely, yeah. It's candidates - it's also their staff and their volunteers. We had a number of cases this last year where a Black campaign manager was targeted. We had volunteers who were followed and whatnot. Already, I've talked with members of our Black Caucus to say - Let's be proactive. 'Cause one of the things that I've heard quite a bit was - these things would happen, and then after the fact, there'd be some kind of - Okay, now what? But then action maybe wasn't taken. And we know that the environment that we are in right now is - it's very heightened. And that's particularly, it's even though that white hot light is even harder on people of color - we just know that particularly Black people. So I definitely want to be proactive in making sure that we have thought through safety and security plans as folks are starting to get back out on the campaign trail, that we have talked through what kind of security support we can provide. I think it's something that needs to be tackled by the ecosystem, so that's something that needs to be worked through with the caucuses as well - the House and the Senate - because they also support folks that are running for those seats. And working with the specific folks to make sure that this is something that they actually want. And yeah, I take it very seriously. And I think about it too - I'm a woman of color who - I live in south Snohomish County and I've got white supremacists in my neighborhood. And I know that feeling - both in terms of there's a physical threat, but there's also the psychological, the emotional, the mental, like all of that - of just knowing that these folks that are right here, who want to destroy what we believe in and want to hurt us, right? They see us as the enemy, so I take all of that very, very seriously. And I think that's something I would love to maybe come back - and if you can help me put together a group too - to talk through what that looks like and how we can build solid safety plans for our folks. [00:36:48] Crystal Fincher: Absolutely - have been involved in those conversations - happy to be helpful in any way I can. You talked about Marie Gluesenkamp Perez earlier who, in the Third Congressional District, won what was probably the biggest upset in the country last November - in winning her race over Joe Kent for the seat previously held by Jaime Herrera Beutler. What do you take away as lessons from that race, and how will Democrats be showing up in rural areas in your tenure? [00:37:18] Shasti Conrad: I think it was clear - we can't miss these opportunities. We can't take them for granted. We have to do the direct people-to-people organizing. And I think it's particularly true in rural communities, but I find that it's true also in communities of color where - in these places where they have often felt left behind, dismissed by the Democratic Party, we have to build trust - and it takes showing up, not just showing up only in the fall of an even year, but it takes showing up throughout the year, being there. And it's being neighborly. It's like - How are you? What do you need? What's going on in your life? It's asking and actually getting to know folks. Something a lot of people don't know about me, but I actually grew up on a farm. I grew up in a small town in Oregon. I grew up on a farm - we had ducks and chickens and sheep. My task as a small kid was to go get the eggs from the chicken coop every day, and I talked about this a lot as I was campaigning and whatnot. My grandmother really taught me how we would trade the chicken eggs with the neighbor down the street who had a beehive and we would get honey from them. And then you'd have the neighborly conversation of - Hey, how are you? How are the kids? You'd get to know - okay, if you wanted to meet up with so and so, the best time to see them was at church. Or everybody would go to the local Shari's and go after church. Or if you wanted to talk to Bob, you'd see him at the local pub on Wednesday nights - and that's where you would find these folks. And so getting to actually know them, talk to them - that it takes this people-to-people, conversation-by-conversation relationship building to be able to demonstrate that you are a real person who cares and wants to make their lives better. And because they know you, and you're saying - I believe that Marie Gluesenkamp Perez is gonna make the difference - then they'll trust you. And that just takes time. You have to operate at the speed of trust. And that's particularly true, I think, in rural communities - but I am finding that to be the case in the Latino community, in the tribal communities, Black community, Asian API community - this is true just with organizing and with people, but particularly with folks who have felt like they've been sold a bill of goods before by many politicians. So yeah, so I think this type of organizing is what matters. I just heard about - last week, there was a house party for Marie and 140 people showed up - and that's exciting. And in February of an even year - folks are excited - they want to help. They wanna make sure that we return Marie in two years and that she has the support. Marie held the first town hall that that district had had in years because Jaime Herrera Beutler wasn't doing town halls. And she's talking to people who didn't vote for her. And she's talking to people who didn't think that she would represent them. And she's demonstrating - no, I represent this whole district and I'm gonna show up - even if you're gonna tell me you don't like me, I'm here. And that is what we have to do. And it's gonna take several years probably for some of these districts to change, particularly in Central and Eastern Washington. But if we make the investment, we do the organizing work - we have to be ready for when an opportunity presents itself for us to get that and flip those seats. [00:40:38] Crystal Fincher: So I know we're right at the beginning of your tenure - you're just starting out, learning everything, getting your feet underneath you. But what might that look like operationally and in practice? Is that more satellite offices across the state and in rural areas? Is that hiring a different kind of organizer underneath a different kind of model? What can that look like? [00:40:59] Shasti Conrad: Everything costs money, and so I have to go raise the money to go make this happen. But my dream is to develop a organizing pipeline that is particular to rural communities, and maybe even developing an organizing fellowship at some of the rural colleges, community colleges throughout the state - where we can actually develop folks who come from the communities to get the right training, but then get hired into the organizing jobs - onto the Coordinated Campaign where we can actually keep them and support them so that they're not only there for a few months at a time, but actually are building these relationships over several years. And then when we have a Coordinated Campaign and that's over, that we have a place to be able to move those organizers - to go work with the unions and do union organizing when it's not high campaign season and then move them over to us, getting them into internship programs with different agencies and things like that. I benefited from the fact that I was a college student who graduated into Barack Obama running for president back in 2008. And had I not had those opportunities early in my life, early in my career - I would not be here today, I would have picked another job, I wouldn't have stayed in politics. But there were opportunities that presented themselves - and the mentors and people supporting me - and then one job turned into another and suddenly it's been 15+ years and here I am. And I just think that there's so many Shastis out there. There's so many folks, but they just haven't had the opportunity and the support. And like the rest of the country and so many other industries, young people are like - How am I gonna take care of myself? How am I gonna pay the bills? And if politics and working for a local government and whatnot doesn't pay the bills and those opportunities aren't there - they're gonna leave their home communities, and they're gonna take jobs with Amazon, or they're gonna take jobs that are steady paychecks, and we're gonna lose them for a generation. They're gonna - it's hard to get off those trains when you're on them. And so we've got to build those opportunities, and we've got to - one of the things that I'm really excited about potentially doing is I really wanna work with the youth councils on the reservations to really talk about job opportunities in the political sector - and running for office themselves - but also being a campaign manager, being an organizer, finding those opportunities. So that they can see that there's this whole other world of opportunities and jobs that could help them to stay in their own communities, but also take them around the world to work on other campaigns all over the place if they would like to. [00:43:42] Crystal Fincher: That makes sense. And thank you for spending all of this time with us, being generous with your time. As we begin to wrap up, I want to draw inward a little bit. We've talked about what the Party will be doing within the community and your approach to that. But I also wanna talk about staff, really - of the State Party, of campaigns, of Democratic electeds serving in office - and this conversation that we've been having, that's been evolving, about unionization, working conditions, supporting workers in that. We have lots of labor partners, as a Party entity, and alignments there. But there has been, frankly, a mixed reception from a lot of people when it comes to the unionization of campaign workers, for campaigns across the board - this is something that has certainly made it to legislative and congressional campaigns. There may be conversations about that in some local campaigns - we have seen a few instances of that. But also within the Party, legislative staffers just had a battle to get some of that kicked off. Do you think that campaign workers should be able to be represented by a union? And what guidance and examples are you providing for local electeds and other progressive organizations? [00:45:02] Shasti Conrad: 100%. I actually believe that the State Party - under Tina's leadership, to give credit where credit's due - was the first State Party to unionize. And that's not without its challenges, right? People have been figuring it out as they go - we've been building the plane as we flew it, and so I think that's been - some of the trying to find the right home for Campaign Workers Union, trying to work through the particular seasonal working issues that come with being on campaigns and whatnot. But I think it's incredibly important. I remember what it was like as a young person where I was in unpaid internships - I was certainly working way more than 40 hours a week at times on campaigns and didn't have much recourse of things were happening, where to go to. And so I think it's a vast improvement of where we were 10 years ago, 20 years ago - certainly the last couple of years. So yeah, I think we will certainly encourage the candidates that come through that they should unionize their staff, depending on the size, on all of that - but I think it's really important. I did the Pathway to Power program last year that's put on by the Washington State Labor Council and learned a lot about labor issues, but learned a lot also about - in the role of candidate or chair or whatnot, how to leave room for your staff and workers to be able to unionize and the ways to show support. But also that means sometimes taking a step back and allowing them to take the lead and not having - you now have to see yourself as a manager, and not putting yourself on both sides of the table and things like that. So there's things that we're still working through to have all of this stuff figure itself out, but I think it's incredibly important. I was excited to see that I believe the - nationally, I believe that the Democratic Congressional staffers unionized and I think here in Washington State, we're gonna continue to see those unionizing efforts happen in all parts of our ecosystem, and I think it's a really exciting thing. As I've been talking to labor union leaders - particularly the last few weeks, like I've just said - some of the best progressive wins of the last several years have been labor wins. And so we have to be good partners, and that includes unionizing efforts of our own staff, our own teams. [00:47:16] Crystal Fincher: Absolutely, completely agree. And thank you for spending this time with us today. We'll be following along as things progress and look forward to speaking with you again. Thanks so much, Shasti. [00:47:26] Shasti Conrad: Thank you so much - always a joy to see you and spend time with you. Thanks so much. [00:47:29] Crystal Fincher: Thank you for listening to Hacks & Wonks, which is co produced by Shannon Cheng and Bryce Cannatelli. You can follow Hacks & Wonks on Twitter @HacksWonks. You can catch Hacks & Wonks on iTunes, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts - just type "Hacks and Wonks" into the search bar. Be sure to subscribe to the podcast to get the full versions of our Friday almost-live shows and our midweek show delivered to your podcast feed. If you like us, leave a review wherever you listen. You can also get a full transcript of this episode and links to the resources referenced in the show at officialhacksandwonks.com and in the episode notes. Thanks for tuning in - talk to you next time.

130 years. That's how long it will take to achieve gender equity at the highest levels of global politics. Around the world, women are still less likely to be encouraged to run for public office at every level - this starts with what we tell young girls about what is possible and ultimately influences women's lack of confidence to step into the race. Erin Loos Cutraro founded She Should Run to give women from all walks of life the tools they need to run for public office. In this re-release from season one, Erin joins Kassia and Sabrina to talk about:• The double standards that women endure when running for public office• Why representation matters and what changes when women hold elected positions• How she manages to remain hopeful about the future of our democracyLike what you hear and want more? Sign up for our newsletter full of episode updates and resources on issues impacting women around the world. Breaking Glass is a production of Evoke Media, a nonprofit organi...

In this episode, we learn what motivated Robin Fulford to get Politically Fit. What steps she took to become an organizer and how her path changed along the way.Her steps to become a Precinct Chair. To level up and create the Democratic Club of the Woodlands, to now running for Texas Congressional District 2 against Dan Crenshaw.Join us as we discuss her difficult journey not only as a woman, but as a Democratic candidate in Texas.Hosted by Former Texas State Representative Gina Calanni.Find Robin here:Fulford for CongressTwitterFacebookInstagramTikTokDonate!Further Your Knowledge:Read: She Will Rise Watch: Long ShotWear: Robin GearSupport the show

Women make up more than half of the U.S. population, yet less than a third of the nation's elected leaders. It's not because they're not winning. It's because they're not running. And studies show that the gender gap in political ambition is just as big today as it was 20 years ago. Why, and how do we change that? Andy poses those questions to gender and politics researcher Jennifer Lawless and She Should Run founder Erin Loos Cutraro. Walk away from this interview with practical tips on how to run yourself or motivate your friend to turn that thought into an actual candidacy. Keep up with Andy on Twitter @ASlavitt. Follow Erin Loos Cutraro and Jennifer Lawless on Twitter @erinlooscutraro and @jenlawlessUVA. Joining Lemonada Premium is a great way to support our show and get bonus content. Subscribe today at bit.ly/lemonadapremium.    Support the show by checking out our sponsors! Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this show and all Lemonada shows: https://lemonadamedia.com/sponsors/    Check out these resources from today's episode:  Learn about She Should Run, a nonprofit that encourages women from all political leanings, ethnicities, sexual identities, and backgrounds to see themselves as future candidates: https://sheshouldrun.org/ Read Erin's article, “Is the Roe v. Wade news making you angry? You should run for office,” here: https://fortune.com/2022/05/04/roe-v-wade-news-women-abortion-angry-run-office-representation-politics-erin-loos-cutraro/ Check out Jennifer's research, “The Gender Gap in Political Ambition: Everything You Need to Know in 10 Charts,” here: https://thelawmakers.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Gender-Gap-in-Political-Ambitions_Report_Final-Jen-Lawless-2022-3-1.pdf Find vaccines, masks, testing, treatments, and other resources in your community here: https://www.covid.gov/ Order Andy's book, “Preventable: The Inside Story of How Leadership Failures, Politics, and Selfishness Doomed the U.S. Coronavirus Response,” here: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250770165  Stay up to date with us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia.  For additional resources, information, and a transcript of the episode, visit lemonadamedia.com/show/inthebubble. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Women Veterans ROCK On The Hill - The Podcast! is the Award-Winning Podcast for Today's Women Veterans and Military Families. Its New People, New Policies & Prose with Dynamic Women Leaders for Women On The Move! We are the Premier Civic, Business, and Nonprofit Leadership Community for Today's Women Veterans, Military Millennials and Generation Z Emerging Leaders. In today's episode of "She Should Run!" - You will meet - Ms. Mishon Montgomery, Program Director at She Should Run - in the great State of Nevada. This is a nonpartisan and nonprofit 501c3 organization that is dedicated to supporting women from all political leanings and backgrounds to see themselves as future candidates for public office. Learn about the many Pathways to Public Leadership - and - How To Prepare For Elected Office in today's exciting conversation. Also, visit www.SheShouldRun.org to get your very own "Starter Kit" and to support them with your donations too! Contact Us at www.WomenVetsRock.org to learn more about The Work & The Vision of The 2030 Commission For Women Veterans & Military Families. Subscribe Today and Stay Connected As A Member of "The Women Veterans ROCK Podcast Posse!" ABOUT THE HOST Deborah Harmon-Pugh is a recognized authority on Women's Leadership in America. She has dedicated the past two decades to assisting women advance into positions of influence by leveraging their expertise and leadership strengths. She is the creator of proven and powerful Leadership Development Programs that guide women to becoming leaders in Civic Leadership, Business Leadership, and Nonprofit Leadership. Professor Deborah Harmon-Pugh is the National Campaign Chair of Women Veterans ROCK; The Women Veterans Civic Leadership Institute; and The Women Veterans Public Policy Delegation To Capitol Hill. She teaches in the Graduate School of Studies at Chestnut Hill College and the Undergraduate School of Continuing Education and Professional Studies. Professor Deborah Harmon-Pugh is a retired Military Spouse of 27 years. ABOUT OUR SPONSOR Comcast NBCUniversal - We thank Comcast NBCUniversal for their support of Women Veterans, Military Families, and America's entire Military Community. For more information on how Comcast NBCUniversal is supporting the military community, visit the link below. www.corporate.comcast.com/values/military VISIT US & SUBSCRIBE TODAY Our Website Is: WomenVetsRock.org FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA Facebook: @WomenVeteransRock Twitter: @WomenVetsRock LinkedIn: @WomenVeteransRock Instagram: @WomenVetsRock YouTube: @WomenVetsRock

What does it mean to be a Ladyboss? Laura Caroon reflects that most women she knows are already leaders in some way, they just might not recognize it. She  shares about co-founding Ladyboss Midwest, which empowers and connects women leaders, and their upcoming FLOW retreat is this March. Additionally, Laura talks about her experience being elected to Moorhead city council and working with She Should Run, a nonprofit that helps give women the tools to run a successful political campaign. Register for Ladyboss Midwest's FLOW retreatChampion You Group Coaching

Cierra is a motivational speaker and fourth-generation female entrepreneur who is the co-owner of Cierra's Corner with her mother & owner of Cierra Jackson Consulting. Cierra's Corner is a 2nd generation women-owned business, established in 1994 specializing in women & children's apparel and pageant & evening wear. At Cierra Jackson Consulting, Cierra aids her clients by building their talents, skills, forge strong community partnerships, meaning platforms, and iconic brands that leave lasting impressions. Miss Jackson is a proud alumna of two women's colleges, Spelman College and Yale University's Women's Campaign School and is the fourth of, now, eight women in her family to attend Spelman College. She is also a third-generation HBCU (Historically Black College & University) Graduate. Selected as both a White House and Capitol Hill intern, Cierra served as the only White House intern in her class to serve the Chief of Staff's office during the Obama Administration. Cierra is also an accomplished singer who has not only worked in the White House, but has performed there, too. Cierra, who has also served as a TV host, has been featured in Cosmopolitan, Essence, MSNBC, Washington Post, Bossip, People and on First Lady Obama's Instagram and service campaigns. Cierra was crowned in the Bahamas and proudly reigns as the current Miss Black International Ambassador. She has also previously reigned as: Miss Phi Beta Sigma of the Chi Chapter at Morehouse College, having won as a Freshmen having only been on campus for 2 months In the Miss America Organization, she reigned as: Miss Brookhaven, Georgia, where she placed in the Top 12 at Miss Georgia Miss Rome, Georgia, where she became the First African American Miss Rome Miss Columbus, Georgia, her hometown pageant and her first time Winning a Local Title & Competing at a State Competition with Natural Hair Miss District of Columbia, where she won the Swimsuit Competition at Miss America, became First Miss District of Columbia to Win title with Natural Hair, trended online for competing with Natural Hair and became the First woman to compete with an Afro at Miss America. She was also crowned: Miss District of Columbia USA in the Miss Universe Organization, where she placed Top 15 at Miss USA, became the First Woman to Win the DC Miss America & Miss USA titles, individually & conjunctly with Natural Hair and became the Longest Reigning Miss District of Columbia USA Cierra has also served as an ambassador for two nonprofits, Running Start and She Should Run, where she encouraged and trained young women from all over the nation (and even in Iceland!) to run for political office. Cierra founded, It's Her Power, which aims to encourage women and girls to redefine leadership, especially as politicians, and men to use their power to advocate for the advancement of women and girls.Through It's Her Power, Cierra leads unique programing like the It's Her Power Conference & I am Royal Tea, an exclusive invite-only event honoring leadership, excellence, performing arts & the value of community. You can attend these upcoming events and more this Fall! For more information about Cierra and her community efforts visit CierraJackson.com or follow @CierraDJackson @ItsHerPower @IAmRoyalTea @Cierras_Corner and @CierraJacksonConsulting all on Instagram. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/pageantsandprosecco/support

This episode is a collaboration between A Matter Of Degrees and the Gimlet podcast How To Save A Planet.Take a look at many of the spaces where climate-related decisions are being made — from government to business to media — and you'll notice a numbers problem. Despite being roughly half the people on the planet, women rarely have equal representation in critical climate decision-making spaces. This isn't just bad for women. It's bad for everyone. In this episode, Dr. Katharine Wilkinson (our host and Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson (host of Spotify's How To Save A Planet)  take a deep dive into the data behind this idea. They speak with two sociologists about how gender inequality in climate leadership can deepen the harmful impacts of climate change, and also hinder policy changes. They also speak with someone who has seen firsthand how women can transform an entire nation when they lead on climate.This episode features Dr. Christina Ergas, Anne Karpf, and Wanjira Mathai.Resources:We Do's Gender Climate TrackerEmily's List (an organization that helps Democratic women and non-binary people run for office)Higher Heights (invests in Black women's leadership)She The People (focused on helping women of color run for office)Matriarch (focused on helping progressive women run for office)She Should Run (helps women regardless of political affiliation)Global Witness (organization that assists environmental defenders)Follow our co-hosts and production team:Leah StokesKatharine WilkinsonStephen LaceyJaime KaiserDalvin AboagyeA Matter of Degrees is a production of Post Script Audio. For more episodes, visit our website.

Cierra Jackson is a political and Pageant Queen POWERHOUSE. When we recorded this episode in the winter of the Pandemic, she was Miss DC USA. Since then, she has officially become the longest reigning Miss DC USA in the history of the pageant. She crowned the new Miss DC and has now become the new Miss Black International Ambassador!! She's a model, an entrepreneur, has an online jewelry business which you can check out at @cierras_corner. She started a program called She Should Run which encourages and equips women with the tools needed to run for political office. She worked in the White House during the Obama Administration, is a Spelman grad, has a consulting business, was Miss DC in the Miss America Organization, and is an overall gem of a human being! Watching her on that Miss USA stage with her natural hair is nothing short of inspiring. During this interview, Cierra talks about showing up as the Black woman she is in very corporate spaces. Follow Cierra Jackson on IG @cierradjackson and her website at www.cierrajackson.com. Follow host, Salisha Thomas at @salisha and www.salishathomas.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In Advice for You[th], we get to ask our friends to share their words of wisdom for our community, and create a space for intergenerational conversations. Last season, our Advice for You[th] episode featured Rhea Wolfram, a 101-year-old lifelong educator. For today’s, we’re joined by Alyia Gaskins—a candidate for city council in Alexandria, Virginia—who talks with Jade Walker from Gen Z Girl Gang about the road to running for leadership at the local level with the help of our friends at She Should Run.

Doesn't matter if you are a Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, Independent, or Whosie Whatsit....This one is for you! This week on Lady Wave we tackle the often-controversial topic of why representation matters for women no matter your party lines. Women make up nearly 51% of the population and and yet we hold an abysmally low number of positions in our government. We have to change this! But how? Well, women supporting women running for office is a good start and we are gonna chat all about it. We also deliver you a Heat Wave that doubles down on the importance of representation in power positions...think free period products for all brought to you by none other than a badass female leader! Now if that doesn't get you going, we don't know what will. #ladywave

A decade ago, Erin Loos Cutraro founded She Should Run, a nonpartisan nonprofit encouraging women from all walks of life to run for public office. Today, her work is even more relevant and timely than ever before. Erin shares the great strides we have made as a nation to lift up women to public office, the long way we have yet to go to achieve equity and representation in our government, and why it all matters so much. 

Ohio has enacted a new law requiring the tissue from all medical abortions to be buried or cremated in a “dignified” and “humane” fashion. This is the latest in a wave of abortion punishment provisions (A.P.P.’s) making it into the law books in the USA. We’re not down with A.P.P. We’re not down with it at all. Sources: https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/532259-ohio-governor-signs-bill-requiring-women-to-choose-burial-or-cremation https://radio.wosu.org/post/2019-ohio-passed-its-most-restrictive-abortion-law-modern-history https://www.google.com/amp/s/fortune.com/2019/05/31/states-that-passed-heartbeat-bill/amp/ https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.clermontsun.com/2019/08/14/uecker-resigns-from-state-senate-to-go-to-work-for-odot/amp Fetus burial statute: https://www.legislature.ohio.gov/legislation/legislation-summary?id=GA133-SB-27 https://search-prod.lis.state.oh.us/solarapi/v1/general_assembly_133/bills/sb27/EN/05?format=pdf Here are some places you can send your support if you stand for the protection of women’s health and bodily autonomy: NARAL: www.prochoiceamerica.org Planned Parenthood: www.plannedparenthood.org ACLU: www.aclu.org Also, you can run for office, and there are sites that can help you get started even if you don’t know a thing about how to do it! National Democratic training committee: https://traindemocrats.org She Should Run: https://www.sheshouldrun.org They just so happened to talk about this on the latest episode of Thank God I’m Atheist: https://www.spreaker.com/user/tgiatheist/tgia-474 Lombardo video: https://youtu.be/B-msjutwzPg Kathy Griffin is fighting a lawsuit brought by the obnoxious smirking kid from Covington Catholic High School, who says Griffin tried to dox him on twitter: https://www.courthousenews.com/high-schoolers-accuse-comedian-kathy-griffin-of-harassment/ https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/kathy-griffin-beats-lawsuit-attempted-doxing-teenagers-1289717 ******* www.habeashumor.com Habeas Humor logo by Annie Moor Learn about becoming a Habeas Humor patron at www.patreon.com/habehumor Make a one-time contribution to Habeas Humor at paypal.me/habehumor Check out our Sub Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/habhumor/ Subscribe to Habeas Humor on iTunes: https://itun.es/us/sms5hb.c Subscribe on Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/habeas-humor Google Play: https://play.google.com/music/listen?u=0#/ps/Ix4wxwinddfzxkzhlmgxajgkuie Email the show: HabeHumor@gmail.com Twitter: @habeashumor Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/habeashumor/ Please note that this podcast is for entertainment only and does not constitute legal advice or form an attorney-client relationship. All Rights Reserved

Regina searches for the true story behind a sexist remark. Show notes: 00:40 - This is Geraldine Ferraro's Wikipedia page. 0:52 - And this is Walter Mondale's. 01:21 - This episode published on November 4, 2020, which is election day in the United States for the 2020 Presidential election. 01:31 - The 2020 Democratic National Convention kicked off on August 17, 2020. It was technically in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, but because of the Coronavirus pandemic it was a mostly virtual event. 03:15 - Edit desk: Shades of sexism, published April 30, 2017, is the piece of Emily's that I am referring to. 04:05 - hereGeraldine Ferraro's full acceptance speech 04:30 - Walter Mondale's full acceptance speech 06:10 - Kamala Harris Tests America’s Relationship to Women in Power, published in The New York Times on August 19, 2020 06:57 - In 1992, Hillary Clinton got in some trouble for implying she didn't want to "stay home and bake cookies" and as a result ended up in a bake-off with Barbara Bush. She won, apparently due to using shortening instead of butter. 07:56 - Prematurely mentioned obituary in The Economist. 12:04 - Tom Brokaw was accused of sexual misconduct in April 2018. Here is an Opinions piece in The Washington Post that his former colleague wrote about the experience. 13:41 - The Vanderbilt Television News Archive. 15:56 - "The Lady Is a Pol," by Marie Brenner for New York Magazine's July 1984 issue. 17:07 - "out of sight of the cameras, her feet began doing a secret minuet, an odd, pigeon-toed dance. Her size 7 ½’s were sheathed..." 17:51 - "The Rise of Geraldine Ferraro," written by Elisabeth Bumiller and published by The Washington Poston April 29, 1984 19:05 - Here are the details for Caroline's article, published in 2015. 20:46 - Some of the great research Caroline is referencing can be found in these research study results from Celinda Lake for Name It Change It with the Women's Media Canter and She Should Run. 23:07 - "Cosmetic Coverage," by Jennifer L Pozner 24:47 - The Representation Project. 34:39 - Check out our patreon to sign up and get access to Overunderstood as well as our Discord channel!

At 2:00 We set up the show. At 3:42 Kathy is tasked to come up with “witty banter” to start the show. At 5:37 Kathy tells us that she is a former “Girls Stater”. At 7:45 We set up the interview and the last time Kathy saw Jess and Sarah. At 9:37 We intro our 4 guests. At 11:00 We talk to Sarah and Jess about Empowerun. At 12:27 Erin tells us about She Should Run. At 13:09 We bring in Pamela to talk about Prinkshop. At 14:08 Pamela tells us how the collaboration with Saucony and She Should Run came about and more information about Prinkshop. At 15:54 Pamela talks about why She should ru was a good fit for the Colab. At 17:05 Erin talks about women running for office. At 19:57 We talk about the possibility of Wendy Davis moment for Saucony. At 20:45 Sarah and Jess talk about how they were able to get this moved forward with Saucony. At 24:00 we talk about the Hero logo for the colab. At 26:00 we talk about the timing of the launch of the colab. At 28:15 How do you run for a political position? At 31:38 Erin talks about how many women are in elected offices. At 33:00 We ask the question if there are less barriers for women now to run for office. At 34:47 How do we get women to believe that “if you care, you are qualified”. At 36:31 Pamela comments on where we are as a society on some of the issues she is trying to push forward. At 38:07 We talk about the feedback from Saucony and others from the project. At 39:27 Erin and Pamela talk about their personal experience running/walking in the shoes. At 40:56 Jess talks about Saucony's “Shop for a Cause”. At 42:04 We close out with our guests. At 43:23 We come back and quickly recap the conversation. At 46:50 We talk about Run Jam. At 49:31 We close out the show.

What does it mean to Dream Beyond™? At YTTP, we’re always asking this—especially as we gear up for a U.S. general election in which record-breaking numbers of women are running for office. In episode 03 of To The People, we’re highlighting a few members of the YTTP fam who are working to build up other women + femmes, increase their representation, and ensure their equitable futures. Get ready to meet American aesthetics pioneer Eva Friederichs through her grandsons and YTTP co-founders Greg Gonzalez and Joe Cloyes; Deja Foxx, founder of GenZ Girl Gang; and Erin Loos Cutraro, founder of She Should Run. To The People Podcast is a production of YTTP Studios. Find us online at @youthtothepeople or youthtothepeople.com. You can learn more about GenZ Girl Gang at genzgirlgang.com—and follow Deja online at @dejafoxx. For information and to get involved with She Should Run, one of YTTP’s voting partners, visit sheshouldrun.org. This episode was hosted by Alyssa Shapiro, co-produced by Manna Zel + Alyssa Shapiro, and edited by Manna Zel.

Erin Loos Cutraro is the Founder and CEO of She Should Run, a nonpartisan nonprofit promoting leadership and encouraging women from all walks of life to run for public office. Since its founding in 2011, more than 26,000 women have been encouraged to run for office through She Should Run’s efforts, and over 18,000 women have indicated they are preparing for a future through She Should Run’s flagship program, the Incubator. Erin has an extensive background in designing and implementing strategic programs for companies, campaigns, and organizations that traverse the public policy, nonprofit, and financial business arenas. She is a respected voice on gender equality in elected leadership. She has been featured in the New York Times, The Washington Post, NBC News, Vice News and was profiled in 2019 as one of Entrepreneur magazine’s 100 Powerful Women. @sheshouldrun www.sheshouldrun.org --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/twisted-times/message

Kimmy and Liza are joined by OLIVIA and her (drumroll...) BOYFRIEND, Tom. They discuss Olivia and Tom's relationship and how it came to be in the midst of Covid. They also share some ways they're taking action before the election, Links to some of the resources - Get Mitch or Die Trying: https://votesaveamerica.com/donate/. Immediate Impact Fund: https://swingleft.org/p/immediate-impact. Vote Forward: https://votefwd.org/. She Should Run: https://www.sheshouldrun.org/. The Cut Article that Kimmy mentioned: https://www.thecut.com/2020/09/the-cut-podcast-emily-ratajkowski-wants-her-pictures-back.html. Follow us @51FirstDates on Instagram! Send your worst first date stories to 51firstdatespod@gmail.com. And don't forget to join our secret Facebook group! Check out our bonus episodes and other exclusive content on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/join/51firstdatespod. We're in the top 15 podcasts on Feedspot!

Erin Loos Cutraro, founder of She Should Run, tells WSJ's Veronica Dagher what prevents women from running for elected office and how she's working to change that.

Happy Monday! For this week we wanted to do a trending topics round up, and we're talking everything from Kanye to Taylor Swift to the late Honorable John Lewis. We give you our thoughts on Kanye's twitter rant and Sunday service, best songs on Folklore, and the legacy of Rep. John Lewis & how voting ties into that. Appetizers: Patreon, Unfold REGISTER TO VOTE TODAY: https://vote.gov/ TAKE ACTION IN YOUR COMMUNITY: https://www.whenweallvote.org/takeaction/ Learn more about the Voting Rights Advancement Act: https://www.hrc.org/resources/voting-rights-advancement-act Stream John Lewis: Good Trouble the documentary: https://www.johnlewisgoodtrouble.com/ Check out these organizations: EMILY's List, She Should Run, The Dissenters (podcast) Episode ideas, comments, or thoughts? Catch up with us on Instagram or join our new Facebook group! Don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe! Business inquiries: notyouravgbs@gmail.com

Adrianne Wright is the Founder and CEO of Rosie, a boutique storytelling agency for non-profits, people and brands doing good in the world. Her extensive portfolio includes organizations such as She Should Run, ParentChild+, Time's Up, She's the First, Clove and Patagonia. Adrianne is also the Co-Founder of I Will Not Be Quiet, a NYC-based activism group that brings women together in intimate talking circles to learn about issues and policies and take action. Adrianne is a passionate advocate for building power for women of color, and supporting spaces that provide a voice for the underrepresented. Adrianne lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her husband, Daniel and two-year-old daughter, Lily.   In This Episode We Talk About: How to be an activist and actually make change. The first step you can take to help. We talk about politics! Listen to what we have to say about the presidential candidates. Her tips on how to have conversations with people who don't share the same views. Show Notes: I Will Not Be Quiet Website I Will Not Be Quiet Instagram Think Rosie Website Think Rosie Instagram Adrianne Wright Instagram Connect with Awaken and Align: If you enjoyed the podcast and you feel called, please share it and tag me! Subscribe, rate and review the show wherever you get your podcasts. Your rating and review help more people discover it! Follow on Instagram @awakenandalign and let me know your favorite guests, lessons or any show requests.

Oh yeah, Climate Crisis. But I can't leave my house! How do I be a climate warrior when I'm overwhelmed with uncertainties and isolation problems? Today I chat with Callee Ackland of the Hippie Haven Podcast about finding the balance in this new and ever-changing time of global pandemic, a refresher on the climate crisis, and how this time of global shut down could be our chance to revolutionize the direction the world is going in and make significant changes, all from the comfort (or whatever) of your own home. Callee's Podcast: https://hippiehavenpodcast.com/ She Should Run: https://www.sheshouldrun.org/ Polly Barks: https://pollybarks.com/ Hippie Haven Episodes with Polly https://hippiehavenpodcast.com/hhp002-green-indy-blog/ https://hippiehavenpodcast.com/how-to-make-a-difference-in-your-community-hippie-haven-podcst-052/ The Urban Worm Company https://urbanwormcompany.com/ @Wormologist https://www.instagram.com/wormologist/?hl=en Book – The Year Round Vegetable Gardener #Food Sovereignty New episodes every Sunday! You can find the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Anchor, Overcast and more. Support the podcast at https://ko-fi.com/elsbethcallaghan Contact us at practicallyzerowaste@gmail.com Instagram @practicallyzerowastepod @elsbethcallaghan Facebook Practically Zero Waste Podcast --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/practicallyzerowaste/message

Adrianne Wright is the Founder and CEO of Rosie. Her portfolio includes She Should Run, the Time’s Up Campaign, ParentChild+, Colugo, Air Liquide, Change.org, Get Schooled, and Everytown for Gun Safety. She is also the Co-Founder of I Will Not Be Quiet, a community group that creates a sacred space for women to learn about the political and social issues that impact their lives. Prior to Rosie, Adrianne began her career at Viacom, promoting the launch of The Hills and the MTV Video Music Awards to international audiences. She went on to build and scale communications programs at a number of start-ups, from car2go and Venmo to WorkMarket.  Adrianne joins Kristen Hall, COO of Mother Honestly, to discuss her experience being let go from her corporate job while on maternity leave and how she navigated the legal experience with a newborn. She shares how this experience shaped her creation of Rosie and the resources available to women going through their own tough challenges. Learn more about Adrianne Wright and Rosie by visiting https://think-rosie.com/  following @think.rosie  The Mother Honestly podcast is sponsored by Motor City Woman.  

What does "following your dreams" ACTUALLY look like? In this very special episode of the WANTcast, we celebrate WANT's five year anniversary by diving into the full, unedited story of how it got started...the FIRST time around, in 2007. We'll dive into how to handle fear, how to communicate a mission responsibly, honoring gut inklings and intuition, how to self-talk yourself into taking the first step, and how your heart never really forgets your dreams...so it's important you dream wisely.   SHOW NOTES: The Recovery Myth series on WANT Through Line episode on the WANTcast Marie Forleo Brené Brown's Vulnerability TED Talk Website Instagram Leave a review on iTunes! Subscribe to The (Good) Word, delivered to your inbox on or around the 1st and 15th of each month     This episode is in support of She Should Run, a nonpartisan nonprofit promoting leadership and encouraging women from all walks of life to run for office. By encouraging more women to run, She Should Run is building a more effective and representative government that can meet the challenges of the 21st century. To get involved or donate, visit sheshouldrun.org by clicking here.

Struggling with self-love and body image? This episode is about how to get clear on how you *actually* feel, so that you can start to build a healthy relationship with the skin you're in.   SHOW NOTES:  Website Instagram Leave a review on iTunes! Subscribe to The (Good) Word, delivered to your inbox on or around the 1st and 15th of each month     This episode is in support of She Should Run, a nonpartisan nonprofit promoting leadership and encouraging women from all walks of life to run for office. By encouraging more women to run, She Should Run is building a more effective and representative government that can meet the challenges of the 21st century. To get involved or donate, visit sheshouldrun.org by clicking here.

It's the most-used WANT exercise for a reason: it's unexpected but it WORKS. Going through a major life transition, had a stressful month, or just wanting to take preventative measures to ensure you don't have a *complete* meltdown when it all eventually feels like too much? You might be in need of a Planned Freak-Out. In this episode we'll talk about the origin story of the PFO, why it's so different than any other goal-setting or self-reflection exercise you've done, and we'll break down how to set yourself up for success in your own structured breakdown. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ SHOW NOTES:  Website Instagram Leave a review on iTunes! Subscribe to The (Good) Word, delivered to your inbox on or around the 1st and 15th of each month ~~~~~~~~~   This episode is in support of She Should Run, a nonpartisan nonprofit promoting leadership and encouraging women from all walks of life to run for office. By encouraging more women to run, She Should Run is building a more effective and representative government that can meet the challenges of the 21st century. To get involved or donate, visit sheshouldrun.org by clicking here.

Doesn’t it sound sexy to say what you’re “leaving behind” in the new year? To make a list of what you’re going to stop doing in 2020? But it’s not that simple. 80% of us fall short on our goals in just a few weeks and use that hiccup to completely lose momentum. In this episode, we'll dive into two simple but deceptively impactful exercises to do at the start of the new decade: one to help you reflect on how far you've come (and make peace with former aspects of yourself you might be ashamed of), and one to help usher you into a brand new year (or ten). ~~~~~~~~~ Show Notes: Read the post for the formula HERE on WANT Website Instagram Leave a review on iTunes! Subscribe to The (Good) Word, delivered to your inbox on or around the 1st and 15th of each month ~~~~~~~~~   This episode is in support of She Should Run, a nonpartisan nonprofit promoting leadership and encouraging women from all walks of life to run for office. By encouraging more women to run, She Should Run is building a more effective and representative government that can meet the challenges of the 21st century. To get involved or donate, visit sheshouldrun.org by clicking here.

Adrianne Wright is the Founder + CEO of Rosie and mama to one little. Her portfolio includes She Should Run, the Time’s Up Campaign, ParentChild+, Colugo, Air Liquide, Change.org, Get Schooled, and Everytown for Gun Safety. She is also the Co-Founder of I Will Not Be Quiet, a community group that creates a sacred space for women to learn about the political and social issues that impact their lives. Prior to Rosie, Adrianne began her career at Viacom, promoting the launch of The Hills and the MTV Video Music Awards to international audiences. She went on to build and scale communications programs at a number of start-ups, from car2go and Venmo to WorkMarket.

Hosted by Carol Massar and Jason Kelly. Featuring highlights from the latest issue of Bloomberg Businessweek: -Alessandro Bogliolo, Tiffany CEO -Al Kelly, Visa CEO -Boris Jordan, Curaleaf Chairman -Erin Loos Cutraro explains ’She Should Run’

Bloomberg News Auto Reporter Keith Naughton and Rebecca Lindland, Founder of Rebecca Drives.com, discuss Ford's electric Mustang challenge to Tesla. Bloomberg News International Economics & Policy Correspondent Michael McKee interviews Boston Federal Reserve President Eric Rosengren. Erin Loos Cutraro, CEO of She Should Run, talks about the pipeline for more women to enter politics. Bloomberg News Managing Editor of Energy & Commodities Tina Davis walks through Saudi Arabia cutting Aramco's valuation. And we Drive to the Close with Margie Patel, Senior Portfolio Manager at Wells Fargo Asset Management. Hosts: Carol Massar and Jason Kelly. Producer: Doni Holloway. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

Bloomberg News Auto Reporter Keith Naughton and Rebecca Lindland, Founder of Rebecca Drives.com, discuss Ford's electric Mustang challenge to Tesla. Bloomberg News International Economics & Policy Correspondent Michael McKee interviews Boston Federal Reserve President Eric Rosengren. Erin Loos Cutraro, CEO of She Should Run, talks about the pipeline for more women to enter politics. Bloomberg News Managing Editor of Energy & Commodities Tina Davis walks through Saudi Arabia cutting Aramco’s valuation. And we Drive to the Close with Margie Patel, Senior Portfolio Manager at Wells Fargo Asset Management. Hosts: Carol Massar and Jason Kelly. Producer: Doni Holloway.

Erin Loos Cutraro has a vision some may describe as bold, but actually, it should be our reality: half of the people running for office should be women (and spoiler alert: women who run win at the same rates as men!). But often, starting when we’re little girls, women don’t see themselves as qualified leaders, or feel they don’t have enough experience, connections, or time to jump into the political arena. Erin is passionate about removing those perceived obstacles and clearing the path for more women to run for office—starting at the all-important local level (did you know 99% of elected offices are at the local level?). Erin launched She Should Run, a nonpartisan organization that encourages and equips women from all walks of life to run for office. Erin and Jen talk about why it’s so important to have policymakers with diverse experiences and backgrounds, and how we can start small by getting to know our local officials. Erin believes women participating in government is the key to solving systemic issues in our neighborhoods and our nation, which lifts up everyone. If you’ve ever thought you could bring a fresh perspective to the political landscape where you live and beyond, Erin’s here to tell you: you should—and can—run!

No matter where you live, your voter status, or how informed you may or may not feel, we've crafted an audio primer on the biggest issues at stake this Election Day and how you can take action and implement change this Midterms election. Stay tuned throughout the episode to hear from Gina Oritz-Jones, Vangie Williams, Catalina Cruz, and Katie Hill. Plus, we get a visit from founder of She Should Run, Erin Loos Cutraro, who gives us some word on advice for carrying the spirit of change far past November 6, no matter the outcome.To follow and support She Should Run, please visit their website or follow them on Twitter and Instagram @sheshouldrun.And to learn more about the candidates we featured, please be sure to check out their campaign sites below: Catalina Cruz: cruzfornewyork.comVangie Williams: vangieforcongress.com Gina Ortiz Jones: ginaortizjones.comKatie Hill: katiehillforcongress.com See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On Episode 5, we cure our political fatigue with an interview with Elizabeth Fiedler, a progressive Democrat running for a seat in the PA House. We also chat about wage equity laws, salary negotiations, and why you—yes, you—should run for office. If you’re anything like us, you’re tired as hell of what’s happening in politics: corruption, sexism, and misogyny are on full display. Immigrants are under attack, reproductive rights are under attack, environmental protections are under attack. The list could go on. But despite it all, we’re not about to sit and sulk. Instead, we want to talk about the legislation and candidates we’re excited about—because we could all use some hope right now. > So many of us are held back just by that feeling that like, “Hmm, maybe there’s someone else out there who is more qualified. Maybe there’s someone else who would be better at this.” And in some cases: sure, there is. In many cases, there is not. It’s us! We’re the ones. > —Elizabeth Fiedler, Candidate for PA House District 184 Here’s what’s on the docket in Episode 5: Hey employers: pay up First up, we talk about one of our favorite topics: getting paid—fairly. Here in Philly, we’re upset about more delays on our first wage equity ordinance, which would bar prospective employers from asking about your past salary (which is one of the major ways employers justify continuing to underpay workers from marginalized groups). The law was supposed to take effect in January, but the Chamber of Commerce filed suit—again. Their first lawsuit, last summer, was thrown out for lack of evidence that it would harm businesses. But wage equity laws are coming. California’s went into effect in January, and a bunch more are cropping up all over. And when an economy the size of California makes a law, it tends to have a ripple effect. Now some big employers are announcing that they won’t ask for past pay info, either. While we’re on the topic of compensation, we also chat about how to negotiate those challenging money conversations—and how to avoid getting backed into a corner (or in Katel’s case, a phone booth) to accept an offer that’s not up to snuff. Elect. More. Women. Next on the show, we talk with Elizabeth Fiedler, a candidate in May’s primary for a seat in the PA House, representing the 184th District. That’s the heart of South Philly, where Sara and Jenn both live. Lizz took a break from knocking doors (literally—she is always out there knocking doors) to talk with us about her run. We cover: Showing up at campaign events with an infant strapped to your body. How much we need single-payer healthcare in Pennsylvania—and everywhere. Wearing blue blazers and real pants. Like, without stretch. How to know if you should run for office (hint: if you’re thinking about it, you probably should do it). We love Lizz. Here’s where to get all the deets on her campaign: Campaign website Facebook Twitter Seriously though: Let’s elect some women. After chatting with Lizz, we look at the stats for elected officials in Pennsylvania. It’s not great. We’re ranked 49th in the nation for having women in office. Here are the facts: Pennsylvania has never sent a woman to the US Senate. It’s never had a woman governor. We currently have ZERO women elected to the US House—out of 18 representatives! Only 19% of the Pennsylvania Legislature is made up of women. But good news: women all over are fed up, and a record number are running for office in 2018. Rebecca Traister had a great article about it in The Cut last month. Plus, we’re super excited about folks like Danica Roem, who won a seat in the Virginia Assembly last November, becoming the first openly transgender person to be elected to a state legislature. Finally, we talk about organizations dedicated to getting more women on the ballot, like Emily’s List and She Should Run. Know a woman who’d be great in office? You probably do. Tell her you think she should run. Sponsors This episode of NYG is brought to you by: Shopify, a leading global commerce platform that’s building a diverse, intelligent, and motivated team—and they  want to apply to you. Visit shopify.com/careers to see what they’re talking about. _WordPress—the place to build your personal blog, business site, or anything else you want on the web. WordPress helps others find you, remember you, and connect with you. _ Transcript [Ad spot] Sara Wachter-Boettcher This episode of No, You Go is brought to you by our friends at Shopify. No, literally. Because so many of the coolest designers, writers, and developers that I know have all recently joined their team. Shopify’s mission is to make commerce better for everyone, and they’re hiring more awesome people—people like you!—to help. Join a diverse, intelligent, and motivated team, and work on the leading global commerce platform for entrepreneurs. Visit shopify.com/careers to see what they’re all about [music fades in]. Jenn Lukas Hey! Welcome to No, You Go, the show about being ambitious—and sticking together. I’m Jenn Lukas. Katel LeDû I’m Katel LeDû. SWB And I’m Sara Wachter-Boettcher. KL On today’s show we’re talking about politics, and why it’s so important to have representatives that, well, represent us. We’ll also be joined by Elizabeth Fiedler who went from public radio reporter to candidate for the Pennsylvania legislature. Lizz took a break from knocking on doors and calling donors to tell us all about her life as a first-time political candidate, a mom, and a badass woman. But before we meet Lizz, let’s talk about just one of the many ways that professional is political: money. SWB Katel, Jenn, have you all heard the latest on Philly’s wage equity legislation? It was supposed to go into effect in January, but it’s been pushed back again because of lawsuits from the Chamber of Commerce. And I’m getting super frustrated by this, because I’ve been so excited to see it happen. The legislation is actually designed to prevent employers or prospective employers from asking you about your salary history when you’re in the interview process. And it’s meant to help close the pay gap by prevent people from kind of keeping salaries articifilally low. Right, because so often women and people of of color, and particularly women of color, go into these interview processes and are asked or demanded to share what their prior salary history was, and they end up unable to catch up to their peers, even when they change jobs. So this legislation is supposed to stop that. And it was signed like, a year ago, but it hasn’t been enacted yet because of these ongoing lawsuits. So at this point, I’m starting to get super frustrated. JL I think there was something similar in California. SWB Yeah so I was actually reading that there was some disappointment that Philly didn’t get to be the first in the nation to enact the law because the lawsuit slowed everything down. Because it was supposed to be first but California very quickly thereafter enacted very similar legislation that also ended up going into effect in January and what’s amazing about the California legislation is that, as you might be aware, California has kind of a massive economy and so so many big companies are headquartered there and that means that they hold a lot of sway over how business is done in general in this country. And so what we’re now seeing is all of these big companies, and especially tech companies, which I think is important to a lot of our listeners, are starting to change their policies whether or not somebody is in California. So I was just reading that Amazon has announced, for example, that it’s not going to ask people about salary history during the application process, no matter where it is that you might be working for Amazon because, you know, if you are starting to compete against companies that can’t ask those kinds of questions, it starts to make sense to kind of go with the flow. And so I hope a lot more companies go with this particular flow. JL Yeah, I love this. I mean it’s so often that we can caught in this trap, right? Where you start a job, whether it’s out of school or later on in your career, and you take the starting salary or what they’re offering you and then how do you build up from that? Right? So if people are constantly asking you what you do. I mean so it’s not even one: how do you get a raise at your own job? But then even if you’re leaving, how do you make a significant leap in pay if someone’s asking you what you’re currently making, even though you currently could be way underpaid for your skills and talent. KL It’s so problematic to think about because, you know, in my career — I feel like I’m, you know, pretty well established and I think back to points in time where I’ve tried to negotiate for a raise or make some kind of move with my pay and I feel like I’ve had that latitude. And I think about not feeling empowered to do that and being really trapped by just the last thing that was on your resume and, you know, just in your salary history — that just feels like such a — it’s like so blocking. JL Yeah. I mean you start a job and you’re working there and you work really hard and then, you know, you expect a raise to some extent but then what do you do once you’ve gone way beyond the capacity of your job? Right? And we have this problem where often we’re like, “Ok, well we’ll give you a percentage raise.” But three to six percent on top of your current salary, if it’s a low salary and not as justified for what you should be making, isn’t going to get you to where you need to be. And then sometimes I’ve seen companies — well it’s like, “Ok we’ll bump that up to ten percent.” But percentage-based raises are always really tough. And so then what do you do? I mean you start looking for another job, and then you’re looking for another job, and you’re still stuck. [5:10] SWB Yeah. I mean I remember earlier in my career getting trapped in these kinds of conversations where I would be going from — kind of, you know, individual contributor roles where I was responsible a pretty narrow slice of things to taking on more leadership, more strategic involvement in the organization, you know like being invited to more high-level meetings with clients, and also taking on management responsibilities. But because it was a smaller company and there wasn’t necessarily a clear path or progression, none of that was necessarily treated as if it was a promotion. And so what would happen is I would go into these reviews and I knew that I had been underpaid, I knew that I was being underpaid dramatically, but you go into the review and they’re like, “Well the number you’re asking for is a 25 percent raise and the standard we’re giving is, you know, five percent or something and we just can’t justify something like that.” And it’s like, “But where’s — how do I ever make up this gap?” And, you know, the thing about percentages, right, is that they’re based on the original number. So if you start a job and, I don’t know, maybe you make let’s say 50 thousand dollars a year and somebody starts the same job and they make 60 thousand dollars a year, their percentages are always going to add up to more money! And so even if somebody gives you a bigger percentage, it’s like you will typically end up further and further behind. And, you know, we’ve seen this happen so many times and it’s often to the people who are least likely to ask for pay adjustments and most likely to be judged harshly when they do which is [ahem] women. KL Yeah, I remember very vividly one of the first times I made a move to a higher position, I became a manager. I think I skipped a couple levels at that point in time. And I remember the moment where my boss was basically asking me to agree to the pay rate like in a moment between meetings. He literally was basically like, “Shake my hand. Here’s the amount.” Like, “You don’t even get a chance to say anything.” SWB Were you, like, in a fucking hallway? KL Yeah, no I’m not even kidding we had ducked into a room that was a phonebooth. And I was just like — I really regret that moment because, looking back on it, I wish I had said, you know, “No, wait. I deserve to take some time and think about this and come back to you with some questions.” But at that point in my career I felt like, “I need to take this. I need to make this move. And, great, it’s a little bit more money. Whatever.” SWB I wish our listeners could see my face because [laughter] what my face says is: “What’s his name? What’s his social security number? Let me look him up and have a conversation with him,” because I’m angry. JL It’s a great point, though, that it’s so hard in those moments to be like, “Hold on, wait, I need a second.” KL Exactly. JL But we should be able to say that. There is nothing wrong — I mean what’s the worst that could happen if someone’s going to say, “You know, I’m going to have to get back to you on that.” They’re not going to give you a raise anymore? SWB Well, I think that though — I would say that sometimes people’s fears are justified, not necessarily that the whole thing is going to be rescinded but that when you start asking questions, when you start advocating for yourself, like, sometimes people do react to that and not positively. And I think that that’s a sad reality that we’re trying to negotiate all the time. KL Yeah and I think as women there’s been situations where things have disappeared or been removed from the table and I feel that’s just a really real thing for us. JL I think for moments like that it’s important that we all sort of practice what happens if we’re in a situation like that. And I think for those fears where we are worried about that, which it definitely a justifiable fear, one of the things that I’ve done when I’ve felt uncomfortable is made sure to lead with: “Thank you so much for this offer! I’m so excited to be coming up with a new plan for us or a new partnership for us to work with. Let me just take this back and get back to you.” And sort of, you know, turn the ball where you’re thanking them, not saying that you have to but, again, if you’re playing that sort of defensive, “I need some time,” I think that’s sort of a way to be like: here’s how I can do this without fearing that I’m then causing animosity. SWB And I totally love what you’re saying, Jenn, about kind of practicing this stuff. In a similar vein, I have sat with friends of mine and talked through how much they were going to ask for in a negotiation and then I’ve been like, “Ok, have you ever said that number out loud?” And they’re like, “Oh! No!” [Laughter] I’m like, “No, ok, here’s what we’re going to do: we’re going to sit down and you’re going to say this number out loud to me over and over again until it stops sounding weird.” And I had a friend of mine who did that a couple years ago and she came back and not only did she, of course, get the job and get the money. She told me that it was really helpful to have said it until it didn’t sound odd and have said it until she was like, “Oh I can own this. I can own this dollar amount.” And … I think that’s hard to do but I think, like, it’s very helpful, I think, to do with a friend. It’s so great when you find somebody you can talk to about this stuff. I love — I love being able to talk to friends about this and being like, “Look, I don’t want to get weird about money. It can be touchy for people. But, you know, whatever the money is that you want to talk about, if you want to talk about it with me, I am so there for that and we can strategize and negotiate and practice until you’re ready to go into that meeting and be like, ‘Look, here’s how it’s going to be’.” [10:55] JL It’s really important to, I think, find either friends that you can talk to about that but I’ve even — Sarah, I’ve talked to you about this stuff before, so I definitely am taking you up on that. But, I mean, I’ve even done it, like, to my cat [laughter]. SWB Totally! Yeah. JL And sat there and just been there like, “Hey! What do you think about this, Azrael? Azrael, I would like to make 700 thousand dollars.” [Laughter.] KL My dog really understands [chuckles]. JL The other thing that’s really great is looking online at salaries near you. And I think that some of the resources that people have. I mean there’s been people that have started anonymous Google Docs Sheets and there are surveys about what people are making in the field. And I think that’s so helpful for getting an idea of the number that you can really feel comfortable with. I mean not all of us have people around us that are working in the same fields we are. So I think it’s really important to rely on the internet and other resources, if you don’t have someone near you that you can talk to about this. So I think it’s great that some of those are out there. And we should definitely link to some of those in the show notes. KL Yeah, that’s such a great point. Like, companies have to do market research to figure out what they’re going to pay people, so you should definitely do that as well. SWB It’s important to keep in mind that all of that secrecy around pay which companies will often really try to get you to have — it’s like, “Oh, don’t talk to people about salary, don’t talk to people about money,” that’s coming from a company because it’s in their best interests when people don’t talk about money. That doesn’t ever mean it’s in your best interest when people don’t talk about money. The reality is if you are working at a company that you do not have any ownership in and you are doing a job, you know, you have to be the person who’s going to advocate for yourself … I mean all of this strategizing, all of this practicing, all of this go get your friends to talk about salary with you — I think all of that is great and I’m glad that we’re all doing it but I’m so glad that we’re starting to see legislation that will actually support these kinds of things because, honestly, as much as it’s a good thing to be able to do given the circumstances, we all have better ways to spend our time than trying to talk to our cats about how much money we should be making. So I’m so glad to start to see some legislation and I hope that we can push for more legislation that helps with pay equity. You know, it’s been a long time coming [music fades in]. [Music fades out][ad spot] SWB We’re so happy to have wordpress.com as our sponsor on No, You Go again. Whether you’d like to build a personal blog, a business site, or both, creating your website on wordpress.com helps others find you, remember you, and connect with you. You know, we use WordPress here at No, You Go. It was the first place I went to build the site. And what’s great is that you don’t need experience setting up a website. WordPress can guide you through the whole thing from start to finish. They have great customer support. I know they have great customer support because I have asked them questions and they have answered my questions without me getting frustrated or upset. They’ve got that customer support seven days a week and they also have plans that start at only four dollars a month. With every single plan you can get a custom domain name for the entire life of the plan and they’re just great people. So if you go to wordpress.com/noyougo you can get 15 percent off your website. That’s wordpress.com/noyougo [music fades in]. Interview: Elizabeth Fiedler SWB Elizabeth Fiedler is a candidate in May’s Primary for a seat in the PA House, representing the 184th District, which is the part of South Philly where both Jenn and I live. I first heard about Lizz back in the summer of 2017 when our friend, Sekoia, told me about a super progressive woman that she had met through a local moms group. And she said she was considering running against a long-term incumbent who I wasn’t particularly excited about. So I was pretty intrigued and a bunch of us headed over to Lizz’s one night to hear more about her potential run. Since then Lizz has gone from pretty unknown to somebody who has posters with her name on them all up and down my street. Lizz, I’m so excited to talk with you right now, in the middle of your campaign. Welcome to No, You Go. Elizabeth Fiedler Thank you so much for having me. SWB So, first off, can you tell us a little bit about your platform. [15:00] EF Sure! I am always happy to talk about my platform. So, I am the mom of two little kids and that’s important for me to mention in the beginning because healthcare has actually really been a struggle for my family, accessing healthcare through the marketplace, CHIP, Medicaid — so it’s taken many more of my life hours than I expected. And I know a lot of other people are also struggling to access healthcare. That’s something I’ve heard from a lot of people across our district. And so that is one thing that is — one of the primary points of my platform is working toward a healthcare system in our fair state of Pennsylvania. A healthcare system that will work for all of us. So it’ll prioritize our lives over profits for corporations and over making the super rich richer. It would be similar to a single payer system: Medicare for all, these things that are discussed as ways that we can, as people, make sure that we have a healthcare system that prioritizes our health. SWB Yes! I mean I also have spent my fair share of time navigating the healthcare exchange, navigating getting insurance as a self-employed person, and it is so time consuming and so hard to figure out and so frustrating and that’s, for me, for somebody who has, so far, been a relatively low user of the system and also — I’m somebody who the system has kind of worked for … and it’s still a pain. And I know that I’m very lucky that it’s only been a pain and I’ve still been able to navigate it. EF Definitely. I actually recently just started … sort of sharing my own story about trying to get my two little kids covered on health insurance and I got this phone call and, this is after weeks and weeks of me submitting all of this documentation and calling them and saying, “Do you need anything else? I’ve got these two little kids. I need them on health insurance. I need them on health insurance.” And I got this phone call a few weeks ago and the woman said, “I’m really sorry to tell but neither of your kids have any health insurance right now. There’s a problem in the system, we had delays, they have nothing.” And so — and my kids are three and seven months — SWB Oh my god. Yeah. EF — and she said — and this is after I had submitted more paperwork than you can imagine [laughing]. Or maybe you can imagine. And she said, “If anything happens to either of them during this time, you can’t take them to the doctor. They can’t go to their regular pediatrician. You have to take them to the emergency room and you have to plead with the nurse on staff: ‘I have a child here who’s uninsured and who’s injured, can you please them?’” And I mean, my god, no parent should have to say that, no person should have to say that. It’s just appalling to me that we live in a country where that is part of our healthcare system where people are uninsured or underinsured and I just — I can’t — I feel very motivated to work toward a better healthcare system and so that’s always been — you know when I’m out there knocking on doors and talking to people that personal connection, and similar ones I’ve heard from so many people, that’s always on my mind. SWB It’s so shocking for what it is and then also just that this healthcare worker would explain that to you almost like it’s the most normal thing in the world. They’re so used to navigating this completely broken system that they’ll just walk you through all of these wild steps that you’re supposed to go through as if that’s — that’s just how it is! EF Yeah, absolutely. JL I can’t imagine as someone with an eleven-month-old and I feel like, for me, I’m calling all the time. So as a new parent, I’m constantly like, “Um, can you just check to make sure my baby’s ok?” And so to have to go from the opposite is yes, it makes my heart sink hearing that for you and for everyone that has to go through that. EF Healthcare also was one of the things that could’ve held me back from making that decision to run. So the job that I had before running provided healthcare. It wasn’t perfect but I had health insurance, it was pretty good and both my children were on it. And so my decision to run affected my family in some very significant ways, including the fact that we all lost our health insurance and had to go through the marketplace to get healthcare. My partner works for a small business and they don’t provide healthcare to dependents. So that was actually a very significant thing for me that I thought a lot about. My kids are on this healthcare, I’m on this healthcare through my work, do I really want to make this decision to run for office and, in some ways, give that up? Right? And I think that’s real for a lot of people: being tied to a job because of the way that our healthcare system in our society is structured and how much health insurance is tied to employment. SWB Yeah, absolutely, it gives employers a lot of leverage over people. EF It does and I think it keeps some people in jobs that they don’t necessarily want to be in, right? For what they think that they could earn more money somewhere else or would be more interested in a different career or could start a small business but they’re terrified of the leap it would take them to jump into an unknown healthcare situation. [19:55] SWB So you were weighing the decision to run, you were interested in doing it, you were dealing with healthcare, and you were thinking about that pretty heavily. What made you decide to go for it? EF Gosh, I thought a lot about it. I had a career as a journalist that I really loved and I had been working as a reporter for more than ten years and it was tremendous. I really had the chance to talk to a lot of people across our city in South Philly and it was a great job. And I realized that I needed to do more. I looked at the world that we live in and the world that I’m handing to my kids and we’re handing to future generations with healthcare and schools and climate change and I thought about the fact that, honestly, I’m pretty terrified about the direction a lot of those things are going in. It’s not the world that I want my kids and other generations to inherit and I just really decided I needed to do more. I couldn’t continue to do what I was doing. I was no longer as happy with it as I had been because I felt so compelled to act. And I would like to say that I was the one who came to that realization after careful reflection but I needed a little help getting there. It was actually my partner, we were driving — I don’t know — we almost never drive, I don’t even know where we were driving but I remember we were in the car side by side and I was talking about how — national politics and state politics and I’m so unhappy with what’s happening and I feel like I need to be more involved. And he said, “You know you want to run for office, right?” [Laughing] I think — I don’t know how long it was before I said anything but I hadn’t really thought of that. And I think that’s the case for a lot of people who have not been involved in politics. That’s certainly the case for a lot of women. It’s not a sphere that’s particularly welcoming to us, especially where we are geographically right now, it’s a place that’s dominated by men and by a male culture and I had just never imagined myself being that person, having my face on the literature. [Laughing] you know really — maybe I would work for someone. I had never thought specifically about stepping up and doing that. It’s a big jump, right? It can seem intimidating. It took my partner saying, “You know you want to do this, right?” For me to think about it and I was like, “Oh! You’re right! I do! I absolutely do. It’s exactly what I want to do. I want to have a firsthand impact in affecting and crafting policy. I want to be the one out there talking to people about what’s working for them, so that we can make government work better.” It was like he flipped a switch in my head and suddenly I was — you know, just hearing that from him I was able to see in myself that that’s exactly what I wanted to do. SWB That’s great. I love to hear that kind of level of ownership that you’re saying. Like, “I want this and I want to put myself out there and make that happen.” And I think you’re right, like women are frequently not taught to do that — to sort of say, you know, “I’m going to put myself in the center of this and I’m going to make this happen.” And that combined with a whole lot of other factors have made it really difficult to get women into office in Pennsylvania particularly. Something I’m super curious about that you started to mention here was what the local political climate is like. Not all of our listeners are in Pennsylvania, they may not realize that Philadelphia is known as kind of a Democratic machine. The city is almost entirely voting Democrat — pretty high numbers like 80 percent or so but it’s not necessarily progressive and it’s not necessarily the kind of scene that might seem welcoming to you. So can you tell me a little what that’s like: being a newcomer, trying to oust an incumbent in this particular area? EF Sure! So big picture, for people who don’t know, Pennsylvania is 49th in the nation in women in elected office. So that’s every level of elected office, Pennsylvania is second worst only to Mississippi in that stat. So we obviously have a very long way to go. It was quite intimidating in the beginning. The thing that has motivated me from the very, very beginning when I first started telling people I was doing this through us opening our campaign office last weekend was the response that I’ve gotten from people. I knew in the very beginning that I had very strong values, very strong desires of what sort of legislation I wanted to work toward, a strong reason for doing this, but I really did not know exactly how people would respond. And it has been so absolutely amazing. So people I know, people I see at the park, and then all these people who I knock on their door and I introduce myself and I say, “Hi, I’m here to meet you. I want to hear what’s important to you. What’s working in your life, what’s not working in your life, what would you like to see elected officials thinking about and government doing?” Honestly, the response that I’ve received from people has been really, really positive. It’s been: “Thank you for stepping up,” “Yes, oh my goodness! We need more women in elected office. We need more people who really have our interests in mind.” So those are the sorts of conversations that I work hard to remember when I am part of difficult situations and difficult discussions where I don’t necessarily feel particularly welcome. There were some people in the beginning who when I told them what I was doing, they were like, “Woah!!!” [Laughing] I mean I think they were pretty surprised because it is …yeah, you know, I’m a mom and a former journalist and someone who’s active with my local public school. I don’t have a lengthy insider political pedigree, I haven’t been thinking about this for decades, you know? I’m someone who’s stepping up because I really feel called to do it because I want a better health insurance system for all of us. Because I want all of us to have clean water and clean air. And so going back to those principles and those reasons that I’m running and thinking about specific people I’ve talked to and their struggles is how I get through some of those tougher times, honestly, when I don’t feel that welcome. [25:45] SWB Yeah, well I think I mean I’m so glad that you’re doing this because bit by bit when we have more women and more people from different backgrounds and people from new generations involved in what is a pretty uh homogenous political scene here. It gets easier for everybody else that follows and I’m so glad to see that happening. I’m really curious: you’ve mentioned being a mom a few times, obviously it’s very central to your life and it’s also central to your campaign, but what the hell is it like to have a seven-month-old and a three-year-old as you’re in the middle of this campaign? EF [Sighs] oh boy! Pretty good. Sleep is actually something I prioritize more than other things, more than folding laundry, more than — I don’t know, whatever the other — cleaning our house. I prioritize sleep because I know very personally, I’ve known this as long as I can remember, that without sleep I am much less, much less happy and much less useful in the world. It’s pretty tough for me sometimes at night to say, “Alright, it’s 10pm I’m going to bed,” when I look around and see all of the things that there are left to be done but I work hard to do that because I know it’s important for me and for me to be a good — not just a good mom but a good candidate, a good person, a good human being to interact with. So I try to think about myself and prioritize that. That said: it’s tough sometimes. I mean, I love my kids and sometimes, especially most of the weekend: Saturdays and Sundays, I’m usually gone. I’m usually out knocking doors, sometimes I have one meeting. But I’m usually gone, you know, 9am to 7pm is pretty consistent. 9am to 6pm, sometimes, if I get done early. So I have started to try to come back in the middle of the day just for a little bit. You know get some pre nap-time cuddles, some kisses, read a book to them, I sing my son “Jingle Bells,” it’s still his favorite song. [Laughing] so I try to get home in time for “Jingle Bells,” like things like that that are moments that are — it’s not as much time as I might, you know, in different world want to spend with them, but making sure that I have some time like that with them each day. So that I can think about it when I’m out there knocking doors and it’s freezing cold and my legs, honestly, are a little bit tired. Having those moments because I think without that balance I wouldn’t — it would be much harder for me to do it. I would also say that it’s amazing. It’s really amazing the response I’ve gotten from people. I’ve had people reach out to me who said, “Oh I’ve always — you know I’ve been thinking about running for office but I thought I couldn’t do it because, like you said, I have an eleven-month-old or because I’ve never been involved in politics or I’m pregnant,” or whatever their thing is, right? Sometimes related to kids, sometimes not. But often they’ll say, “Well, I saw you spoke to the Indivisible chapter and you had a five-month-old baby in the baby carrier on you and you were just doing it and you could see his little chubby legs hanging out there and I can do it too.” Like that was a message to me that like, “Oh I could absolutely do that if I want to. I could run for school board, I could run for commissioner.” So that’s really been fantastic and I’ve had people reach out to me who, you know, they like Facebook message me who I have never met [laughing], who I don’t know from across the state. So that’s honestly been inspiring for me to hear from them …and …I just try to remember why I’m doing this. And that’s what, you know, the moments when it’s hard and it’s time for me to go and I give them a kiss and my three-year-old says, “No, no, stay! Do a puzzle.” Um I remember that I got into this for a very specific reason because I really believe we should have elected officials on every level of government fighting for us as people for healthcare and education and water and air and that’s why I’m doing it. And then I give them an extra hug and kiss and tell them I love them and I’ll see them for dinner and then I leave. EF So, you know, there are some tough times. I’m very, very fortunate to have a wonderful, wonderful partner — SWB Yeah, so speaking of partner, how did you work out with him what that balance or that juggle, I guess, would look like? Like, how did you figure out how you would keep things running on a day to day level? EF Oh boy! Four months in, we’re still trying to figure that out! [Laughs.] SWB I mean, I guess, aren’t we all? But yours seems [laughing] particularly acute. [30:00] EF [Laughs] yeah. Always coming from a place of respect and both of us always remembering that if the other person did something wrong or did something differently from how we would’ve done it that it was not malicious. It was not intentional, most likely, it was just an effort to get that thing done. Right? So whether it’s like my son sometimes wearing uh his pajama pants to school or wearing his rain boots when it’s not raining. Or my youngest child wearing a sweater that doesn’t exactly fit — like something like that, right? Or like we’re eating spaghetti for the fourth day in a row, woohoo! You know things that I’m like, oh my goodness, us always remembering why we’re doing this. Why we’re doing this as a family and that we love each other and we respect each other and the other person is doing the best they can. It might not be perfect and it’s probably not going to be. And I also heard from a number of other women who are already in elected office in Pennsylvania and um … it was really great. It was good to hear from them, you know? Hear from them say like, “Yeah, it’s going to be tough. There are going to be times when you think like, ‘This might be too hard. I don’t know about this,’ but you just gotta keep pushing through. Just push through. Do your best. There are going to be moments when it’s messy and not perfect and that’s fine. Accept it. Don’t try to be perfect or have complete control of the situation. Sometimes um it’s ok if your kid eats pizza for lunch and dinner. That’s fine.” [Laughing] things like that that you know when you’re a parent you want to do your very best all the time and we all do, in life, right? You want to wear matching socks, things like that that like oh my goodness, in the scope of the world, it doesn’t matter, um that said: my socks are very much matching right now. I would like to say, for the record [laughs][laughter]. SWB Well, I mean, as a candidate you kind of having to go out with at least matching socks. I’m curious, did you have to buy a lot of blazers to run? EF So a lot of my clothes — this is — I don’t know if it’s of interest, it’s a personal thing but I would imagine some people have had a similar situation after having a child um a lot of clothes didn’t fit anymore. So I had a fair amount of stuff from working as a reporter for 11 years. I had the blazers and the dress pants but a lot of that didn’t fit or was not particularly comfortable. So I bought a few things on sale with the help of my mother-in-law who is very fashion savvy. I think I look pretty good. I try to wear colors. I tend to like grey and navy and black. But I’m working on it. I’m trying to wear color, trying to stand out. So I did it. I bought two blazers — SWB No, you’ve gotta be out there in the red and blue, right? EF [Laughs] I keep my two blazers in high rotation. SWB That would be tough for me to get used to, having to kind of always go out there and be like, “Ok, I’m going to put it together today and I’m going to project a certain kind of image and that image can’t be gym clothes.” EF Right. No stretchy pants, no athletic pants [laughter], no athleisure pants, none of that. No, no. SWB Oh man I feel like I should you know like pour a little out for the athleisure pants here, that’s so sad. We all like stretchy pants. JL I just try to leave the house without any cat hair on me and that is what I consider a win for the day. SWB Oh by that measure, I’m also losing. Damn. Ok. So something else that I’m really curious about is what candidate life has been like for you so far. Like is there anything that surprised you about being a candidate? EF Mmm. One thing that has surprised me that I’m really dedicated to working to improve after I win this race is just how hard it was in the beginning — it was difficult logistically. I guess I would say. Like some of these databases you need access to so you can see voters and like starting a pac and figuring out finances and things like that that are very specific things, there are solid answers to these questions but for people who don’t know — and I did not have a particular idea — they can seem daunting and overwhelming. Right? You think like, “Wait, do I start a PAC? Would a PAC be in my name? Would a pac be in someone else’s name? What money does a PAC spend? Does all money go through a PAC?” I mean things like that that like it sounds like it’s in the weeds kind of but it’s actually really integral to running a campaign and running it correctly but I think — I know from talking to a lot of people. Just stuff like that can feel so overwhelming in the beginning that you start to think, “Oh well maybe this isn’t for me. I don’t know how to do this stuff. I have no idea. I don’t even know where to start. I don’t even know — would I Google it? I don’t even know who to call.” Luckily, I personally knew a few people who had run campaigns before and I could ask for help and ended up hiring some really good people who know exactly what they’re doing and could help me with some of the nitty gritty stuff but I think we absolutely need to have systems, programs, organizations that help people with those details of running. Right? So help them come up with their platform, help them come up with their personal narrative and story, but also help them with some of this particular stuff that can feel so overwhelming in the beginning and, I think, can result, honestly, in a lot of people giving up and deciding it’s not for them. People who should absolutely run and would be great elected officials. SWB Yeah, yeah that overwhelm I think can be so easy [laughing] to sink into and never get back out of. EF Definitely. SWB So, kind of a similar line, was there anything you feel like you got good at in a hurry? Like any hidden talents that came out as you started running? [35:20] EF Talking more about my personal experience and my personal stake in this and why I’m doing it from a very personal level. I’m doing this, obviously, for larger reasons of social institutions and economics and social justice and racial justice. But I think it’s so important that elected officials explain to us what’s at stake for them, right? What’s driving them. Why are they so invested in this thing? And that’s something that can be even more difficult for women who are running for office, right? To appear vulnerable, to show that they’re vulnerable about some things because it can be scary, right? [Laughing] And it can be kind of brutal in politics and the instinct for many people is to close up and just start talking about, like, bill numbers and throwing around jargon. And I think it’s so important for elected officials to show that they are, whatever they’re motivating factor is, personally, whatever the thing is that they’ve been through that fuels them and wants them to go out from 9am to 7pm or whenever they’re doing it. I think it’s important … for people to know that. SWB Yeah! And, you know, one of the things I really like about this message of having to get a little bit vulnerable is that I think it’s also — it points towards sort of a different way politics could be and a different way elected officials could act, right? Like if everybody who was in office was willing to operate at that kind of human level and get real about what they’re doing, I think that we would see government very differently. There’s so much of this … ego and pomp that sort of gets involved that prevents people from being real and certainly there’s so much of that that’s like very gendered. And I think that, you know, if we had more women in office who were willing to get up and talk in that way, you know, I think that the — just like the overall tenor in how things would get done would change dramatically. EF Definitely. And I think that’s one that we can work, like in our situation in Pennsylvania — that’s one way in which we can work across a partisan divide and urban-rural divide — is to really show that humanity and focus on that humanness and our human needs, as opposed to some of these old divisions that exist and are real but that are often transcended by our needs as people. SWB So … speaking a little bit more about changing the ratio of women in politics in Pennsylvania, I’m curious what it’s like to run as a woman—a, you know, relatively young woman. I think you’re about the same age as we all are which is, you know, thirty-something-ish. EF I mean I would say one of the things is that I am — my kids sometimes come to things with me, especially my youngest when he was a little bit younger. So when I announced, Louis was three months old and so was still very much in the developmental stage of needing to eat more often, needing more physical contact, and so he was often in the baby carrier when I would show up at events, when I would show up at big meetings with people, and there were quite a few [laughing] instances when people were astonished that I was the candidate. That I had shown up with a child in tow and so normalizing that — I think it’s important. Period. And I think also as a matter of economic justice, I mean a lot of us can’t afford to have a babysitter to watch the kids all the time. A lot of us don’t want to necessarily do that all the time. So really like normalizing that, I guess, would be something that’s important and some people have been quite surprised and so for me it has been a lot about pushing past that. You know, noting it: yes, true, baby is here. Now let’s talk about the reason that we’re here: I would like to seek your endorsement. You know showing them that it is possible to be doing both things at the same time. That I’m still a person to be taken very seriously. That I still have a lot of experience and am very dedicated. SWB I love that because I think, yeah, it’s normal. People have babies. Like a lot of people have babies all the time and they’re still people with ideas and plans. And so I’m really glad you’re out there, you know, bringing your kids along and bringing them up regularly and making that so central to the campaign without also letting that be a distraction. It doesn’t turn into just talking about, “Oh my god it’s the candidate with the baby.” Right? It’s like, “We’re here to talk about issues. Also, my kids are very much part of my life.” EF Yeah, absolutely and that’s something that we’ve stressed with our campaign from the beginning in that — so when we have people going out to knock doors, we just had our office opening party, we have fundraisers, we always work as hard as we can to provide childcare. And that’s actually resulted in a lot of people, a lot of young — youngish parents — I call myself youngish — parents getting more involved in politics, getting more involved in our campaign than they have ever before. Because they didn’t get the message. You know? They didn’t feel like they were welcome, there was no childcare, what are they going to do about it? Approaching it from this perspective of, “Of course childcare is provided, and we would love you to come and knock doors with us from one to four,” has been hugely rewarding and is the way I want to conduct my campaign too. [40:35] SWB So speaking of your campaign, I’m curious too: who’s on your campaign team and how did you approach building out that team? EF In addition to myself there are three paid people on staff. We have a lot of super volunteers who are absolutely amazing. Our paid staff is all women: finance director, field director, and campaign manager … and they’re fantastic. I could not ask for a better group of people to be surrounding me. My campaign manager has been with me since the very beginning. She started as my field director and she’s worked in the last two election cycles, specifically down here. So she’s very experienced and she also lives down here in the district. And we spend a lot of time together. That was one thing someone told me in the beginning was like, “Make sure you like your campaign because you’re going to spend more time with them than you will with any other human being.” And that’s Amanda. And Katie is my field director. She worked as a super volunteer in the last election. Her candidate who won — and she’s the face of the campaign in many instances in the office. When a volunteer shows up in the office and says, “I’m here to volunteer,” they often see Katie. And my finance director is Gretchen and she organizes fundraisers and also helps me with what is called Call Time. Call Time is when it’s me, a phone, and a list of people who I’m going to call, and ask them to support my campaign financially. And uh I guess maybe that has been one thing that has been surprising for me is how strange, especially in the beginning, how strange it was to call people up and ask them for money. I mean, just saying that sentence, like I never in my life had done that before. Um calling people and asking them for money. So getting more used to that, getting more comfortable and thinking about why I was doing it, why I’m running. SWB Do you feel comfortable now when you call and ask for money? Has it shifted for you to now you’re like, “Ok, I can do this. No problem.” EF It’s gotten easier. It’s not always easy, it depends. The idea is that you create this long list of everyone you’ve ever encountered in your life and that includes people you haven’t talked to in ten, or 15, 20 years, you call those people and you tell them, with great excitement in your voice, “I am running for office!” And you tell them why and you hear from them and then you ask them for money … which is pretty strange if like you have not actually talked to them for 15 years and they’re just telling you about their life and their kids and you had no idea they had children and you didn’t know they lived in New Jersey. Things like that where it really feels a little — it doesn’t feel comfortable. I’ve gotten better at that and I’ve received, honestly, really, really amazing responses from people when I’ve asked them for financial support and that’s what made it easier. That and just doing it over and over. Someone who ran for office before told me [laughs], he said, “Call all of your exes and all the people you’re dreading calling.” And I was like, “Oh! I don’t want to do that.” And he was like, “Call all of those people because once you call those people and tell them about your campaign and ask them for money, you can call anyone! You won’t feel afraid at all.” SWB We are just about out of time so I want to ask just a couple final questions and the first one is do you have any advice that you would give to people who are from groups that are underrepresented in politics who are interested in running? EF If you’re thinking about it, you should run. SWB Just that? Period. You’re like, “Look, if you’re thinking about it that means you actually want to already.” EF Yes, absolutely, and people should think about what office, what level of government makes sense to them, for them, in their lives and given the kind of work that they want to do. But I really think so many of us are held back just by that feeling that like, “Hmm, maybe there’s someone else out there who is more qualified. Maybe there’s someone else who would be better at this.” And in some cases: sure, there is. In many cases, there is not. It’s us! We’re the ones. We’re thinking about it already. If you’re ready to do the hard work and you’re considering running for office and you hear, when you say it to other people, people are like, “Oh my gosh! You would be a really good candidate, of course!” Then you should run. You shouldn’t let any sort of hesitation like that hold you back because we need so many more people to run, so that we can have gender parity and so that we can have our ideals and our values represented too. SWB So last question: the Democratic primary is in May and a few minutes ago you said something about, “When I win,” so I love that and I’m curious how are you feeling at this point? Are you starting to get excited? [45:06] EF I feel good. It’s surprising to me that we are already so close to the election. Time has gone by both quickly and slowly but generally quite quickly, and I feel good. We have a lot of hard work to do before the election. That said, we have a really good team and I know that we are committed to making it happen. SWB Well, I feel good. I’m very excited. EF Thank you [music fades in]. JL [Music fades out] well, I loved that. There was so much that Lizz said in there that I could completely relate to. SWB Yeah, I bet. I mean like all of this balance and juggle of being a new mom and trying to do ambitious stuff. I mean it kind of is pretty similar to the stuff we’ve talked about already. JL Yeah, completely. And one of the things that I really loved that she touched on was that for their campaign fundraisers how they were providing childcare. So people could canvas and they’d watch their children and I’m constantly struggling with that. I’ve started digging into speaking at conferences again because I took a little bit of a hiatus while pregnant and then in the first 11 months that I’ve had Cooper and so now I’m trying to get back in and I’ve been talking at conferences but it’s hard to figure out what I’m going to do. There’s some conferences that provide childcare for both attendees and speakers which I just think is so cool and so great that people are thinking about these sort of things. SWB Yeah, I love that too. It’s — one of the things I always think about is that even if only a few people need the childcare, you know it doesn’t have to be a large percentage of people, it’s really meaningful to those people who use it and then to everybody else I feel like it’s also such a strong signal that this event is thinking about you as a person and that people have needs and that it’s ok, right? It’s ok if your needs are childcare, it’s ok if you need to ask for a meal with certain dietary restrictions — SWB — like those kinds of little details I think really tell your attendees or your audience a lot about your values and I’m always looking for that, even though I don’t have kids, right? If I see an event that has childcare, to me that’s a signal. JL Yeah, I spoke at and attended JS Confs back in the day and they used to have a Significant Other track. So that you could travel with your family and what they did is they would have like — if you were attending the conference, the Significant Other track would go and do tours of DC, where the conference was. And I just thought it was neat to provide something for that. So if you wanted to travel with your family, to have that there. KL That’s so cool and I feel like, thinking about potentially a conference organizer’s point of view, it’s like, why wouldn’t you want to be able to get as many people to your conference and include those people because of a variety of different things that they might need. So it just seems obvious, you know? JL I guess it’s hard though, right? I mean cuz it’s another cost. KL Oh for sure. JL And so I think it’s always like — yeah I mean I don’t know it’s hard — I can understand why people’s instinct wouldn’t be to think of it but I wish they would. KL Yeah, no, for sure. SWB Running events is hard. Running events is very challenging, running anything is challenging, but I think that what it really means is that there’s a lot of priorities that people have that they kind of perceive as being default, right? Like, ok, for example at a conference oftentimes the default priority is: we need to have an open bar at the party. And people don’t think twice about spending budget there but will think like, “Oh my god! I have to spend money on childcare!” And I think that that’s just a challenge to what the default priorities are. And once you — it doesn’t mean that every event is going to have a budget for everything but it does mean that if you can kind of like let go some of those assumptions then you come at it from sort of a fresh perspective and say, “Ok, what’s really going to create the kind of experience that we value and that sort of like lives out our values?” JL That’s so true and, you know, a lot of those open bars are sponsored by bigger companies. So maybe conferences need to work with sponsors, maybe sponsors want to sponsor childcare … and they should do this and whatever conference that is should talk to me about speaking there [laughter]. SWB Absolutely. KL Yes, yes. Good idea. SWB I mean, hell, you know especially in tech you’ve got all of these big tech companies that are like, “We need to show that we support women in technology. We need to have a more diverse perspective. We want people to see that we value this.” Sponsor some childcare instead of sponsoring booze! I enjoy drinking, don’t get me wrong — but I would much rather buy my own wine at the party and see them sponsor something that really matters. JL Quick thank you to our sponsors for being so supportive of our podcast. SWB Woohoo! Yeah! KL Yay! SWB So I want to go back to one other thing that Lizz talked about though and that was the representation of women in politics in Pennsylvania. So she mentioned that Pennsylvania’s 49th in the nation for how representative women are in elected office. So I looked into this and there are some kind of sobering stats about this. So, first off, Pennsylvania has never sent a woman to the US Senate. Did you know that? Never. Not once. [Wow][oof] We’ve never had a woman governor and right now did you know there are 18 representatives in the US House from Pennsylvania? So we have 18 reps, zero of those reps are currently women. [50:25] JL How could that be?! KL I know. SWB Man, misogyny runs real deep! [Sighs] so it’s not looking great. You know at the state level it’s actually a little better. So the level that Elizabeth is running at: 19 percent of our state legislature is made up of women. So there’s some women but it’s still definitely very, very low but something I’m really excited about that you can see in somebody like Lizz is that there are historic numbers of women running for office this year. So like 2018 is going to have just a huge number of women running at all levels. There was an article in The Cut last month from Rebecca Traister and she talked about how at that point, in January, 390 women said they were planning to run for the House of Representatives. And that’s higher than any year ever. And she also talked about how many of those people were black women. So 22 of them were non-incumbent black women. So new people entering the races and that’s like more black women than are in the House as a whole right now. There’s just like so many women running for office and I’m really excited to see that and I’m so excited for Lizz because I think she’s going to make a great candidate and a great representative. KL That’s so awesome … I remember the first time I met her and went to her house, I think it was right before she announced, and I was like, “How is this person going to do all of this?” You know it just seemed so daunting and I was levels removed but having seen her, the few times I’ve seen her just out in the field and talked to her, I see her doing it and I hear her talking about how she’s doing it and I’m like, “Ok,” it just makes me feel so much more encouraged and inspired that all of these women are getting into office or are getting into running and that it’s really possible. Fuck Yeah of the Week JL Hey! It’s time to celebrate even more awesome! You know when someone makes it a true Daily Double and they get the answer right? Or your home team makes it to the Super Bowl? That’s this next segment: the Fuck Yeah of the Week. Hey, Katel, what’s making you go, “Fuck yeah!” this week? KL You know I am so inspired by Lizz Fiedler’s interview that I started looking around and there’s great organizations supporting and promoting women running for office. It’s so cool. One called She Should Run, there’s another one called Rise to Run. And, of note, She Should Run, for example, has a tool that they have built called Ask a Woman to Run. It’s so cool. You can go to their website and literally nominate someone to run for office and provide a little information. It’s really, really cool. They also have a She Should Run incubator which meets women who are already sort of in the process, wherever they are in that process, to help them, support them, promote them to run which is so cool. SWB Wait, so can you tell me more about this? So if I go to She Should Run and I submit somebody that I think should run, what happens? KL You share the message with that person, so that’s really awesome. And they basically provide a bunch of resources to help them start and get on their way. SWB But it’s like a little nudge. KL Yeah. SWB You know I love this because when we were talking to Lizz she told that story about being in the car with her partner and they’re going somewhere and she’s like ranting and raving about what’s going on in local politics and how she wants to kind of make a difference and she’s feeling … you know like this urge to get involved in some way, and he’s just like, “You know you want to run for office?” I feel like having that external voice that’s like, “Hey, you know you want to do this.” Right? Like as she was saying, if you’re thinking about, you should do it. But I feel like it’s hard, right? Like I like getting involved with things, I like being civically active, but the idea of running for something is pretty scary and so there’s something to be said for somebody putting a little bit of their faith behind me in like a slightly more organized way than just saying it … over drinks. Like actually sitting down and being like, “No, go do this.” KL Yeah, I’m thinking back to [chuckles] — I don’t want to take us down a sad hole here but right after the election, the Trump election, I was like, “Shit, I need to mobilize a lot more,” and I just really had no idea where to start. And the immediate thought I had was I need to look at my friends and trust those friends who I know know what to do and where to start. So the fact that there are resources that help you do this now is just incredible. SWB You know and there’s a lot of new resources cropping up since the fall of 2016, for reasons that are probably pretty clear to our listeners, but there also are organizations that have been around a long time. Like I’ve long been a fan of EMILY’s List and I just recently found out that EMILY’s List is an acronym. I thought it was started by somebody named Emily. It stands for Early Money is Like Yeast. JL Woah! [55:16] SWB As in it makes the dough rise. Like, that the entire idea of it is that when you get early donations to a campaign, that really provides the foundation that allows a campaign to be successful. KL That’s a good acronym. SWB Who knew?! But I’ve long relied on EMILY’s List for information about who they’re supporting because it’s really focused on, particularly on pro-choice candidates, which is something that’s pretty important to me but … I’m so glad to see other organizations out there bolstering things because, as we heard, right? Like there’s a lot of work to be done to diversify who is in office and lots and lots of organizations to help us do it, I think can only make it better … So … Fuck yeah! Like fuck yeah, we got some work to do, politically speaking. But also a “Fuck Yeah” to all of these amazing women and also folks who are trans or nonbinary who have been cropping up in elections — I don’t know

Seabirds are dying and voting rights are being trampled but the five million women running for office are going to fix all of that. The really important question is: which character from The Good Place is most likely to tell you to read Infinite Jest? (Look out for The Good Place spoilers!) All this plus what we think Infinite Jest is about this week. Robin Wright, if you're listening, we have your post-House of Cards project in development. Relevant Links: Emily's List: https://www.emilyslist.org/ She Should Run: http://www.sheshouldrun.org/ Run for Something: https://www.runforsomething.net Vote Riders: https://www.voteriders.org/ Swing Left: https://swingleft.org/ Spread the Vote: https://www.spreadthevote.org/ Flippable: https://www.flippable.org Florida Amendment 4, Voting Restoration Amendment: http://bit.ly/2F7xFkl

In this episode, Kelly speaks with Clare Bresnahan-English, the Executive Director of She Should Run, a non-partisan 501(c)3 that provides a free incubator and mentorship for women considering running for office and a network for women who are running and those who want to help them.

In this episode, Kelly speaks with Clare Bresnahan-English, the Executive Director of She Should Run, a non-partisan 501(c)3 that provides a free incubator and mentorship for women considering running for office and a network for women who are running and those who want to help them.

A conversation between Stephanie Shriock of Emily’s List, Erin Loos Cutraro of She Should Run and Crooked Contributor Erin Ryan about the groundswell of women running for public office in the wake of the 2016 election.

On today's episode, I'm talking with Arcata Councilwoman and She Should Run Community Manager, Sofia Pereira. Don't worry, She Should Running has nothing to do with exercise.   Learn more about She Should Run: http://www.sheshouldrun.org/  Twitter: https://twitter.com/SheShouldRun  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sheshouldrun/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sheshouldrun/  Help those around you: https://www.rhianshope.com/relief/  Connect with Rhian's Hope online: Twitter: https://twitter.com/RhiansHope  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rhianshope/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rhianshope/  Music from Jukedeck - create your own at http://jukedeck.com.    

The Girl Talk: Women Run IL Edition at The HideoutIt's 2017 and not only do we have a Sex Offender In Chief, but abortion is essentially illegal in wide swaths of the country, our maternal mortality rate is higher than any developed nation, women still don't get equal pay or paid leave for continuing the human race and there are only four female governors in the entire country. We're ready for this nonsense to change, and to do that, more women need to get into the political fray. This month, The Girl Talk will be talking about how we can do just that. The good news: it's already happening. Since Donald Trump's election, there's been an explosion of women running for office across the country. Organizations like Emily's List and She Should Run report thousands more women expressing interest in running this year than in years past.Still, we're nowhere close to parity when it comes to women in government. Why don't more women run? What are the obstacles we still need to break down? And what do we need to know to more effectively recruit and support women candidates?Join us to hear from two women who have run for office, IL State Rep. Juliana Stratton (D-5th) and Friends of the Parks Executive Director Juanita Irizarry, plus the woman who (literally) wrote the book on women running, Rebecca Sive.We hope you enjoy our first podcast episode! Find us on Facebook @girltalkchicago , email us thegirltalkchi@gmail.com , and give a ton of love to our amazing friends, Bleach Party, for providing our theme. You can find them at https://letshaveableachparty.bandcamp.com/ . Seriously check them out – they're awesome!Recorded live at The Hideout in Chicago on August 22, 2017

This week we speak with Erin Loos Cutraro, founder and CEO of She Should Run, an organization working to increase the number of women running for office in the United States.

Happy 4th of July! In honor of the holiday, we are speaking with Erin Loos Cutraro, the founder of She Should Run. Erin founded She Should in 2008, a bi-partisan organization dedicated to increasing the number of women running for political office. if you just decided to run or are just exploring, through an incubator, research, events and campaigns, She Should Run offers community support and many other resources.  We learned so much from this show, and hope you will enjoy it and be inspired to run for an office or encourage someone you know to run for one of the 500,000 elected offices across the US.  As you ll hear on this show, when women run for office, they actually win at the same rate as men!  

There are a lot of Dicks in office. But after the 2016 election, we're seeing thousands of women sign up to run for office - more than ever before. Clare Bresnahan runs a non-profit called She Should Run that helps women prepare for the unique challenges of being a woman candidate. She talks about how to tackle rampant sexism, double standards, and obsession over eyebrows.

"It's a way for women to speak honestly about what they're going through and get feedback and support from others." Emily and Sofia chat about both of Sofia's jobs - Vice Mayor and Community Manager of She Should Run. And even with all that to talk about, Emily manages to brings it all back around to her. (Because that's what you do when you have your own podcast!)

Welcome back! Today, get ready to be inspired! We’re talking with Rachel Hundley, an attorney who, after living the law firm life in New York City, eventually landed in the California Wine Country City of Sonoma. Not long after relocating there, she started to get involved in local politics, first getting elected to the City Council in 2014 and then unanimously being voted Mayor in 2016. She also co-owns a food truck called Drums and Crumbs. Rachel offers not just some great practical tips for being active in your local community, she also provides an inspiring example of someone who felt a calling and pursued it—more than once, undeterred by various obstacles—where there’s a will, there’s a way! In this episode, we discuss: The unexpected trajectory of Rachel’s post-law school journey Her campaign, and how to run for local office What it’s really like in the day-to-day, behind-the-scenes life of a local elected official Skills you learn in law school and cultivate as lawyers that are huge assets in politics, entrepreneurship, and beyond How to take the most from every experience, and how to get experience and connections that count The recent call to public service many are feeling nationwide, and different ways to get involved Being an informed citizen and making your voice heard, especially for young people Resources: Itkowitz, Colby. "She wanted to make a difference. Now this millennial is the mayor of her new town." Washington Post, Jan. 24, 2017. (https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/inspired-life/wp/2017/01/24/she-moved-across-the-country-to-start-a-new-life-then-the-town-made-her-mayor/?utm_term=.f2aabd10822c) Gowland, Lelia. "She Should Run: This Nonprofit Incubator Is Launching Thousands Of Women's Political Careers," Forbes, Dec. 1, 2016. (https://www.forbes.com/sites/leliagowland/2016/12/01/how-this-nonprofit-inspires-women-run-for-office/#617645e77bc53) She Should Run (http://www.sheshouldrun.org) EMILY’s List (https://www.emilyslist.org/pages/entry/run-for-office) Emerge America (http://www.emergeamerica.org) Podcast Episode 83: Lawyers in Action: The Airport Immigration Crisis (http://lawschooltoolbox.com/podcast-episode-83-lawyers-in-action-the-immigration-crisis/) Episode Transcript: Download the Transcript (http://lawschooltoolbox.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Episode-91-Rachel-Hundley.pdf) If you enjoy the podcast, we'd love a nice review and/or rating on iTunes (or your listening platform of choice). And feel free to reach out to us directly. You can always reach us via the contact form on the Law School Toolbox website (http://lawschooltoolbox.com/contact). If you're concerned about the bar exam, check out our sister site, the Bar Exam Toolbox (http://barexamtoolbox.com/). Thanks for listening! Alison & Lee

“We have to show up and we have to apply for things outside [Indian Country]. There is no one better than us to than to represent at the national level.” Chelsea Wilson (Cherokee Nation) works at All Native Group, a division of Ho-Chunk Inc. She is active in the DC chapter of the New Leaders Council a member of the executive committee and is a previous fellow with the organization. If a full-time job and a one organization was not enough, Chelsea Wilson also chairs the Frontrunners Committee of the organization She Should Run. Chelsea Wilson describes herself as a giver, and if you cannot tell, she puts that into practice through the work she does personally and professionally. That character trait pays dividends back to Chelsea through the mentorships she’s developed over the years. And each mentorship helped Chelsea develop and find new ways to give back. It’s a classic story about how hard work, mentorship, and networks come together to provide opportunities to grow personally and professionally. Chelsea worked for the Cherokee Nation where her boss mentored her and gave her projects to stretch her development. Eventually that led her to DC. I knew Chelsea’s boss at Cherokee Nation and she mentioned to me Chelsea’s interest in moving to DC. When I ran into her at a reception, that a “pushy friend” forced her to attend, I mentioned that I was looking to hire someone for my team. After living in DC, Chelsea found her path through NLC and She Should Run. It’s refreshing to have someone that can articulate that their interest to serve in public office comes from a genuine place of giving. Many people say it, and for many people it’s true. But with Chelsea, you can feel her desire to serve. In this conversation we discuss finding finding mentors the right way, growing professionally, and being willing to fail by trying. Chelsea Wilson combined each of these into her current work and others are starting to take notice.

Erin Loos Cutraro is the Co-Founder & CEO of She Should Run, an organization working to increase the number of women getting involved in elected office. After an intense weekend where more than 3 million people around the world marched to make their voices heard in support of equality and women's rights, this is the perfect time to talk about the reasons there aren't that many women in elected office. Erin shares some of the work She Should Run is doing to connect leadership and policy, research they have done around the double standards that women face in the campaign trail, some of the barriers to entry for women, and where you should start if you're curious about running for office. Also, Maricella and Kristy went to DC together this weekend and the two debrief about how they feel about their role in politics.

Erin Loos Cutraro is the Co-Founder & CEO of She Should Run, an organization working to increase the number of women getting involved in elected office. After an intense weekend where more than 3 million people around the world marched to make their voices heard in support of equality and women’s rights, this is the perfect time to talk about the reasons there aren’t that many women in elected office. Erin shares some of the work She Should Run is doing to connect leadership and policy, research they have done around the double standards that women face in the campaign trail, some of the barriers to entry for women, and where you should start if you’re curious about running for office. Also, Maricella and Kristy went to DC together this weekend and the two debrief about how they feel about their role in politics.

Thomas and Sam discuss Google Voice, Alexa, Evernote, and how the Democratic Party has failed voters but especially the next generation of public officials (and what we can do about it). Google Voice!!!!1! | The Verge COMPUTER | The Verge Trump and Net Neutrality How do you get involved? https://www.indivisibleguide.com Justice100 | Faith in Public Life She Should Run The post Thinking Religion 96 appeared first on Thinking.FM.

Are there too many Dicks in office? She Should Run Co-Founder & CEO, Erin Loos Cutraro, and Director, Clare Bresnehan, think so. They run a non partisan social change organization working to dramatically increase the number of women & girls who see elected leadership as a real possibility. Why is this important? Because at the rate of progress we’re seeing it’ll take 500 years to see parity in politics. In this episode we’re introducing the how-to’s and benefits of running for office and breaking down the stereotypes and myths surrounding political leadership. Erin and Clare are telling us why She Should Run.

On this episode of UpNext, Gabrielle interviews Helena Ramirez, the Eastern Coalitions Director of The Libre Initiative. Helena is a Latino community leader and a recognized millennial organizer. Helena served as the inaugural Chairwoman for She Should Run’s Frontrunners, a group that is committed to increasing the number of women in public leadership, and the inaugural National Outreach Director for the Vanguard PAC, a millennial-focused and -run group that seeks to refresh the conservative message. Helena is passionate for Hispanic outreach and helped with the 2012 Republican National Convention, assisting with the first-ever Hispanic digital outreach strategy with Digital Communications and Specialty Media teams. In 2015, Forbes named Helena to their "30 Under 30" list in Law & Policy. Listen in as Gabrielle and Helena discuss: — What the American Dream means for millennials and Latinos — How Hispanic women are starting businesses faster than any other sub-group and what America can learn from them — What stereotypes young leaders have to overcome and how vision-casting looks different for us Find out more about Helena’s work empowering Hispanic millennials at belibre.org.

Tonight's special guest is Siobhan (Sam) Bennett from Allentown, PA, a survivor of child abuse, trafficking, and an advocate. She's often called up as a speaker to give lectures about trafficking. Siobhan, an author, political activist, business and civic leader, is best known nationally for her passion to see exponentially more women running for public office and open disclosure of the challenges she has overcome as a survivor of sexual abuse and trafficking. The past national CEO of the first organization to financially support women when they run for office, Women's Campaign Fund and She Should Run, she continues to be in demand as a national expert, motivational speaker and media personality - from Bangladesh to Brussels, from FOX News to PBS.  Name It. Change It. fighting political sexism against women, co-founded by She Should Run and Women's Media Center was born out of Bennett's 2008 run for U.S. Congress where she was the most endorsed challenger in the nation, with an historic number of votes and money raised. Bennett is currently laying the groundwork for a future run for Mayor of Allentown, expanding her business The Historic Benner Mansion - Allentown's first and still only Bed & Breakfast and completing her most recent book "Ascend" due to be released Fall 2015.

Feminism and Corruption: A Political Tale by Accountability Podcast. The Accountability Podcast - the ONLY podcast discussing the latest political scandals in NY! Each week the TAP podcast focuses on breaking scandalous political stories and their ramifications. Corruption: a Feminist Issue A groundbreaking study analyzing how many women are actually getting elected and how our leaders reflect the electorate was released this week by Who Leads Us? and The Reflective Democracy campaign, part of the Women Donors Network. We discuss this study, the role of women in government and how having more female lawmakers reduces corruption. Our guests include: Erin Loos Cutraro: Executive Director of She Should Run, a national organization working to dramatically increase the number of women in public leadership. Follow: @erinlooscutraro @SheShouldRun Margie Omero: Managing Director of Purple Insights, the research division of Purple Strategies. She manages all facets of qualitative and quantitative research for Purple’s clients. Follow: @MargieOmero Zephyr Teachout: Recent NYS Gubernatorial Candidate, Associate Professor of Law at Fordham Law School . Author of “Corruption in America.” Follow: @ZephyrTeachout Hosted by: Nomiki Konst Founder & Executive Director of The Accountability Project Follow: @NomikiKonst @Account_Project

Clare Breshahan, Programs Director for She Should Run programs, manager of Women's Campaign Fund, and Girl Scouts will discuss Sexism in the Media.  Why is this a huge problem for women in office ?  Sexist language and the effect on voters, candidates, women considering running for office. Melanie Bacon is up next to discuss her book, Mary and the Goddess of Ephesus.  She gives us insight into what happened to Mary, mother of Jesus after the crucifixion, the siblings of Jesus, why Mary is called a vifgin,  and all the many women of that time named MARY - what's up with that anyway?  And of course, we'll discuss Mary's association with Artemis, Isis, Athena and Aphrodite!