Be sure to subscribe so you never miss an episode!

Activist Interview Episodes

“One of the best things lawyers can do is have the courage to speak out.” (w/ Brett Edkins, Managing Director for Policy & Political Affairs at Stand Up America)
Aug. 23, 2023

“One of the best things lawyers can do is have the courage to speak o…

Terrified about the state of SCOTUS and the courts and wondering how you can take action to support court reform? We started this podcast in the days after Dobbs, so we couldn’t be more thrilled to welcome Brett Edkins from S...

Listen to the Episode
“My goal is to make this an American tradition.” (w/ Jayna Zweiman, founder of the Welcome Blanket Project, co-founder of the Pussyhat Project)
Aug. 9, 2023

“My goal is to make this an American tradition.” (w/ Jayna Zweiman, f…

Looking for a way to build community and make political change using your artistic skills or an interest in crafting? Jayna Zweiman was an architect recovering from a life-changing head and neck injury when she found the knit...

Listen to the Episode
“My job is to see who’s ready to start speaking up and help them use their voice.” (w/ Jade Pacheco, Community Builder at ACT 4 SA)
Aug. 2, 2023

“My job is to see who’s ready to start speaking up and help them use …

What does it take to overcome your anxieties and concerns about canvassing, public speaking, and more? Jade Pacheco gives us an unfiltered look at how she went from being a shy, passive citizen to a builder of communities thr...

Listen to the Episode
“Step one: Face the climate emergency.” (with Margaret Klein Salamon, Founding Principal of Climate Awakening, and author of Facing the Climate Emergency: How to Transform Yourself with Climate Truth.)
July 12, 2023

“Step one: Face the climate emergency.” (with Margaret Klein Salamon,…

So you want to fight climate change but you’re feeling overwhelmed by the enormity of the problem? Margaret Klein Salamon is a clinical psychologist turned climate activist eager to help people overcome inertia and fear so th...

Listen to the Episode
“It doesn’t matter, just run.” (With Irene Shin, Delegate in the Virginia House of Delegates and ED of the Virginia Civic Engagement Table)
July 5, 2023

“It doesn’t matter, just run.” (With Irene Shin, Delegate in the Virg…

So you’re interested in running for state assembly? In 2021, Irene Shin took on an incumbent Delegate in Virgina’s 86th district and won! Now embarking on her second campaign for the VA House of Delegates, we talk about how s...

Listen to the Episode
“Journalism is supposed to be about speaking truth to power” (With Fiona Lowenstein, journalist and editor of The Long COVID Survival Guide)
June 28, 2023

“Journalism is supposed to be about speaking truth to power” (With Fi…

So you’re a journalist interested in using your skills to amplify new narratives and voices and promote a more just, more equitable world? This wide-ranging, incredibly thoughtful conversation with journalist and Long COVID a...

Listen to the Episode
“The community is critical” (With Mary Rickles, Director for Communications and Politics for Netroots Nation)
June 21, 2023

“The community is critical” (With Mary Rickles, Director for Communic…

So you’re hoping to meet other activists, learn about their work, and figure out how you can join forces or support each other’s work? Netroots Nation 2023, the largest annual conference for progressives in America, is almost...

Listen to the Episode
“In the progressive community, we tend to dislike the idea of selling ideas.” (With David Fenton, author of The Activist’s Media Handbook)
Dec. 7, 2022

“In the progressive community, we tend to dislike the idea of selling…

So you’re hoping to propel a cause into the public eye in a way that’s thoughtful and effective? What do you do? For David Fenton, the longtime progressive PR guru who began his activist work in the late 1960s alongside figur...

Listen to the Episode
“If we’re going to win, organizing is going to be key to getting us there” (With Elyssa Feder of Rising Organizers)
Nov. 23, 2022

“If we’re going to win, organizing is going to be key to getting us t…

So, the election is over, political changes are afoot, and you’re looking to help people take action into their own hands. What do you do? For Elyssa Feder and her team at Rising Organizers, the answer was to teach emerging a...

Listen to the Episode
“We talked to everybody, because in Kansas you cannot win with only Democrats” (With Ashley All of Kansans for Constitutional Freedom)
Nov. 2, 2022

“We talked to everybody, because in Kansas you cannot win with only D…

So, you’re campaigning for a timely but hot-button ballot initiative and need to reach voters without eliciting knee-jerk reactions. What do you do? For Ashley All and the many coalition partners working with Kansans for Cons...

Listen to the Episode
“A Justified Impatience” (With New York City Councilmember Chi Ossé)
Oct. 26, 2022

“A Justified Impatience” (With New York City Councilmember Chi Ossé)

So you’ve gotten involved in a major political protest movement but you want to do more. What else can you do? For Chi Ossé, an active organizer with the BLM movement working in nightlife, the drive to make change led into a ...

Listen to the Episode
“How do you just sit back and tell your loved one that there's no help coming?” (With Rosie Torres and Susan Zeier of Burn Pits 360)
Oct. 19, 2022

“How do you just sit back and tell your loved one that there's no hel…

So your community of veterans is getting sick because of toxic exposures on the job, but nobody, including the federal government, wants to take responsibility for your care. What do you do? For Rosie Torres and Susan Zeier, ...

Listen to the Episode
“I look at political activism as an outgrowth of volunteerism.” (w/ Donald Hebbard of Compressor-Free Franklin)
Oct. 12, 2022

“I look at political activism as an outgrowth of volunteerism.” (w/ D…

So you’re concerned about a local issue in a small rural community and you need to start an advocacy effort from scratch. What do you do? Donald Hebbard was a retired farmer and longtime resident of a rural area in upstate Ne...

Listen to the Episode
“The joy of focusing on local work is that we win a lot” (w/ Amanda Litman of Run For Something)
Oct. 5, 2022

“The joy of focusing on local work is that we win a lot” (w/ Amanda L…

So you’re thinking about how to connect young people interested in running for office with the resources and community they need to win. What’s your first step? For Amanda Litman, a veteran of the Obama campaign, the first st...

Listen to the Episode
“Starting with the three feet around you” (w/ Rev. Angela Williams of SACReD)
Sept. 28, 2022

“Starting with the three feet around you” (w/ Rev. Angela Williams of…

So you’re looking to be a part of a faith community, but one that shares your values about things like reproductive rights LGBTQIA+ issues, and more? How do you find one? How do you create one? For Rev. Angela Willams, the co...

Listen to the Episode
“It always circles back to politics” (w/ Chloe Maxmin and Canyon Woodward from Dirt Road Revival)
Sept. 21, 2022

“It always circles back to politics” (w/ Chloe Maxmin and Canyon Wood…

So you live in a rural community that’s been ignored by the Democratic establishment, but you want to get involved in the political system. So, what do you do? For Chloe Maxmin and Canyon Woodward, taking the lessons they’d l...

Listen to the Episode
“Where can we be the margin of victory?” (w/ Candice Kerestan of Democrats Abroad)
Sept. 14, 2022

“Where can we be the margin of victory?” (w/ Candice Kerestan of Demo…

You’re an American living abroad, but you want to have a voice in choosing who represents you, so what do you do? For Candice Kerestan, an American living in Germany, the question of how to work towards a more equitable and j...

Listen to the Episode
“Instead of thinking, ‘we should,’ I just said, ‘I will'” (w/ Shannon Downey of Badass Cross Stitch)
Sept. 7, 2022

“Instead of thinking, ‘we should,’ I just said, ‘I will'” (w/ Shannon…

You’re skilled in the arts and you want to use those skills to make change, so what do you do? For Shannon Downey, a.k.a. Badass Cross Stitch, the answer was simple: Build a community of craft lovers and doers, and connect th...

Listen to the Episode
“Feel the fear and do it anyway” (w/ Rachel Dawn Davis of Waterspirit)
Aug. 31, 2022

“Feel the fear and do it anyway” (w/ Rachel Dawn Davis of Waterspirit)

If you can see how big, seemingly-intractable national and international issues impact your local community, what do you do? For Rachel Dawn Davis, community activist and public policy and justice organizer with Waterspirit, ...

Listen to the Episode
“I became enamored with this thing called politics” (w/ A'shanti Gholar of Emerge)
Aug. 24, 2022

“I became enamored with this thing called politics” (w/ A'shanti Ghol…

If you don’t see any people in power who look like you or come from your background, what do you do? For A’shanti Gholar, President of Emerge America, the answer was to jump into the ring herself. From her high school showdow...

Listen to the Episode
“I'm always looking for people's superpower” (w/ Kristin Urquiza and Christine Keeves of Marked by COVID)
Aug. 17, 2022

“I'm always looking for people's superpower” (w/ Kristin Urquiza and …

A new crisis explodes and you’re the frontlines. What do you do? Marked by COVID co-founder Kristin Urquiza’s father died from COVID after trusting Arizona Governor Doug Ducey’s claims that “it was safe to resume normal activ...

Listen to the Episode