Podcast

Janelle Christensen is a professor and head of the Florida Democratic Environmental Caucus. Margie Stein is a political activist who has found her niche in fundraising for Florida state races. Together, this dynamic duo are spearheading an effort to turn Florida blue by taking a page out of the Virginia playbook that helped flip that state in 2019. Their program, called 140 Florida Blue Project, has recruited democratic candidates to run in all 33 of Florida’s state legislature races in which the Republican candidate had been running unopposed. They talk about why it matters to chip away at the margins…

In this week’s bonus episode, Nancy talks about trends in creative activism from protest needlework to fashion design.

This week’s podcast features a conversation with artist Diana Weymar of Tiny Pricks Project. Diana is a textile artist who one day in 2018 had the impulse to embroider the words “I am a stable genius” onto an old piece of her grandmother’s needlework, and Tiny Pricks was born. Now Tiny Pricks is a public textile-based protest project with hundreds of participants around the world and 56,000 followers on instagram. Nancy and Diana talk about the importance of preserving Trump’s language and transforming it into something beautiful in protest, the therapeutic benefits of doing this work, learning to stay present…

This week Nancy speaks with Mark Bergman, a lawyer and Democrat based in London, who since 2017 has been keeping his fellow Democrats abroad engaged in the political process here at home through conference calls with candidates, elected officials and democracy groups. Mark’s calls have featured sitting senators, state attorneys general, candidates for the House and Senate, and other prominent American political figures like James Comey and James Carville. With an audience maxing out in the double digits, the calls provide an intimate opportunity for listeners to hear from and ask questions of these Americans who have stepped up to…

Almost two months into the podcast, Nancy takes a break to muse on one theme that's been coming up a lot in her interviews: the importance of state and local elections.

This episode features Hollywood writer and producer Stacy Kramer, who since 2016 has become a tireless fundraiser for Democratic candidates and grassroots groups. Stacy talks about how to make Democratic fundraisers more democratic, how her creative skills as a writer and her "noodgy" skills as a producer have worked to her advantage, and why making people feel included and engaged in the process is just as important as raising money. Listen for Stacy’s tips on how to host successful fundraisers and creative ways to make them fun on Zoom.

This episode of the podcast features a conversation with Susan Rogan, founder of the political action newsletter Rogan’s List. A self-proclaimed “retired grandmother in a recliner,” Susan is also an activist icon thanks to her newsletter that has been dropping into inboxes since two days after the 2016 election. Having spent her career as an academic librarian, Susan talks about how she puts her organizational and research skills to use in a new way with the newsletter. Susan also talks about new opportunities in activism created by the pandemic, the joy she gets from helping people take action, and the…

This podcast features a conversation with Alex Posen, co-founder of Resistance by Design, a company that designs accessories and products that allow you to tastefully and professionally express your political opinions. Alex knows beautiful design, having been creative director of her brother Zac Posen’s fashion line. Alex and Nancy talk about the power of wearing your politics on your sleeve, the therapeutic benefits of being a creative activist, motherhood and activism, and how having more women in government will save the world.

On this episode of the podcast, Nancy has a conversation with Samra Brouk, who is running for state senate in upstate New York. Up until now, Samra’s career has been in public service, seeing the impact of government policies on people’s lives up close, and now she wants to use that insight as a lawmaker helping to craft those policies. Samra talks about finding common ground among the voters in her diverse district, the importance of nurturing political talent in state legislatures and the effect of Covid-19 on the issues people are facing today. Samra also gives her advice to…

This episode features a conversation with Melissa Walker of Future Now Fund, a group started in 2017 dedicated to electing more Democrats to our state legislatures and supporting them with policy expertise once they’re in office. Melissa talks about how to be most impactful with your activism, what it means to take down a Republican supermajority, and why state legislatures are where it’s at if you want to transform American politics and improve people’s lives. Melissa also discusses the power of giving circles, building community and how you can join in on the fun. Please enjoy this conversation with Melissa…