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What Can I Do - Podcast

What Can I Do

 What Can I Do Podcast

You voted (again), you protested (again), you posted on social media (again), yet you’re still reeling from all the terrible news. But…what else can you do? We’ll help you figure that out! Each week hosts Kelly Therese Pollock and Lila Nordstrom interview activists working on a range of issues, from national policy to local concerns, not about why but about how they took action: What got them started, who helped them along the way, and what they’d do differently if they had to do it all again. In the process, we’ll offer concrete advice on how to take the leap from freaking out on Twitter to making a difference, building community, and finding joy in getting involved.

How To Education News Politics
Update frequency
every 6 days
Average duration
32 minutes
Episodes
43
Years Active
2022 - 2024
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“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.)

“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.)

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 overc…
00:30:32  |   Wed 12 Jul 2023
“It doesn’t matter, just run.” (With Irene Shin, Delegate in the Virginia House of Delegates and ED of the Virginia Civic Engagement Table)

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

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 Dele…
00:37:01  |   Wed 05 Jul 2023
“Journalism is supposed to be about speaking truth to power” (With Fiona Lowenstein, journalist and editor of The Long COVID Survival Guide)

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

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 j…
00:38:36  |   Wed 28 Jun 2023
“The community is critical” (With Mary Rickles, Director for Communications and Politics for Netroots Nation)

“The community is critical” (With Mary Rickles, Director for Communications and Politics for Netroots Nation)

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 progres…
00:31:23  |   Wed 21 Jun 2023
“In the progressive community, we tend to dislike the idea of selling ideas.” (With David Fenton, author of The Activist’s Media Handbook)

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

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 …
00:29:58  |   Wed 07 Dec 2022
“There’s one statistic I came across that suggested that 90% of people think they're more objective than average. And I wouldn't you know, I put myself in that category.” (With Jessica Nordell, author of The End of Bias)

“There’s one statistic I came across that suggested that 90% of people think they're more objective than average. And I wouldn't you know, I put myself in that category.” (With Jessica Nordell, author of The End of Bias)

So you’re thinking about your place in larger political systems and wondering how your own biases are showing up in your work. What do you do? For Jessica Nordell, a journalist who has extensively co…
00:29:38  |   Wed 30 Nov 2022
“If we’re going to win, organizing is going to be key to getting us there” (With Elyssa Feder of Rising Organizers)

“If we’re going to win, organizing is going to be key to getting us there” (With Elyssa Feder of Rising Organizers)

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 answ…
00:32:56  |   Wed 23 Nov 2022
ICYMI - Recap 2 (aka, What Can I Do After the Midterms)

ICYMI - Recap 2 (aka, What Can I Do After the Midterms)

In this special post-election edition of TL;DL, we’re looking back at the action items we discussed on the most recent seven episodes of “What Can I Do” featuring: Candice Kerestan of Democrats Abroa…
00:34:10  |   Wed 16 Nov 2022
“We talked to everybody, because in Kansas you cannot win with only Democrats” (With Ashley All of Kansans for Constitutional Freedom)

“We talked to everybody, because in Kansas you cannot win with only Democrats” (With Ashley All of Kansans for Constitutional Freedom)

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 wor…
00:36:12  |   Wed 02 Nov 2022
“A Justified Impatience” (With New York City Councilmember Chi Ossé)

“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 …
00:23:43  |   Wed 26 Oct 2022
“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)

“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)

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 Rosi…
00:38:36  |   Wed 19 Oct 2022
“I look at political activism as an outgrowth of volunteerism.” (w/ Donald Hebbard of Compressor-Free Franklin)

“I look at political activism as an outgrowth of volunteerism.” (w/ Donald Hebbard of Compressor-Free Franklin)

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 …
00:30:10  |   Wed 12 Oct 2022
“The joy of focusing on local work is that we win a lot” (w/ Amanda Litman of Run For Something)

“The joy of focusing on local work is that we win a lot” (w/ Amanda Litman of Run For Something)

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 Ob…
00:31:07  |   Wed 05 Oct 2022
“Starting with the three feet around you” (w/ Rev. Angela Williams of SACReD)

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

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 R…
00:27:25  |   Wed 28 Sep 2022
“It always circles back to politics” (w/ Chloe Maxmin and Canyon Woodward from Dirt Road Revival)

“It always circles back to politics” (w/ Chloe Maxmin and Canyon Woodward from Dirt Road Revival)

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, …
00:27:30  |   Wed 21 Sep 2022
“Where can we be the margin of victory?” (w/ Candice Kerestan of Democrats Abroad)

“Where can we be the margin of victory?” (w/ Candice Kerestan of Democrats Abroad)

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 tow…
00:30:00  |   Wed 14 Sep 2022
ICYMI - Recap 1

ICYMI - Recap 1

A recap of the actions and strategies we’ve discussed in our recent interviews. Find out more on our blog! Episode Links: “The trouble with viewing 9/11 and the pandemic through a wartime lens,” by…
00:16:54  |   Mon 12 Sep 2022
“Instead of thinking, ‘we should,’ I just said, ‘I will.’” (w/ Shannon Downey of Badass Cross Stitch)

“Instead of thinking, ‘we should,’ I just said, ‘I will.’” (w/ Shannon Downey of Badass Cross Stitch)

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…

00:40:28  |   Wed 07 Sep 2022
“Feel the fear and do it anyway” (w/ Rachel Dawn Davis of Waterspirit)

“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 or…

00:28:40  |   Wed 31 Aug 2022
“I became enamored with this thing called politics” (w/ A'shanti Gholar of Emerge)

“I became enamored with this thing called politics” (w/ A'shanti Gholar of Emerge)

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. Fr…

00:32:19  |   Wed 24 Aug 2022
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