Democracy Does: The Civic Power Playbook

For many Americans, homeownership can feel increasingly out of reach. Rising prices, higher interest rates, and economic uncertainty have left many wondering whether the American Dream is still attainable. But according to HUD-certified housing advocate Sylvia Alvarez, the answer is yes—with the right guidance. As founder and executive director of the Housing and Education Alliance, Alvarez has sp...

Professor Shannon Lane joined Democracy Does: The Civic Power Playbook for an essential conversation about why voting rights, policy, and civic participation directly impact our everyday lives. As Director of the Nancy A. Humphries Institute for Political Social Work at the University of Connecticut, Lane explained how social workers often see firsthand how policy decisions affect healthcare, educ...

What if the biggest civil rights issue today isn’t just freedom of speech—but the ability to afford to live? In my recent conversation with civil rights attorney Ehsan Zaffar, we explored a powerful idea: our current system of rights was designed for a very different America. At the founding, protections like free speech and religious liberty were essential against government overreach. But today,...

What does it take to move from feeling powerless to becoming an agent of change? In my recent conversation with Sam Daley-Harris, the answer starts with one simple but profound idea: your story matters. Sam’s journey—from a percussionist in the Miami Philharmonic to founding RESULTS and Civic Courage—was shaped by what Marshall Ganz calls the “story of self.” It’s the thread that connects your lif...

At a time when political and cultural divisions feel sharper than ever, one question keeps surfacing: How do we talk to each other without tearing each other apart? On this week’s episode of Democracy Does: The Civic Power Playbook, I spoke with podcast host Corey Nathan, creator of Talkin’ Politics and Religion Without Killing Each Other. His mission is exactly what the title suggests—helping peo...

If your electric bill has felt like a shock lately, you’re not imagining it. In my recent conversation with energy economist Professor Severin Borenstein, we unpacked what’s really driving these increases—and it’s more complicated than any single headline. Across parts of the country like the mid-Atlantic and Midwest, demand for electricity is rising faster than supply. When that happens, prices g...

What does a conflict thousands of miles away have to do with your daily life? More than you might think. In this week’s episode of Democracy Does, I sit down with Severin Borenstein to unpack why rising tensions in the Middle East. The key takeaway: oil is a global market. Even though the U.S. produces a significant amount of oil, prices are set worldwide. When supply is disrupted—like the estimat...

In this week’s Democracy Does, I sat down with Dr. Colleen Shogan—the first woman to lead the National Archives and now the CEO of In Pursuit, a national civics initiative from More Perfect. She shared a powerful idea: Democracy is like a game—but many Americans don’t know the rules. From low civics proficiency rates to adults struggling with basic government questions, there’s a clear gap. And as...

In this week’s Democracy Does, I sat down with Greta Bedekovics of the Center for American Progress to break down the proposed SAVE Act—and what it could mean for everyday voters. At its core, the SAVE Act would dramatically change how Americans register to vote. Instead of the current, accessible system—often online or through the DMV using a driver’s license or Social Security number—the bill wo...

In this latest Democracy Does: The Civic Power Playbook conversation with Professor Adia Harvey-Wingfield, professor of sociology at Washington University in St. Louis, we unpack the ripple effects of recent labor policy changes and why they deserve your attention. One major concern is the widespread reduction of federal jobs across agencies, such as the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S...

What if the biggest barrier to civic participation isn’t apathy—but confusion? That’s the insight communications expert Marjorie Clifton shared in my recent Democracy Does conversation. As the co-founder of March Matters, Clifton is working to close a civic knowledge gap that many Americans don’t even realize exists. The idea behind March Matters is simple but powerful: make civic participation un...

As we head toward another pivotal election season, I sat down with Robert Boatright, professor at Clark University and director of research at the National Institute for Civil Discourse, to talk about what’s really happening in American elections — and what’s not. Here’s the headline: Professor Boatright is less worried about the mechanics of voting than about the erosion of public trust.    

In this episode of Democracy Does, I sat down with Professor Andrew Flachs of Purdue University to unpack how agriculture policy affects far more than farmers—it touches all of us. Dr. Flachs, an environmental anthropologist and author of Feeding the World as If People Mattered, breaks down how tariffs, trade wars, labor shortages, and consolidation in agribusiness ripple through the economy, from...

During National Consumer Protection Week, the host Robin Hamilton interviews University of Michigan social work professor and consumer protection expert Terri Friedline about the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), why it was created after the 2008 mortgage crisis to center consumers’ experiences, and how recent rollbacks weaken protections. Friedline explains how higher credit card inter...

In this episode of Democracy Does: The Civic Power Playbook, host Robin Hamilton speaks with postal policy researcher Doug Carlson about recent changes to postal operations that could delay when your mail is officially postmarked and why most Americans have no idea it is happening. Doug explains that the United States Postal Service has implemented a policy called Regional Transportation Optimizat...

In this episode of Democracy Does: The Civic Power Playbook, host Robin Hamilton speaks with public health expert and caregiving advocate Prof. Maggie Ornstein about why caregiving must be recognized as essential work. In recognition of National Caregivers Day, the conversation explores how Medicaid cuts and shifting policies are increasing pressure on both paid and unpaid caregivers. Prof. Ornste...

In this episode of Democracy Does: The Civic Power Playbook, host Robin Hamilton speaks with grassroots organizer and advocate Freeda Cathcart, founder of the Common Sense Coalition Guide. Freeda shares the personal and political journey that led her to create a community-based framework for bringing people together across differences to address real-world policy impacts. The conversation explores...

In this episode of Democracy Does The Civic Power Playbook, host Robin N. Hamilton talks with labor researcher and author Les Leopold about why mass layoffs are often a policy choice, not an economic necessity. Les explains how worker representation at companies like Siemens in Germany helped prevent forced layoffs, and argues that U.S. corporations receiving taxpayer money should face similar lim...

Democracy Does: The Civic Power Playbook returns with a new season cutting through political noise to explain how policy decisions shape everyday life. Through expert conversations and real-world examples—from postal service changes to labor policy—the show empowers listeners with clarity, context, and practical ways to take informed civic action.

Thank you for listening to season one of Democracy Does: The Civic Power Playbook. This season focused on how policy decisions affect everyday life, featuring voices of single parents, veterans, advocates, and experts who shared real stories and practical insights beyond political theater. As we take a brief hiatus before season two, this episode reflects on why staying informed matters—and how de...

In this episode of Democracy Does the Civic Power Playbook, host Robin Hamilton sits down with Jeff Koziatek, keynote speaker, leadership consultant, and author of 'Blueprint for Value.' Jeff explains how understanding your intrinsic worth can help you connect more genuinely with people, even those with differing viewpoints. He shares his personal journey of shifting from a performance-driven life...

Join us for Part 2 of Democracy Does' community conversation in Charleston, South Carolina, titled 'We the People: A Conversation That Moves Us Forward.' In this episode, host Robin Hamilton leads a discussion with local leaders and activists about the importance of grassroots initiatives, civic engagement, and fostering positive discourse in the community. Highlights include a recap of a recent s...

In this episode, Robin Hamilton takes the show on the road to Charleston, South Carolina.  She sits down with inspiring local leaders, including Jimmy Bailey of YEScarolina, Audrey KS Lane of the E3 Foundation, and Mackie Krawcheck Moore of Silence Is Not An Option (SINO), and delves into the impact of grassroots activism and civic engagement on local and national levels. Key topics include the im...

In this episode, we sit down with Allison Shapira, CEO of Global Public Speaking, who talks about the importance of choosing words wisely - and listening. Check it out and perhaps learn some tips and tricks when it comes talking to someone with whom you think you can't connect. True connection, she says, comes from authenticity and emotion.   

This week on Democracy Does: The Civic Power Playbook, I had the honor of speaking with Retired Sergeant Douglas Brinker, whose decades of service in both the Navy and Army National Guard took him across the world—from Beirut to Operation Iraqi Freedom. His story is not only one of sacrifice, but of resilience.