She, the People

Sarah Jakle founded DemocraShe to solve a problem she kept seeing — brilliant women who couldn't see themselves as leaders, while men never questioned it for a second. Her answer was a national program for high school girls that combines practical civics with brain science, because confidence alone isn't enough when your nervous system is being flooded. Girls in 42 states learn how their amygdala...

Mindy and Andy break down how the Iran war and the Epstein files are being covered completely differently depending on where you get your news — and why that gap should terrify you. From Fox News calling it "Operation Epic Fury" and barely mentioning Epstein, to Al Jazeera naming the school bombing for what it is and connecting the war's timing directly to Trump's domestic scandals. They cover Tul...

Mindy and Shahida get into the Iran war — what it's costing us, who it's really for, and why going in was never about protecting Americans. Mindy brings her perspective as a veteran and ICU nurse who deployed to Afghanistan, talking honestly about the tension between believing in service and being completely against war. They break down the real human costs that never make the news — the civilians...

This week Mindy, Shahida, and Andy are processing a lot — the Iran war, Pete Hegseth's Christian Zionist crusade, the measles outbreak, and what it means to live in a country where leaders don't care if you live or die. Shahida opens up about finding grounding in Ramadan while feeling completely untethered by the state of the world. We talk about why people believe in supplements over scie...

Mindy, Shahida, and Andy are all three together for the first time and they are not holding back. This episode is a wide open conversation about accountability — what it means, who has it, and who is clearly getting away without it. They dig into the Epstein files and the credible evidence being buried by the people sworn to protect us, why Pam Bondi and Cash Patel should be nowhere near a positio...

What does it mean to raise children in a world facing climate crisis, political chaos, and an internet that never turns off? In this episode, Mindy and Shahida sit down with their friend Stacy — a mother of two girls — for an honest, funny, and deeply real conversation about motherhood. They cover the existential fears that come with parenting right now — from water bankruptcy to online predators...

Shahida shares her powerful journey to Malaysia to say goodbye to her estranged father who was dying of stage four cancer. After decades of distance and unresolved trauma from his departure when she was five, she arrived expecting closure—but received something far more profound: his honest acknowledgment, his request for forgiveness, and the gift of being present for his final moments. This deepl...

Mindy and Shahida reunite on She The People to unpack what they’re seeing in the Epstein files and the disturbing pattern of power moving without accountability. From the role of wealth, influence, and propaganda to the online pipeline that fuels misogyny and the far right, they talk through why so many people feel overwhelmed, and why staying informed still matters. They also break down the SAVE...

Mindy goes solo with Iowa State Rep. JD S to talk Scholten about what it’s like organizing as one of the only Democrats across 42 counties in northwest Iowa—and why 2026 could determine whether Iowa swings back purple or locks in deeper red. They unpack the nonstop news cycle (including the Epstein files), the risk of burnout, and why local action and coalition-building are the only way through th...

Mindy and Andy connect the everyday dismissal women face to a broader pattern of discrediting experts, consolidating media power, and escalating political violence—and talk through what organizing and disruption could look like.

In this episode, we talk with Cole and Andee about what it means to escape a high-control religious system — and the cost of choosing freedom. Cole shares his experience growing up as a Jehovah’s Witness, breaking away in his late teens and early twenties, and losing nearly everything he had ever known: his community, family, friends, job, and identity. He also opens up about the widespread sexual...

In this episode of She the People , Mindy is joined by her cousin-in-law Andy for a wide-ranging, no-BS conversation about apathy—why it spreads, why it’s dangerous, and why “it won’t happen to me” is one of the most costly lies we tell ourselves. Using Jane Goodall’s warning that apathy is the greatest danger to our future, they unpack how comfort, individualism, and political fatigue keep people...

With Shahida out, Mindy talks with her cousin-in-law Andy from Northern Idaho about how abortion bans and political extremism are reshaping everyday life. They cover hospital and OB unit closures, doctors leaving, and the growing dangers and costs of getting basic care in rural communities. They also unpack Idaho’s culture shift—racism, harassment, public school decline, and “freedom” rhetoric tha...

Mindy and Shahida do a holiday throwback to their all-women maternal/child health Peace Corps group in Morocco—starting with 2005 training, then being sent to remote sites where travel took days and life was intense but oddly simple. They reflect on Peace Corps’ bigger purpose: cross-cultural exchange, building empathy on both sides (especially during the Iraq era), and how the experience made the...

Mindy and Shahida start with a messy group-project story where one teammate does the wrong slide, disappears, and the rest of the group has to pick up the slack—sparking a talk about accountability, “pretty privilege,” and how beauty standards shift by region (Arizona vs California, etc.). From there, they zoom out into bigger themes: how race and culture shape what’s valued, why “I don’t see colo...

Mindy and Shahida are joined by their Peace Corps friend Sumona — a lifelong environmental advocate — to unpack how environmental injustice has shaped communities for generations and how today’s explosion of water-hungry data centers is creating new risks for working families. Together, they break down what’s happening, why it matters, and what everyday people can do right now to protect their nei...

In this raw and unfiltered conversation, Mindy and Alicia break down the mounting crisis in American healthcare—and why the latest education policy changes threaten to collapse the professions holding the system together. From the emotional and physical toll of nursing, to unsafe staffing, to corporate profit replacing patient care, they explore how burnout, violence, and moral injury are driving...

In this emotional episode of She The People , Mindy and Shahida sit down with their longtime friend Alicia — fellow Peace Corps alum and psychiatric NP — for a raw conversation that moves from women’s sports bars and Midwest charm to the Pope’s unexpected Vatican rave. The heart of the episode centers on grief: Mindy and Alicia share their experiences of losing their fathers within the same year,...

In this episode of She The People , Mindy and Shahida talk with their friend Jen—who works in global policy in the U.K.—about the stark differences between British and American politics. Jen breaks down the U.K.’s multi-party spectrum, the parliamentary system, and how prime ministers are chosen, while the hosts compare this with the deeply polarized two-party structure in the U.S. They explore ho...

In this episode of She, The People , Mindy and Shahida welcome their longtime friend and fellow Peace Corps volunteer Jen, self-proclaimed “Queen of Weird,” to talk about the magic of leaning into your goofy side and the urgency of fighting for women’s rights. They start with hilarious stories from their Peace Corps days in Morocco—sleeping-bag worm dances, swim caps in the Uffizi, dead-hand hugs,...

In this post–election “Blue Wave” episode of She the People , Mindy, Shahida, and guest Erica dive deep into what Democratic Socialism really means—and why it’s not the scary buzzword corporate America wants you to think it is. The trio break down how countries like Norway, Denmark, and Sweden balance capitalism with social responsibility, proving that free markets and universal healthcare can coe...

In this episode of She the People , Mindy and Shahida sit down with their longtime friend Erica, a hospital-based physical therapist and former Peace Corps volunteer, to talk about what unions actually mean for healthcare workers and patients. From post–Peace Corps broke years to organizing a new union at her hospital, Erica breaks down at-will employment, staffing, burnout, and why unions are “li...

She the People is back with our friend Asta—grant manager and former school-nutrition leader—to break down SNAP, WIC, school meals, and why benefit cuts and delays hit kids, elders, and working families first. We dig into the Farm Bill, food deserts vs. “healthy food” myths, and what happens when policy meets the checkout line. Plus: what you can do this week (from food banks to GOTV) to keep neig...

We connect the dots between the dismantling of USAID and why soft power keeps Americans safer, unpack how faith gets weaponized (and why “Jesus was woke” tracks with the actual gospel), and dig into the 3.5% rule—why mass turnout still moves policy. Featuring a frontline account from inside the gutting, protest stories from big cities to small towns, and practical ways to organize beyond echo cham...

Mindy and Shahida gush over pro cycling—from pelotons and “chapeau” culture to women’s racing—and how the sport’s grit, teamwork, and scenery became a calming obsession. They pivot to creativity (Mindy’s mosaics), aging with intention, science vs. spirituality, and dreaming up a shared-life compound with animals. The episode closes with a clear-eyed look at rising authoritarianism in the U.S. and...