Start Me Up with Kimberley A. Johnson

Cheri is back! Today's show was more about our personal lives wth a little bit of politics thrown in. Topics: What we do for self-care; Cheri weighs in on what may happen to Social Security; she also shared that surviving cancer has resulted in a healthier lifestyle; we shared rumors we heard about sex before we were sexually active, and we ended with supernatural experiences we've had. It...

Topics: We discussed Ann's latest book series, " After the Apocalypse ," and the Democratic party's response to the current political climate, focusing on the recent win of an important Supreme Court seat in Wisconsin and Cory Booker's 25-hour Senate filibuster. Ann emphasized the importance of Democrats showing up to town halls and engaging with constituents--as opposed to Rep...

Jody is Back!!! We avoided politics save for one piece of good news. I record on Zoom and this was the AI description of the show (lol) Kimberley and Jody discussed their personal experiences, including their emotional struggles, lottery wins, and encounters with celebrities. They also reminisced about their shared past, including their childhood trauma from watching a movie, their experiences at...

Christopher Bouzy is a serial entrepreneur, software engineer, and political maven and he’s the founder and CEO of both Bot Sentinel and  Spoutible.com . Topics: We talked about the current state of the country and the need for stronger resistance against the fascist regime. Christopher's opinion on what happened in the 2024 election has evolved. We also touched on the potential shift in the D...

D. Earl Stephens is the author of "Toxic Tales: A Caustic Collection of Donald J. Trump's Very Important Letters."   He's the former managing editor of Stars & Stripes, a Navy vet, and a prolific writer. His Substack:  Enough Already Earl and I are pissed off and we vented BIGLY! We discussed the corrupt influence of money in politics and how it impacts Democratic optics/messag...

Steve Pierson is back! He is an activist and seasoned campaign organizer who has dedicated his career to empowering grassroots movements. He and Jess Craven have launched The Practivist Pod -- the practice of activism made practical . Topics: Steve shared the news about his new podcast and then we discussed the importance of focusing on gratitude in these very trying times. We also discussed an up...

Greg Olear is back! He's the author of Rough Beast , PREVAIL  columnist & podcaster, and co-host of The Five 8  on YouTube. Topics: We discussed our concerns about the current political climate, including the potential threat to Social Security and Medicare, and the importance of a shift in the political landscape. We also discussed the potential impact of a general strike on February 28th...

Writer/Director Jay Arnold is back! He directed and wrote the original screenplay for the 2023 award-winning romantic drama “Shoulder Dance.” Jay’s first Documentary “Sergio Dondoli’s Happy Life” releases in Spring 2025. Topics: First, we talked about his upcoming documentary and then chatted a bit about self-care. Then we got into politics: Musk hacking into major government websites, how systemi...

Tara is back! She's a prominent resister, a freelance writer, and the author of THE SOUND OF SETTLING, A Rock & Roll Love Story.  Topics: Tara talks about her book and why she wrote it. We both spent time discussing the importance of self-care and how to achieve goals with how we think and what we believe is possible. Then we focused on how Democrats can improve messaging--and how voters c...

Sarah Wood is back and she's extra sweary today. We love when she's sweary and there's a lot to swear about! Topics: the fascists want to overwhelm us so we disengage; Trump 2.0 will be worse than Trump 1.0 because many guardrails are gone but we still have power and we need to use it; focusing on self-care is vital; Germany knows Elon gave a Nazi salute; our news media is weak and it&...

Mo Collins is an actress and comedian. A few of her credits include MadTV; Arrested Development, Curb Your Enthusiasm; Parks and Recreation; 40-Year-Old Virgin and much more. After talking about the devastating fires in Southern California, Mo shared a bit about her life growing up in Minnesota, how she got into improv and comedy; what it's been like for her as a comedian and actress, and then...

Nick Knudsen returns! He's the Executive Director of DemCast USA --a digital movement to combat the prolific disinformation that is spreading online, we ask everyday social media users to share the truth and calls-to-action in their own social media feeds.  Topics: Nick shares info about the premiere of his upcoming podcast; what everyday Americans can do to help rescue democracy; the Virginia...

Jennifer Taylor-Skinner is a writer, essayist, and creator & host of the award-winning podcast, The Electorette—one of the longest-running feminist podcasts, offering analyses and solutions to the world's biggest political and social challenges, all through the lens of women Topics: What we're doing to stay sane; trusted sources of the resistance; much of legacy media is obeying in adv...

Writer, performer, and activist, Lorraine Devon Wilke is back! She's the author of the award-winning novel, THE ALCHEMY OF NOISE; her next, CHICK SINGER, pubs March 2025, and her latest endeavor is a popular Substack titled "Musings of a Creative Loudmouth." Today's conversation was centered around how the election affected us and what we're doing to cope. We talked about pragm...

Christopher Bouzy is a serial entrepreneur, software engineer, and political maven and he’s the founder and CEO of both Bot Sentinel and  Spoutible.com . Topics: Christopher makes a compelling argument on why he feels the 2024 election was not rigged; Chris also talks about what went wrong with his (and others') optimistic electoral predictions): who can we trust to deliver the news; how we re...

Steph is BACK for Election Eve Steph is one of my best friends. She works for Planned Parenthood and we had an incredibly uplifting conversation about why there's so much to be optimistic about. She knocked on doors in Nevada and what she experienced was very positive. I detail why Florida is in play, and we both talk about how effective the DNC and the Harris campaign have been. If you're...

D. Earl Stephens is the author of "Toxic Tales: A Caustic Collection of Donald J. Trump's Very Important Letters."   He's the former managing editor of Stars & Stripes, a Navy vet, and a prolific writer. Topics: With a little over a week away from Election Day, Earl and I weigh in on what we think the results will be and we specifically talk about Texas, Florida, and Wisconsin;...

Jennifer Taylor-Skinner is a writer, essayist, and creator & host of the award-winning podcast, The Electorette—one of the longest-running feminist podcasts, offering analyses and solutions to the world's biggest political and social challenges, all through the lens of women. Topics: Trump's campaign is in freefall, he had a disastrous Town Hall in PA earlier this week and a disastrous...

D. Knight is the host of the Pardon the Insurrection Podcast . Topics: We discuss the idea of a possible silent majority: will there be massive support for Harris that isn't being measured, or is the race as close as legacy media tells us? Independent media is on the rise; The Harris campaign messaging is what Democratic voters have been waiting to see; talking with MAGA relatives and much mor...

Democratic Strategist Rachel Bitocofer is back. She's the author of Hit 'Em Where It Hurts: How to Save Democracy by Beating Republicans at Their Own Game . Topics: What Democrats are getting right in their messaging and how they can improve; the importance of down-ballot voting AND messaging; how the latest Jack Smith filing could affect the election; Donald Trump's rhetoric is increa...

Brian Karem is a White House Columnist and his latest book is titled Free the Press: The Death of American Journalism and How to Revive It . He's a political analyst for Salon  and hosts the " Just Ask The Question " podcast. Topics: Brian weighs in on Harris doing more interviews; the Harris campaign has the momentum, Trump is desperate and begging for money; the Olivia Nuzzi scandal...

Writer Sarah Wood is back! That wonderful, fabulous, historic presidential debate! We're still on a high and we celebrate all of the Harris goodness; Trump was humiliated on the world stage--in a way we've never witnessed--and from what we've seen of him to date, it's a good guess he'll spiral into an even more deplorable version of himself before this is all over; the Haitian...

Steph is BACK and we had SO MUCH FUN! Steph is one of my best friends. She works for Planned Parenthood and had the opportunity to go to the DNC this year. We had such an optimistic and hilarious conversation about Kamala Harris, Tim Walz, the future of American democracy and how good it feels to get back to hope and joy. I spill a little tea at the end...Such a fun show. Advertising Inquiries: ht...

Christopher Bouzy is a serial entrepreneur, software engineer, and political maven and he’s the founder and CEO of both Bot Sentinel and  Spoutible.com . Topics: Christopher has been accurately predicting elections for years--we discuss his latest electoral map, why he says Florida will flip, and why he believes Iowa and Ohio are in play; Trump's upcoming sentencing will likely do even more da...

Ann Werner is my mom and the author of many books. Today, we discuss her trilogy about a global pandemic. Book one: The Melt. Book two The Augurs, and book three The Adepts was just released. After we chatted about her books, we dove right into politics; the amazing and very entertaining Democratic National Convention; Tim Walz is our real-life Ted Lasso; if we all vote, we will see a blue wave--m...