The Practivist Pod

Today we talk, Build Back Better, unions, whistleblowers and Virginia! And joining us to help us talk about Virginia is Air Force veteran and candidate for Virginia House of Delegates, Katie Sponsler. All of that plus our Reasons for Hope. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Today we have a special mini-pod to share some exciting news about letter writing! Scott Forman and Emily Wasserman from Vote Forward join us to share their findings from the 2020 election. Spoiler alert… the results are good! Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Today we are watching as Congress is on the verge of passing historic investments in our country all while trying to avoid a government shutdown. Joining us for our interview is progressive advocate and Color of Change Chair of the Board, Heather McGhee. We talk about her amazing book, The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together and she talks about why some people in...

On today’s show, Democrats begin work on legislation to curb Presidential power abuses, the first lawsuit emerges over the Texas abortion ban, and the FDA is on track to approve vaccinations for ages 5 and up by October. Then, joining us for our interview is Crooked Media Founder and Pod Save America host Jon Favreau! We talk about the state of alternative media, the filibuster conundrum, and our...

A busy month on the Hill kicks off and today, we break down the senate’s new Freedom to Vote Act. We also keep our eyes peeled on the “pro-insurrectionist” rally at the Capitol on Saturday, and get you into action in Virginia. Joining us for our interview is the man who is leading the Organizing charge, Swing Left’s Head of Community David Berrios. All that, plus our reasons for hope! Advertising...

It’s our 100th episode! Mariah and Steve talk about what they've learned from 100 interviews and 100 reasons for hope. We also talk Statehouses, with Virginia State Senator Jennifer McClellan. She talks about what it was like (trying to) legislate under republican control, what it’s been like since we gained the Democratic trifecta, and why it is so important to hold on to the majority there t...

Today our show is graced by the lovely and talented actor Keiko Agena! You probably know her work on Gilmore Girls, Prodigal Son (and lots more) but you may not know that she is a super-volunteer and activist who can’t stop, won’t stop using her voice to help us protect our democracy! And we are also graced by the equally lovely Scott Forman, the founder and force behind Vote Forward! Scott checks...

Today we are bringing back “The Ryan Report” with Swing Left’s campaign director, Ryan Quinn! We talk about the recent Census data, and what it all means for the rising American electorate, redistricting, and our work in the Midterms. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Joining us today is the force behind the “Mueller She Wrote” and the “Daily Beans” podcasts, Dr. Allison Gill. AG is a veteran and a former employee at the Department of Veterans Affairs. We talk about what it was like launching her pod under the shadow of the Trump administration, get her thoughts on Afghanistan, and talk about staying engaged to win in 2022, 2024 and beyond. Advertising Inquirie...

Today’s guest is an expert in misinformation who knows how to manipulate people to believe and act on suggestions that he places in their minds. He’s not a republican operative, but he is a world renown mentalist, magician, pickpocket, and mind reader… so he acts like a republican operative, but strictly for entertainment purposes. It’s mentalist and magician, Ken Salaz! Ken joins us to talk about...

As we are all grappling with another spike in COVID cases due to a very contagious Delta variant and a very large number of unvaccinated Americans, we have a conversation with public health advocate, Dr. Rhea Boyd. We talk about her work to bring credible information about COVID vaccines to Black, and Latinx communities, and what we should expect as our kids head back to school this fall. Advertis...

Today we are joined by the co-founder of the Democracy Policy Network and author of "Dedicated: The Case for Commitment in An Age of Infinite Browsing", Pete Davis. We talk about how committing to civic advocacy, year round and especially in State houses, will build our power and just might save our Democracy. But first, Mariah and Steve talk about the surge in COVID cases, the Olympics, a...

For weeks we’ve been talking about how democratic Texas state legislators are making good and necessary trouble to protect voting rights, and today we’re going to hear from one! State Representative Erin Zwiener joins us from Washington DC, where she and other Democrats are staying to prevent quorum in the Texas state house. She talks to us about what’s next and what they hope to accomplish. Adver...

Let’s call him the Avenger of Virginia! Joining us today is Delegate Joshua Cole. After losing a race by just 73 votes in 2017, he organized and made a big comeback in 2019, helping turn Virginia Blue! As one of the youngest members of the Assembly, he’s making a heroic impact on his community, the Commonwealth of VA, and beyond. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Ou...

Today we are talking to the man who is on the front lines of election and voting rights litigation, fighting against the GOP’s efforts to suppress our votes, and fighting for our democracy. He is the founder of Democracy Docket, and is truly THE expert on election law. Of course, we are talking about Marc Elias. We talk about the work he’s doing on redistricting, the Supreme Court's anti-democ...

Joining us today is DNC Chairman Jaime Harrison! Many of us supported Jaime in his historic attempt to unseat Lindsay Graham and serve as US Senator from South Carolina. Now, he’s helming the DNC and working to build a new generation of Democratic electeds and activists. He shares his strategy to build our bench, win up and down the ballot, and deliver democracy for the people! Advertising Inquiri...

You’ve been asking about the plan... Today we’ll spill the beans on our strategy for the next 10 years! We’re joined by Swing Left Executive Director Tori Taylor and Founder Ethan Todras-Whitehill. They’re talking to us about our move from Resistance to Persistence, and most importantly, how you can jump in! Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.c...

Joining us today to help get us fired up about this fall's election is Virginia Delegate Nancy Guy. She’s got an incredible story about running for office in the town she grew up in and how she made it through a squeaker of a race. But first we are joined by actor, history buff, and Virginia native son, Diedrich Bader. With an incredible story of his own about growing up in a political family,...

Our voting rights are under attack. The For The People Act is in the Senate, but the filibuster stands in the way of it passing. How do we fight back against the biggest voter suppression campaign since the reconstruction? Mother Jones reporter and voting rights expert Ari Berman returns to our show to give us some historical context and help us figure out what we can do about it. Advertising Inqu...

"How We Win" is back! Joining us to kick off our new season is Congressman, veteran, impeachment manager, and everyone’s favorite Twitter truth teller, Ted Lieu! We talk about the GOP’s attack on voting rights, the GOP’s attack on the January 6th commission, and what it’s really like to go to work with these radicalized republicans. And as always, we talk about actions you can take right n...

It's our season one finale and thanks to YOU we have the trifecta in our government! Joining us to help us celebrate the Inauguration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, is the Co-Founder of Indivisible, Ezra Levin. We talk about how important it is that we all stay engaged and involved, and make sure we take advantage of this opportunity to make real lasting change for our Democracy. Advertising...

There is one week until the Inauguration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. The countdown to Jan. 20th includes Impeachment 2.0, securing the very safety of our Congress, and holding everyone involved in the seditious acts last week, fully accountable. Today we are joined by counterterrorism expert and the author of "Homegrown Violent Extremism", Dr. Erroll Southers. We talk about last week’s...

Despite the worst efforts of Trump and the GOP, there are 11 days until Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will be inaugurated, completing the trifecta with Democrats controlling the White House and both houses of Congress! The seditious events at the Capitol only serve to reinforce how important our work has been. Joining us today to talk about this Historic moment, and the work we have ahead of us, is...

There are 20 days till Joe Biden is inaugurated, 6 days until the Georgia special election, and 2 days until we slam the door on 2020. Joining us to discuss all of that is the President and Co-Founder of “The New Agenda” and creator of “The Weekly List”, Amy Siskind. She’s been calling out the erosion of norms and the rise of authoritarianism since Trump took office, so we talk about what he broke...

There are 27 days till Joe Biden is inaugurated and Trump is dragged kicking and screaming out of the White House! Today we catch up with Georgia Democratic Senate candidate Jon Ossoff. We hear how he first got involved with politics, and most importantly how you can get involved to help us gain control of the Senate Majority! Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out:...