In conversation with Grace Lynch, Senior Producer for Wonder Media and host of the new podcast As She Rises, which centers native voices and women of color to personalize the elusive magnitude of climate change.

Two Broads Talking Politics

Grace Lynch, host of As She Rises

In conversation with Greisa Martinez Rosas, Executive Director of United We Dream and United We Dream Action.

Greisa Martinez Rosas

Special #MakeHerstory edition of #VoteHerIn, a collaboration of Two Broads Talking Politics & author Rebecca SiveWith Illinois Deputy Gov Sol A. Flores and strategist Alex Sims.Sol Flores serves as deputy governor in Illinois Governor JB Pritzker’s administration overseeing Health and Human Services since February 2019. As Deputy Governor, she helped oversee the administration’s response to COVID-19, including housing relief and vaccination efforts. Additionally, Flores spearheads the administration’s efforts around poverty alleviation, hunger relief, expanding healthcare access to all, and strengthening the state’s safety nets for its most vulnerable residents. She was the founding executive director of La Casa Norte, a non-profit organization established in 2002 that has served more than 30,000 youth and families confronting homelessness. Flores built La Casa Norte from two employees to a multi-million-dollar organization delivering inspiration, hope, and critical services. She is a tireless advocate, having served on numerous working groups, commissions, and nonprofit boards. Flores was raised by a single mother who came to Chicago from Puerto Rico, who was recognized as a national Champion of Change by President Barack Obama.Alexandra (Alex) P. Sims believes that one's birthplace and economic status shouldn't negatively affect one's life journey, and her career has taught her that real change is brought about when there is synergy, empathy, and aligned purposes among all public affairs sectors: business, government, philanthropy, and grassroots organizing. Alex came to Chicago from metro Detroit to attend Northwestern University. Awarded the prestigious CORO Fellowship, Alex was assigned by the CORO program to serve in the St. Louis, Missouri area. Motivated by President Barack Obama’s education and social policies, Alex was appointed to head his 2012 Presidential campaign for the St. Louis region. Following Obama’s victory, Alex continued as a State Coordinator with Organizing for Action (OFA), relocating to Chicago. It was in Chicago there that she founded Every Vote Counts, where she directed the registration of over 120,000 voters in 4 four months - the largest voter registration campaign in the country that year. While Senior Advisor to the City of Chicago Treasurer, she launched an aggressive and strategic agenda of financial equity and access. Now, founder and CEO of APS and Associates, she counsels numerous clients, including The Obama Foundation and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker.Both Sol and Alex are graduates of the women in public leadership initiative created by Rebecca Sive for the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy.

Sol Flores & Alex Sims (#VoteHerIn, Episode 76)

In conversation with Michael Holzman, author of Spies and Traitors: Kim Philby, James Angleton and the Friendship and Betrayal that Would Shape MI6, the CIA and the Cold War.

Michael Holzman

As we approach National Voter Registration Day, Sarah Audelo, the Executive Director of Alliance for Youth Action, joins Kelly to discuss voting rights and ensuring our nation's newest voters have access to the ballot box.

Sarah Audelo

#VoteHerIn, a collaboration of Two Broads Talking Politics & Rebecca Sive.Julie Castro Abrams is an expert in board governance and building diverse boards that are a strategic advantage. She is an experienced non profit CEO and entrepreneur and through her consulting practice she supports leaders to build high-performance boards, break through performance for the leaders and high performing multicultural teams. She is Chair and CEO of How Women Lead, a network of over 13,000 women dedicated to promoting diverse women’s voices and propelling women’s leadership forward as well as the Managing Partner of BoardLeaders.com where she actively places leaders on corporate boards and supports them to build inclusive and high-performance boards.An active investor and advisor to start-ups, Julie also sits on the advisory boards of the fin-tech start-up LENDonate, The New Search Collaborative and is the Governance Chair for the Women’s Funding Network, a network of women’s foundations across the globe. She has previously led the board of multiple nonprofit organizations located throughout the country, including Board Director for the National Council of La Raza, Governance Chair for the Association for Enterprise Opportunity and Board Chair of Cypress String Quartet.The recipient of many accolades, Julie has won the More Jobs Genius Award, the Morgan Stanley Innovation Award, Cisco’s Innovation in Technology Award, the League of Women Voters’ Women Who Could Be President Award, the Stevie Award for Best Non-Profit Executive, and the Commission on the Status of Women’s Human Rights Award, and is a member of the Women of Color Action Network, Leadership California, and the Marin Women's Hall of Fame. She has also been featured in four books, including “Scrappy Women in Business,” “Women of Courage,” and “The Missing Mentor,” and Fast Company’s video series “30 Second MBA.”

Julie Castro Abrams (#VoteHerIn, Episode 75)

Columnist and activist Rafia Zakaria joins Kelly to discuss her new book, *Against White Feminism: Notes on Disruption*. Rafia talks to Kelly about whether feminism is worth saving and what it would mean to de-center whiteness from feminism.

Rafia Zakaria

On #VoteHerIn, a collaboration of Two Broads Talking Politics & Rebecca Sive:Sara Guillermo is the CEO of IGNITE, the largest and most diverse young women's political leadership program in the country. Prior to assuming the CEO position in June 2021, Sara was Ignite’s Executive Director. As Sara noted in June regarding her plans for IGNITE:“After an incomparable [2020] political season, I am even more committed to bringing IGNITE training to all 50 states through virtual and in-person programming that mobilizes a new generation to prioritize civic engagement and political activism. I’m also passionate about increasing the representation of young women of color, especially in local office, as well as on boards and commissions, across the country, and we will work to dramatically accelerate young women’s paths to the ballot.”With 2022 midterms on the horizon, IGNITE is seizing the momentum of 2020 to dramatically expand its training and mobilization efforts so that today’s generation of young women are active participants in American democracy as candidates, advocates, campaign team members, voters, and community organizers. Guillermo is committed to launching 100 new candidates in the next two years through acceleration of IGNITE’s Run Now cohort trainingAs a founding member of the IGNITE team, Sara was instrumental in growing the organization from a small high school-based program in the California Bay Area. Via the program model that Sara co-developed with IGNITE’s Founder, Anne Moses, (previously a #VoteHerIn guest), IGNITE has trained upwards of 10,000 young women across 30 states. Sara's previous leadership positions at Seeking Common Ground, Aspire Public Schools, and buildOn inform her passion and expertise in community service, youth leadership development, program management and capacity building. As a breast cancer survivor, Sara is deeply committed to reforming local health care policies and systems to better meet the needs of diverse communities. She currently serves on the Concord/Pleasant Hill Healthcare Community Board where she serves as a voice to advance community healthcare priorities. Sara was recently recognized as a Roddenberry Fellow for her vision and leadership. Sara holds an MSW from the University of Denver and a B.A. in Psychology from UC Santa Cruz.*

Sara Guillermo (#VoteHerIn, Episode 74)

Katie Kalvoda, Board Member of AAPI Victory Fund and AAPI Victory Alliance, joins Kelly to discuss the California gubernatorial recall election and how Asian American voters can shape the outcome.

Katie Kalvoda from AAPI Victory Fund

Healthcare policy activist and 9/11 survivor Lila Nordstrom joins Kelly to discuss her incredible new book, Some Kids Left Behind: A Survivor's Fight for Health Care in the Wake of 9/11, which is both a riveting memoir of 9/11 and what happened to survivors in the aftermath, and a guidebook for how to advocate for yourself and your community when no one else will. You can purchase Some Kids Left Behind at https://bookshop.org/books/some-kids-left-behind-a-survivor-s-fight-for-health-care-in-the-wake-of-9-11/9781948062626 or anywhere books are sold.

Lila Nordstrom

Kelly chats with Heidi Sieck, Co-Founder and CEO of #VoteProChoice, about legislation restricting abortion in Texas, the looming Supreme Court cases about reproductive rights, and what activists can do to fight back.

Heidi Sieck from #VoteProChoice

Anne Caprara has managed and consulted with candidates and elected officials at every level of state and federal government. She currently serves as the chief of staff for Illinois governor, JB Pritzker. Before that she was the campaign manager for Pritzker’s successful gubernatorial campaign where he defeated the Republican incumbent by almost 16 points. Before that, Anne served as the Executive Director for Priorities USA Action, the main SuperPAC supporting Hillary Clinton for President in 2016.In 2014, Anne was political director for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, helping to oversee Senate races in 33 states. In 2011 and 2012, Anne served as the DSCC’s Deputy Political Director, covering all Senate races east of Wisconsin.In 2008, Anne was the campaign manager for Betsy Markey, a first-time candidate running against a 3-term Republican Congresswoman in Colorado’s 4th congressional district. Betsy won by the race by 12 points and over 41,000 votes in a district where Republicans outnumber Democrats by 45,000 voters. Anne subsequently served as Betsy’s chief of staff from 2008 until 2010.Anne also served as Chief of Staff for Ohio Congresswoman Betty Sutton and as the Deputy Research Director at EMILY’s List. She obtained her Master's degree from George Washington University and her undergraduate degree from American University. Anne was born and raised in the Philadelphia area and is an avid surfer and a tried and true Eagles fan.

Anne Caprara (#VoteHerIn, Episode 73)

Kelly chats with Krystale Littlejohn, Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of Oregon, about her upcoming book, *Just Get on the Pill: The Uneven Burden of Reproductive Politics.*

Krystale Littlejohn

LIVE #VoteHerIn, a collaboration of Two Broads Talking Politics & Rebecca Sive with Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson."Jocelyn Benson is Michigan’s 43rd Secretary of State. In this role she is focused on ensuring that all Michigan elections are secure and accessible.Benson is the author of State Secretaries of State: Guardians of the Democratic Process, the first major book on the role of the secretary of state in enforcing election and campaign finance laws. She is also the Chair of Michigan’s Task Force on Women in Sports, created by Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer in 2019 to advance opportunities for women in Michigan as athletes and sports leaders.A graduate of Harvard Law School and expert on civil rights law, education law and election law, Benson served as dean of Wayne State University Law School in Detroit. When she was appointed dean at age 36, she became the youngest woman in U.S. history to lead a top-100, accredited law school. She continues to serve as vice chair of the advisory board for the Levin Center at Wayne Law, which she founded with former U.S. Sen. Carl Levin. Previously, Benson was an associate professor and associate director of Wayne Law’s Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights."-excerpted from Michigan Secretary of State Website

Jocelyn Benson (#VoteHerIn, Episode 72)

Rep. Sean Casten of Illinois joins the Broads to discuss the role of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) in combating climate change. Come check out the #HotFERCSummer!

Rep. Sean Casten

Two progressive Midwestern moms interview candidates/activists/authors across the country. We were inspired by the Women's March to do something, and we try to help our listeners (and ourselves) figure out where we go from here.

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Two Broads Talking Politics

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