What happens when hope meets hustle? This week on Beyond Resistance, Jennifer sits down with Charles Douglas, Executive Director of Common Power, for a conversation about building real people power, one door knock at a time.

From training first-time volunteers to sending teams into battleground states, Charles explains why elections are won by relationships, not just ads and algorithms. The conversation dives into the power of cross-generational organizing, lessons from the Civil Rights Movement, why young leaders are essential to the future of democracy, and how a single conversation at the door can change more than a vote.

Jennifer and Charles also get real about voter frustration, the people politics leaves behind, and why many communities are still waiting for leaders to deliver meaningful change. Despite the challenges, this episode is packed with optimism, practical advice, and a reminder that democracy isn't a spectator sport.

And yes, they even debate their walk-up songs. Because if you're going to save democracy, you might as well have a playlist.

Walk-Up Songs:

🎶 Jennifer Austin: Esme Rose's Fk Being a Princess
🎶 Charles Douglas: Kendrick Lamar's Allright

If you've ever said, "I want to help, but I don't know where to start," this episode is for you.

Learn more about Common Power:
🌐 https://www.commonpower.org
📱 Download the Common Power Action app to find volunteer opportunities and training programs.

Beyond Resistance shares hard-won insights to build blue power in red communities and start winning. Let's get to work. 💙

What if the problem isn't that rural America left Democrats... but that Democrats left rural America?

🔥 This week Jennifer sits down with Teresa Purcell, founder of the Rural Strong Network, to talk about why rural communities feel ignored, misunderstood, and way too often taken for granted. Teresa has spent decades organizing, campaigning, and building power in communities that political consultants usually fly over.

They dive into:

• Why "rural voters" are actually people with hopes, dreams, and lives beyond election day
• The biggest mistakes Democrats make when talking to rural communities
• Why local candidates can create "reverse coattails" and boost turnout up and down the ballot
• How to stop treating politics like a transaction and start building real relationships
• Why uncontested races are breaking our democracy
• The surprising power of showing up, listening, and asking better questions

Plus, Teresa shares why she thinks we've been fighting the wrong battles, why we need more candidates from all backgrounds, and what it takes to build durable majorities that actually improve people's lives.

And because this is Beyond Resistance, the episode wraps up with a campfire dream team featuring Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, and the new Pope. No big deal. 🔥

Want to get involved?

Learn more about the Rural Strong Network, sign up for trainings, connect with other community leaders, or host a Rural Strong gathering at: 👉 https://ruralstrong.us

If you care about rural communities, stronger local leadership, and building power where others aren't looking, this is an episode you won't want to miss. 🎙️🌾💙

The primaries are (mostly) in the rearview mirror, and Jennifer and Sarah are back from vacation, camping, and political doom-scrolling to unpack what it all means.

This episode starts with a love letter to Michigan's unofficial anthem, Don't Stop Believin', and why Abdul El-Sayed's post-primary victory ad hit every emotional button available. Hope? Check. Michigan pride? Check. Jennifer and Sarah accidentally appearing in the ad? Also check.

The conversation dives into what primary results in Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and beyond tell us about the Democratic Party. Is the party moving progressive? Moderate? Somewhere in between? The answer might be: yes. The hosts make the case for a true "big tent" party where bold ideas, practical governance, urban voices, and rural perspectives all have a seat at the table.

They also tackle a favorite post-primary pastime: Democrats arguing about the primary after it's already over. Jennifer and Sarah explain why healthy debate matters before the vote, but unity matters after it.

Translation: do you want to be right, or do you want to win?

Plus:

• Abdul El-Sayed's path to the general election
• Why "electability" is everyone's least favorite buzzword
• What Wisconsin's razor-thin primary tells us
• Amy Klobuchar, Peggy Flanagan, and the future of Democratic leadership
• VIP election night adventures featuring standing-room-only C-SPAN and questionable hummus logistics
• Jennifer's latest self-care strategy: aggressively sorting things in mobile games

The primaries may be ending, but the real work is just beginning. Take a deep breath, hold on, and let's get to work.

#Podcast #Michigan #Primaries #Unity #Democrat

This week, Jennifer and Sarah are fresh off primary season and feeling surprisingly hopeful. Inspired by Abdul El-Sayed's primary victory and a perfectly timed "Don't Stop Believin'" campaign ad, they talk about why hope still matters and why Michigan Democrats might just be ready to take a chance on something different.

The hosts share stories from election night in Detroit, including a VIP experience that mostly involved standing for hours, watching C-SPAN, and realizing their non-VIP friends had a much better night (and better food).

They also dig into a topic Democrats rarely love discussing: what happens after a primary. Their take is simple: debate hard before the vote, unite after the vote. Whether it's Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, or beyond, the time for relitigating primary results is over. The time for winning is now.

Along the way, they explore what this year's primaries reveal about the Democratic Party. Is it moderate? Progressive? The answer might be both. Building a winning coalition requires a big tent, diverse viewpoints, and candidates who can connect with the communities they serve.

Plus: thoughts on polling, organizing for the general election, Sarah's nightly tea party, Jennifer's obsession with phone sorting games, and the ongoing challenge of finding hobbies that aren't politics.

Bottom line: The primaries may be over, but the real work is just beginning. So take a deep breath, assume the race is tied, and get back to work. And maybe keep Journey on standby. 🎵

The Beyond Resistance crew is taking a quick summer breather, but not before squeezing in a conversation about two things Midwesterners apparently love: politics and camping. Jennifer and Sarah kick things off with excitement about their brand-new podcast studio (yes, it's in a basement, no, you won't be able to tell) and debate whether camping is a relaxing getaway or just remote work with mosquitoes.

Then they dive into a timely conversation about primary elections: when they're healthy, when they're messy, and why they can shape the future of a political party. The discussion explores the balance between competition and unity, the difference between ideological debates and ego-driven campaigns, and why some primaries become much bigger than the candidates themselves.

Along the way, they talk about the energy behind progressive candidates, what it takes to expand the Democratic tent, and why young and independent voters may be looking for something different than conventional political wisdom suggests. Think of it as a masterclass in party-building with a side of optimistic nervousness, which Jennifer has officially accepted as a lifelong personality trait.

And because this is Beyond Resistance, the episode wraps up with the truly important issues: foil packet dinners, tiny hippie campers, cherry hobo pies, and whether sausage should have that weird skin snap. (Jennifer has thoughts.)

Links & Resources:

📰 Medium Article: https://tinyurl.com/dase85v3

🧵 Threads Thread: https://tinyurl.com/54xyacbj

🎙️ Follow Beyond Resistance for more hard-won insights on building blue power in red communities, one election, organizing conversation, and camping recipe at a time.

Before we get started, a quick heads-up: our internet connections chose chaos for this recording. If JP sounds like he's broadcasting from a spacecraft every now and then, that's just the technology gods keeping us humble. Also, Sarah's lighting was doing something truly unhinged and made her look like she was participating in a witness protection documentary. We powered through. Democracy demanded it.

This week, Jennifer and Sarah sit down with JP Kloberdanz, Vice President of Sales at BallotReady, to talk about one of the biggest challenges in democracy: helping voters figure out who and what is actually on their ballot. From school board races to ballot initiatives that seem intentionally written by a committee of riddles enthusiasts, BallotReady is working to make civic engagement easier and less overwhelming.

JP shares how BallotReady helps voters find personalized ballot information, research candidates from top to bottom of the ticket, understand complicated ballot measures, locate polling places, and create a voting plan. He also tells some absolutely wild stories from the world of election data, including floppy disks, confusing local government structures, and a candidate who literally changed his name to match a popular incumbent. Yes, really.

The conversation dives into voter education, local elections, reducing barriers to participation, and why informed voters are powerful voters. Plus, we wrap up with our signature lightning-round question on what every voter should do before casting a ballot.

Learn more about Ballot Ready: https://www.ballotready.org

Want to connect with JP? Reach out directly at [email protected]

Everything you didn't know you NEEDED to know about Louisiana's absolutely bonkers election chaos.

This week on Beyond Resistance, we sit down with Matt Gromlich, educator, congressional candidate, and all-around democracy defender, for a conversation that will leave you equal parts informed, horrified, and wondering how any of this is legal. Matt walks us through Louisiana's redistricting roller coaster, where elections get canceled midstream, districts get redrawn on the fly, and voters are left trying to figure out what the heck is even happening. It's the kind of political drama that makes reality TV look organized.

We dig into gerrymandering, voter confusion, campaigning in deep-red territory, and why showing up for your community still matters even when the system feels stacked against you. Matt also shares his concept of being"like-hearted" instead of like-minded, and honestly, we may be obsessed with it.

We also discuss the growing effort to recall Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry and Attorney General Liz Murrill, why supporters say Louisiana deserves better, and how everyday people are organizing to push back.

Learn more and get involved:

• Matt Gromlich for Congress: mattgromlich.com

• Louisiana recall effort: louisianadeservesbetter.com

• Beyond Resistance: beyondresistancepod.com

If you enjoy smart conversations, grassroots organizing, democracy nerdery, and the occasional bout of existential screaming into the political void, this episode is for you.

Subscribe, leave a review, and join the resistance. 💙

@MattGromlichForCongress @LAHouseDemCaucus @YoungDemocratsofLouisiana

Grab your favorite beverage and settle in because this episode is equal parts political road trip, rally recap, and spirited reality check. Jennifer and Sarah unpack their two-hour trek across Michigan to attend an Abdul El-Sayed rally featuring Bernie Sanders and AOC, and spoiler alert: it delivered big main-character energy.

The conversation dives into the electric atmosphere of the event, why excitement matters in politics, and how hope can be a powerful organizing tool. Along the way, they swap war stories from political rallies past, including freezing factories, sweltering hangars, and the universal lesson that a guaranteed seat is truly the VIP experience.

The hosts also explore bigger questions shaping Michigan's Senate primary: grassroots vs. establishment politics, corporate money vs. small-dollar donors, and why so many voters are ready to shake up the status quo. They discuss electability, generational change, political enthusiasm, and the challenge of bringing new voices into the democratic process.

And because it wouldn't be politics in 2026 without some wildly questionable campaign ads, Jennifer and Sarah break down the latest attack ads, media messaging, and why they think voters should always look beyond the headline before making up their minds.

In this episode:

• Rally vibes, road trip stories, and political fandom

• Why enthusiasm might be politics' secret sauce

• Grassroots organizing vs. big-money influence

• Getting younger voters engaged

• Campaign ads that made the hosts want to throw a remote

• A reminder to think critically, ask questions, and make a plan to vote

Politics can be messy, but this conversation is proof that hope, humor, and a little healthy skepticism are still in the fight. 🎙️🔥

For more on Beyond Resistance: beyondresistancepod.com

To check out Abdul El-Sayed (Politically. Those biceps are married.): abdulforsenate.com

@abdulelsayed

#Michigan #AbdulForSenate #USSenate #Grassroots

What happens when a Twitch karaoke performer, lifelong Christian, and accidental political content creator decide they’ve had enough of the chaos and start a podcast? You get Mike Winson, host of Breaking the Meta, and one heck of a conversation.

This week, Sarah and Jennifer sit down with Mike to talk about the lost art of actually talking to each other. From empathy and curiosity to the dangers of fear-based politics, they dig into why America feels stuck in debate mode when what we really need is conversation mode.

Mike shares his wild journey from singing in onesies on Twitch to interviewing candidates across the country and creating space for meaningful discussions about politics, community, and democracy. Along the way, the trio tackles everything from rural organizing and voter engagement to why so many people feel abandoned by the political system.

They also explore:

• Why conversation requires a willingness to be wrong

• The importance of meeting people where they are

• Building Democratic power in rural and red communities

• The difference between debating and actually listening

• What podcasters owe their audiences in an era of hot takes and outrage clicks

Plus, things get delightfully nerdy when the hosts swap dream podcast guests, ranging from AOC to long-lost family members, proving that even political podcasters can have a little fun.

Learn More 🎙️ Follow Breaking the Meta on YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts. Just search "Breaking the Meta."

🎙️ To learn more about Beyond Resistance, subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts and follow us on social media for more conversations about building blue power in red communities and, most importantly, learning how to start winning.

🚪 What happens when you make a plan to knock on 5,000 doors in one of Michigan’s reddest districts and actually listen to people? This week on Beyond Resistance, Jennifer and Sarah sit down with Brian Irizarry—Marine veteran, teacher, former mayor, city council member, and Democratic candidate for Michigan’s 110th State House District—to find out.

Brian shares what it’s really like campaigning in the rural Upper Peninsula, where many voters say no one from either party has bothered to show up at their door in years. From fighting to restore emergency healthcare access to advocating for public schools and building trust one conversation at a time, Brian makes the case that winning back rural communities starts with showing up and treating people like neighbors—not voting statistics.

The conversation dives into the challenges of running as a Democrat in a deeply red district, why local candidates need more support, and how investing in rural communities today can create electoral wins tomorrow. Plus, the trio tackles the important issues—like National Tuna Noodle Casserole Day, giant kite festivals, and why every community deserves someone willing to fight for them. 🪁😂

If you're interested in building blue power in places that conventional wisdom says are unwinnable, this episode is packed with practical insights, optimism, and a healthy dose of UP grit.

Learn More

🎙️ Beyond Resistance Podcast

Website: https://www.beyondresistancepod.com

🗳️ Brian Irizarry for Michigan House (110th District)

Website: https://www.voteirizarry.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BrianIrizarry

Because democracy doesn't happen from a couch—it happens on front porches, at city council meetings, and sometimes over a plate of tuna noodle casserole. 😉

#RuralOrganizing #Grassroots #Democracy