How do we lead in the face of fear, when the stakes feel sky high and relentlessly personal?

The realities of political violence, hostility, and burnout shape how we show up. And they can chip away at your generous heart, opening the path for cynicism and doubt.

But if we can focus on what matters most, feel through our emotions–and help others do the same–and orient our gaze forward to the vision of our lives, work, and world that we want, we create an energy that cynicism can’t easily break down, even through setbacks.

We need to protect our hope and conviction that change is possible. The future is not a done deal. We have choices about how it unfolds.

In this Unburdened Leader conversation, we explore what it takes to lead with clarity, protect our capacity, and still believe that change is possible, even when everything around us tries to tell us otherwise.

Amanda Litman is the cofounder and president of Run for Something, which recruits and supports young, diverse leaders running for local office. Since 2017, they’ve launched the careers of thousands of millennials and Gen Z candidates and in the process, changed what leadership looks like in America. She’s the author of two books: When We’re In Charge: The Next Generation’s Guide to Leadership and Run for Something: A Real-Talk Guide to Fixing the System Yourself, a how-to manual for people running for office.

Before launching Run for Something, Amanda worked on multiple presidential and statewide political campaigns. She graduated from Northwestern University and lives in Brooklyn with her husband, two daughters, and their sometimes rowdy dog.

Listen to the full episode to hear:

• How Amanda and the team at Run for Something support candidates in the face of real and present fears for their safety
• Why Gen Z’s refusal to accept “the way things are done” is energy we need 
• Why Amanda believes in the optimism of looking to what is possible
• Why getting involved on the local level is a powerful counter to pessimism
• The major disconnect of pop leadership advice with how most people encounter leadership
• How our current moment is making leadership uniquely challenging, isolating, and exhausting
• Why leadership isn’t about being your full self at work, but about responsible authenticity

Learn more about Amanda Litman:

• Website
• Run for Something
• Instagram: @amandalitm
• TikTok: @amandalitman
• Bluesky: @amandalitman.bsky.social
• Facebook: @amanda.litman
• Connect on LinkedIn

Learn more about Rebecca:

• rebeccaching.com
• Work With Rebecca
• The Unburdened Leader on Substack
• Sign up for the weekly Unburdened Leader Email

Resources:

• Run for Something: A Real-Talk Guide to Fixing the System Yourself
• When We're in Charge: The Next Generation's Guide to Leadership
• Dark Winds
• Along Came Amor, Alexis Daria
• You Had Me at Hola, Alexis Daria
• The Breakfast Club