In January’s ✨bonus✨ episode, we debrief The Nordic Theory of Everything: In Search of a Better Life by Anu Partanen. We unpack how Nordic countries define freedom, independence, and care. We also explore how universal systems like healthcare, childcare, and worker protections can actually increase individual freedom. This conversation challenges what A…

In episode 158, we sit down with Democratic candidate Allison Russo to discuss her run for Ohio Secretary of State, her record defending free and fair elections, and her vision for strengthening democracy for all Ohioans.

Resources:

* Campaign Website

* Donate to Allison’s Campaign

* Instagram

* TikTok

* Facebook

* X/Twitter

* Threads

Connect with United SHE Stands:

* Substack

* Instagram

* TikTok

* YouTube

* Threads

This episode was edited by Kevin Tanner. Learn more about him and his services here:

* Website

* Instagram

In episode 157, we’re joined by Hell Cat Cait Conley - a decorated combat veteran and national security expert running for Congress in New York’s 17th District. From protecting our democracy to fixing what’s broken in Washington, Cait shares why it’s time for leaders who know how to get sh*t done.

Resources:

* Cait Conley for Congress Website

* Hell Cats Website

* Donate to Cait’s Campaign:

* ActBlue

* Numero

* Cait’s Social Media:

* Instagram

* Facebook

* X/Twitter

* Bluesky

Connect with USS:

* Substack

* Instagram

* TikTok

* YouTube

* Threads

This episode was edited by Kevin Tanner. Learn more about him and his services here:

* Website

* Instagram

In episode 156, we set our 2026 intentions and ask the uncomfortable question - why don’t more people care about politics? We dig into where apathy comes from, why it matters, and how we move from disengagement to action.

Resources

* Political Apathy | EBSCO Research Starters

* 10 Causes of Voter Apathy in the United States | GoodParty.org

* How Does U.S. Voter Turnout Compare to the Rest of the World’s? | Council on Foreign Relations

* The-100-Million-Project_KF_Report_2020.pdf

* Voter turnout in United States elections - Ballotpedia

* Dive into abstentionism: understanding voter apathy

Connect with USS:

* Substack

* Instagram

* TikTok

* YouTube

* Threads

This episode was edited by Kevin Tanner. Learn more about him and his services here:

* Website

* Instagram

Week Two of our holiday break AKA we’re re-releasing another goodie from 2025! Be sure to listen to this episode (or listen again) with David DeWitt to hear him talk about the importance of state and local news.

Original Air Date: August 12th, 2025

David is the Ohio Capital Journal Editor-in-Chief and a Opinion Columnist. He has been covering government, politics, and policy in Ohio since 2007, including education, health care, crime and the courts, poverty, state and local government, business, labor, energy, the environment, and social issues. He has worked for the National Journal, The New York Observer, and The Athens NEWS. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Ohio University’s E.W. Scripps School of Journalism and is a board member of the E.W. Scripps Society of Alumni and Friends.

Resources:

* Sign up for The Eye-Opener Newsletter

* Ohio Gerrymandering: A brief and Awful History of the Very Recent Past by David DeWitt

* Find a Nonprofit Newsroom (Powered by Institute for Nonprofit News)

* Social Media Accounts:

* Ohio Capital Journal on Bluesky

* Ohio Capital Journal on Facebook

* David DeWitt on X/Twitter

* David DeWitt on Bluesky

Connect with USS:

* Substack

* Instagram

* TikTok

* Threads

This episode was edited by Kevin Tanner. Learn more about him and his services here:

* Website

* Instagram

We’re re-releasing one of our favorite episodes from this year for our holiday break! Enjoy this conversation with Katie Gatti Tassin, where she talks about the intersection of money and politics. Already listened? Do it again - it’s been a while! 🤪

Original Air Date: June 3rd, 2025

Katie Gatti Tassin is the host of the Money with Katie podcast and author of the newsletter of the same name, both acquired by Morning Brew in 2022. Providing fresh personal finance advice that tackles the subject at hand with a unique outlook, her casual approach—coupled with deep, self-taught knowledge—speaks directly to followers who want to take their finances to the next level. She is also the co-host of the podcast Diabolical Lies, a long-form culture and politics podcast that aims to make you smarter, saner, and exponentially more unbearable at family get-togethers. Before founding Money with Katie in 2020, Katie worked professionally in marketing and user experience design for Southwest Airlines, Dell Technologies, and Meta. Her first book, RICH GIRL NATION: Taking Charge of Our Financial Futures went on sale June 10th, 2025.

Resources:

* Money with Katie Website

* Get Rich Girl Nation

* Diabolical Lies Podcast

Connect with USS:

* Substack

* Instagram

* TikTok

* Threads

This episode was edited by Kevin Tanner. Learn more about him and his services here:

* Website

* Instagram

In episode 153, we kick off the start of our monthly series dropping Ohio-focused episodes, catching you up on the key legislation, power moves, and policy battles shaping Ohio politics. Don’t worry - we include any bright spots we can find plus action items every Ohioan should know.

Resources:

* Bill regulating drugs (including medication abortion pills) passes Ohio House committee

* Both parties get heat for Ohio’s new congressional district map as citizens look to future fights

* Child-sex abuse prevention advocates worried about proposed Ohio parental notification bill

* Editorial: DeWine should promptly reject State Senate Bill 50

* HB 129

* HB 186

* HB 335

* HB 486

* Honest Friend Brewing

* Honesty for Ohio Education – Legislation Tracker

* Honesty for Ohio Education - Ohio SB34 Sub Bill

* How They Voted on November 19, 2025

* Mill Levy Rate – CFI

* Ohio bill requiring legal statement prior to abortion treatment could sow mistrust, experts say

* Ohio college students and faculty grappling with changes on campus from new higher education law

* Ohio GOP lawmakers claim deep concern about protecting kids — except from child labor, apparently

* Ohio House passes bill that would ban intoxicating hemp products, revise state’s marijuana laws

* Ohio House passes bill to mandate schools teach positive impacts of religion on American history

* Ohio lawmakers send five property-tax reform measures to the governor

* Ohio Property Tax Bills

* Rank the Vote Ohio

* TAKE ACTION: Ohio Priority Bills 2025-2026

* Tim Ryan explores Ohio governor bid

* Tucked in the state transportation budget: A pay raise for a top House Republican

* “This Is Sleazy, Totally Sleazy”: How Ohio lawmakers slipped a pay raise into the budget

* Volunteer Engagement – EveryAction

Connect with USS:

* Substack

* Instagram

* TikTok

* Threads

This episode was edited by Kevin Tanner. Learn more about him and his services here:

* Website

* Instagram

In episode 152, we sit down with Adrianne Marsh, longtime strategist, campaign leader, to dig into the evolution of voter behavior and the future of Democratic strategy. From digital ethnography to narrative research, she explains what campaigns keep getting wrong and how Democrats can more effectively connect, communicate, and win.

Adrianne Marsh is a veteran Democratic operative and CEO of Altum Insight. She has led and advised winning campaigns at every level, including managing Senator Claire McCaskill’s successful 2012 re-election, helping Democrats win back the U.S. Senate majority in 2006, playing a key role in Senator Michael Bennet’s 2010 victory—one of the few Democratic Senate wins that cycle—and contributing to President Barack Obama’s 2008 election. Adrianne has also been a long-time consultant in the field of PR, mail, TV and digital ads, and now research. At Altum Insight, she brings decades of field, communications, and strategic experience to help candidates and organizations translate research into narratives and operations that win trust and votes.

Resources:

* Altum Insight

Connect with USS:

* Substack

* Instagram

* TikTok

* Threads

This episode was edited by Kevin Tanner. Learn more about him and his services here:

* Website

* Instagram

In episode 150, we dig into the blueprint for turning red turf blue with movement-builders Jennifer Austin and Sarah Schulz. The duo from the Beyond Resistance Podcast explains the steps, strategies, and first actions that help local organizers build lasting power.

Jennifer Austin and Sarah Schulz are the not-yet-famous-but-fiercely-effective duo behind the Beyond Resistance Podcast, where they dish hard-won lessons on flipping red turf blue. Jennifer—a strategic powerhouse who turned the Midland County Dems into a fundraising, vote-winning machine—has the numbers and receipts to prove that organizing can reshape a Republican stronghold. Sarah—an unflinching activist, former State House candidate, and professional GOP nightmare—has led rallies, spooked incumbents, and built a movement in the reddest parts of Michigan. Together, they’re building blue power in red communities—and they’re just getting started.

Jennifer volunteered a few too many times, prompting Democratic voters to ask her to run for chair of the local party. Under her leadership, the MCDP increased their email list by 216%, their membership by 285%, and their fundraising by 400%! They’ve flipped the city of Midland and kept it blue 3 election cycles in a row and are working on that red, red county.

Sarah was a founding leader of the Women of Michigan Action Network, prompting 1500 people to join the Indivisible organization in a red county of 80k. She ran for office 3 times, losing by 2 points but shifting the district 10 points blue, and becoming the top House fundraiser in the state of Michigan at $500k for a previously safe GOP seat.

Resources:

* Beyond Resistance Blueprint

* Beyond Resistance Website

* Instagram

* TikTok

* YouTube

* Facebook

* X/Twitter

Connect with USS:

* Substack

* Instagram

* TikTok

* Threads

This episode was edited by Kevin Tanner. Learn more about him and his services here:

* Website

* Instagram

In episode 149, we are joined by our friend Jess Britvich, who helps us unpack how beauty, wellness, and “trad” content can become gateways to extremist ideologies. Jess breaks down how internet culture and algorithms subtly draw women into the alt-right pipeline and how we can pull each other back out.

Jessica Britvich is a former social worker turned content creator whose content addresses the intersection of internet culture, trends and politics through a progressive, feminist lens.

Resources:

* Instagram

* TikTok

* Substack

Connect with USS:

* Substack

* Instagram

* TikTok

* Threads

This episode was edited by Kevin Tanner. Learn more about him and his services here:

* Website

* Instagram