You think we’d go digging through the vault and NOT re-release this episode?! Think again and thank us later ;)

For this episode, we’re joined by April Ajoy, the author of Star-Spangled Jesus: Leaving Christian Nationalism and Finding a True Faith. We chat with her about her book and her journey of breaking free from Christian Nationalism. We also talk about the threat it poses to our country and our political system.

April is also a content creator and podcast host who uses humor to shine light on harmful, toxic, and sometimes just weird traits of American Evangelicalism. After growing up an evangelist’s kid entrenched in Christian Nationalism and working in conservative Christian media, she saw the harm caused firsthand. Still a Christian, she uses her platform to expose the dangers of Christian Nationalism while promoting a more inclusive faith. April has been featured on Buzzfeed, CNN, Newsweek and more. She’s been married to Beecher for 10 years and they have two daughters together.

Connect with April:

* Instagram

* TikTok

* Purchase her book: Star-Spangled Jesus: Leaving Christian Nationalism and Finding A True Faith

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* Substack

* Instagram

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

* Website

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Y’all loved this episode so much the first time, we just KNEW you’d want to hear it again!

This episode dives into the intersections of nutrition, public health, and misinformation with Dr. Jessica Knurick. The conversation addresses the complexities of the Make America Healthy Again movement, the dangers of the misinformation, the harm in oversimplifying complex issues, and the influence of social media on public perception around food safety and nutrition.• Exploration of how the MAHA movement oversimplifies complex health issues • Examination of the societal factors influencing America’s nutritional challenges• Guidance on navigating misinformation and amplifying credible scientific voices• Emphasis on understanding the difference between correlation and causation• Insight into political motivations behind corporate-friendly health policies

This episode was originally released on January 14th, 2025.

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

* Website

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In episode 125, we sit down with Katie Gatti Tassin, one of our DREAM guests, to talk about the intersection of money and politics. Tune in - you won’t regret it!

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 goes on sale June 10th, 2025.

Resources:

* Money with Katie Website

* Get Rich Girl Nation

* Diabolical Lies Podcast

Connect with USS:

* Substack

* Instagram

* TikTok

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

* Website

* Instagram

In episode 124, we are joined by Congressman Greg Landsman, who helps us break down Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” AKA the “Big Bullshit Bill”. Shoutout to the Congressman for being the FIRST federal-level elected official to be on United SHE Stands!

Representative Greg Landsman is a father and husband who is proud to call Southwest Ohio home. Before joining the U.S. House of Representatives in 2023, Greg served on the Cincinnati City Council for five years where he led investments in public safety and core services. Greg also led the effort to establish the City of Cincinnati’s first-ever Office of Ethics and Good Government as well as the Balanced Development Scorecard to increase trust in local government and transparency in the development process.

Greg has spent his entire career advocating for children and families, especially those most marginalized. Prior to his time in elected office, Greg was a public school teacher and worked in education advocacy as the Executive Director of the Strive Partnership.

Greg also served as the Director of Faith-based and Community Initiatives under former Ohio Governor Ted Strickland. There, he led Ohio’s efforts to help local churches and synagogues provide education and food programs in their communities.

A pragmatic leader, Greg has a long history of working with broad, bipartisan coalitions to get good, meaningful things done. In 2016, Greg led a successful ballot measure to pass the Cincinnati Preschool Promise, a program which provides two years of quality preschool education for every three- and four-year-old in Cincinnati. In 2018, he built a coalition of Democrats, Republicans, labor organizations, business leaders, and community members to pass the largest investment in transportation and infrastructure in Hamilton County’s history.

Greg earned a bachelor’s degree in Economics and Political Science from Ohio University and a master’s degree in Theology from Harvard University. Greg and his wife, Sarah, live in Cincinnati with their two children, Maddie and Elijah.

Resources:

* Greg Landsman

* Greg Landsman - Congress website

* X/Twitter

* Instagram

* TikTok

* Bluesky

* Linktree

Connect with USS:

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

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In episode 123, we talk about the horrors of Senate Bill 1 in Ohio and its negative impact on higher education in the state. We couldn’t do this without our guest, Dr. Karla Hamlen-Mansour, who goes through the details of the bill with us. Karla has a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology and is a Professor at Cleveland State University in the School of Education and Counseling. She has been at CSU for 16 years and has held various leadership roles including, currently, chairing the Faculty Affairs Committee in the Levin College of Public Affairs and Education. She teaches graduate courses in research methods, statistics, and assessment in education, and conducts research on children's entertainment video game play and relationships to problem solving strategies.

Resources & How To Get Involved:

* SB1 Full Text

* Ohio SB 1 Petition Linktree (MANY relevant links!)

* OH SB 1 Petition – Higher Education is not a business

Connect with USS:

* Substack

* Instagram

* TikTok

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

* Website

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For episode 122, we welcome back our friend, Liz Minnella! We talk about the current vibes of the democratic party, the significant changes they’ve made in the past four months, and Liz’s PAC - Connect Forward.

Liz is a mom of two toddlers, an advocate, fundraiser and Instagram demfluencer. She gained an audience on Instagram following the Fourth of July shooting in Highland Park by posting short actionable steps for fellow activists to take to advance gun violence prevention legislation and she helped lead the grassroots push to pass the IL Assault Weapons Ban. During the 2024 election cycle, she hit her stride organizing and activating everyday people to use their power and influence to make change. She founded Chicago Women for Harris and co-organized and MCd White Women: Answer the call, which broke Zoom with over 200,000 viewers. She served as the Finance Co-chair of Women for Harris and raised tens of millions of dollars for the Harris campaign. She held weekly Women Wednesdays for Harris Zoom calls and organized door knocking trips across the battleground states. Her work was featured in a front page article in the New York Times and on CNN in the days following the election. She is the founder of Connect Forward, which is a PAC dedicated to funding and facilitating a new media ecosystem of liberal voices.

Connect with USS:

* Substack

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

* Website

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In episode 121, we dive into:

* Socialism vs Communism & Socialism vs Democratic Socialism

* The Progressive Platform in the U.S.

* The media coverage of Bernie Sanders & his messaging

* The media coverage of AOC & her messaging

Sources:

* Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and socialism, explained

* Socialism - Definition, Origins & Countries

* How Did 'Socialism' Become a Dirty Word in America? | History

* How Are Socialism and Communism Different? | HISTORY

* Socialist vs. Capitalist Political Systems: Ideologies, Operations, and Impact on Society

* Understanding the Political Spectrum from Left to Right

* Congressional Progressive Caucus – The Progressive Promise

* The Free Lance Star - March 5, 1985

* The Telegraph – March 4, 1987

* The Newburgh-Beacon Evening News - March 7, 1989

* The Sunday Telegraph - November 11, 1990

* Toledo Blade – February 25, 1999

* The Item – February 13, 2001

* 14 things Bernie Sanders has said about socialism - POLITICO

* Bernie Sanders’s speech defining democratic socialism, explained | Vox

* Bernie Sanders - Policies

* AOC - Policies

* How Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez won the race that shocked the country - City & State New York

* Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: "Call me a radical" - YouTube

* Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez | SXSW 2019 - YouTube

* AOC Shoutout to my fellow radicals, who think we shouldn't live under the thumb of $7 minimum wage

* AOC vs. GOP: The Long List of Smears and Insults Hurled at Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - Newsweek

* Trump lauds AOC: 'She's got a spark that's pretty amazing'

* Gerry Connolly defeats AOC to become top Democrat on Oversight Committee - CBS News

* Ocasio-Cortez's future uncertain after House Oversight defeat

* One Vote | Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

* Rep. Ocasio-Cortez fundraising soars as she blasts Trump

Connect with USS:

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

* Website

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In episode 120, we are joined by the Chair of the Ohio Democratic Party, Liz Walters! We talk about how became so passionate about politics, the biggest challenges Democrats face in Ohio, and how to turn Ohio into a swing state again. You don’t want to miss this conversation!

In January of 2021, Liz was unanimously elected as Chair of the Ohio Democratic Party. She is the first woman elected to this role and was re-elected in 2022 to a four year term. Throughout her career Liz has worked with people and organizations that support progressive values, including official offices, campaigns, and nonprofit and community organizations.

Walters is also serving the citizens of Summit County as an At-Large councilmember, and previously served as Council President. She has been active on a wide variety of issues and led the passage and implementation of Paid Parental Leave for county employees, the only Ohio county to pass such legislation.

She is a lifetime Girl Scout and has been active with the organization as a member, employee, or volunteer since the age of five. Liz earned a B.A. in History from Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania and her MPA from Cleveland State University. She and her rescue dog, Beatrice, live on the westside of Akron.

Resources:

* Ohio Democratic Party

Connect with USS:

* Substack

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

* Website

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In episode 119, we talk with Cameron Hilaker, who was recently fired from his job at USAID as part of DOGE cuts. Tune in to hear his story and how he’s turned into a fierce advocate for other fired federal employees.

Cameron worked at USAID as an Emergency Manager responding to domestic and international crises. As a leader of the Readiness Team, his role was to ensure that as a crisis developed, USAID was able to keep its people and families safe and continue the crucial life saving assistance. He has supported over 20 responses, including evacuations, disruptions, and ordered departures.

Before Cameron’s time at USAID, he served as a peace corps volunteer in South Africa for three years working to combat HIV/AIDS where he met his wife Catharine. They are expecting their first child in June.

Resources:

* What’s being lost with the DOGE cuts? These fired employees can tell you (Washington Post)

* Cameron as Congressman Hank Johnson’s Guest to Joint Address to Congress on March 4th, 2025

* Judge Rules DOGE’s Dismantling of USAID Unconstitutional

* The implications of a USAID shutdown (Brookings)

Connect with USS:

* Substack

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

* Website

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In episode 118, we talk about super fun and light-hearted things…like fascism!! Our guest, Craig Johnson, is a researcher and educator focused on stopping the rise of the extreme right-wing. He’s the host of Fifteen Minutes of Fascism podcast, runs a YouTube series celebrating the deaths of right-wing figures throughout history, and is the author of How to Talk to Your Son about Fascism, a guide for parents and educators on keeping young men out of the right-wing.

Craig’s Book: How to Talk to Your Son About Fascism

Craig’s Podcast: Fifteen Minutes of Fascism

* Listen on Apple

* Watch on YouTube

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

* Website

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