MOM THE VOTE: Election Impact Advice To Light Your Way

10/27/20 • 17 min

At the time of this episode’s release, we are at a crossroads in the United States. This election of 2020 is one of the most important in our history. As activist Michael Skolnik says, the election is not 7 days away. The election is now.

What can we do in our last few days before the conclusion of the election of 2020?

Like so many of you, I am asking myself what matters most and what I can do that can have an impact in these 7 days. When I feel myself swirling, I remember I don’t have to figure this out alone. So, I reached out to you, fellow mothers and grandmothers, many of you activists, and asked for your words of wisdom.

Ahead, I have 7 pieces of advice, reflections or calls to action, that we can all connect to for guidance and inspiration each day ahead. This is an election minisode...because I wanted these to be bite-sized and easy to digest. Please join me in taking these words in, taking action, and paying the messages forward to other mothers in your network.

I hope this minisode has you, as it does me, ready to dig in, to connect to community, to engage in multiple ways, to vote for our children, to remember why this matters, to get the vote out with women of color and make sure their votes count, and to mother like an organizer. Together, we can do this! #momthevote #votelikeamother #momsrisingThank you to Jen Jenkins Dohner for the beautiful “VOTE” podcast art. Find her work, Postcards for Progress here.

Episode Highlights:

The election is not 7 days away...the election is now and we can look to one another for how to use these days to the fullest.
Why it matters to dig into propositions and ballot measures you might not understand.
Our election is not just about us as individuals, it's about us as a society.
How we can use discernment and tap into our community to get us through. Register today for Nicole Lee’s Way Station, happening Friday to support you in that.
5 ways that you can get engaged through MomsRising.
All the reasons why we should vote for our children.
How elections can be a joyful time for families.
The critical role that women of color voters play in this election and how we can make their vote count. Sign up here to text bank with She the People Wednesday.
Wise advice from a life-long organizer, mother and grandmother working to galvanize voting from and for domestic workers through Hand in Hand and her Caring Majority Facebook Group.

Resources Recommended by Our Mother Contributors:

The event Nicole Lee is co-facilitating:Way Station
5 Ways to Help Get Out the Vote from MomsRising
She the People
Black-Led Organizing Fund
California Voter Guide
Vote411
Lose the Cape Vol 4: The Mom's Guide to Becoming Socially & Politically Engaged (& How to Raise Tiny Activists), 2nd Edition

7 Pieces of Advice From Our Contributors:

Advice #1 - Nancy Cavillones - Dig into Ballot Measures Because They Matter to Someone

Nancy Cavillones is an indie author’s best friend and is on a mission to keep authors sane by handling the minutiae of their online presence and communications. She’s been online in some form or other since 1993, and still has the AOL dial-up tone stuck in her head. (Interested in the full history? Check out her LinkedIn.)

She enjoys taking the scenic route, forcing her ki...

What can we do in our last few days before the conclusion of the election of 2020?

Episode Highlights:

The election is not 7 days away...the election is now and we can look to one another for how to use these days to the fullest.
Why it matters to dig into propositions and ballot measures you might not understand.
Our election is not just about us as individuals, it's about us as a society.
How we can use discernment and tap into our community to get us through. Register today for Nicole Lee’s Way Station, happening Friday to support you in that.
5 ways that you can get engaged through MomsRising.
All the reasons why we should vote for our children.
How elections can be a joyful time for families.
The critical role that women of color voters play in this election and how we can make their vote count. Sign up here to text bank with She the People Wednesday.
Wise advice from a life-long organizer, mother and grandmother working to galvanize voting from and for domestic workers through Hand in Hand and her Caring Majority Facebook Group.

Resources Recommended by Our Mother Contributors:

The event Nicole Lee is co-facilitating:Way Station
5 Ways to Help Get Out the Vote from MomsRising
She the People
Black-Led Organizing Fund
California Voter Guide
Vote411
Lose the Cape Vol 4: The Mom's Guide to Becoming Socially & Politically Engaged (& How to Raise Tiny Activists), 2nd Edition

7 Pieces of Advice From Our Contributors:

Advice #1 - Nancy Cavillones - Dig into Ballot Measures Because They Matter to Someone

She enjoys taking the scenic route, forcing her ki...

Previous Episode

Election Series: Political Fundraising - Demystifying the Process & Making an Impact in 2020

Hello and welcome to a very different episode on the Mother’s Quest Podcast.

Michael Skolnik, who is a political activist and friend of mine, has been sharing a series of posts on Instagram that call me to action every time I see them. The last one I saw a few days ago said this: “The election is not 30 days away. The election is over in 30 days. The election is now. Vote early.”

Like so many of you, I’ve been asking myself if I understand that the election is now...what can I be doing to impact the election now? One thing I know I have is this platform and the Mother’s Quest Community. So, I’m committed to sharing a series of episodes to shine light on the importance of this election and what we can do about it. Last week I released a conversation I hope you’ll tune into with Paola Mendoza and Abby Sher about their powerful new book, Sanctuary, and the impact of this election on undocumented immigrants and asylum seekers.

In this episode, with the permission of How Women Lead’s Julie Abrams, I’m honored to share a powerful conversation I heard live this week featuring Emerge, Women’s Donor Network and UCSF’s Dr. Gretchen Sisson and She the People’s Aimee Allison. They both share their strategic advice for where our political giving can have the most impact right now. Unfortunately the recording didn’t begin until a few minutes in...so you’ll have to jump right in mid-stream. Be sure to connect to the link with the slides in the show notes which will help you make sense of Gretchen’s fast, furious and in-depth presentation.

After listening, I hope you’ll consider joining me in making a political contribution, informed by Gretchen and Aimee’s analysis. And consider paying this episode forward to another woman in your network.

In How Women Lead’s words, “This year marks the centennial of women’s right to vote. We must take action to elect leadership we can proudly call our own, who understand the issues we face daily and design policies that ensure our rights.”

I hope this conversation helps us all to do this together.

Much appreciation,

Julie Neale

P.S. Know someone who would love this conversation? Pay this forward to a friend who may be interested.

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Political Fundraising - Demystifying the Process & Making an Impact in 2020

Originally Aired on October 6, 2020, Presented by How Women Lead

The impact of women on the 2020 election:

Where will my political giving have the greatest impact?
What women candidates should I back?
Where is my volunteer time best spent?
What organizations are impacting the political systems where I can donate?

“Our collective impact is our greatest strength: learning from each other and banding together to act!”

This year has tested our limits and fortitude in every way. It has highlighted the flaws in the social and economic culture in our country. While we seem more divided than ever before, I have seen our sisters come together to lift one another up, hold each other’s hands, and stand strong against challenges. YOU give me hope.

Amidst a racial reckoning, gender divide, climate crisis and a global pandemic, we’re arguable facing the most consequential election of our time and women stand to lose the most. The loss of RBG has put an added responsibility on each of us to put up a good fight for everything that we hold dear.

This year marks the centennial of women’s right to vote. Yet, shocking even this right has been put up for debate. We must take action to elect leadership we can proudly call our own, who understand the issues we face daily and design policies that ensure our rights.

“Women’s active participation in politics is not only a human right but also a key to sustainable development and a thriving democracy.”

We held a Virtual Vigil for RBG last week and were touched by the fire in each of you. We need to keep that fire going and show up stronger than before.

44% of large dollar donors for federal campaigns in 2020 are women, up from 24% in 1990

Resources from this Episode:

“No Regrets” Guide to Taking Effective Action in the 2020 Election
Slide Presentation for Political Fundraising - Demystifying the Process & Making an Impact in 2020 by Gretchen Sisson
Please sign up here to join She the People's virtual text bank this Sunday (Oct 11) to get out the vote in battleground states: http://act.democracyforamerica.com/survey/Text2PAV201011/
- Anyone can joi...

Next Episode

Ep 79: Speak your Truth with Step Into Your Moxie’s Alexia Vernon

I’m honored to invite you along for this conversation with my speaker coach and friend Alexia Vernon, about the responsibility we have to clarify what matters most to us and to speak our truth. Recorded the afternoon before election day 2020, this episode arrives at just the right moment. Because no matter what comes next, we understand more than ever now the importance of using our perspectives, our stories, and our feelings, the full range of them, to deliver our message and create change. I first met Lex during a workshop she led at Camp GLP (Good Life Project) and became instantly drawn in by her experience and presence. Branded a “Moxie Maven” by Obama’s White House Office of Public Engagement, Lex is a renowned speaking coach to entrepreneurs, coaches, and influencers who want to spread their bold ideas, grow their businesses, and advance their thought leadership. She supports thousands of speakers through her training, events, and mastermind, speaks at Fortune 500 companies, TEDx, and at the United Nations and her advice has been featured by CNN, NBC, and CBS, to name a few. She’s also the author of the award-winning book, Step into Your Moxie, the host of the Moxielicious podcast, and the creator of the popular LinkedIn Learning course, Communicating to Move People to Take Action. Last year, I had the honor of hosting an Improv for Speakers event Lex led and then serving as an Ambassador and Affiliate for her signature speaking program, The Spotlight Speaker Accelerator. Half-way through the program, we found ourselves in the midst of a global pandemic, wondering whether our messages and voices still mattered, but showing up anyway with Lex as our guide. Another member of the Mother’s Quest Community who kept showing up, someone I deeply admire, and one of my favorite podcast guests, is the Mom Center’s Graeme Seabrook who in this episode’s dedication shares about the impact that Lex had on helping her your voice and impact grow.

What’s happening for Graeme is what Lex calls Stepping into Your Moxie. She says when you step into your moxie, it means that you have the ability to walk into any room or onto any stage and speak up for yourself and the ideas and issues that matter most to you and you know that when you use your voice, you move people to take action with what you have said. In this episode, Lex gives us so much Stepping Into Our Moxie wisdom by generously sharing stories from her E.P.I.C. life... from speaking the truth about her sexual abuse as a young child, to the ways she helps her young daughter find her voice, from the spark moment that helped her realize her calling as a speaker coach to the ways she has given herself permission to feel her feelings again and again, especially as she faces a current health challenge with thyroid cancer. In addition to the gift of this conversation, Lex is serving as the Mother’s Quest Ambassador in the private Facebook Group this November and leading a free upcoming virtual workshop called “Discover Your Secret Sauce as a Speaker.” I will be tuning into all of this as I follow my commitment to Lex’s challenge for us to think about 1) What one idea more than anything we really want to be known for and 2) How we can start moving into conversations more clearly speaking up for that idea and doing it unapologetically. I hope you’ll join me in Stepping into Our Moxie and Speaking Our Truth.

Much appreciation, P.S. Know someone who would love this conversation? Pay this forward to a friend who may be interested.

This Episode is Dedicated by: Graeme Seabrook

Graeme Seabrook is a maternal mental health expert, advocate, and community leader who helps moms remove their capes and reconnect with their whole selves. As a certified life coach and founder of The Mom Center, an online community exclusively for moms, she has coached over 2,000 mothers on how to place their names at the top of their priority list, without guilt or shame.

Described as radical, honest, and uplifting, her approach to this work includes a methodology that sits at the intersection of capitalism, patriarchy, and self-care. Her message moves beyond the traditional themes of finding balance and improving productivity for moms, and takes a 360 degree look into strategies that encourage their complete mental and emotional wellness.

Her goal is to put moms in the spotlight and celebrate them for their courage to stand boldly in the truth of who they are - as whole human mamas.

www.graemeseabrook.com

www.themomcenter.mn.co

www.graemeseabrook.com

Graeme's Episode on the Mother's Quest Podcast: Ep 61: Reclaiming Ourselves in Motherhood: Revisited with Graeme Seabrook

In This Episode We Talk About: