In episode 136, we chat with Sophie Christianson, an undergraduate student at the University of Richmond where she is the President of College Democrats. We talk about how democrats can win back Gen Z and how we lost them in the first place.

Sophie is majoring in Business with a strong interest in public policy. She has experience working on political campaigns and in nonprofit spaces, where she has contributed to voter outreach, community organizing, and policy research.

Most recently, Sophie just finished working as the finance intern for Lisa Vedernikova Khanna, a candidate running to flip a red seat in the first Congressional District of Virginia. She currently works as the creative director and campaign marketer for Jonas Eppert's house of delegates campaign. She is part of UpNext and is one of their Podcasts hosts. She is passionate about making government more accessible and responsive to young people and underserved communities.

On campus, she is the President of College Democrats as well as Women in Business and is on the Hillel Student Counsel. She is involved in student leadership and academic initiatives that promote dialogue across political differences. After graduation, she hopes to pursue a career in political consulting or in political media.

Resources:

* Sophie’s LinkedIn

* Sophie’s Instagram

* Articles featuring Sophie:

* College Democrats host UR’s first Democrat gala

* Afraid, uncertain and fired up: How UR students are feeling at the start of the Trump presidency

* DPVA Chair, House and Senate Democrats, and Local High Schooler Held Press Call on Lt. Gov. Winsome Sears Speaking at NRA Event after Mass Shootings

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 135, we are joined by the face behind our favorite daily newsletter - David DeWitt! We start everyday by reading his newsletter, The Eye-Opener from Ohio Capital Journal, and we are thrilled he took some time to talk to us about the importance of state and local news.

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

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

* Website

* Instagram

In episode 134, we chat with our new friend, Nan Whaley! She talks to us about the current state of reproductive rights in Ohio and beyond. This conversation gave us just the boost we needed to keep fighting this fight!

Nan is a seasoned public servant with more than two decades of experience in local government. Since 2024, Ms. Whaley has served as the President and C.E.O. of Planned Parenthood Southwestern Ohio. She leads a team of 130 professionals in reproductive healthcare serving 23 counties. She is tenacious in the mission of expanding abortion access in a safe haven area that is surrounded by states with no access to abortion services.

Ms. Whaley served as the Mayor of Dayton, Ohio from 2014 to 2022, where she led the city through several major challenges, including the devastating tornadoes of 2019, a senseless mass shooting and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Prior to her tenure as Mayor, Ms. Whaley served on the Dayton City Commission where she was the youngest woman to hold that post. Ms. Whaley is a strong advocate of Midwestern economic development. She has worked to address issues of racial inequality and poverty in Dayton. She has also been a vocal advocate for gun safety and has worked to pass legislation at the local, state and national level to reduce gun violence. In 2022, she was the Democratic nominee for governor of Ohio; making Ohio history as the first woman from any major political party to be nominated.

In addition to her work in government, Ms. Whaley is actively involved in her community and has served on the boards of several non-profit organizations. She holds a bachelor's degree in Chemistry from the University of Dayton and a master's degree in Public Administration from Wright State University. She lives in her beloved Five Oaks neighborhood in Dayton with her husband Sam, their dog Louis and cat Paris.

Resources:

* Planned Parenthood - Southwest Ohio Region

Connect with USS:

* Substack

* Instagram

* TikTok

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

* Website

* Instagram