Overwhelmed by the news? Same. So instead of doom-scrolling, every week I sit down with people actually doing something, and hand you one thing you can do next. No breaking news, just direction. Hosted by me, Molly Ruland, founder of Heartcast Media.
What do we do next?
Claim This Podcastby Molly Ruland
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Overwhelmed by the news? Same. So instead of doom-scrolling, every week I sit down with people actually doing something, and hand you one thing you can do next. No breaking news, just direction. Hosted by me, Molly Ruland, founder of Heartcast Media.
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Recent Episodes
July 11, 2026
Turning Anxiety into Action with Gary Lucks
<h3><strong>A field manual for everyday changemakers who are done doom-scrolling and ready to move.</strong></h3><p><br></p><p>There is a moment in every political crisis when worry stops being useful. Gary Lucks hit that moment in 2004, after John Kerry narrowly lost to George W. Bush, and instead of retreating, he started a group. That group helped flip seats. Then he did it again. And again. And now, with his book We Are the Power, he is handing the playbook to the rest of us on this episode of What Do We Do Next podcast.</p><p><br></p><p>This episode is for anyone who feels the weight of the current moment and wants to turn anxiety into action that actually moves the needle. Not just protest. Not just posting. Real, strategic, skill-matched civic engagement from someone who has been doing it for 40 years.</p><p><br></p><p>Gary Lucks is an environmental attorney with close to 500 compliance audits behind him, a law school textbook to his name, founder of one of the first Indivisible legacy chapters now 1,200 members strong, and author of You Are Not Alone and We Are the Power. He is a scientist, a teacher, a whitewater rafter, and a man who believes the cavalry is not coming, so we better become it ourselves.</p><p><br></p><h2><strong>Key Takeaways</strong></h2><p><br></p><p>Commit time first. Gary says most people spend four or more hours a week worrying. Take three of those hours and sign a written commitment to act. A contract creates emotional follow-through.</p><p><br></p><p>Join a group. People in groups are healthier, happier, and more resilient. Indivisible has 2,500 plus chapters nationwide. Plug in your zip code at indivisible.org and find yours or start one with five people.</p><p><br></p><p>Lean into your skill set. Lawyers can do legal vote protection. Teachers can motivate students to register voters. Tech people can support campaigns that desperately need media, branding, and digital help. Everyone has something to offer.</p><p><br></p><p>Host a virtual Zoom fundraiser. Gary's Indivisible group raised $450,000 in three months during the pandemic using virtual parties for democracy. On average, hosts generate $10,000 in a single one-hour Zoom call. Far less effort than in-person events, far more impact.</p><p><br></p><p>Spend time in purple states now. Knock on doors, make phone calls, take Election Day off. Gary spent four weekends in Nevada and Tucson in 2024. It is not glamorous, he says, but the alternative is not just unglamorous. It is dangerous.</p><p><br></p><p>Gary said, "The way I navigate is I just have to turn anxiety into action. That is the only way I assuage my concern."</p><p><br></p><p>Gary said, "I can't imagine waking up on November 4th thinking, I wish I had done a little bit more. And now we are in autocracy. We are close to it already, and it is not an exaggeration to say that."</p><p><br></p><h2><strong>Timestamps</strong></h2><p><br></p><p>00:00 Gary Lucks introduction and 40 years of civic engagement.</p><p>01:40 The catalyst. From behind the scenes policy work to founding Progressive Action East Bay.</p><p>03:19 The Kerry loss, the Obama complacency lesson, and the birth of Resistance Action East Bay.</p><p>07:28 What people need to know right now and how to commit time to action.</p><p>09:50 The written commitment pledge and the menu of 80 vetted organizations in the book.</p><p>12:10 Why protesting alone is not enough and what to do beyond it.</p><p>13:20 Virtual Zoom fundraising parties. How one Indivisible group raised $450,000 in three months.</p><p>19:06 The 80 organizations in We Are the Power, organized by category and available nationwide.</p><p>23:14 Lean into your skill set. Musicians, lawyers, teachers, tech workers, all have a role.</p><p>26:34 Knocking on doors, swing state weekends, and legal vote protection.</p><p>29:12 Turning grief into resolve. Stages of grief, political therapy, and joining a group.</p><p>33:48 The Democratic Socialist question, big tent strategy, and why abandoning the party is perilous.</p><p>38:07 The States Project, 50-state strategy, and why investing in red states matters long term.</p><p>42:01 Rich Logis, Leaving MAGA, and reaching people who have been misled by disinformation.</p><p>45:21 Final call to action. Leave it all on the playing field. We are the power.</p><p><br></p><h2><strong>Connect with Gary Lucks</strong></h2><p><br></p><p>Book, We Are the Power: https://www.wearethepowerbook.com</p><p>Indivisible chapter finder: https://indivisible.org</p><p>Activate America: https://www.activateamerica.vote</p><p>The States Project: https://statesproject.org</p><p>Swing Left: https://swingleft.org</p>
July 4, 2026
Reading the Right: Inside Conservative Media with Howard Polskin
<p><strong>What happens when a veteran journalist reads 15 right-wing headlines every single day so you don't have to.</strong></p><p><br></p><p>Most of us scroll past the other side. Howard Polskin scrolls straight into it, every morning, on purpose. He launched The Righting in September 2017, the world's only newsletter dedicated to analyzing right-wing media for mainstream and progressive audiences, and he has not stopped since. If you want to understand what the other side is actually reading, thinking, and feeling, this episode of What Do We Do Next is where you start.</p><p><br></p><p>Turning anxiety into action means understanding the full picture, not just the half that confirms what you already believe. Howard's work is a masterclass in civic engagement: reading across the divide, calling balls and strikes on the data, and finding the kernel of truth buried under the noise. This is how to take action that matters, one newsletter at a time.</p><p><br></p><p>Howard Polskin spent decades in communications at the highest levels of American media, including as Vice President of Corporate Communications at Sony Corporation of America, Executive Vice President of Communications and Events at MPA, the trade association for the magazine industry, and in communications for CNN. A Syracuse Newhouse graduate and board advisor, he has judged the Mirror Award since 2006. His monthly traffic reports on right-wing websites are cited by influential outlets and readers worldwide, including people high in government, media, and politics. He writes for MSN, Mediaite, and the Columbia Journalism Review, and appeared on Fast Politics with Molly Jong-Fast in April 2026.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Key Takeaways</strong></p><p>Howard launched The Righting the morning after the 2016 election, driven by the question of what shaped people's opinions, and was pushed over the edge by Charlottesville in August 2017.</p><p><br></p><p>The newsletter curates 15 right-wing headlines daily and can be read in two minutes, making civic engagement with the other side accessible without hours of podcast consumption.</p><p><br></p><p>Howard calls balls and strikes on the data regardless of source: when his research showed Infowars growing exponentially, he reported it, and Alex Jones boasted about it in a tweet.</p><p><br></p><p>Howard says he stopped trying to convince anyone on the right of his views years ago, preferring to ask, "Can we have a cup of coffee?" as a path to better understanding.</p><p><br></p><p>Both Molly and Howard agree that the fractured media environment, where people seek only sources that affirm their existing views, is one of the most damaging forces in civic life today.</p><p><br></p><p>Howard said, "I thought I was smart, I thought I was well informed, but I was missing half the picture that was being pushed out to the American public."</p><p><br></p><p>Howard said, "The more information you have, the more points of view you have, the better off you are."</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Timestamps</strong></p><p>00:00 Introduction to Howard Polskin and The Righting.</p><p>02:02 What moment pushed Howard to launch the newsletter.</p><p>03:55 Charlottesville and the September 2017 launch.</p><p>05:49 How his CNN and Nielsen research background shaped the project.</p><p>07:27 Right-wing readers and the Heritage Foundation friendship.</p><p>10:24 How Howard stomachs reading extremist content daily.</p><p>13:08 What the left gets wrong about the right.</p><p>15:41 Listening instead of talking over, and finding common ground.</p><p>16:31 Right-wing writers Howard respects as craftspeople.</p><p>22:23 Parallel universes and the collapse of universal truths.</p><p>26:41 What would happen if more people read The Righting.</p><p>29:57 Allyship, real conversations, and righting the ship.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Connect with Howard Polskin</strong></p><p>Newsletter: https://therighting.com</p><p>MSN: https://www.msn.com</p><p>Mediaite: https://www.mediaite.com</p><p>Columbia Journalism Review: https://www.cjr.org</p>
June 29, 2026
Closing the Recognition Gap with KJ Blattenbauer
<p><strong style="background-color: transparent;">What happens when brilliant people stay invisible, and what to do about it.</strong></p><p><br></p><p><span style="background-color: transparent;">You can be genuinely brilliant at what you do, have years of hard won experience, a track record of real results, and still be the best kept secret in your industry. That is not a talent problem. That is a visibility problem. And on this episode of What Do We Do Next, we are going straight at it.</span></p><p><br></p><p><span style="background-color: transparent;">The recognition gap is real, and it is costing people opportunities every single day. Whether you are an entrepreneur trying to build authority, a woman who has been told to stay in her lane, or someone who simply has not figured out how to make the world see what you are actually worth, this conversation is the one you did not know you needed.</span></p><p><br></p><p><span style="background-color: transparent;">KJ Blattenbauer is the founder of Hearsay PR, a visibility and authority building consultancy with nearly three decades of experience helping entrepreneurs, authors, executives, and founders stop being overlooked and start being known. She is the author of How to Be a Media Darling and Pitchworthy, a modern playbook for building authority and attracting opportunities before a sales conversation ever has to happen. Her work has been featured in Forbes, Fast Company, Inc., and Business Insider.</span></p><p><br></p><p><strong style="background-color: transparent;">Key Takeaways</strong></p><p><br></p><p><span style="background-color: transparent;">Decide the one thing you want to be known for and never stray from it, because everything else in your professional and personal life will fall underneath that single decision.</span></p><p><br></p><p><span style="background-color: transparent;">The recognition gap is the space between being exceptional and being known, and closing it requires actively teaching people the language they use to talk about you in rooms you are not in.</span></p><p><br></p><p><span style="background-color: transparent;">You do not need to be on every platform or post every day. Show up three to five times where your actual people are, and train them how to find you and refer you.</span></p><p><br></p><p><span style="background-color: transparent;">Visibility is not about being famous. It is about being crystal clear, one sentence, one breath, so that the right people know exactly who you are and how you can serve them.</span></p><p><br></p><p><span style="background-color: transparent;">Failing fast and failing forward is not recklessness. It is the most efficient path to figuring out what you are actually meant to do, and we should be teaching our daughters to ask what they failed at today, not just how their day went.</span></p><p><br></p><p><span style="background-color: transparent;">KJ said, "When you know what you want to be known for and you're passionate about it, nothing's gonna stand in your way. The setbacks, the hard times, the struggles, it's worth it when you're doing what you're meant to be doing."</span></p><p><br></p><p><span style="background-color: transparent;">KJ said, "I want to leave every single person better off than when they met me. I think of myself like a national park. Whatever you bring in, you take out. You leave the land exactly like you found it or better than you found it."</span></p><p><br></p><p><strong style="background-color: transparent;">Timestamps</strong></p><p><span style="background-color: transparent;">00:00 Introduction and KJ's background in PR and visibility strategy.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: transparent;">01:23 The recognition gap defined and why exceptional people stay invisible.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: transparent;">02:18 Managing teams, the Peter Principle, and what scaling teaches you about yourself.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: transparent;">03:10 KJ's first day in PR and the gender gap she saw from the start.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: transparent;">04:20 A rising tide lifts all boats. How KJ's philosophy shifted over 30 years.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: transparent;">06:16 Decide the one thing you want to be known for and stick with it.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: transparent;">08:28 Why women are angry and why that anger is overdue and productive.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: transparent;">11:16 The vulnerability of staking your claim and what stops most people from doing it.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: transparent;">14:04 Failing forward and why we should ask our kids what they failed at today.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: transparent;">18:02 Living with the audacity of the average white male and what six months of that produced.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: transparent;">20:02 The first practical step for anyone who wants to close their recognition gap.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: transparent;">25:17 Using your voice to move humanity forward and empowering others to do the same.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: transparent;">33:24 Final thoughts on clarity, messaging, and why nobody is coming to save you.</span></p><p><br></p><p><strong style="background-color: transparent;">Connect with KJ Blattenbauer</strong></p><p><span style="background-color: transparent;">Website: https://hearsaypr.com</span></p><p><span style="background-color: transparent;">Instagram: https://instagram.com/kjblattenbauer</span></p><p><span style="background-color: transparent;">Book Pitchworthy: Available wherever books are sold.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: transparent;">Book How to Be a Media Darling: Available wherever books are sold.</span></p>
41 total episodes available with 9 transcripts
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