Chief Change Officer #343 Brian Sims: From State House to Soul Work—Driving Change With Smarter Tools — Part Two
Brian Sims, the CEO of Agenda PAC, walks us through what it was really like inside the halls of power—getting his mic cut on the House floor, confronting closeted anti-LGBTQ colleagues, and learning the limits of both strategy and ego. Now in the private sector, he’s using data to fight back—not with louder voices, but with smarter ones.
Key Highlights of Our Interview:
When the Mic Goes Dead
“I got half a word out. Then it cut. They didn’t even pretend it was technical.”
No Friends Across the Aisle
“They all voted against us—100% of the time. Colleagues? Yes. Friends? Absolutely not.”
Losing the Big Fights
“I wrote the Equal Pay Act. I wrote the state’s Marriage Equality bill. Neither passed. And I had to learn: that’s not failure—it’s legacy work.”
Arrogance vs. Strategy
“I thought just being bold was the answer. It wasn’t.”
A New Way to Win
“Now I use data to expose the gap—between what voters want and how leaders behave.”
Fighting Dirty ≠ Fighting Back
“There’s a difference. And it matters. You can run into the fire without lighting yourself on fire.”
Change the Decision Makers, Not Just Their Minds
“Every single thing I’ve ever cared about gets better when more women, more people of color, and more LGBTQ people hold power.”
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Host: Vince Chan | Guest: Brian Sims
--Chief Change Officer--
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