The PoliticsGirl Podcast
Meidas Media Network, Leigh McGowan
American Democracy is not promised to us and, with all the forces working against it, saving it will take a level of work most people aren’t ready for. The Politics Girl Podcast is here to give people a reason to care and a reason to fight. Our goal is to inspire. To instill in people a true understanding of what this country COULD be, if the right people were fighting for it, and what it WILL be if they don’t. It’s a political podcast yes, but more than that, it’s a podcast about America’s potential, where one passionate, and slightly mouthy, immigrant attempts to motivate the country to become what it promised to be but, so far, has yet to become. You’ll leave more knowledgeable, more engaged, and more sure that you, personally, can make a difference to the future of American democracy. Everyone’s got a little time for that right? Subscribe for new episodes every Tuesday. We’re in a fight for our country. We sure as hell better know what we’re fighting for. xo
Episodes
Mentioned books
Nov 18, 2025 • 51min
What is the Future of the Democratic Party? With Indivisible’s Ezra Levin
Watching Democrats capitulate on the government shutdown without getting anything in return was a real kick to the face to everyone who thought we might finally have an opposition up for the fight. As Indivisible’s Ezra Levin reminds us, once we move past anger this can be a real opportunity. If we want the Democratic party to be better, it’s up to all of us to do the work to change it, to challenge the status quo, and to build a fighting machine strong enough to take on this regime. With that in mind, we need to care about primaries so we can choose leaders who are truly ready to meet the moment. Will we continue to lose our country to support the establishment, or are we ready to support fighters who might arrive from the outside? This is an inflection point. We need a party that can not only win elections, but leaders who will shake things up once they get there.
As always, if you find worth in what we do, please consider SUBSCRIBING to PoliticsGirl Premium. You’ll get this podcast ad free, along with a bunch of other perks, like the rants directly to your inbox and the knowledge that you’re making this kind of highly researched, factual information possible.
If that interests you, please go to https://www.politicsgirl.com/premium and subscribe today!!
Thank you so much!
xoPG
Guest social:
https://indivisible.org/
https://indivisible2026.org
https://www.nokings.org/
As always, please RATE and SUBSCRIBE so we can grow the show, open the dialogue, and inspire change moving forward!
All show links here!: https://linktr.ee/politicsgirl
This episode is sponsored by…
https://JoinDeleteMe.com/politicsgirl code: politicsgirl
https://iRestore.com code: politicsgirl
https://BubsNaturals.com code: politicsgirl
https://oneskin.co code: politicsgirl
https://cookunity.com/politicsgirlfree code: politicsgirlfree
https://sundaysfordogs.com/politicsgirl code: PoliticsGirl
Nov 11, 2025 • 51min
American Military OR Trump’s Military? : A Conversation with Kristopher Goldsmith
Today is Veteran’s Day and sadly we can’t just honor our soldiers, we have to wonder who they work for. As guest, combat veteran Kristopher Goldsmith reminds us, our president is trying to pit Americans against each other. The president wants the military in our streets fighting for him at the same time his administration is tearing the VA to shreds. The damage this administration is doing to our soldiers, our veterans, and our citizens is incalculable. Which is why Kris’s work with Veteran’s Against Fascism and his new podcast On Offense are so important. We have to throw sand in the gears of this authoritarian takeover to, as Kris says we don’t end up with a military that only MAGA wants to join.
As always, if you find worth in what we do, please consider SUBSCRIBING to PoliticsGirl Premium. You’ll get this podcast ad free, along with a bunch of other perks, like the rants directly to your inbox and the knowledge that you’re making this kind of highly researched, factual information possible.
If that interests you, please go to https://www.politicsgirl.com/premium and subscribe today!!
Thank you so much!
xoPG
Guest social:
https://www.krisgoldsmith.com/
https://linktr.ee/KrisGoldsmith
On Offense Substack: https://onoffense.substack.com/
The Find Out Podcast: https://linktr.ee/FindOutPodcast
Task Force Butler Institute -
Veterans Fighting Fascism: https://www.taskforcebutler.org/
As always, please RATE and SUBSCRIBE so we can grow the show, open the dialogue, and inspire change moving forward!
All show links here!: https://linktr.ee/politicsgirl
This episode is sponsored by…
https://mudwtr.com/politicsgirl
https://joindeleteme.com/politicsgirl code: politicsgirl
https://Quince.com/politicsgirl
https://perelelhealth.com code: politicsgirl
Nov 4, 2025 • 53min
Freedom For ALL? A Conversation with Professor Alex Zakaras
Today is election day and as our guest Alex Zakaras, the author of the brilliant new book Freedom for All: What a Liberal Society Could Be reminds us, there are opportunities to be seized. It’s so easy to be depressed but as some institutions fall, better ones have the opportunity to rise. As Professor Zakaras argues, the profound inequality in power, wealth, and status in our nation has fundamentally undermined the American social contract and we discuss what it would mean to extend the liberal promise of freedom to everyone on equal terms and how it could actually transform our economy and politics. Also, if you haven’t voted yet…VOTE!!!!!
As always, if you find worth in what we do, please consider SUBSCRIBING to PoliticsGirl Premium. You’ll get this podcast ad free, along with a bunch of other perks, like the rants directly to your inbox and the knowledge that you’re making this kind of highly researched, factual information possible.
If that interests you, please go to https://www.politicsgirl.com/premium and subscribe today!!
Thank you so much!
xoPG
Guest social:
Freedom For All: What a Liberal Society Could Be
https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300281767/freedom-for-all/
As always, please RATE and SUBSCRIBE so we can grow the show, open the dialogue, and inspire change moving forward!
All show links here!: https://linktr.ee/politicsgirl
This episode is sponsored by…
https://honeylove.com/politicsgirl
https://laundrysauce.com/politicsgirl20
https://quince.com/politicsgirl
https://leesa.com code: politicsgirl
IQ Bar: TEXT PG to 64000
Oct 28, 2025 • 57min
Are the Bad Guys Winning? A Conversation with Michael McFaul
Former Ambassador to Russia and author of the new book Autocrats vs. Democrats Michael McFaul reminds us that the autocratic world is united while the democratic world is not, and quite frankly, we have to get it together. We’re not allowed to just ignore what’s happening, or simply give up because it’s too hard. If we do that, the consequences will be even worse. We must find our allies, both at home and abroad, and work with them to defeat that which would defeat us. Fantastic insight in this episode.
As always, if you find worth in what we do, please consider SUBSCRIBING to PoliticsGirl Premium. You’ll get this podcast ad free, along with a bunch of other perks, like the rants directly to your inbox and the knowledge that you’re making this kind of highly researched, factual information possible.
If that interests you, please go to https://www.politicsgirl.com/premium and subscribe today!!
Thank you so much!
xoPG
Guest social:
https://michaelmcfaul.com/
https://fsi.stanford.edu/people/michael_a_mcfaul
https://michaelmcfaul.substack.com
Book: Autocrats vs. Democrats
https://www.harpercollins.com/products/autocrats-vs-democrats-michael-mcfaul?variant=43731712606242
This episode is sponsored by…
https://bubsnaturals.com code: politicsgirl
https://jonesroadbeauty.com code: politicsgirl
https://AURAframes.com code: politicsgirl
https://dupe.com
https://quince.com/politicsgirl
As always, please RATE and SUBSCRIBE so we can grow the show, open the dialogue, and inspire change moving forward!
All show links here!: https://linktr.ee/politicsgirl
Oct 21, 2025 • 47min
NO KINGS! A Conversation with Indivisible’s Ezra Levin
The No Kings rallies were incredibly successful, peaceful and mobilizing, but as our guest, Indivisible’s Ezra Levin, says: “If that’s all we do, it won’t be enough.” To fight this lawless regime Americans must continue to grow and diversify our tactics. This is not about one day of protest, but one of many efforts needed to stop government overreach. If you’re interested in next steps I encourage you to join the No Kings call Tuesday October 21st at NoKings.org or, if you’re listening to this later, go to indivisible.org to listen to the recording, or find or start an Indivisible group of your own. For now, keep talking about the rallies, tell the stories, celebrate what 7 million+ Americans did, and refuse to let our country be gaslit into thinking it didn’t matter, because it did and we’ll only get more powerful from here.
As always, if you find worth in what we do, please consider SUBSCRIBING to PoliticsGirl Premium. You’ll get this podcast ad free, along with a bunch of other perks, like the rants directly to your inbox and the knowledge that you’re making this kind of highly researched, factual information possible. If that interests you, please go to https://www.politicsgirl.com/premium and subscribe today!!
Thank you so much!
xoPG
As always, please RATE and SUBSCRIBE so we can grow the show, open the dialogue, and inspire change moving forward!
All show links here!: https://linktr.ee/politicsgirl
Guest social:
https://indivisible.org/
https://www.nokings.org/
This episode is sponsored by…
https://mudwtr.com code: PoliticsGirl
https://oneskin.co code: politicsgirl
https://iRestore.com code: politicsgirl
https://perelelhealth.com code: politicsgirl
Oct 14, 2025 • 52min
HOW do we SAVE AMERICA?- A Conversation with Steve Schmidt
We are at a divided and isolated place in America, and watching the rising authoritarianism of the Trump administration, enabled by the Republican Congress, green lit by the bought and paid for Supreme Court is enough to make people feel powerless, but we are NOT powerless. We are living through a propaganda nightmare, but if the Freedom Frog in Portland has taught us anything it’s that those who seek to destroy America do not own the American spirt. You can lie about us, threaten us, try and scare us, but we’ll just keep showing up for our rights. And the more of us who come out to save America, the more inspired others will be to join them. This is a fantastic and necessary episode for any of us who need to know we’re still in the fight.
As always, if you find worth in what we do, please consider SUBSCRIBING to PoliticsGirl Premium. You’ll get this podcast ad free, along with a bunch of other perks, like the rants directly to your inbox and the knowledge that you’re making this kind of highly researched, factual information possible.
If that interests you, please go to https://www.politicsgirl.com/premium and subscribe today!!
Thank you so much!
xoPG
As always, please RATE and SUBSCRIBE so we can grow the show, open the dialogue, and inspire change moving forward!
All show links here!: https://linktr.ee/politicsgirl
Guest Links:
https://thesaveamericamovement.org
This episode is sponsored by…
https://laundrysauce.com code: politicsgirl20
https://joindeleteme.com/politicsgirl code: politicsgirl
https://calm.com/politicsgirl
https://honeylove.com/politicsgirl
Oct 7, 2025 • 55min
What Will the Military Do? : A Conversation with CEO of Vet Voice Janessa Goldbeck
Pete Hegseth and Donald Trump met with 800 of the military’s top brass last week and it was difficult to process how demoralizing it felt. If you’re like me, you didn’t recognize your country as our president talked about bringing US cities “under control” and painting anyone who didn’t agree with him as the “enemy from within”. There was a lot to be outraged about in that meeting, and plenty that felt terrifying, but the event was also just humiliating. For our country, for the brave men and women of the military who had to sit and listen, and for the speakers, who, quite frankly, embarrassed themselves. However, none of that limits the danger the event presents for nation on a crash course with dictatorship. Join me and Marine veteran and advocate, Janessa Goldbeck as we discuss.
As always, if you find worth in what we do, please consider SUBSCRIBING to PoliticsGirl Premium. You’ll get this podcast ad free, along with a bunch of other perks, like the rants directly to your inbox and the knowledge that you’re making this kind of highly researched, factual information possible.
If that interests you, please go to https://www.politicsgirl.com/premium and subscribe today!!
Thank you so much!
xoPG
Guest social:
https://vvfnd.org/
As always, please RATE and SUBSCRIBE so we can grow the show, open the dialogue, and inspire change moving forward!
All show links here!: https://linktr.ee/politicsgirl
This episode is sponsored by…
https://sundaysfordogs.com/politicsgirl code: politicsgirl
https://JoinDeleteMe.com/politicsgirl code: politicsgirl
https://quince.com/politicsgirl
https://leesa.com code: politicsgirl
IQBar: TEXT PG to 64000
Sep 30, 2025 • 56min
We Want Our Rules Based Life Back: A Conversation with Heather Cox Richardson
Heather Cox Richardson, a historian and author of 'Letters from an American,' shares her insights on the fragility of democracy amid current political chaos. She discusses the fear and diminishing capacity driving Trump, alongside the performative nature of indictments. The podcast delves into the weaponization of free speech and how the GOP navigates shifting loyalties. With a focus on the importance of collective action, Heather emphasizes the need for diverse coalitions to uphold democratic values and resist authoritarianism.
Sep 23, 2025 • 52min
Two Separate Realities: A Conversation with former Evangelical Christian fundamentalist, Tim Whitaker
There are two separate realities in America right now. One we saw at the Charlie Kirk memorial, where God has picked a side and if you’re not with them you’re not on it, and one rooted in reality. However, the reality one…it’s not winning.
As always, if you find worth in what we do, please consider SUBSCRIBING to PoliticsGirl Premium. You’ll get this podcast ad free, along with a bunch of other perks, like the rants directly to your inbox and the knowledge that you’re making this kind of highly researched, factual information possible.
If that interests you, please go to https://www.politicsgirl.com/premium and subscribe today!!
Thank you so much!
xoPG
Guest social:
https://www.thenewevangelicals.com/
Twitter: @newvangelicals
Facebook:The New Evangelicals
Instagram: @thenewevangelicals
YouTube: @TheNewEvangelicals
As always, please RATE and SUBSCRIBE so we can grow the show, open the dialogue, and inspire change moving forward!
All show links here!: https://linktr.ee/politicsgirl
This episode is sponsored by…
https://perelelhealth.com code: politicsgirl
https://oneskin.co code: politicsgirl
https://GoPure.com code: politicsgirl
https://calm.com/politicsgirl
Sep 16, 2025 • 52min
The Party of War?! A conversation with Heather Williams
The Democrats are annoying, but the entire party including the voters are being painted with a pretty broad brush right now. The DNC and national leadership might make me furious, but the Democratic Party is still the alternative to the Republican Party in this broken two party system. So if you’re pro-democracy, pro-rule of law, pro-constitution, and you’re watching the country fall apart right now, then we can’t pretend it doesn’t matter how the Democrats are doing. We have to be supporting the Democrats who are doing good work, and challenging the Democrats who aren’t. We need to be pressuring leadership, particularly Congressional leadership, to get it together and realize we’re fighting for our lives here. Which is why we’re joined today by Heather Williams, President of the DLCC, the part of the Democratic Party responsible for getting Democrats elected to state legislatures, and unlike our federal leadership, she and her team know exactly what they stand for and how to win.
As always, if you find worth in what we do, please consider SUBSCRIBING to PoliticsGirl Premium. You’ll get this podcast ad free, along with a bunch of other perks, like the rants directly to your inbox and the knowledge that you’re making this kind of highly researched, factual information possible.
If that interests you, please go to https://www.politicsgirl.com/premium and subscribe today!!
Thank you so much!
xoPG
As always, please RATE and SUBSCRIBE so we can grow the show, open the dialogue, and inspire change moving forward!
All show links here!: https://linktr.ee/politicsgirl
Guest Link:
https://dlcc.org/
This episode is sponsored by…
https://mudwtr.com code: politicsgirl
https://joindeleteme.com/politicsgirl code: politicsgirl
https://honeylove.com/politicsgirl
https://quince.com/politicsgirl


