Laura Forcum and Lauren Hall host “We Made This Political,” a podcast about making politics more about flourishing and less about power, and interview civic entrepreneur Sam Daley-Harris, author of Reclaiming Our Democracy. Daley-Harris recounts his path from percussionist and former symphony musician to founding the anti-poverty lobby RESULTS after confronting world hunger and discovering most students couldn’t name their member of Congress. He contrasts “transactional” actions like petitions with “transformational advocacy” built on recruitment and community, training, practice, coaching, relationship-building, deep listening, and encouraging people to move beyond their comfort zones. The conversation explores how music-informed rehearsal and collective experience support advocacy, why cynicism can be paralyzing, and how sustained citizen engagement can influence outcomes, including efforts affecting proposed cuts to the EPA, maternal and child health, and the Global Fund.

00:00 Podcast Intro

00:51 Sam’s Music Past

06:28 From Music to Advocacy

10:48 Music Skills in Activism

18:30 Collective Effervescence

20:47 Beating Cynicism With Action

29:24 Transactional vs Transformational

31:35 Three Pillars of Advocacy

32:26 Breakthroughs Beyond Comfort

33:42 Amnesty Letters Perspective

35:55 Coaching Through Listening

40:34 Relationships Over Wins

42:04 Long Game Advocacy Wins

47:41 Protests Voting Missing Piece

56:59 Pseudo Politics Real Action

59:14 Bipartisanship For Durability

01:03:50 Optimism Resources Farewell

Resources

Check out Sam’s book Reclaiming Our Democracy and Sam’s website Reclaiming Our Democracy for more info on transformational advocacy and how to contact Sam.

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