Mallory McMorrow became the youngest woman ever elected to the Michigan Senate after defeating a Republican incumbent in her first-ever run for office in 2018. Mallory has been a vocal advocate for gun violence prevention, public education, and standing up against hateful rhetoric that aims to scapegoat already marginalized people. In this episode, Mallory speaks candidly about some of her new mom moments, the moment that made her viral and catapulted her to national fame, and how we can activate more suburban moms into public service, so we can promote policies that truly reflect our needs. Moms: Get ready to be inspired and get activated!
You can follow Mallory in Instagram @mallorymcmorrow
Links to organizations Mallory mentioned in the podcast:
Cashing our Trillions is Hosted and Produced by Common Solutions Media and Yvonne So. You can connect with me on Instagram @yso_mom, LinkedIn @yvonnecot, or e-mail me at cashingourtrillions@gmail.com
Sound Engineering by Tiezheng Shen. You can reach him at dacapopresents@gmail.com
Cover artwork graphic design by Jessie Li. You can reach her at jessieli.pers@gmail.com
Please subscribe to the show on the iHeartRadio App or wherever you listen to podcasts. If you loved what you heard, please leave a review.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:07):
Hi, their family, and welcome back to Cashing our Trillions.
I'm your host, yvon So, and I'm a full time
state home mom of three school age boys. On Cashing
our Trillions, we discuss all things mom, how we sustained
this one and a half trillion dollar economy of unpaid
female work, and the social and structural changes needed to
(00:29):
prioritize us. I takee this episode with Michigan State Senator
Malory McMorrow right after her primary win last summer. She
went on to win a second term in the Michigan Senate,
where she currently serves as a Senate majority win, Mallory
(00:52):
became the youngest woman ever elected to the Michigan Senate
after defeating a Republican incumbent in her first ever run
for office in twenty eighteen. Mallory's been a vocal advocate
for gun violence prevention, public education, and standing up against
hateful rhetoric that aims to scapegoat already marginalized people. She's
testified in front of Congress to fight for abortion rights
(01:15):
and has become a national voice for Democrats. In twenty
twenty one, she became Senator mom to her daughter Noah.
In this episode, Mallory speaks candidly to me about some
of her new mom moments, the moment that made her
viral and catapulted her to national fame, and how we
can activate more suburban moms into public service so we
can promote policies that truly reflect our needs. Moms. Get
(01:40):
ready to be inspired and get activated. I have a confession.
I just I made the biggest rookie mistake when scheduling
this interview, and I didn't check my boys' schedule first.
Oh no, so now I have my I know, I'm
my four year old preschooler upstairs by himself, watching TV
with likes worth the snacks. I warned, I begged, I
(02:04):
cajoled him to stay quiet and stay out. But you
know he's my prince Louis.
Speaker 2 (02:09):
Yeah, he's a mind of his own, so we'd roll
with it.
Speaker 1 (02:12):
I know, if we get disconnected because he pulled the plug,
And if you see a little face, just say ha
to Dean, I will. I know you think I know
better because I'm a fifth grader two and it's not
my first time at the rodeo, But such as life.
Speaker 3 (02:27):
It Yeah, we're still I mean, mine's only one and
a half and I feel like every day it's did
you check the calendar?
Speaker 2 (02:32):
Did you check the calendar? You cover exactly right.
Speaker 1 (02:35):
Yeah, So let's jump right into mommy, you're a pandemic mom.
Just give us a sense of your quote unquote normal
in terms of your work slash childcare setup with Noah.
Speaker 3 (02:45):
Yeah, we had Noah January twenty twenty one, so mid
COVID there were no visitors allowed in the hospital. You know,
we were trying to find childcare during the pandemic with
such a unorthodox work schedule. So I commute to our
state capital, which is an hour and a half away,
(03:05):
and between you know, my job as a sitting state
senator year round, and the political side of things, which
is fundraising and events and traveling.
Speaker 2 (03:15):
We knew in my family that we had.
Speaker 3 (03:18):
To get a nanny, and I know that that's not
accessible or available for a lot of people, but there
was just no way. You know, if I got stuck
in a late night session to pass the state budget
and she was at a day care center, I would
just never get home in time. So it's been chaos,
but fun chaos, and our daughter just rolls with it,
which is great.
Speaker 1 (03:37):
And you're thick in the trenches of being a new mom, like,
what about the experience has surprised you?
Speaker 3 (03:43):
So in the legislature, we actually have no formal policy
for leave for parents. And I am only the second
sitting senator in state history to give birth while in office.
The first was Stephanie Chang, who's my current college. So
I made the decision to take a leave because of
(04:04):
how important it was to heal, not only physically but emotionally.
If we want policy makers who reflect mom's needs, we
need to set up a system where there can be
more moms in office and right that and.
Speaker 2 (04:16):
Now there are not.
Speaker 3 (04:18):
And I know Vote Mama is an organization that started
a few years ago that is conducting a study now
of policies and state legislators all around the country and
really highlighting the gap because they're just not enough moms
in public office and that's reflected in the policies.
Speaker 2 (04:32):
That come forward.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
Can you believe the Michigan State Senate does not have
a formal leave policy and only two sitting state senators
have given birth in office. Michigan joined the Union in
eighteen thirty seven, that's almost two hundred years ago, completely shocking,
but at the same time. This totally explains how we
are global laggards and paid family leaf. According to the
(04:56):
National Conference of State Legislatures, only a small number states
have adopted family leave laws that expand upon our Federal
Family and Medical Leave Act, which offers families a poultry
twelve weeks of unpaid job protective leave. The National Center
of Health Statistics notes that seventy percent of pregnant moms
report taking some time off with on average, most American
(05:19):
women take ten weeks. California, New Jersey, and Rhode Island
are the only states which provide for paid family leave.
So I was working in California when I had my
eldest Jasper, and for the last six weeks of my leave,
I had to apply for short term disability YEP. Recovering
from delivery and caring for baby is apparently considered a disability. Globally,
(05:41):
the US is one of six countries with no national
paid leave. Mallory further explains how normalizing moms running for
office will help us catch up with the rest of
the world.
Speaker 3 (05:51):
I am trying to use my platform to support and
empower and support other women and other moms to run
for office and get into these roles, because that's the
only way we're going to get these policies changed.
Speaker 2 (06:03):
To catch up with the rest of the world that is,
you know, decades ahead of us, right.
Speaker 1 (06:09):
And let's just go back a little because you spoken
really openly on the Senate floor about your postpartum depression.
Can you give listeners a glimpse into that experience for you?
And do you think some of that was triggered from
pressure to resume working right away?
Speaker 3 (06:25):
A woman executive I know told me once you know,
women can have it all, just not all at once,
and that has kind of haunted me since then because
you see so many women effectively take a leave to
focus on their family, and then they have a gap
in their resume, and then when they try to come
back into the workplace, they're making significantly less if they
get hired at all.
Speaker 1 (06:44):
Okay, did Malory just crawl into my body and describe
my exact situation Since leaving my trading desk job back
in twenty eleven, I've had moments where I felt like
I had the time, energy and motivation to get back
into the workforce, But as Mallory points out, it's been
hard for me to be hired for anything more than
project work. Now, three kids in and ten years out,
(07:06):
I'm basically having to start in you now. Next is
when Mallory gets real personal about her postpartum story. And
let me tell you, you will feel her story and
if you already experienced motherhood, this one will hit so
close to home.
Speaker 2 (07:21):
I was surprised how much it hit me. You know.
Speaker 3 (07:23):
It was a few days after giving birth. My husband
went out. It was Super Bowl Sunday, and he went
out to like pick up wings and beer and like
try to make make me feel normal, and I just,
for whatever reason, he came back and I just started
sobbing uncontrollably and I couldn't stop. And I was so
angry at him for leaving. And you know, in hindsight,
(07:45):
that's not logical. Like I was fine, he was trying
to do something nice, My mom was there, the baby
was fine. But and I've heard so many women now
that we're finally talking about it more openly, express that
same like, you know, my friends brought me waffles and
I just sat in the bathroom and cried for hours
and accepting that that is okay, And I'm really glad
I took the time to have leave because I couldn't
(08:07):
go back to work right. I needed to get into
a place where I was more comfortable. I hated breastfeeding.
Speaker 2 (08:14):
I hated it.
Speaker 3 (08:15):
There was nothing that made me feel more alone or isolated.
And I really really struggled with that, right.
Speaker 1 (08:20):
I mean, on the one sense, it's so nice that
there is more discussion about all this, so you feel
a little bit prepared, but you never really know until
you're like in the thick of it.
Speaker 2 (08:32):
No, you're never fully prepared.
Speaker 3 (08:34):
It still felt like I was doing something wrong or
why wasn't I enjoying this moment as much as I should,
Because I still think we overly romanticize becoming a mom
when hey, it's a traumatic medical.
Speaker 2 (08:47):
Procedure, right, so you're physically recovering.
Speaker 3 (08:50):
And I distinctly remember, you know, my staff knew I
was taking a leave, but there was a lobbyist who
reached out not even a couple of days after I'd
given birth, and said to my of staff, you know,
I know Mallory is out of.
Speaker 2 (09:02):
The office, but can she take a meeting with us?
Speaker 3 (09:04):
You know today I really wanted to just be so
candid and say I just stood up and peed on
the floor and didn't even notice, like, no, I'm not
in a place to be able to take a meeting.
But you know, we just pushed back and said like, no,
she's on leave. And I think that's part.
Speaker 1 (09:20):
First off, it's been five years since I gave birth
and I still pee myself. Can you believe it? Just
days after giving birth? Remember those days, moms, we didn't
know day from night, and you're still wearing your hospital diapers,
leaking milk, feeling all these mixed emotions from new motherhood.
Could you imagine being asked to have a meeting.
Speaker 3 (09:41):
There's such pressure to say, like, yes, we're taking leave,
but we're going to make exceptions. And that's what like
tough women do, right as you like power through it
and you can do everything all at once. And we've
hyped up, you know, working moms almost as superheroes, which
I think does us at disservice because the end of
the day, we're human.
Speaker 1 (09:58):
I feel like all this peata he's like coming back.
Speaker 2 (10:01):
On, just just waving.
Speaker 1 (10:03):
I know it's been a while since I had little
little babies, so it seems like your messaging is just
really meeting the moment, you know, I don't think most
Americans can even name their own state senator. And you've
catapulted to national attention. What do you think it is
about you that's really resonating with Americans across the country.
Speaker 3 (10:25):
It felt like I feel that's what a lot of
people have told me, and I think that that is
a part of reason why it resonated. But also, you know,
I think that especially for moms, this idea that there
are certain legislators out there who want to kind of
take advantage of moms to do things like target the
LGBTQ community, target people of color, you know, fearmonger around
(10:47):
critical race theory and the teaching of accurate history. I
think just does a disservice to moms. And you know
a lot of moms who look like me, who are
you know, white suburban moms who were generally okay otherwise.
My hope was to give more people like me space
to say, hey, this moment requires us, we have to
(11:08):
step up. We can't constantly expect those who are on
the receiving ends of the attacks are going to be
the ones to defend themselves, because by definition, it's minority
groups who always get attacked. This is not a normal moment,
and I feel like too often elected officials, you know,
you feel like you have to present in a very polished,
professional way when at the end of the day a
lot of people just want to scream and like that's okay.
Speaker 1 (11:30):
Yeah, I think, I mean for me, it just really
hit it the core of the frustrations we have just
with the absurdity of politics right now. Yeah, But I
think I also think on the flip side, it just
brings up many of the fears that we all have
too as well of getting involved in politics. Yeah, just
having to confront all these vicious attacks and they're so
(11:54):
deeply personal as well. It just feels like nothing is
sacred and everything's just crossed the line into the personal.
So any advice you have in handling this and perhaps
this new normal in politics.
Speaker 3 (12:06):
You're exactly right, Like it is absurd the level that
we've gotten to. You know, I woke up one morning
to learn that a colleague had effectively accused me of
molesting children with you know, no rationale, no basis in reality.
And it feels like in this political moment, you can
say whatever you want about your enemy quote unquote enemy,
(12:30):
because that's how it's perceived. It's like that person is
bad and I am good, which is ridiculous and.
Speaker 2 (12:35):
There are no consequences. So a lot of what I
wanted to do is, you know, I've got.
Speaker 3 (12:38):
Pretty thick skin, is to push back because I was
brought up to believe that bullies just want attention and
we can't give it to them, right. But I think
if the past few years have shown us anything it's
that that's not true and it's not working. And if anything,
the bullying and the hate and the rhetoric is growing
(13:00):
louder because nobody's pushing back. So I think I had
to change my own thinking about it and really step
in and just say no. Like the way that I
hit back was I didn't call anybody names. I didn't,
you know, retort In the same way in the sandbox,
I talked really openly about who I am and who
my mom is and how I was raised. And I
(13:22):
think there's a lot of power in just defining who
you are and not letting other people define you. We
just have to get back to a place where this
is not the way that we do politics, because it's
just disgusting and.
Speaker 1 (13:37):
Let's just dip our toes into politics just a little bit.
I know you're very outspoken Democrat, you have this very blunt,
like fight fire with fire approach, but just hear me
out on this one. So this summer I had a
paid job for the first time in ten years. I
served as a public member for the State Department Promotions Board,
which means, like I read through the files of three
(13:57):
hundred employees and like went through five years of their
work history, and there was never one word about politics
or navigating a difficult administration. Everything was about the collective mission,
like protecting Americans and protecting Americans abroad. And I got
to say, like that experience was so refreshing and just
(14:21):
you know, deeply humbling, because that's that's true patriotism, right.
So in that vein, how do we rise above all
this vitriol and just try to create more nuance in politics?
Speaker 2 (14:34):
I mean, that's the ultimate goal.
Speaker 3 (14:36):
And the the it points to part of the reason
why I always shout my staff out so much is
because there's nobody who's more dedicated than State Department or
policy staff. And you find the people who go into
this work do it because they genuinely care to your point,
they care about the country they care about our state,
they care about our communities and solving problems and helping people.
(14:58):
But I also want to challenge, you know, I think
there are a lot of people who think politics is
too ugly and divisive, so I'm not going to participate.
And the risk there is that then you've got the loudest,
most vile.
Speaker 2 (15:11):
People who take up all the space.
Speaker 3 (15:14):
And I see a lot of my Republican colleagues, even
people I respect, falling in line with some of these
extremists who are like running.
Speaker 2 (15:22):
On platforms of hate.
Speaker 3 (15:23):
And my hope is that if that loses, because my
sense is a lot of people are going along with
it because it's winning that and we can kind of
shake things back to normal, because I would love to
get to a place where it's like, let's get back
to debating tax policy and not just this NonStop, never ending,
exhausting attack, because that's the strategy. It's to wear you
(15:46):
down until you quit, so that people who don't actually
want to do the work in building bridges and getting
to know people who are different take over, and that's
not good for anybody.
Speaker 1 (15:55):
I think those are great points, and that's great advice.
I think both sides of the aisle can use you're
listening to cashing our trillions? And then how has having
a national platform now change your life and does it
really change your mission?
Speaker 2 (16:12):
Oh?
Speaker 3 (16:12):
It's crazy. Yeah, it is such a wild experience. You know,
we saw I stood up, I gave a speech, and
then within twenty four hours, twelve million people had seen it,
which was just staggering to me. Overwhelmingly, the response has
been positive and so moving and has reaffirmed why I
(16:35):
took the risk to run for office in the first place,
and I left my career behind.
Speaker 2 (16:39):
It has changed.
Speaker 3 (16:42):
My reinvigoration. I guess in this work, I'm more excited
than I have been in years. That we struck a nerve,
but in a good way. And if I can empower
other people who want to get involved and feel like
they want to help, I'm thrilled to be able to
do that.
Speaker 1 (17:00):
That's amazing. And let's just rewind a little bit. So
let's just talk about your transition from private citizen to
public servant. What were you doing before you're lighting up
the Michigan State Senate floor?
Speaker 2 (17:14):
A lot of things.
Speaker 3 (17:15):
So I graduated from Notre Dame with a degree in
industrial design, and I always wanted to be a car designer,
and I got an opportunity to do that, but my
timing was terrible, so I interned at Mazda in two
thousand and seven, and then two thousand and eight the
entire auto industry fell off a cliff, so I was unemployed.
I lived in the back of my car. I worked
(17:35):
at Urban Outfitters for minimum wage with a degree from
Notre Dame and a lot of student loan debt, but
eventually worked my way up to Mattel where I was
a senior designer, mostly over the Hot Wheels brand, and
I got to work with partners from all around the world,
which is super cool. Every four year old thinks very highly.
Speaker 2 (17:55):
Of me, and that was pretty fun.
Speaker 3 (17:57):
When running for office, I was a creative director Gakermedia
in New York, and then I ran my own consultancy
here in Michigan doing branding and consulting before the twenty
sixteen election happened. And then I woke up shortly after
the twenty sixteen election and saw a video that went viral,
and it was of middle school students chanting build that
(18:18):
wall at a Latina student. And that video was from
Royal Oak Middle school, which was my polling place, so
right down the street from my house. And for whatever reason,
I think, especially because it was kids that broke me.
So I googled how to run for office and here
we are total.
Speaker 1 (18:34):
Cuz had that aha moment.
Speaker 3 (18:37):
Yeah, oh yeah, yeah, it was you know, I think Michigan.
Michigan felt like such a microcosm of the rest of
the country because we are a very purple state, but
we're also a state that make stuff. We're the home
of the auto industry. And I watched in twenty sixteen
so many people who were willing to excuse Donald Trump's
(18:58):
targeting of immigrants or disabled people or you know, bragging
about sexual assault because they believed in the promise of
make America great again and they wanted to go back,
especially in state like Michigan where we hadn't fully recovered
from the recession, and how hard everybody went down and
that was that was hard. I mean, that was a
gut punch, and it was that moment because that family
(19:21):
of this student they had to move because of all
of the pressure and the targeting and the name calling,
and it's just not it's not the community that I
knew we were, and I didn't know what I was
going to do, but I knew I had to do
something and my consultancy. I loved my work, but that
wasn't doing anything to end that type of hate.
Speaker 1 (19:46):
And you just mentioned that you googled how to run
for office? Is that literally what you did?
Speaker 2 (19:50):
And literally what I did?
Speaker 3 (19:51):
Yeah, there's still on my Instagram account. There's like I
downloaded a PDF from an organization called she Should Run
and it's like a PDA of like so you think
you want to run for office? And it's still like
on my Instagram that I posted a picture of it.
Speaker 2 (20:05):
Like, I guess we're.
Speaker 3 (20:06):
Starting to have this checkboxes that you just go Yeah,
it's like, you know, you examine, like why would you
want to do this?
Speaker 2 (20:12):
And here's what it takes. And I'm just like, sure,
why not?
Speaker 1 (20:15):
That's amazing. That's a great story. So I know as
a state senator, you've also introduced forty bills and none
of them have got a hearing.
Speaker 2 (20:25):
That is true.
Speaker 1 (20:27):
I'm a policy wonk, So let's bree some new air
into these dead bills. Give us a rundown of your
greatest hits and highlight some of the pro women, pro
mom bills that never got a hearing.
Speaker 3 (20:38):
It's so frustrating because so I flipped a Republican district
when I first ran for office, and the Republican majority
runs the legislature in our state.
Speaker 2 (20:47):
You know, they determine the agenda, what bills.
Speaker 3 (20:50):
Get taken up, and they made it pretty clear that
any bill with my name on it.
Speaker 2 (20:54):
Was never going to pass.
Speaker 3 (20:55):
After I talked about my own maternity, believe in my struggles,
I had a lot of women and moms reach out
with their own experiences that led directly to legislation that
I introduced. So something that is so simple and I
hope passes next term, is requiring all employers to disclose
their leaf policies to all current and potential employees because
(21:16):
I talked to women who said that they felt like
they were discriminated against because they asked about a leave
policy in the hiring process and weren't hired because an
employer looked at them and said, oh, they might be
out for twelve weeks if I hire them, and.
Speaker 2 (21:31):
I can't afford that.
Speaker 3 (21:32):
So that's just one bill. You know, it would cost nothing,
but just to empower women to be able to go
in with the confidence of not having to ask that question.
And I've championed legislation since taking office to codify access
to abortion and reproductive rights into law, which Michigan currently
has an almost total abortion ban on the books. And
(21:55):
I've heard from so many women who were just terrified
of what happens if they have another topic pregnancy, what
happens if they want to go through IVF, what happens
if they have twins or it's a high risk pregnancy
and they can't get the care they need. Could talk
about more for hours, but that's just some of some
of the highlights.
Speaker 1 (22:11):
That's amazing. I hope they all get revived next session.
And it's crazy too because the ones that are non
appropriation ones, it just seems like those would just be
an easy rubber stamp, right, But as you mentioned before,
I guess they just wanted to block anything that hydra.
Speaker 3 (22:26):
Yeah, and one of the most frustrating moments, so I
introduced the bill to repeal the tampon tax, and that bill.
Speaker 1 (22:34):
For those of you who are unfamiliar, the tampon tax,
also known as the pink tax, is sales tax that
is charged on tampons and other feminine hygiene products. Well
other products considered basic necessities, you know, like doughnuts, lettuce
over the countermail. The bido enhancers are granted tax exemption status.
(22:54):
Currently twenty three states charge sales tax on period product past.
Speaker 3 (22:59):
And was signed into law, but it was given to
a Republican male state House rep who had previously gotten
a DUI and needed to repair.
Speaker 2 (23:08):
His image with women.
Speaker 3 (23:09):
So sometimes my bills do get signed into law, they
just don't have my name on them.
Speaker 2 (23:14):
The tampon tax.
Speaker 3 (23:16):
Like, look, my bills have been stolen before, but that
one was like of all the bills, right, you have
to laugh so you don't cry.
Speaker 1 (23:25):
So I recently checked in with Mallory's office for a
legislative update on the twenty twenty three Michigan legislature. When
Mallory and I spoke before the elections, she emphasized her
dedication to flipping the legislature blue, which Michigan voters actually
did in twenty twenty two, and what a difference in
(23:45):
the pro woman, pro mom, pro family bills that are
getting through this session. In the first one hundred days
of the new majority, Mallory and her colleagues have expanded
the working family's tax credit from six percent to thirty percent.
They've amended the Elliott Larson Civil Rights Act to ban
discrimination against LGBTQ plus michigan ers. They require safe storage
(24:10):
of firearms for child access protection. They've also required universal
background checks for all firearm purchases. They repealed the nineteen
thirty one abortion band they previously had on the books,
and they reintroduced the bill to require family leave disclosures.
The Mallory and I just spoke about this is the
most inspirational example of the power of civic action. This
(24:35):
all transpired in less than one year. If we can
activate a national army of moms, we can enact this
type of change and progress in all of our backyards,
and just imagine where will be in another year. Mallory
and I continue our conversation about activating and organizing suburban
(24:57):
moms to enact just this type of change. Which so
let's talk a little bit about activating suburban moms. You know,
it's really hard to be a mom right now. So
many of us are overwhelmed with our daily family and
work lives. You know, the state of the Union doesn't
feel much better, probably to the point we don't even
know where to begin? So why should suburban moms care
(25:18):
about state politics? And how do we get involved? And
let's just make this really easy, like how you googled
and found Yeah, yeah, right, give us some action items
that we can start with right now after I finished
listening to this episode.
Speaker 2 (25:31):
One hundred percent.
Speaker 3 (25:32):
So I think, especially for moms, it is so easy
to get overwhelmed because there's so many issues.
Speaker 2 (25:37):
There's so much going on in the world.
Speaker 3 (25:38):
We want to help on everything, whether it's school funding
or gun violence or environmental quality, all of you. You
look at the news every day and you're just like,
oh my god, where do I even start. But my
top piece of advice for anybody who wants to get
involved is number one, do it, because if you don't,
then you're allowing somebody else to make decisions for you,
and odds are given the makeup of our or in
(26:00):
political system, it's probably an old white guy who does
not share your experiences and doesn't have firsthand experience in
childcare or caretaking. But my top tip is pick one issue,
one issue that really really drives you, and then find
an organization that's already doing advocacy work. My perfect example
(26:20):
that I use all the time is if you care
about gun violence, Mom's demand action started by a mom.
They've been incredible to counteract the political power of the
NRA and the gun lobby and have just grown so
much over the year. So find a local chapter, sign
up for it, and then just show up to that
one thing consistently, even if it's going to one meeting
a month, and they will teach you how to become
(26:43):
an effective advocate. And if each of us does that,
if we all pick our one issue and we sign
up for that one group and we show up regularly,
we're going to make a huge impact. And that's going
to mean so much more than trying to do everything
because you can't do everything. And just trust that other
women and moms are out there picking their issue and
we're all going to go forward and it's so much
(27:04):
more powerful. I know a lot of people get online
and they sign online petitions and they just fire them
off and they get really angry.
Speaker 2 (27:10):
Don't do that.
Speaker 3 (27:11):
I just like to tell people, like, the effort you
put in is the effort you're going to get out.
Speaker 1 (27:16):
You hear that moms fight your instincts to save the
world and pick one or two issues that really speak
to you and just laser focus on that issue. Find
your local organization, and show up consistently. Maybe bring a
friend so you can keep each other motivated. If we
all do that, we all show up for one major issue,
(27:38):
we can all feel secure and knowing that collectively we
have everything covered. And what do you say to moms
who tell you, oh, I don't have experience. I'm shy,
I don't have experience speak at all.
Speaker 3 (27:52):
Yeah, I mean everybody has their own skill set, and
women always, we always second guess ourselves. Like I went
into the space, and you know, outside of googling, I
actually went through a program called a Merge America, which
recruits and trains democratic women to run for office. So
I went through six months of training, learning how to
write a campaign plan in fundraise, and I still came
out of that thinking I was going to volunteer on
(28:14):
somebody's campaign because I couldn't possibly write I don't have
the experience. And it was Jocelyn Benson, who's Michigan Secretary
of State now, who said to me, Mallory, carry yourself
with the confidence of a mediocre white guy and just
go for it. It's one of my favorite phrases, and
that's true. Everybody has a skill set. If you are
shy and you don't like public speaking, maybe you really
(28:35):
like research and you can help craft policy with an
organization who's doing advocacy work. There is a way for
everybody to get involved. Don't feel like you have to
be pressured into doing something that makes you uncomfortable. But
also sometimes stepping into spaces that are uncomfortable open you
up in ways that you never would have thought. Like
(28:56):
when I started knocking on doors on my campaign, it
was terrifying. Right, you're just knocking on strangers' doors to
talk to them.
Speaker 2 (29:02):
It's now my favorite thing to do. I absolutely love it.
Speaker 3 (29:05):
So you might surprise yourself too if you kind of
step into something you don't think you can do. You're
a lot more capable than you realize.
Speaker 1 (29:12):
We're coming up on time, and Mallorie, this isn't a
fascinating discussion. Feel pumped to get active. One last question
before I let you leave, how will you cash your trillions?
Speaker 3 (29:24):
I hope I'm doing it right now, you know, I
think that that I have found I think my calling
it is I am using my voice. And I had
an interviewer ask me shortly after the speech went viral.
You know, I was explaining my job and the fact
that I haven't passed any legislation, and she said to me,
(29:44):
you know, it sounds like, even though you're a senator
and that comes with all of this power, that the
only power you have is using your voice. And for
a while that made me deeply depressed. But I've now
shifted my thinking on it because that's a really strong
power to have. And if I can inspire more women
and moms to step into this space, and we can
(30:05):
create an army of moms, then I'm gonna feel really
good about cashing those trillions in and hopefully it's something.
Speaker 2 (30:12):
That my daughter will be proud of and accepting that.
Speaker 3 (30:15):
You know, Mom sometimes wasn't there, but she was doing
it all for the right reasons.
Speaker 1 (30:19):
That's awesome. Well, thank you for representing your state, for
giving us moms a voice and just making us feel
seen and heard.
Speaker 2 (30:28):
We need more of it.
Speaker 1 (30:28):
Appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (30:29):
Thank you for doing it too.
Speaker 1 (30:36):
This episode was produced by Me and sound edited by
shen Cashing our Trillions is part of the Seneca Women
Podcast Network and iHeartRadio. If you have a story to share,
please email us at Cashing our Trillions at gmail dot com.
Make sure you subscribe to the show on the iHeartRadio
app or wherever you listen to podcasts, and if you
(31:00):
liked what you heard, please take a moment to rate
and review it. It would really mean so much to me.
Thank you for listening.
Hi, their family, and welcome back to Cashing our Trillions.
I'm your host, yvon So, and I'm a full time
state home mom of three school age boys. On Cashing
our Trillions, we discuss all things mom, how we sustained
this one and a half trillion dollar economy of unpaid
female work, and the social and structural changes needed to
(00:29):
prioritize us. I takee this episode with Michigan State Senator
Malory McMorrow right after her primary win last summer. She
went on to win a second term in the Michigan Senate,
where she currently serves as a Senate majority win, Mallory
(00:52):
became the youngest woman ever elected to the Michigan Senate
after defeating a Republican incumbent in her first ever run
for office in twenty eighteen. Mallory's been a vocal advocate
for gun violence prevention, public education, and standing up against
hateful rhetoric that aims to scapegoat already marginalized people. She's
testified in front of Congress to fight for abortion rights
(01:15):
and has become a national voice for Democrats. In twenty
twenty one, she became Senator mom to her daughter Noah.
In this episode, Mallory speaks candidly to me about some
of her new mom moments, the moment that made her
viral and catapulted her to national fame, and how we
can activate more suburban moms into public service so we
can promote policies that truly reflect our needs. Moms. Get
(01:40):
ready to be inspired and get activated. I have a confession.
I just I made the biggest rookie mistake when scheduling
this interview, and I didn't check my boys' schedule first.
Oh no, so now I have my I know, I'm
my four year old preschooler upstairs by himself, watching TV
with likes worth the snacks. I warned, I begged, I
(02:04):
cajoled him to stay quiet and stay out. But you
know he's my prince Louis.
Speaker 2 (02:09):
Yeah, he's a mind of his own, so we'd roll
with it.
Speaker 1 (02:12):
I know, if we get disconnected because he pulled the plug,
And if you see a little face, just say ha
to Dean, I will. I know you think I know
better because I'm a fifth grader two and it's not
my first time at the rodeo, But such as life.
Speaker 3 (02:27):
It Yeah, we're still I mean, mine's only one and
a half and I feel like every day it's did
you check the calendar?
Speaker 2 (02:32):
Did you check the calendar? You cover exactly right.
Speaker 1 (02:35):
Yeah, So let's jump right into mommy, you're a pandemic mom.
Just give us a sense of your quote unquote normal
in terms of your work slash childcare setup with Noah.
Speaker 3 (02:45):
Yeah, we had Noah January twenty twenty one, so mid
COVID there were no visitors allowed in the hospital. You know,
we were trying to find childcare during the pandemic with
such a unorthodox work schedule. So I commute to our
state capital, which is an hour and a half away,
(03:05):
and between you know, my job as a sitting state
senator year round, and the political side of things, which
is fundraising and events and traveling.
Speaker 2 (03:15):
We knew in my family that we had.
Speaker 3 (03:18):
To get a nanny, and I know that that's not
accessible or available for a lot of people, but there
was just no way. You know, if I got stuck
in a late night session to pass the state budget
and she was at a day care center, I would
just never get home in time. So it's been chaos,
but fun chaos, and our daughter just rolls with it,
which is great.
Speaker 1 (03:37):
And you're thick in the trenches of being a new mom, like,
what about the experience has surprised you?
Speaker 3 (03:43):
So in the legislature, we actually have no formal policy
for leave for parents. And I am only the second
sitting senator in state history to give birth while in office.
The first was Stephanie Chang, who's my current college. So
I made the decision to take a leave because of
(04:04):
how important it was to heal, not only physically but emotionally.
If we want policy makers who reflect mom's needs, we
need to set up a system where there can be
more moms in office and right that and.
Speaker 2 (04:16):
Now there are not.
Speaker 3 (04:18):
And I know Vote Mama is an organization that started
a few years ago that is conducting a study now
of policies and state legislators all around the country and
really highlighting the gap because they're just not enough moms
in public office and that's reflected in the policies.
Speaker 2 (04:32):
That come forward.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
Can you believe the Michigan State Senate does not have
a formal leave policy and only two sitting state senators
have given birth in office. Michigan joined the Union in
eighteen thirty seven, that's almost two hundred years ago, completely shocking,
but at the same time. This totally explains how we
are global laggards and paid family leaf. According to the
(04:56):
National Conference of State Legislatures, only a small number states
have adopted family leave laws that expand upon our Federal
Family and Medical Leave Act, which offers families a poultry
twelve weeks of unpaid job protective leave. The National Center
of Health Statistics notes that seventy percent of pregnant moms
report taking some time off with on average, most American
(05:19):
women take ten weeks. California, New Jersey, and Rhode Island
are the only states which provide for paid family leave.
So I was working in California when I had my
eldest Jasper, and for the last six weeks of my leave,
I had to apply for short term disability YEP. Recovering
from delivery and caring for baby is apparently considered a disability. Globally,
(05:41):
the US is one of six countries with no national
paid leave. Mallory further explains how normalizing moms running for
office will help us catch up with the rest of
the world.
Speaker 3 (05:51):
I am trying to use my platform to support and
empower and support other women and other moms to run
for office and get into these roles, because that's the
only way we're going to get these policies changed.
Speaker 2 (06:03):
To catch up with the rest of the world that is,
you know, decades ahead of us, right.
Speaker 1 (06:09):
And let's just go back a little because you spoken
really openly on the Senate floor about your postpartum depression.
Can you give listeners a glimpse into that experience for you?
And do you think some of that was triggered from
pressure to resume working right away?
Speaker 3 (06:25):
A woman executive I know told me once you know,
women can have it all, just not all at once,
and that has kind of haunted me since then because
you see so many women effectively take a leave to
focus on their family, and then they have a gap
in their resume, and then when they try to come
back into the workplace, they're making significantly less if they
get hired at all.
Speaker 1 (06:44):
Okay, did Malory just crawl into my body and describe
my exact situation Since leaving my trading desk job back
in twenty eleven, I've had moments where I felt like
I had the time, energy and motivation to get back
into the workforce, But as Mallory points out, it's been
hard for me to be hired for anything more than
project work. Now, three kids in and ten years out,
(07:06):
I'm basically having to start in you now. Next is
when Mallory gets real personal about her postpartum story. And
let me tell you, you will feel her story and
if you already experienced motherhood, this one will hit so
close to home.
Speaker 2 (07:21):
I was surprised how much it hit me. You know.
Speaker 3 (07:23):
It was a few days after giving birth. My husband
went out. It was Super Bowl Sunday, and he went
out to like pick up wings and beer and like
try to make make me feel normal, and I just,
for whatever reason, he came back and I just started
sobbing uncontrollably and I couldn't stop. And I was so
angry at him for leaving. And you know, in hindsight,
(07:45):
that's not logical. Like I was fine, he was trying
to do something nice, My mom was there, the baby
was fine. But and I've heard so many women now
that we're finally talking about it more openly, express that
same like, you know, my friends brought me waffles and
I just sat in the bathroom and cried for hours
and accepting that that is okay, And I'm really glad
I took the time to have leave because I couldn't
(08:07):
go back to work right. I needed to get into
a place where I was more comfortable. I hated breastfeeding.
Speaker 2 (08:14):
I hated it.
Speaker 3 (08:15):
There was nothing that made me feel more alone or isolated.
And I really really struggled with that, right.
Speaker 1 (08:20):
I mean, on the one sense, it's so nice that
there is more discussion about all this, so you feel
a little bit prepared, but you never really know until
you're like in the thick of it.
Speaker 2 (08:32):
No, you're never fully prepared.
Speaker 3 (08:34):
It still felt like I was doing something wrong or
why wasn't I enjoying this moment as much as I should,
Because I still think we overly romanticize becoming a mom
when hey, it's a traumatic medical.
Speaker 2 (08:47):
Procedure, right, so you're physically recovering.
Speaker 3 (08:50):
And I distinctly remember, you know, my staff knew I
was taking a leave, but there was a lobbyist who
reached out not even a couple of days after I'd
given birth, and said to my of staff, you know,
I know Mallory is out of.
Speaker 2 (09:02):
The office, but can she take a meeting with us?
Speaker 3 (09:04):
You know today I really wanted to just be so
candid and say I just stood up and peed on
the floor and didn't even notice, like, no, I'm not
in a place to be able to take a meeting.
But you know, we just pushed back and said like, no,
she's on leave. And I think that's part.
Speaker 1 (09:20):
First off, it's been five years since I gave birth
and I still pee myself. Can you believe it? Just
days after giving birth? Remember those days, moms, we didn't
know day from night, and you're still wearing your hospital diapers,
leaking milk, feeling all these mixed emotions from new motherhood.
Could you imagine being asked to have a meeting.
Speaker 3 (09:41):
There's such pressure to say, like, yes, we're taking leave,
but we're going to make exceptions. And that's what like
tough women do, right as you like power through it
and you can do everything all at once. And we've
hyped up, you know, working moms almost as superheroes, which
I think does us at disservice because the end of
the day, we're human.
Speaker 1 (09:58):
I feel like all this peata he's like coming back.
Speaker 2 (10:01):
On, just just waving.
Speaker 1 (10:03):
I know it's been a while since I had little
little babies, so it seems like your messaging is just
really meeting the moment, you know, I don't think most
Americans can even name their own state senator. And you've
catapulted to national attention. What do you think it is
about you that's really resonating with Americans across the country.
Speaker 3 (10:25):
It felt like I feel that's what a lot of
people have told me, and I think that that is
a part of reason why it resonated. But also, you know,
I think that especially for moms, this idea that there
are certain legislators out there who want to kind of
take advantage of moms to do things like target the
LGBTQ community, target people of color, you know, fearmonger around
(10:47):
critical race theory and the teaching of accurate history. I
think just does a disservice to moms. And you know
a lot of moms who look like me, who are
you know, white suburban moms who were generally okay otherwise.
My hope was to give more people like me space
to say, hey, this moment requires us, we have to
(11:08):
step up. We can't constantly expect those who are on
the receiving ends of the attacks are going to be
the ones to defend themselves, because by definition, it's minority
groups who always get attacked. This is not a normal moment,
and I feel like too often elected officials, you know,
you feel like you have to present in a very polished,
professional way when at the end of the day a
lot of people just want to scream and like that's okay.
Speaker 1 (11:30):
Yeah, I think, I mean for me, it just really
hit it the core of the frustrations we have just
with the absurdity of politics right now. Yeah, But I
think I also think on the flip side, it just
brings up many of the fears that we all have
too as well of getting involved in politics. Yeah, just
having to confront all these vicious attacks and they're so
(11:54):
deeply personal as well. It just feels like nothing is
sacred and everything's just crossed the line into the personal.
So any advice you have in handling this and perhaps
this new normal in politics.
Speaker 3 (12:06):
You're exactly right, Like it is absurd the level that
we've gotten to. You know, I woke up one morning
to learn that a colleague had effectively accused me of
molesting children with you know, no rationale, no basis in reality.
And it feels like in this political moment, you can
say whatever you want about your enemy quote unquote enemy,
(12:30):
because that's how it's perceived. It's like that person is
bad and I am good, which is ridiculous and.
Speaker 2 (12:35):
There are no consequences. So a lot of what I
wanted to do is, you know, I've got.
Speaker 3 (12:38):
Pretty thick skin, is to push back because I was
brought up to believe that bullies just want attention and
we can't give it to them, right. But I think
if the past few years have shown us anything it's
that that's not true and it's not working. And if anything,
the bullying and the hate and the rhetoric is growing
(13:00):
louder because nobody's pushing back. So I think I had
to change my own thinking about it and really step
in and just say no. Like the way that I
hit back was I didn't call anybody names. I didn't,
you know, retort In the same way in the sandbox,
I talked really openly about who I am and who
my mom is and how I was raised. And I
(13:22):
think there's a lot of power in just defining who
you are and not letting other people define you. We
just have to get back to a place where this
is not the way that we do politics, because it's
just disgusting and.
Speaker 1 (13:37):
Let's just dip our toes into politics just a little bit.
I know you're very outspoken Democrat, you have this very blunt,
like fight fire with fire approach, but just hear me
out on this one. So this summer I had a
paid job for the first time in ten years. I
served as a public member for the State Department Promotions Board,
which means, like I read through the files of three
(13:57):
hundred employees and like went through five years of their
work history, and there was never one word about politics
or navigating a difficult administration. Everything was about the collective mission,
like protecting Americans and protecting Americans abroad. And I got
to say, like that experience was so refreshing and just
(14:21):
you know, deeply humbling, because that's that's true patriotism, right.
So in that vein, how do we rise above all
this vitriol and just try to create more nuance in politics?
Speaker 2 (14:34):
I mean, that's the ultimate goal.
Speaker 3 (14:36):
And the the it points to part of the reason
why I always shout my staff out so much is
because there's nobody who's more dedicated than State Department or
policy staff. And you find the people who go into
this work do it because they genuinely care to your point,
they care about the country they care about our state,
they care about our communities and solving problems and helping people.
(14:58):
But I also want to challenge, you know, I think
there are a lot of people who think politics is
too ugly and divisive, so I'm not going to participate.
And the risk there is that then you've got the loudest,
most vile.
Speaker 2 (15:11):
People who take up all the space.
Speaker 3 (15:14):
And I see a lot of my Republican colleagues, even
people I respect, falling in line with some of these
extremists who are like running.
Speaker 2 (15:22):
On platforms of hate.
Speaker 3 (15:23):
And my hope is that if that loses, because my
sense is a lot of people are going along with
it because it's winning that and we can kind of
shake things back to normal, because I would love to
get to a place where it's like, let's get back
to debating tax policy and not just this NonStop, never ending,
exhausting attack, because that's the strategy. It's to wear you
(15:46):
down until you quit, so that people who don't actually
want to do the work in building bridges and getting
to know people who are different take over, and that's
not good for anybody.
Speaker 1 (15:55):
I think those are great points, and that's great advice.
I think both sides of the aisle can use you're
listening to cashing our trillions? And then how has having
a national platform now change your life and does it
really change your mission?
Speaker 2 (16:12):
Oh?
Speaker 3 (16:12):
It's crazy. Yeah, it is such a wild experience. You know,
we saw I stood up, I gave a speech, and
then within twenty four hours, twelve million people had seen it,
which was just staggering to me. Overwhelmingly, the response has
been positive and so moving and has reaffirmed why I
(16:35):
took the risk to run for office in the first place,
and I left my career behind.
Speaker 2 (16:39):
It has changed.
Speaker 3 (16:42):
My reinvigoration. I guess in this work, I'm more excited
than I have been in years. That we struck a nerve,
but in a good way. And if I can empower
other people who want to get involved and feel like
they want to help, I'm thrilled to be able to
do that.
Speaker 1 (17:00):
That's amazing. And let's just rewind a little bit. So
let's just talk about your transition from private citizen to
public servant. What were you doing before you're lighting up
the Michigan State Senate floor?
Speaker 2 (17:14):
A lot of things.
Speaker 3 (17:15):
So I graduated from Notre Dame with a degree in
industrial design, and I always wanted to be a car designer,
and I got an opportunity to do that, but my
timing was terrible, so I interned at Mazda in two
thousand and seven, and then two thousand and eight the
entire auto industry fell off a cliff, so I was unemployed.
I lived in the back of my car. I worked
(17:35):
at Urban Outfitters for minimum wage with a degree from
Notre Dame and a lot of student loan debt, but
eventually worked my way up to Mattel where I was
a senior designer, mostly over the Hot Wheels brand, and
I got to work with partners from all around the world,
which is super cool. Every four year old thinks very highly.
Speaker 2 (17:55):
Of me, and that was pretty fun.
Speaker 3 (17:57):
When running for office, I was a creative director Gakermedia
in New York, and then I ran my own consultancy
here in Michigan doing branding and consulting before the twenty
sixteen election happened. And then I woke up shortly after
the twenty sixteen election and saw a video that went viral,
and it was of middle school students chanting build that
(18:18):
wall at a Latina student. And that video was from
Royal Oak Middle school, which was my polling place, so
right down the street from my house. And for whatever reason,
I think, especially because it was kids that broke me.
So I googled how to run for office and here
we are total.
Speaker 1 (18:34):
Cuz had that aha moment.
Speaker 3 (18:37):
Yeah, oh yeah, yeah, it was you know, I think Michigan.
Michigan felt like such a microcosm of the rest of
the country because we are a very purple state, but
we're also a state that make stuff. We're the home
of the auto industry. And I watched in twenty sixteen
so many people who were willing to excuse Donald Trump's
(18:58):
targeting of immigrants or disabled people or you know, bragging
about sexual assault because they believed in the promise of
make America great again and they wanted to go back,
especially in state like Michigan where we hadn't fully recovered
from the recession, and how hard everybody went down and
that was that was hard. I mean, that was a
gut punch, and it was that moment because that family
(19:21):
of this student they had to move because of all
of the pressure and the targeting and the name calling,
and it's just not it's not the community that I
knew we were, and I didn't know what I was
going to do, but I knew I had to do
something and my consultancy. I loved my work, but that
wasn't doing anything to end that type of hate.
Speaker 1 (19:46):
And you just mentioned that you googled how to run
for office? Is that literally what you did?
Speaker 2 (19:50):
And literally what I did?
Speaker 3 (19:51):
Yeah, there's still on my Instagram account. There's like I
downloaded a PDF from an organization called she Should Run
and it's like a PDA of like so you think
you want to run for office? And it's still like
on my Instagram that I posted a picture of it.
Speaker 2 (20:05):
Like, I guess we're.
Speaker 3 (20:06):
Starting to have this checkboxes that you just go Yeah,
it's like, you know, you examine, like why would you
want to do this?
Speaker 2 (20:12):
And here's what it takes. And I'm just like, sure,
why not?
Speaker 1 (20:15):
That's amazing. That's a great story. So I know as
a state senator, you've also introduced forty bills and none
of them have got a hearing.
Speaker 2 (20:25):
That is true.
Speaker 1 (20:27):
I'm a policy wonk, So let's bree some new air
into these dead bills. Give us a rundown of your
greatest hits and highlight some of the pro women, pro
mom bills that never got a hearing.
Speaker 3 (20:38):
It's so frustrating because so I flipped a Republican district
when I first ran for office, and the Republican majority
runs the legislature in our state.
Speaker 2 (20:47):
You know, they determine the agenda, what bills.
Speaker 3 (20:50):
Get taken up, and they made it pretty clear that
any bill with my name on it.
Speaker 2 (20:54):
Was never going to pass.
Speaker 3 (20:55):
After I talked about my own maternity, believe in my struggles,
I had a lot of women and moms reach out
with their own experiences that led directly to legislation that
I introduced. So something that is so simple and I
hope passes next term, is requiring all employers to disclose
their leaf policies to all current and potential employees because
(21:16):
I talked to women who said that they felt like
they were discriminated against because they asked about a leave
policy in the hiring process and weren't hired because an
employer looked at them and said, oh, they might be
out for twelve weeks if I hire them, and.
Speaker 2 (21:31):
I can't afford that.
Speaker 3 (21:32):
So that's just one bill. You know, it would cost nothing,
but just to empower women to be able to go
in with the confidence of not having to ask that question.
And I've championed legislation since taking office to codify access
to abortion and reproductive rights into law, which Michigan currently
has an almost total abortion ban on the books. And
(21:55):
I've heard from so many women who were just terrified
of what happens if they have another topic pregnancy, what
happens if they want to go through IVF, what happens
if they have twins or it's a high risk pregnancy
and they can't get the care they need. Could talk
about more for hours, but that's just some of some
of the highlights.
Speaker 1 (22:11):
That's amazing. I hope they all get revived next session.
And it's crazy too because the ones that are non
appropriation ones, it just seems like those would just be
an easy rubber stamp, right, But as you mentioned before,
I guess they just wanted to block anything that hydra.
Speaker 3 (22:26):
Yeah, and one of the most frustrating moments, so I
introduced the bill to repeal the tampon tax, and that bill.
Speaker 1 (22:34):
For those of you who are unfamiliar, the tampon tax,
also known as the pink tax, is sales tax that
is charged on tampons and other feminine hygiene products. Well
other products considered basic necessities, you know, like doughnuts, lettuce
over the countermail. The bido enhancers are granted tax exemption status.
(22:54):
Currently twenty three states charge sales tax on period product past.
Speaker 3 (22:59):
And was signed into law, but it was given to
a Republican male state House rep who had previously gotten
a DUI and needed to repair.
Speaker 2 (23:08):
His image with women.
Speaker 3 (23:09):
So sometimes my bills do get signed into law, they
just don't have my name on them.
Speaker 2 (23:14):
The tampon tax.
Speaker 3 (23:16):
Like, look, my bills have been stolen before, but that
one was like of all the bills, right, you have
to laugh so you don't cry.
Speaker 1 (23:25):
So I recently checked in with Mallory's office for a
legislative update on the twenty twenty three Michigan legislature. When
Mallory and I spoke before the elections, she emphasized her
dedication to flipping the legislature blue, which Michigan voters actually
did in twenty twenty two, and what a difference in
(23:45):
the pro woman, pro mom, pro family bills that are
getting through this session. In the first one hundred days
of the new majority, Mallory and her colleagues have expanded
the working family's tax credit from six percent to thirty percent.
They've amended the Elliott Larson Civil Rights Act to ban
discrimination against LGBTQ plus michigan ers. They require safe storage
(24:10):
of firearms for child access protection. They've also required universal
background checks for all firearm purchases. They repealed the nineteen
thirty one abortion band they previously had on the books,
and they reintroduced the bill to require family leave disclosures.
The Mallory and I just spoke about this is the
most inspirational example of the power of civic action. This
(24:35):
all transpired in less than one year. If we can
activate a national army of moms, we can enact this
type of change and progress in all of our backyards,
and just imagine where will be in another year. Mallory
and I continue our conversation about activating and organizing suburban
(24:57):
moms to enact just this type of change. Which so
let's talk a little bit about activating suburban moms. You know,
it's really hard to be a mom right now. So
many of us are overwhelmed with our daily family and
work lives. You know, the state of the Union doesn't
feel much better, probably to the point we don't even
know where to begin? So why should suburban moms care
(25:18):
about state politics? And how do we get involved? And
let's just make this really easy, like how you googled
and found Yeah, yeah, right, give us some action items
that we can start with right now after I finished
listening to this episode.
Speaker 2 (25:31):
One hundred percent.
Speaker 3 (25:32):
So I think, especially for moms, it is so easy
to get overwhelmed because there's so many issues.
Speaker 2 (25:37):
There's so much going on in the world.
Speaker 3 (25:38):
We want to help on everything, whether it's school funding
or gun violence or environmental quality, all of you. You
look at the news every day and you're just like,
oh my god, where do I even start. But my
top piece of advice for anybody who wants to get
involved is number one, do it, because if you don't,
then you're allowing somebody else to make decisions for you,
and odds are given the makeup of our or in
(26:00):
political system, it's probably an old white guy who does
not share your experiences and doesn't have firsthand experience in
childcare or caretaking. But my top tip is pick one issue,
one issue that really really drives you, and then find
an organization that's already doing advocacy work. My perfect example
(26:20):
that I use all the time is if you care
about gun violence, Mom's demand action started by a mom.
They've been incredible to counteract the political power of the
NRA and the gun lobby and have just grown so
much over the year. So find a local chapter, sign
up for it, and then just show up to that
one thing consistently, even if it's going to one meeting
a month, and they will teach you how to become
(26:43):
an effective advocate. And if each of us does that,
if we all pick our one issue and we sign
up for that one group and we show up regularly,
we're going to make a huge impact. And that's going
to mean so much more than trying to do everything
because you can't do everything. And just trust that other
women and moms are out there picking their issue and
we're all going to go forward and it's so much
(27:04):
more powerful. I know a lot of people get online
and they sign online petitions and they just fire them
off and they get really angry.
Speaker 2 (27:10):
Don't do that.
Speaker 3 (27:11):
I just like to tell people, like, the effort you
put in is the effort you're going to get out.
Speaker 1 (27:16):
You hear that moms fight your instincts to save the
world and pick one or two issues that really speak
to you and just laser focus on that issue. Find
your local organization, and show up consistently. Maybe bring a
friend so you can keep each other motivated. If we
all do that, we all show up for one major issue,
(27:38):
we can all feel secure and knowing that collectively we
have everything covered. And what do you say to moms
who tell you, oh, I don't have experience. I'm shy,
I don't have experience speak at all.
Speaker 3 (27:52):
Yeah, I mean everybody has their own skill set, and
women always, we always second guess ourselves. Like I went
into the space, and you know, outside of googling, I
actually went through a program called a Merge America, which
recruits and trains democratic women to run for office. So
I went through six months of training, learning how to
write a campaign plan in fundraise, and I still came
out of that thinking I was going to volunteer on
(28:14):
somebody's campaign because I couldn't possibly write I don't have
the experience. And it was Jocelyn Benson, who's Michigan Secretary
of State now, who said to me, Mallory, carry yourself
with the confidence of a mediocre white guy and just
go for it. It's one of my favorite phrases, and
that's true. Everybody has a skill set. If you are
shy and you don't like public speaking, maybe you really
(28:35):
like research and you can help craft policy with an
organization who's doing advocacy work. There is a way for
everybody to get involved. Don't feel like you have to
be pressured into doing something that makes you uncomfortable. But
also sometimes stepping into spaces that are uncomfortable open you
up in ways that you never would have thought. Like
(28:56):
when I started knocking on doors on my campaign, it
was terrifying. Right, you're just knocking on strangers' doors to
talk to them.
Speaker 2 (29:02):
It's now my favorite thing to do. I absolutely love it.
Speaker 3 (29:05):
So you might surprise yourself too if you kind of
step into something you don't think you can do. You're
a lot more capable than you realize.
Speaker 1 (29:12):
We're coming up on time, and Mallorie, this isn't a
fascinating discussion. Feel pumped to get active. One last question
before I let you leave, how will you cash your trillions?
Speaker 3 (29:24):
I hope I'm doing it right now, you know, I
think that that I have found I think my calling
it is I am using my voice. And I had
an interviewer ask me shortly after the speech went viral.
You know, I was explaining my job and the fact
that I haven't passed any legislation, and she said to me,
(29:44):
you know, it sounds like, even though you're a senator
and that comes with all of this power, that the
only power you have is using your voice. And for
a while that made me deeply depressed. But I've now
shifted my thinking on it because that's a really strong
power to have. And if I can inspire more women
and moms to step into this space, and we can
(30:05):
create an army of moms, then I'm gonna feel really
good about cashing those trillions in and hopefully it's something.
Speaker 2 (30:12):
That my daughter will be proud of and accepting that.
Speaker 3 (30:15):
You know, Mom sometimes wasn't there, but she was doing
it all for the right reasons.
Speaker 1 (30:19):
That's awesome. Well, thank you for representing your state, for
giving us moms a voice and just making us feel
seen and heard.
Speaker 2 (30:28):
We need more of it.
Speaker 1 (30:28):
Appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (30:29):
Thank you for doing it too.
Speaker 1 (30:36):
This episode was produced by Me and sound edited by
shen Cashing our Trillions is part of the Seneca Women
Podcast Network and iHeartRadio. If you have a story to share,
please email us at Cashing our Trillions at gmail dot com.
Make sure you subscribe to the show on the iHeartRadio
app or wherever you listen to podcasts, and if you
(31:00):
liked what you heard, please take a moment to rate
and review it. It would really mean so much to me.
Thank you for listening.
Popular Podcasts
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Therapy Gecko
An unlicensed lizard psychologist travels the universe talking to strangers about absolutely nothing. TO CALL THE GECKO: follow me on https://www.twitch.tv/lyleforever to get a notification for when I am taking calls. I am usually live Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays but lately a lot of other times too. I am a gecko.