Beyond Resistance Pod
Beyond Resistance: Local politics and how to build Blue Power in a Red Community and Start Winning! With Jennifer Austin and Sarah Schulz
Episodes
It’s a running joke—but also 100% true. The hosts of Beyond Resistance look ahead to the 2026 election, talk timelines, tactics, and why bottom-up change matters most. Expect laughter, lamination, and a healthy dose of hope as they prep for Crooked Con and remind us: democracy isn’t dying—it’s carpooling to DC.
We’re one year out, y’all — and this isn’t the warm-up lap. It’s the race. LFG!
Find the Beyond Resistance Blueprin...
Sarah and Jennifer sit down with activist coach and author Omkari L. Williams to talk about Microactivism—making change without burning out (or needing a bullhorn) and the importance of every single act of activism no matter the size. They swap stories of teenage revolutionaries, spreadsheet love/hate, joy as a strategy, fancy pajamas, and one guy named Milton with the world’s most powerful sound system. It’s proof that small moves...
Coming off the high of the No Kings 2.0 rallies, Jennifer and Sarah unpack the contradictions lighting up their comment sections — and dive into Step 2 of the Blueprint for Building Blue Power: how to map and grow community influence intentionally, not accidentally. Then, just when things get too strategic, they take on the ultimate test of patience and precision — how to make the perfect hard-boiled egg.
#shutdown #trending #bl...
Our hosts celebrate weddings, democracy, and the glorious kazoo as they launch the Beyond Resistance Blueprint, a practical, heart-centered guide for grassroots organizers in red places, and dive into the first step: turning political relationships from “what can you do for me” to “what can we build together.” Come for the inspiration, stay for the receipts, charts, real tactical guidance, and contagious optimism.
This week, Sarah and Jennifer are fired up — and Congresswoman Haley Stevens is here to help channel that heat into real power.
The episode kicks off with the hosts unpacking the week’s whiplash: ICE raids in Chicago, political hypocrisy that’s reached Olympic levels, and the growing impossibility of knowing what’s true in a fractured media landscape. But instead of despair, they pivot to determination — because staying mad isn’...
This week, Sarah and Jennifer get fired up on everything from Broadway bangers to breaking the “Midland is forever red” myth. Inspired by Ta-Nehisi Coates, Hamilton, and Suffs, they dig into why progress is “possible but not guaranteed” and how planting imperfect seeds locally can flip whole regions. Also on deck: the absurdity of Democrats banking on being the “least hated” party, the heartbreak of normalizing gun violence headcou...
This week on Beyond Resistance, Sarah and Jennifer roll without a guest but bring plenty of fire—spilling about their upcoming trip to Crooked Con, boldly pitching themselves to Crooked Media (because why not shoot your shot?), and reflecting on the power of truly knowing your community when building blue power in red places. They share the high-energy vibes from a recent Tuscola Dems meeting, swap notes on messaging that actually ...
Sarah and Jennifer welcome Ashley Kindsvatter and Sara Petrie (no fights over 'with an h' or 'without an h' broke out) from the United SHE Stands podcast. They talk empowerment and action, and discover the challenge of 4 people talking at once on Teams. Plus, Hochul FINALLY endorsing Mamdani, Christian Nationalism, the unhinged MAGA reaction to Kirk murder, manipulative algorithms, the warning labels we each should carry around and...
Sarah and Jennifer are joined by Alaynah Smith to discuss the horrific murder of political personality Charlie Kirk and what it means for politics, activism, and protesting here on out. Yes, they're in a coffee shop. No, they didn't plan on the mic feedback (it's cut out so no ear damage), and they're trying out new portable mics. (Going back to the big dogs after this!) They'll get into reactions from local teens, their own fears,...
From purpose-driven politics to oyster farmers running for Senate, this week’s Beyond Resistance pod is all about planting seeds of change (yes, we quoted Hamilton), ditching cookie-crumb scarcity mindsets, and keeping it real about life, legacy, and litter boxes. Sarah and Jennifer serve up inspiration, laughs, and a sneak peek at their October 14th Blueprint drop—you’ll leave fired up and debating whether you’re a dog person, cat...
What's better than two Michigan activists kibbitzing on building Blue Power? Three, of course! Sarah and Jennifer are joined by Cee Maul, a Michigan activist, organizer, community builder, and change maker (and friend!), to discuss the way to empower community members and build local Blue Power.
You've done a lot of work to plan a great event/rally/protest/meeting. But will anyone come? Jennifer and Sarah discuss the critical importance of (over)communication, the platforms to use, and the strategy behind it all. (Plus, what's firing us up: Gov. Newsom's epic trolls and Sec. Hegseth letting his misogyny show).
Jennifer and Sarah discuss current examples of Democrats actually fighting back by going outside norms and standards. They share examples and learnings of doing that locally to build Blue power and talk about how we need to see more of it on the national stage.
Yes. We want to believe that getting justice and accountability are possible - even for the rich and powerful. But if we spend all of our efforts spinning in outrage, we won't have enough left to further the work. Jennifer and Sarah share tips for channeling outrage energy into areas that are useful to building local Blue power.
Dr. Abdul El-Sayed joins the pod to discuss leadership, service, the power of local activism, and his campaign for U.S. Senate.
What does the journey from activist to local elected leader look like? Jennifer and Sarah sit down with Midland County Commissioner Alaynah Smith to discuss going from walking the picket as a child with her activist mother to community organizing, to working on campaigns full time, to being the only elected Democrat in County Government. Hear from Alaynah and her lifetime focus on servant leadership and how we can bring those insi...
Did you know that the "BBB" will knock 17 million people off of health insurance and explodes the ICE budget to 21 times it's current size - bigger than the entire Canadian or UK defense budgets? Jennifer and Sarah break down the impact the Big Bogus Bill will have on everyday Americans and how Democrats have just a bit of time to get ahead of the message at the local level for 2026.
One hand: We need to engage and excite younger voters!
Other hand: We don't want anything to change!
Jennifer and Sarah discuss what Zohran Mamdani winning the NYC mayoral primary should signal for Democratic parties at the local level if they are truly interested in growing members and momentum.
Breaking social norms for social change: Jennifer and Sarah discuss how to use disruption in the political space to help shift the community's perspective and build stronger coalitions through shared purposeful discomfort.
Jennifer and Sarah recap Midland Michigan's historic and enormous "No Kings" protest, and the importance of creating a vision for the world we want to live in and leading from there.
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