371: What It’s Like to Build a Startup to Train Gov’t Officials w/ Lisa Witter, Apolitical [Main T4C episode]

Lisa Witter is the Executive Chairperson and co-founder of Apolitical, a platform that trains public servants in various areas to improve their ability to serve in governmental positions. Prior to launching Apolitical, Lisa was the Chief Strategy Officer and Chief Operating Officer at Fenton Communications, the largest public interest communications firm in the U.S.. In 2010 Lisa was honored as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum and has chaired the YGL Public Leadership Initiative and co-chaired the Sustainable Development Goal Initiative. She is the co-author of The She Spot: Why Women are the Market for Changing the World and How to Reach Them. Lisa earned her B.A. in politics from The University of California at Santa Cruz. Press play on this T4C episode if you want to learn more about how to use your degree in politics in a variety of different careers! WHAT YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT IN THIS EPISODE: Why Lisa got involved in politics (4:30) Why government work can be “sexy” (5:49) How to cope with anxiety in the workplace (10:02) How a regular morning routine contributes to a successful day (11:50) What it means to work with “the best of the old and the uncomfortableness of the new” (12:45) How a massive company such as Apolitical stays organized (12:47) What is an autodidact and why is it so important to become one (19:20) Why Apolitical looks for job candidates who are well-read (21:15) Why being kind is as important as working hard (25:25) Why Lisa has faith in U.S. politics (27:40) How Lisa built an online database for women in journalism (31:45) What it’s like to run for president on a reality TV show (and lose) (32:50) What skills public servants want to learn the most (35:30) What Lisa would do if she could go back in time and change her major (37:49)