Ep. 46: Sam Daley-Harris on Transformational Advocacy

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 Intro00:51 Sam’s Music Past06:28 From Music to Advocacy10:48 Music Skills in Activism18:30 Collective Effervescence20:47 Beating Cynicism With Action29:24 Transactional vs Transformational31:35 Three Pillars of Advocacy32:26 Breakthroughs Beyond Comfort33:42 Amnesty Letters Perspective35:55 Coaching Through Listening40:34 Relationships Over Wins42:04 Long Game Advocacy Wins47:41 Protests Voting Missing Piece56:59 Pseudo Politics Real Action59:14 Bipartisanship For Durability01:03:50 Optimism Resources FarewellResourcesCheck 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. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit wemadethispolitical.substack.com