When We Win with Maya Rupert

Lemonada Media

Is the impossible possible? What will it take to create a truly engaged democracy that represents all of us? Each week, Maya Rupert talks to some of the most incredible women of color in office today who ran against insurmountable odds and won, from the all-women city council in St. Paul, Minnesota, to the youngest Black woman to serve in Congress. So stop asking yourself if we can win, and start imagining what we’ll do when we win.

This series is presented by Ms. Foundation for Women and the Marguerite Casey Foundation.

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Our Editor's Take

The When We Win with Maya Rupert podcast does more than celebrate women of color in politics. It offers a new mindset by asking listeners to believe they've already won. Maya Rupert discusses social movements and politics from the White House to small-town offices. Changing America and reshaping American democracy starts now.

Like her guests, podcast host Maya Rupert has an impressive resume. She was Harvard Kennedy School's Distinguished Fellow with Community Change in 2022. The political strategist has managed campaigns for mayoral and presidential hopefuls. Rupert served as presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren's senior campaign advisor. She's written for The Atlantic, The New York Times, and Slate. The Root and Ebony Magazine have also acknowledged Rupert's contributions to the Black community.

Since 2018, more and more women of color have been running for political office. It's a hard road to the top, Rupert's guests share. In each podcast episode, Rupert talks with women of color who won political offices. They share that "how we win" matters, and so does winning together. How did they persevere despite the adversity they experienced along the way? What lessons did they learn? What are their goals now?

Mitra Jalali and Cheniqua Johnson join the first episode. They're both St. Paul City Council Members. For the first time, the council consists of all women. Jalali and Johnson discuss the scrutiny that women of color in politics experience. If they're not "perfect," they're not good enough. They must appear young but not immature. They must be beautiful but relatable and authentic while appealing to everyone.

St. Louis mayor Tishaura Jones talks with Rupert on another episode. She shares what it means to be a "viable candidate." Mayor Jones also discusses how she believes people should assess candidates. She also advises listeners to believe in themselves and their intuition. It's possible to get past the "viability barrier," Jones promises.

Women of color are on the frontlines of today's political battles. Their motto is simple. "When we fight, we win." New episodes of When We Win with Maya Rupert usually appear weekly.

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Play Trailer

Official Trailer: When We Win with Maya Rupert

Official Trailer: When We Win with Maya Rupert

This season on “When We Win with Maya Rupert,” we’ll sit down with some of the most impressive women of color in office today. We explore why there has been an unprecedented call for women of color to run for office and look at the many barriers that stand in their way - and how they have overcome them.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episodes

Stay in the Fight

Stay in the Fight

When We Win is back! In this episode, host Maya Rupert talks to Teresa Younger, the CEO of the Ms. Foundation for Women, about the impossible standards that female candidates of color are held to and the rising political superstars we all should know. Plus two women of color -- Kristian Carranza and Lauren Ashley Simmons -- are running for seats in the Texas state legislature. They talk to Maya about the obstacles they currently face and how they plan to win. This series is presented by Ms. Foundation for Women, a national public foundation that builds women’s collective power to advance meaningful social, cultural, and economic change for all. Learn more at https://forwomen.org/ This series is presented by the Marguerite Casey Foundation. MCF supports leaders who work to shift the balance of power in their communities toward working people and families, and who have the vision and capacity for building a truly representative economy. Learn more at caseygrants.org or visit on social media @caseygrants. Follow When We Win wherever you get your podcasts, or listen ad-free on Amazon Music with your Prime Membership. Stay up to date with us on X, Facebook, and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia. Joining Lemonada Premium is a great way to support our show and get bonus content. Subscribe today at bit.ly/lemonadapremium. Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this show and all Lemonada shows: lemonadamedia.com/sponsors To follow along with a transcript, go to lemonadamedia.com/show/ shortly after the air date. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Are You Likable? with Alicia Menendez

Are You Likable? with Alicia Menendez

Political media has the power to shape the narrative of a race before anyone has cast a ballot. All of the decisions - who gets covered and how they get covered - are made by an overwhelmingly and disturbingly non-diverse group of media gatekeepers. In this episode, Maya and TV host and author Alicia Menendez discuss ‘The Likeability Trap’ and how the media shapes our political discourse around women of color. Check out Alicia’s book The Likeability Trap: https://aliciamenendez.com/the-likeability-trap/ Learn more about Alicia’s new MSNBC series, The Weekend: https://www.msnbc.com/the-weekend This series is presented by Ms. Foundation for Women, a national public foundation that builds women’s collective power to advance meaningful social, cultural, and economic change for all. Learn more at https://forwomen.org/ This series is presented by the Marguerite Casey Foundation. MCF supports leaders who work to shift the balance of power in their communities toward working people and families, and who have the vision and capacity for building a truly representative economy. Learn more at caseygrants.org or visit on social media @caseygrants. Follow When We Win wherever you get your podcasts, or listen ad-free on Amazon Music with your Prime Membership. Stay up to date with us on X, Facebook, and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia. Joining Lemonada Premium is a great way to support our show and get bonus content. Subscribe today at bit.ly/lemonadapremium. Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this show and all Lemonada shows: lemonadamedia.com/sponsors To follow along with a transcript, go to lemonadamedia.com/show/ shortly after the air date.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

But Can You Win? with Mayor Tishaura Jones

But Can You Win? with Mayor Tishaura Jones

When you kick off a campaign, one of the first things people ask is, “Are you a viable candidate?” but what they're really asking is, do you have a real shot at winning? To elect more women of color, early polls, donations, and endorsements cannot be the only tools for assessing the strength of a candidate. In this episode, Maya talks to St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones about trusting your intuition, alternative campaign strategies, and how to break through the viability barrier. This series is presented by Ms. Foundation for Women, a national public foundation that builds women’s collective power to advance meaningful social, cultural, and economic change for all. Learn more at https://forwomen.org/ This series is presented by the Marguerite Casey Foundation. MCF supports leaders who work to shift the balance of power in their communities toward working people and families, and who have the vision and capacity for building a truly representative economy. Learn more at caseygrants.org or visit on social media @caseygrants. Follow When We Win wherever you get your podcasts, or listen ad-free on Amazon Music with your Prime Membership. Stay up to date with us on X, Facebook, and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia. Joining Lemonada Premium is a great way to support our show and get bonus content. Subscribe today at bit.ly/lemonadapremium. Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this show and all Lemonada shows: lemonadamedia.com/sponsors. To follow along with a transcript, go to lemonadamedia.com/show/ shortly after the air date.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Can You Raise Enough Cash? With Congresswoman Lauren Underwood

Can You Raise Enough Cash? With Congresswoman Lauren Underwood

If you want to win an election, you need to raise a ton of money. A lot of brilliant women of color decide not to run for office because the price for entry feels too high. In this episode, Maya and Rep. Lauren Underwood of Illinois’ 14th district discuss all things fundraising - why it matters and how we can transform the process. This series is presented by Ms. Foundation for Women, a national public foundation that builds women’s collective power to advance meaningful social, cultural, and economic change for all. Learn more at https://forwomen.org/ This series is presented by the Marguerite Casey Foundation. MCF supports leaders who work to shift the balance of power in their communities toward working people and families, and who have the vision and capacity for building a truly representative economy. Learn more at caseygrants.org or visit on social media @caseygrants. Follow When We Win wherever you get your podcasts, or listen ad-free on Amazon Music with your Prime Membership. Stay up to date with us on X, Facebook, and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia. Joining Lemonada Premium is a great way to support our show and get bonus content. Subscribe today at bit.ly/lemonadapremium. Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this show and all Lemonada shows: lemonadamedia.com/sponsors To follow along with a transcript, go to lemonadamedia.com/show/ shortly after the air date.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Are You Authentic Enough? With Mitra Jalali and Cheniqua Johnson

Are You Authentic Enough? With Mitra Jalali and Cheniqua Johnson

When women of color run for political office, they are scrutinized for every flaw. They’re expected to be everything for everyone – they must be authentic, but they can’t alienate broad audiences. They must be youthful, but also mature. The list goes on. In this episode, Maya speaks to two St. Paul City Council members who are ready to change these expectations. Mitra Jalali and Cheniqua Johnson are a part of the first city council in Minnesota history to be composed of all women, and mostly women of color. They are redefining the leadership in the state and beyond. This series is presented by Ms. Foundation for Women, a national public foundation that builds women’s collective power to advance meaningful social, cultural, and economic change for all. Learn more at https://forwomen.org/ This series is presented by the Marguerite Casey Foundation. MCF supports leaders who work to shift the balance of power in their communities toward working people and families, and who have the vision and capacity for building a truly representative economy. Learn more at caseygrants.org or visit on social media @caseygrants. Follow When We Win wherever you get your podcasts, or listen ad-free on Amazon Music with your Prime Membership. Stay up to date with us on X, Facebook, and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia. Joining Lemonada Premium is a great way to support our show and get bonus content. Subscribe today at bit.ly/lemonadapremium. Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this show and all Lemonada shows: lemonadamedia.com/sponsors To follow along with a transcript, go to lemonadamedia.com/show/ shortly after the air date.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Official Trailer: When We Win with Maya Rupert

Official Trailer: When We Win with Maya Rupert

This season on “When We Win with Maya Rupert,” we’ll sit down with some of the most impressive women of color in office today. We explore why there has been an unprecedented call for women of color to run for office and look at the many barriers that stand in their way - and how they have overcome them.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When We Win with Maya Rupert (Teaser)

When We Win with Maya Rupert (Teaser)

Welcome to “When We Win with Maya Rupert,” a four-part series that looks at women of color who have garnered broad community support and made the impossible seem possible. Join host Maya Rupert for a series of conversations that will inspire at a moment when we need it more than ever. Episode 1 is available February 13th, wherever you get your podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.