We are thrilled they are here. This book is a great guide book for anyone who cares about their community and is an activist. You should do something about that. Get engaged and involved, everything from the scoreboards, everything up and in between. Welcome. So glad youre here. We are thrilled that this is out in the wealth because we clearly need it. He knew that more now than ever. I think its only been out in the world for only a few months. Its like having a baby, it is out in the world. I cant do jumping jacks anymore. [laughter] its a wonderful process. Getting to know her personally and becoming very friendly throughout it off. This book was a good conversation and collaboration and someone who doesnt know much about the process, asking someone who knew everything in fact really what the book is. Me coming with all my questions and providing all of her interest. Really hopeful that women will pick it up. What do you do . What are the first steps . Why does it go as a luxury to reading . Writers appeal something that should be available to all of us . How do you do it . You are an activist, comedi comedian, has anyone seen the movie, longshot . And you know her from the show, frankie. You have two kids, you live in l. A. Kate, you have a long political history in many ways. Youre the Vice President and chief of staff. We are working to uplift the voices of women in the voices they care about. Also with negotiations for women. So yes, i could help with that, too. The campaign for over ten years, when she came to me, i was working on the hardest resource and after the election, we put everything on the line to see the first woman to become president. I didnt realize there was a woman on the other end of the country was feeling for me. We had a call and got first call was really scuttled for an hour but i think we talked way over that. It started with her asking, is this resource available . I want something thats accessible and fun and joyful. I love some of the way you put your text messages. The connection of trying to find each other. Its wonderful how you show so much of the process of what you put in the book. I love the checklist. The checklist make you analysts why youre here. Is this right for me . Is it right for my life right now . She asked with the first step was. Among the first things, trying to identify what it is that buyers you up. Women tend to run for office to solve problems. It could be that thank you are tweeting about a lot, i think your are going at things thanksgiving over and over. Once you identify fact, you could beat that platform and campaign you all you need to get a kickstart to the next step. I think the checklist ended up being helpful because for me, my Big Questions were surrounding the real life aspect of a race. You have to stop working the way that im working now the jobs i have . Whether would i do about the people i take care of in my life . Nervous about things that might be active so all of it is all very real questions. For women, too, the unpaid labor women are doing, in the early taking care of small children and older children and elderly parents and friends, a lot of that work is going to women. The hours need to be accounted for and considered. The checklist was a great tool for someone to really actually do the inventory. There are other checklist through the book. It gives you different options. You can come from a wide variety of backgrounds. I think we want to include as many forces as possible. Recognizing that we come from similar backgrounds and so many ways we approach this in a similar way so we wanted to include officials how had been there. You hear from congresswoman and jordan, the only open transgender official in the country. You hear the wisdom and advice and i hope any reader can see themselves in the book. Shes had it all. I love the dedication you have in this book. We dedicate this book to all the men whove been making decisions about women thank you for your time, energy and talent. We appreciate your. Also, we are coming for your. I think we were kind of joking about that. That was like no, lets actually do it. I think it sets the tone. Even in progressive bubbles and communities, its an incentive, it might be of womens turn right now. Or we want to speak for anyone, it doesnt matter. It never seems to be the right time. It never seems to be our turn. Because i dont feel we the time to wait. Are is it too many barriers in the way for women to run for office. Certainly theres a woman out there thinking away to run when my children are grown when i get that promotion when i feel financially secure, or what i pay off my student loans. We didnt want to add this book to that. Anything about the last midterms, all of the women, and you think about the average age of most women who are previously in the house, or even in the senate, i would think the average age when they were elected is the pit older. Older than the men. We differently sell the women i would say this class of younger and coming in with Young Children. I think you know more moms with his Young Children exporting ways to figure out and navigate washington. Theyve actually been created little networks for those new members of congress. Its called moms in the house. Its a bipartisan group. They just get together and talk about childcare and just a share. How are they doing it. I think that community didnt exist before. Even here in illinois. Look at tammy duckworth. She is the baby. And shes a senator. It would take that dive boat leadership just to bring a baby onto the senate floor. To really think eliminate for many women and people that that wasnt allowed before. So the humor, you put throughout this is and i apologize, [laughter] i have a feeling a lot of that came. [laughter] think of that. Because i think it makes the whole processing a lot of scary. It can be scary. Were talking about fundraising talking about, god, am i going to do if i need to get endorsements. What kind of endorsement show to get. All of the Different Things you go through we do think about, even talk about in the book, do i need to worry about my facebook. Do i need to worry about what i posted in instrument. Anything like that. You really cover so much that i think it raises a lot of the spheres that many of us will have. Thank you for staying that. I think that it is important to connect to joy. In any activist work. I dont want to be a part of a revolution that is not having fun. So that was really important to me. The kind of joy of doing the work and the joy of serving and representing the people. The book is i think, very accessible because it takes what could be at a very dry topic and shed some color on it. That said i think there is tension and it does take a lot and so for me i actually pulled back on a lot of jokes i wanted to make because it does take so much courage. It is so hard. My god, i have so much respect for women who are is going to do that. Going to throw her hat in the rain. I am amazed by it. One of the things i walk away from the process was really understanding how this if it is that went out access to personal wealth and networks of wealth, and just how much harder it is to do this. If you cannot take those day off from your job. If you know barely making an his meet at the end of the month. While this journey is going to be very different. It is going to be much more difficult. There are sobering facts around this book. In this process. But i do think that it is a way and for many people because it provides also some levity to the process. I wish i wouldve had this a few years ago. [laughter] screaming what its not in their that you wish was in there. I was on the Naperville City Council and i was elected in 2015. But then i decided that i would try to run for the six can rational district here in illinois. It was one of those races and it was at the time, after the womens march and everybody is jumping on board. I had six women six different other women running with me on the democratic side and then two men. There were eight of us. We were going into the primary. We have so many, you heard about races like this around the country both of there are so many people engage in it. In trying to get attention or trying to being cut into a lot of pieces the pious. As you talk about raising funds, that was the most daunting thing for me and i wish i wouldve read more about it but the role, that could be the so tedious. And the calling for dollars. It was hard for me. Test people for money. Being in the book business, called every author and publisher i know. I think had more donations coming from new york than i did from illinois. It was a really daunting proce process. We need came to getting endorsements, that was the thing that is most disappointing for me. I dont mean to, getting an endorsement from emilys list, we were told there were six women in this race. Emilys list said they would not endorse in the primaries because there were six women. They ended up doing it anyway. They went with the woman whod given about 200,000 of our own money to her campaign. So they went with the money instead of the person. And sometimes that is something you have to work on because what you stand for and who you know, its not all about the money. That was the most discouraging thing for me. My mother a result, has been in emilys list supporter at for decades dropped her membership and gave her peace of her mind. You do that, and you know working to get endorsements are you going after the big what organizations are the unions or whatever you are going to go after, that is the tough part. I think that kind of race, it was daunting. Moving from a city, but a hundred and 50000, moving to a race like that. I think so many of us jumped in all of the country because we wanted change. There a lot of races that there were a lot of opponents. Just going to the primary. The different kind of game. Like you said, it wouldve been some things in this book that wouldve given me some perspective or at least something humorous that i couldve laughed at some of the stuff. I wouldnt trade the experience for anything. I hope you write again. I dont know. Ive conducted out. I like selling books. [laughter] you make an excellent. Around taking about the community that exists around you. For that first and second and third check. One of the things we do about it the monkey is really for women, we exist in a lot of places already that we might not think of as natural places that foster campaign. But they are. I could look like the daycare pickup group that you are in. He could look like your church are sitting on your mess, your sorority or alumni situation or professional organization or maybe just a Neighborhood Group they like to hang out with think like kickball with. That can be a place for modeling test for money but a Campaign Manager maybe seek out volunteer coordinator, all of these things can be Great Networks for support. I think you took a step in thinking about who do i know a new guy asked for that support. I do think the issue of women and money and asking for money is to see if you bring up a good. Around that, we are not trying to do that. First of many of us, its a really foreign thing to have to thanks somebody to write a check. Its the old i dont know, theres something about it that is very difficult. In cases around it it which is in the book, how to separate yourself from it. I found it really helpful with, you are not writing a check for me, this beautiful person, [laughter] your writing a check for what i believe in and what i want to change. And having that kind of distance i think is the tool that can be really helpful new think about. Think calling up strangers asking them for money but telling them exactly where you stand and why its important and what you are fighting for. Its really hard when it comes around to calling again. The same people who have an been generous to you. But i think for women, its harder for us asking for money. It really is and to make that call into asking again. Because i think were always dependent more on that i can do this myself instead of reaching out and asking for help. Would make that. In the book. Asking for help. Asking for the check or time of the campaign is being specific about it. Will you specifically asking for 250 or instead of staying, hey nikki, youve been a great friend my whole life, please help me in my campaign. That doesnt really tell them what you need. Its something that, you could Say Something like nikki, you know a graphic designer, i need a logo, lets match up. Be specific and thinking afterwards, invite her into the process and more importantly it shows that you know cognizant of what you need in the modem. The so important. Like the beginning of the roof the checklist, theres all of these questions. He sort of analyzing what you want to do. Can i do this and will i do this. But at the bottom, you make a face to thanks other women. To take those run for it is it too. I think women do encourage each other thats great and we are more supportive i think in a lot of ways. You hear a lot of book about women who are well and not done often going to run for office right now but hanoi support other women you in. The last chapter the book is really intentional. Giving money or money for them or asking them to run. We know that were going to have to sit for more. There is no magic number. We need to be asked and we do need to be seen. I think intentionally putting that in the book, helps foster that openness and that first thanks. You think of the womens work and how women never wouldve done anything. Anything will the marches that were around the country. Women who would have never gotten involved and gotten they marched. I think i saw, how many of those went to the chicago part or dc or anything like that . I had daughters in three different city so it was great. It was so great that you could turn to the woman and you felt they were your friends. I never have been in that situation before. I done several marches since that one but it was the most incredible feeling. I think thats what women bring to the table. This cooperation. This wheeling to unite together and we are going to Work Together and we are here for each other. I think you make that very clear. I think we frame just because a woman does it mean necessarily represent other women well or fight for the women and children, however, kate provides a lot of research on Women Leaders and what they run into the table or bring to the table. It is pretty compelling. The data is out there the shows over and over again that women when there in an office, they collaborate more, they introduce more bills, they work across the aisle, we had to fall back some of the examples of women getting us out of tough spots. Both of its like the government shutting down. Lets not forget women are the ones that got us out of that. There are talent countless examples that hopefully inspire readers that their voice at the table manners. They can have an impact not just for the women in their own communities but outside of that as well. Have really appreciated the fact that you were more nonpartisan in your book. You have republican women mentioned in the book and you talk about some nonpartisan races and things like that but i think its important that we dont make this all one sided. And because thats one of the biggest issues we have right now. We dont cross the aisle and we have so much division. I really appreciated that about the book. I think if we ever want to get to the point where women are equally represented in our government, we are over 50 percent of the population but nowhere near that up and down the ballot. Not just at the federal loophole. Both parties and all parties have to do their part. I think we want to make sure the Democrat Republican Independent and green, whatever that you see yourself in this. Note that there is space for you. I know you talk about that phrase its been around for eons, all politics are local. Me think about you can run for things if you are a community minded. What a difference you can make almost immediately. We do are on the school yard or on the parks District Board or you run for your local city council. Your county support, those can make a difference because the seed in which things can happen is faster. But it does make a difference in your own life. In your own home where you live. In your neighborhood as well. Something some people there are so many things that are so great to see so many people objected to races of all kinds. It really is where there used to be races a lot of people go unopposed. Its a crime. We think about it. How do you get so many decades of men running things. Its about time we had our turn. I love the timeline with women throughout history. That was great as well. Knowing what a difference we have made and those women who have where the early pioneers for fighting for womens rights. An voter and parity in all that. We left the timeline unfinished because we know that this next generation is the generation is going to be leaders but they carry us forward and so it was important for us to ground the book in that opening kind of timeline but also recognizing both of its you or i or our children, maybe we could people in this room possibly. Theyre going to want to be the people to finish and continue that timeline. Me i set dane to make this, two years to make this book. You put so much into this which i think is absolutely wonderful, how did you do this, did you live on either side of the country his right . Email and talking on the phone and that sort of thing. I was find it interesting when people, the process, [laughter]. The first time we met was after womens march in dc. We are still just talking about the idea and making sure it was the right collaboration and then we wrote the proposal together. Kate at that. Didnt have any children and very kindly came to la because its a little bit harder for me to travel and we would spend marathon days together. And then, we would go to a spin class in order in mexican food. [laughter] that was part of our process. [laughter] it really was, we need it to blow off steam at the end of the day we would sit around and break the checklist down and start to go through the book. We really feel a lot of conversations in the beginning some of which we agreed on and some we didnt agree on and just kind of hashing it out. And talking a lot about it. Then we wrote a proposal together, most of the book once we knew we were writing a book, was written that way. Which we spent time together in the room for about four days at a time going through the big strokes. With characters in the book, of different women who are from varied backgrounds. Someone who is the part of the gay comment and works as an over driver and every stuff and really did not knew that she can afford to do that. In one of the things that kate said to me right away was she should probably when we probably were just talking about her and he