The Campaign Strategist

Pete Altman

Dive into the world of advocacy with The Campaign Strategist. Each episode features in-depth conversations with activists and experts who break down their approaches to planning, executing, and winning campaigns. Learn about the strategies that have shaped policies, changed minds, and mobilized communities. Perfect for anyone looking to amplify their impact and drive meaningful change.New episodes on the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays each month.

  1. Aug 11

    "Trust Scales Through People Now" — Amanda Brink on Why the Old Organizing Toolkit Is Breaking

    The tactics most campaigns were built on are quietly breaking, and the reason isn't messaging — it's trust. Host Pete Altman talks with Amanda Brink, executive director of The Empower Project, whose recent essay "The Rules of Engagement Have Changed" argues that real persuasion now happens in the group chats, DMs, and comment sections where people decide who to believe. Amanda makes the case that we're organizing in an environment where credibility travels through people rather than institutions: "I really feel like trust scales through people now. It no longer scales through institutions, which also makes me sad, but I think that is the reality that we are living in." She walks through what friend-to-friend organizing looks like at scale — 47,000 community mobilizers in 2024, three million names, nine million conversations — and why the app is never the answer: "In the same way you can't build a house with just a hammer, a tool is not enough." She's also blunt about why the left is behind, from status quo bias to a movement that is "literally letting the perfect be the enemy of the good." For anyone rethinking how their organization reaches people in 2026, this is a practical conversation about building power instead of perfecting copy. LINKS FROM THIS EPISODE The Empower Project: https://empowerproject.us/ Amanda Brink on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brinkamandal/ Amanda's bio: https://empowerproject.us/amanda-brink Amanda's essay, "The Rules of Engagement Have Changed": https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/rules-engagement-have-changed-amanda-brink-krfgc/ Marquette Law School Poll on trust, July 2026: https://law.marquette.edu/poll/2026/07/07/marquette-law-school-poll-finds-a-steady-decline-by-age-in-trust-in-other-people/ Messengers: Who We Listen To, Who We Don't, and Why, by Steve Martin and Joseph Marks — the trusted-messenger research Amanda cites More episodes at substack.tcspod.com Find and subscribe: Substack and your favorite platforms. Contact: Contact@PrismaticStrategiesLLC.com Find us on LinkedIn and Bluesky

  2. Jul 14

    "Anything Else Is Just Busy Work" — Dana Johnson on Strategy, Solidarity, and What Comes After

    "If you're not focused on democracy and holding the line there, anything else you're doing is just busy work." That's movement strategist Dana Johnson, and it's the spirit of this whole conversation — clear-eyed about the moment, and unwilling to retreat from it. Dana is the founder of Strategic Movement Collective and the former Senior Director of Strategy and Federal Policy at WE ACT for Environmental Justice. In this episode she walks through how she actually designs a campaign — from the first "big sky" objective all the way down to the question she keeps returning to: what's missing from this conversation, and who's missing from it? She shares the moment at WE ACT when she realized an emissions-modeling fight was incomplete until they hired someone who could take it down to the level of regions, states, and communities. From there we go somewhere harder: how the advocacy toolkit has changed under real pressure, why she thinks the movement "missed the mark" on solidarity, and what the people of Minneapolis taught the rest of us about building organizing infrastructure that outlasts a single fight. We close on what it would actually take to rebuild — not the way things were, but for the next fifty years. What you'll take away: a working method for designing a campaign from objective to messenger to gap; why solidarity is a strategic commitment and not a sentiment; how organizing infrastructure gets built in one fight and repurposed in the next; and a "both/and" frame for rebuilding institutions instead of just restoring them. Dana Johnson is a movement strategist and founder of Strategic Movement Collective. She previously served as Senior Director of Strategy and Federal Policy at WE ACT for Environmental Justice and sits on the board of Green 2.0. Follow The Campaign Strategist wherever you listen so you don't miss an episode. If the show is useful to you, a rating and a quick review on Apple Podcasts genuinely help more people find it. Go deeper: full show notes on Substack — substack.tcspod.com More from Dana — https://www.linkedin.com/in/dana-g-johnson/, Strategic Movement Collective Green 2.0 - https://greentwopointzero.org/ Find and subscribe: Substack and your favorite platforms. Contact: Contact@PrismaticStrategiesLLC.com Find us on LinkedIn and Bluesky

  3. Jun 16

    Francesca Koe on Narrative vs. Messaging — and How Stories Shift Power

    If you've ever used "narrative," "messaging," and "communication strategy" as if they meant the same thing, this episode sorts that out fast. Host Pete Altman sits down with Francesca Koe — a communications and advocacy strategist with more than two decades helping movements grow power and win change, now a Program Director with Narrative Initiative — who has led integrated campaigns across climate, oceans, energy, and social justice. Francesca breaks down the layered structure of narrative using a Jaws-and-sharks example that sticks, explains why rigor and resonance are an "and" rather than a trade-off, and makes the case that trusted institutions are having to rethink who gets to be the messenger. She also argues that the work belongs to everyone, not just consultants: as she puts it, "guess who narrative practitioners are? Everyone, we all are." For anyone trying to talk about hard things in a way that actually lands, there's a lot here on landscaping narratives, building local capacity, and meeting people where they are. Keywords/tags: narrative change, political messaging, communication strategy, advocacy strategy, progressive messaging, narrative initiative, movement building, climate communication, health equity, deep narratives, meta-narrative, framing, asset framing, building power, community organizing, ocean conservation, kelp restoration, The Campaign Strategist, Pete Altman, Francesca Koe Watch all episodes at substack.tcspod.com Find and subscribe: Substack and your favorite platforms. Contact: Contact@PrismaticStrategiesLLC.com Find us on LinkedIn and Bluesky

  4. May 12

    Anna Aurilio on Child Poverty, Affordability & Political Power

    Anna Aurilio joins The Campaign Strategist to talk about the intersection of advocacy, economic security, and political power. Drawing on nearly four decades of organizing experience — from environmental campaigns to leading federal advocacy at the Economic Security Project — Anna explains how policies like the expanded Child Tax Credit and guaranteed income can materially improve people’s lives while building broader economic stability. Pete and Anna discuss the affordability crisis, corporate concentration, healthcare cuts, and the challenges of communicating progressive solutions in today’s fragmented media environment. Along the way, Anna reflects on the importance of coalition building, durable power, and why “we know how to solve child poverty — we did it for six months.” It’s a strategic and deeply practical conversation about what advocacy campaigns need to accomplish in the years ahead.  Learn more about Anna's and ESP's work at https://economicsecurityproject.org/. Find and subscribe: Substack and your favorite platforms. Contact: Contact@PrismaticStrategiesLLC.com Find us on LinkedIn and Bluesky

  5. Apr 7

    Pete Maysmith, LCV President, on what it really takes to win right now

    Pete Maysmith has been doing this work for over 30 years — from Rocky Flats protests in fifth grade to leading one of the country’s most powerful environmental electoral organizations. As President of the League of Conservation Voters, he oversees hundreds of millions of dollars in electoral and advocacy spending across a 30-state affiliate network. In this conversation, we don’t spend much time on the doom. We spend it on the strategy. **What you’ll hear in this episode:** - Why energy affordability — not carbon policy — is the entry point for reaching persuadable voters right now - How LCV is running AI-assisted, neighbor-to-neighbor video ads in a Michigan congressional district to hold Republicans accountable for higher utility bills - Why the movement needs to think culturally, not just politically, to break through a fragmented media landscape - How public lands became a rare piece of genuine bipartisan common ground — with MAGA hats showing up at LCV rallies - What it means to defend democracy as a prerequisite for environmental progress - And why the goal after Trump can’t just be to restore what existed before Pete’s closing piece of advice, passed on to him early in his career, stayed with me: ”Everybody needs hope and heroes . . . We have to believe and we have to give people belief. And if we do that, people will show up.” This is exactly the kind of conversation The Campaign Strategist exists to have — candid, strategic, and focused on what it actually takes to build power and win. If you find these conversations useful, please share this with someone who’d benefit. It’s the best way to help the show grow. Find and subscribe: Substack and your favorite platforms. Contact: Contact@PrismaticStrategiesLLC.com Find us on LinkedIn and Bluesky

    Pete Maysmith, LCV President, on what it really takes to win right now

  6. Mar 3

    Planning to Win with Kristen Grimm of Spitfire Strategies

    Kristen Grimm, founder of Spitfire Strategies, joins Pete to discuss what it really takes to win advocacy campaigns in today’s fractured media environment. Drawing from her updated campaign planning guide, Planning to Win, Kristen explains why campaigns must define concrete victories instead of defaulting to “raising awareness,” and why declining public trust is one of the biggest threats to public interest work. She argues that hope is not the same as optimism — hope requires agency and a clear path forward. The conversation explores how to balance blocking harmful policies with building toward affirmative solutions, how to choose the right moment to act, and how campaign leadership and frontline voices shape outcomes. For advocates navigating turbulent political times, this episode offers both discipline and encouragement. Get the planning guide here: https://spitfirestrategies.com/tools/planning-to-win/ Find and subscribe: Substack and your favorite platforms. Contact: Contact@PrismaticStrategiesLLC.com Find us on LinkedIn and Bluesky

  7. 11/11/2025

    Defying Fascism and Building Narrative Power with Dr. Jiggy Geronimo

    In this episode, Pete talks with Dr. Jiggy Geronimo, a neuroscientist-turned-strategist and founder of JG Insights, about building powerful progressive narratives. Jiggy shares why poll-tested messaging often fails—and how an “emotions first, content first” strategy can drive real resistance and mobilization.  From confronting fascism to channeling public anger into action, this conversation is a guide to narrative power in dangerous times. "Narrative is about the words, but it's also about the visuals," says Jiggy. "It's also about the stories. It's also about the feelings. And we don't...on the left, take that holistic approach to narrative." Subscribe to Jiggy's newsletter here.  Find and subscribe: Substack and your favorite platforms. Contact: Contact@PrismaticStrategiesLLC.com Find us on LinkedIn and Bluesky

  8. 10/28/2025

    How Progressives Win in the Modern Media Age: Jenifer Ancona of Way to Win

    In this episode of The Campaign Strategist, Pete talks with Jenifer Fernandez Ancona, Co-Founder and Chief Strategist at Way to Win, and co-host of Charting the Way Forward, about how progressives can thrive in a radically transformed media environment. Jenifer shares how she went from journalist to movement strategist — and how that journey shaped her understanding of what it takes to compete in an attention economy dominated by emotion, culture, and decentralized media. She explains why campaigns must merge organizing and media instead of treating them as separate worlds, and how creators, storytelling, and cultural authenticity can move people in ways policy briefs never will. If you care about how progressives can break through the noise — and build real narrative power — don’t miss this one.  Find and subscribe: Substack and your favorite platforms. Contact: Contact@PrismaticStrategiesLLC.com Find us on LinkedIn and Bluesky

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About

Dive into the world of advocacy with The Campaign Strategist. Each episode features in-depth conversations with activists and experts who break down their approaches to planning, executing, and winning campaigns. Learn about the strategies that have shaped policies, changed minds, and mobilized communities. Perfect for anyone looking to amplify their impact and drive meaningful change.New episodes on the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays each month.

Information

  • Creator
    Pete Altman
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    28
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The Campaign Strategist
  • Show Website
    The Campaign Strategist