Speak Up with Laurel Libby

Laurel Libby
  • 4.7 (13)
  • Politics
  • Updated Biweekly

Speak Up with Laurel Libby is on a mission to give everyday folks the insight and confidence to speak up and make their voices heard, in Maine and beyond. Each episode breaks down the issues of the day… separating fact from fiction, translating policy into plain language, and connecting local challenges to the national conversation. Through interviews, deep dives, and practical guidance, Speak Up empowers everyday citizens to become educated, get engaged, and take action for a stronger, freer future.

  1. 2d ago

    What Does it Take to Prosper? | Episode 14 with Owen McCarthy

    Owen McCarthy grew up in a trailer on his grandfather’s land in Patten, Maine, the son of a logger and a school lunch worker. He became the first in his family to finish college, co-founded the Maine health-tech company MedRhythms, and this spring ran fifth of seven candidates in the 2026 Republican primary for governor. Owen McCarthy sat down with me in-studio for a post-primary look at why he ran, what building a company in Maine taught him about the state’s business climate, and the specifics of his Maine 2040 plan. In this episode: How MedRhythms uses foot-worn sensors and real music to help stroke and Parkinson’s patients relearn how to walkWhy McCarthy moved the company from Boston to Maine, and what he says is the hardest part of building a health care company hereMcCarthy’s case for why young Mainers leave the state, and where Maine ranks for new business formationThe campaign-trail issue McCarthy says he heard about most: electricity costsMaine’s record education spending alongside record-low reading scoresThe “smart bets” in McCarthy’s Maine 2040 plan, from maritime innovation to a state crypto frameworkThis year’s AI data center fight in Augusta, and what McCarthy says it signaled to investorsA constituent’s anger over the Gateway Community Services MaineCare fraud caseMcCarthy’s case for provider-to-provider telehealth and why he says “coverage is not the same as access”What McCarthy learned about Maine, and himself, in the 2026 primary About the guest: Owen McCarthy of Gorham, Maine, is co-founder of MedRhythms, a Maine digital therapeutics company. He grew up in Patten, Maine, was the first in his family to finish college, and holds an engineering degree from the University of Maine and an MBA from Harvard. He served as a University of Maine System trustee and on the American Telemedicine Association board, and was one of seven candidates who ran in the 2026 Republican gubernatorial primary. Please subscribe! Follow Laurel: X www.x.com/Laurel_LibbyFacebook https://www.facebook.com/LaurelLibbyMEHouse Follow Lead Maine: X www.x.com/lead_maine Facebook www.facebook.com/leadmaine More on www.leadmaine.com

  2. Jul 7

    Living in Faith, Freedom, and Service in Downeast Maine

    Maddy Curtis is in her early twenties, a homesteader in training from Washington County, and she came to politics through history, not headlines. In this conversation, we talk about why no single election decides everything, finding common ground across deep divides, and what a grounded life looks like in modern Maine. What you'll hear: Why Maddy believes Maine is turning around over the long haul, not in one electionWilliam Wilberforce and the case for patience in politicsGeorge Washington's secret Culper spy ring, the young heroes history forgotHow to disagree without writing people off (including working with the ACLU)Wholesome living, homesteading, and where our food really comes from About Maddy Curtis: A member of the Washington County Republicans, recently elected state committeewoman, and head organizer of the Freedom's Legacy Conference. She lives in Pembroke, Maine.Resources: "Washington's Secret Six," Eric Metaxas, WallBuilders (David and Tim Barton), Drive Thru History (Dave Stotts) Subscribe: YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@laurel_libby/videos | Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/75Y2G40k0gWwFH6cncgiuW | Apple https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/speak-up-with-laurel-libby/id1870102672 Follow Laurel: X www.x.com/Laurel_Libby | Facebook https://www.facebook.com/LaurelLibbyMEHouse Follow Lead Maine: X www.x.com/lead_maine | Facebook www.facebook.com/leadmaine More on www.leadmaine.com #SpeakUp #LeadMaine #Maine #MainePolitics #History

  3. Jun 23

    MaineCare... Got FRAUD? | Episode 12 with Steve Robinson

    Maine spends $1.4 billion a year on MaineCare, one of every four dollars the state spends. When a provider overbills, the state often calls it an "improper payment"... even if there is fraud involved... and lets the provider pay it back out of future claims. Steve Robinson of The Maine Wire explains how that works, and the two rules Lead Maine is asking DHHS to put in place.In this episode: How MaineCare became the largest and fastest-growing line item in the state budgetRecoupment": how providers found to have been overpaid can repay out of future claims, with few criminal referralsWhy low cost-sharing drives ER overutilization, longer waits, and lower quality for everyoneThe cross-subsidy in your paycheck: how low MaineCare rates push private insurance premiums upThe two rules Lead Maine is proposing: in-person verification before billing, and a payment pause with escrow when improper payments are foundLead Maine is submitting petition signatures to DHHS to begin rulemaking on these two rules, with a public comment period coming this fall. Sign up at www.leadmaine.com to be notified when it opens. About Steve Robinson: Editor-in-Chief of The Maine Wire, the leading source of investigative reporting on MaineCare fraud, waste, and abuse in Maine. www.themainewire.com The Robinson Report on Substack: www.AsMaineGoes.com Follow Steve Robinson on X: www.x.com/SteveRob Subscribe to Speak Up with Laurel Libby: ▶ YouTube: www.youtube.com/@laurel_libby ▶ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/75Y2G40k0gWwFH6cncgiuW ▶ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/speak-up-with-laurel-libby/id1870102672 Follow Laurel: ▶ X: www.x.com/laurel_libby ▶ Facebook: www.facebook.com/laurellibbyMEhouse Learn more about Lead Maine at www.leadmaine.com #SpeakUp #LeadMaine #Maine #MaineCare #DHHS #MainePolitics

  4. Jun 9

    Speaking Up for Maine Moms | Episode 11 with Libby Fotter

    What happens when a Maine mom who doesn't follow politics sits down with her state rep and just starts asking questions? Libby Fotter, a homeschooling mom of four daughters from Auburn, joins Laurel for a conversation that covers how the Maine Legislature actually works, from the inside, for anyone who has ever felt like Augusta was happening to them without their input. No political experience required.In this episode: How Maine's Legislature is structuredWhat constituent requests actually look likeHow a bill gets writtenWho actually elects Maine's Secretary of State, Attorney General, and Treasurer (hint: it's not voters)The worst bill of the session: Maine's new millionaire tax, what it does to the top income tax rate, and why Laurel believes it will cost the whole stateLaurel's favorite bill idea she's never submitted, and why timing mattersPlus, a birthday text from a teenager that will be instantly recognizable to any parent of a Gen Z kid. Subscribe to Speak Up with Laurel Libby:YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@laurel_libby Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/75Y2G40k0gWwFH6cncgiuW?si=2e9b9fe49f114a51 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/speak-up-with-laurel-libby/id1870102672 Follow Laurel:X: https://x.com/laurel_libby Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LaurelLibbyMEHouse Learn more about Lead Maine's work at www.LeadMaine.com

  5. May 26

    The Unlikely Alliance to Protect Mainers' Privacy | Episode 10 with Michael Kebede and Alicia Rea

    Government surveillance... creepy, intrusive, and unconstitutional! Automated license plate readers are spreading quietly across Maine towns, scanning and logging every car that drives past, innocent travelers included. Laurel sits down with two leaders from the ACLU of Maine, Policy Director Michael Kebede and Policy Fellow Alicia Rea, to unpack how Flock cameras work, what they actually capture, and why Mainers across the political spectrum are pushing back. In this episode: How Flock's automated license plate readers scan every passing car and build a "mosaic" of where you have been, from doctor's appointments to churches to protestsWhy Michael Kebede argues that ubiquitous, government-controlled cameras erode the Fourth Amendment's warrant requirement What Flock's trademarked "vehicle fingerprint" technology captures: make, model, color, bumper stickers, and aftermarket parts How Maine's 21-day data retention rule works, and why the camera company is not bound by it The towns that fought back: Sanford and Wells Why a bipartisan two-thirds majority in both chambers defeated LD 1457, the turnpike speed-camera bill How Maine's 2019 facial recognition ban, which Kebede drafted, blocks Flock's "Condor" product The wrongful-arrest cases that lead the ACLU to call facial recognition "dangerous when it works"Dig deeper:ACLU of Maine: aclumaine.org Kathleen Tomaselli's reporting on surveillance cameras in Houlton: https://www.bangordailynews.com/2026/02/13/aroostook/aroostook-government/houlton-surveillance-cameras-data-joam40zk0w/ Subscribe to Speak Up with Laurel Libby: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@laurel_libby Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/75Y2G40k0gWwFH6cncgiuW?si=2e9b9fe49f114a51 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/speak-up-with-laurel-libby/id1870102672 Follow Laurel: X: https://x.com/laurel_libby Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LaurelLibbyMEHouse Learn more about Lead Maine's work at www.LeadMaine.com

  6. May 20

    What REALLY Happens to Your Ranked-Choice Ballot??

    Maine's June 9 primary will use Ranked-Choice Voting (RCV), and a lot of voters are still not sure how it works. Here's the solution!We recorded our in studio Lead Maine event, "Ranked Choice Voting Decoded," where Trent England, founder and executive director of Save Our States and co-chairman of the Stop Ranked-Choice Voting Coalition, and Maine GOP Executive Director Jason Savage walked through exactly how to fill out a ranked-choice ballot, what happens to your vote in each round of counting, and how to make sure your voice is heard.We won't tell you who to vote for, or even whether to rank... after you watch this video you'll have with the information you need to decide for yourself!Learn about: What RCV is, and why it keeps getting more complicatedThe mistakes that get a ballot thrown out, and how to avoid themWhat "exhausted ballots" are, and how they shrink the majority needed to winHow multiple rounds of counting can change the winnerWhere RCV applies in Maine this year, and where it does notMaine's primary is June 9. Early voting and absentee voting are already open. You can request an absentee ballot online or pick one up at your town office, which gives you time to research the candidates before you vote. Lead Maine opposes ranked-choice voting and supports its repeal, but this event was built to be practical. The goal is a confident voter, however you choose to mark your ballot.NOTE: The primary for governor uses ranked-choice voting. The general election for governor does not.

  7. May 12

    Who's Funding the War on Our Energy Future? | Episode 9 with Jason Isaac

    The same week the Maine Legislature passed the data center moratorium (which would later be vetoed), American Energy Institute dropped a report showing $39 million in foreign funding behind the groups pushing for the policy. That's not a coincidence. Jason Isaac has spent years tracing the money behind America's energy debate, and what he's found connects your electricity bill, the attempted shutdown of billions of dollars of investment in Maine, and a coordinated campaign to train federal judges with debunked climate science, all the way back to the same set of foreign-funded organizations. Jason Isaac is the founder and CEO of the American Energy Institute and host of the High Carbon Lifestyle podcast. A fourth-generation Texan, he served four terms in the Texas House of Representatives on the Energy Resources and Environmental Regulation Committee, and spent years working in technology-driven logistics and operations before that. He has testified before the House Ways and Means and House Judiciary Committees and has been published in Fox News, Fox Business, The Hill, The Daily Caller, and Bloomberg Law. His current work focuses on exposing the foreign-funded infrastructure behind America's energy and data policy battles. Follow Jason Isaac: x.com/ISAACforEnergy facebook.com/isaacfortexas/ Jason Isaac's Substack & High Carbon Lifestyle podcast: jasonisaac.substack.com SUBSCRIBE & SHARE Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/75Y2G40k0gWwFH6cncgiuW?si=2e9b9fe49f114a51 Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/speak-up-with-laurel-libby/id1870102672 Web: leadmaine.com/podcast

  8. Apr 28

    She Stood in Second. A Boy Stood in First | Episode 8 with Rohen Brown

    Rohen Brown was 18 years old, running the last race of her high school career, when she stepped onto the Western Conference Championship podium in second place. The athlete in first was a male who had been competing in her races for years. Rohen is 19 now, studying political science at the University of Southern Maine, and serving as Lead Maine's first intern. This November, Maine voters will have a say on a ballot initiative to protect girls' and women's sports. But right now, through May 7, Mainers can comment on how that ballot question is worded. What you'll hear in this episode: Why Rohen grieved more for the girl who came in 31st than for her own lost placements, and what a lack of fairness in girls' sports actually costsWhat it felt like to stand on the Western Conference Championship podium in second place during the final race of her senior year, with St. Dominic's closing behind her and college aheadWhat female distance running culture in Maine has been, and how that changed when the atmosphere around her races turned chargedWhat she'd tell a young Mainer who feels politically alone, doesn't know where to start, and is spending too much time on social media looking for answersSubmit your comment to Maine’s Secretary of State regarding a clearly-worded ballot question to Protect Girls’ Sports before May 7: www.leadmaine.com/protectgirlssports

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4.7
out of 5
13 Ratings

About

Speak Up with Laurel Libby is on a mission to give everyday folks the insight and confidence to speak up and make their voices heard, in Maine and beyond. Each episode breaks down the issues of the day… separating fact from fiction, translating policy into plain language, and connecting local challenges to the national conversation. Through interviews, deep dives, and practical guidance, Speak Up empowers everyday citizens to become educated, get engaged, and take action for a stronger, freer future.

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