Episode Description

For episode 265, Sharon speaks with and activist and author, Shanon Watts about her new book, Fired Up. Shannon is the founder of Moms Demand Action, the largest grassroots group fighting gun violence in the U.S. Known as the ‘summoner of women’s audacity,’ she has been named one of TIME’s 100 Most Influential People, a Forbes 50 over 50 Changemaker, and a Glamour Woman of the Year. Shannon is also an active board member of Emerge America, one of the nation’s leading organizations for recruiting and training women to run for office. Helping to redefine what’s possible when audacious women unite to drive change, she writes regularly about culture, politics and women’s issues for her Substack, Playing with Fire, and outlets like The Washington Post, Elle, Time, The 19th. Her new book, Fired Up: How to Turn Your Spark Into a Flame and Come Alive at Any Age, is coming out on June 17th, 2025.

In this conversation Shannon and Sharon discuss:

• The impetus for Shannon’s book

• How to live a life on fire

• Shannon’s personal story

• Marrying our abilities, values & desires

• Being burned up by our anger

• Survivors of gun violence

• What holding us back

• Sharon’s fear of public speaking

• The firestarter triangle

• How we find our desires & aspiration

• Sharon and Sharon’s top values

• Living with a sense of what you care about

• How do we sustain our fire?

• Community Building

• Firestarter University

Additional Resources

Shannon closes the conversation with a short reading from her book, Fired Up. To learn more about Shannon’s work, or get a copy of Fired Up you can visit her website here.

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