Sudha Nandagopal: From Environmental Policy to Everyday Democracy

Sudha Nandagopal: From Environmental Policy to Everyday Democracy

May Boeve talks with Sudha Nandagopal, founder of Bend the Horizon, a strategy advising and consulting firm that works at the intersection of climate, narrative, philanthropy, and governance. Sudha traces her path from immigrant rights organizing with Pramila Jayapal and OneAmerica to transforming Seattle’s approach to environmental justice by asking a deeper question: who decides what problems are worth solving?  The conversation lands on a powerful lesson for this moment: durable wins come from building with people from the start, practicing democracy locally, and creating the politics of possibility even in hard times.  How We Build This [https://howwebuiltthis.substack.com/] is created and hosted by May Boeve [https://substack.com/@mayboeve?utm_source=global-search] Producer: Phil Surkis [https://www.philsurkis.com/] Theme music: ‘Within’, composed by Ruthie Dineen, and performed by Negative Press Project. [https://www.negativepressproject.com/] Instagram & Bluesky: @hwbtpod Find us on Linkedin and Substack at How We Build this Pod.  Thank YOU for taking the time to tune in and helping build the movement!

Natalie Foster: The Guarantee and America’s Next Economy

May Boeve talks with Natalie Foster, co-founder of the Economic Security Project [https://economicsecurityproject.org/?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=23055000361&gbraid=0AAAAAp2WSDh8QB4GRWNzlbw5ku8b8A2Lp&gclid=CjwKCAjwidXQBhAZEiwA4egw6EOO0zcNowKFP-fyeahPBXayVkcrd_CqhKIZRuYRZCGcC_oTN_dmPxoC8iUQAvD_BwE] and author of The Guarantee: Inside the Fight for America’s Next Economy [https://nataliefoster.me/], about what it would take to build an economy where everyone has a floor beneath them. Together, May and Natalie revisit the extraordinary policy openings of the pandemic, the unfinished promise of the Biden years, the affordability crisis, AI, inequality, and California politics. The conversation lands on “hope punk”: the audacious belief that no savior is coming, but communities can still build something better with compassion, wire, and a stubborn commitment to repair. How We Build This [https://howwebuiltthis.substack.com/] is created and hosted by May Boeve [https://substack.com/@mayboeve?utm_source=global-search] Producer: Phil Surkis [https://www.philsurkis.com/] Theme music: ‘Within’, composed by Ruthie Dineen, and performed by Negative Press Project. [https://www.negativepressproject.com/] Instagram & Bluesky: @hwbtpod can find us on Instagram and Bluesky at HWBT Pod, and on Linked in and Substack at How We Build this Pod.  Thank YOU for taking the time to tune in and helping build the movement!

Ilana Berger: Building Care Power, Fighting Private Equity

May Boeve welcomes Ilana Berger, director of New York Caring Majority and Caring Majority Rising [https://caringmajorityrising.org/]. Ilana shares how older and disabled New Yorkers, family caregivers, and home care workers came together to win major raises for home care workers, and why that victory still wasn’t enough. Together, May and Ilana dig into the fight against private equity’s takeover of New York home care, the mutual-aid “water cooler” spaces that helped people survive a broken system, and why care organizing is both deeply personal and politically transformative.  How We Build This [https://howwebuiltthis.substack.com/] is created and hosted by May Boeve [https://substack.com/@mayboeve?utm_source=global-search] Producer: Phil Surkis [https://www.philsurkis.com/] Theme music: ‘Within’, composed by Ruthie Dineen, and performed by Negative Press Project. [https://www.negativepressproject.com/] Instagram & Bluesky: @hwbtpod can find us on Instagram and Bluesky at HWBT Pod, and on Linked in and Substack at How We Build this Pod.  Thank YOU for taking the time to tune in and helping build the movement!

Movement Dispatch #1: From Shadow Dockets to May Day

In this first ever Movement Dispatch, May Boeve offers a rapid-fire look at the political moment, and what it means for movement building. From a federal investigation into the Southern Poverty Law Center to the growing influence of the Supreme Court of the United States “shadow docket,” May connects the dots between authoritarian tactics, fossil fuel industry power, and attacks on civil society. May closes with a clear call to action: stay engaged, connect the dots, and get involved in one of thousands of May Day actions happening across the country by checking out MAY DAY STRONG [https://maydaystrong.org/]. Dig Deeper:  * The Inside Story of Five Days That Remade the Supreme Court [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/18/us/politics/supreme-court-shadow-docket.html] * Maya Wiley Statement on Southern Poverty Law Center [https://civilrights.org/2026/04/21/attacks-on-civil-rights-movement/?s_src=264lcchrnonprofitprotections1all&s_subsrc=email&utm_source=264lcchrnonprofitprotections1all&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=fy26nonprofitprotections&autologin=true] Investigation * Hungary’s election: a breakthrough – but not a simple win [https://www.opendemocracy.net/hungarys-election-a-breakthrough-but-not-a-simple-win/] How We Build This [https://howwebuiltthis.substack.com/] is created and hosted by May Boeve [https://substack.com/@mayboeve?utm_source=global-search] Producer: Phil Surkis [https://www.philsurkis.com/] Theme music: ‘Within’, composed by Ruthie Dineen, and performed by Negative Press Project. [https://www.negativepressproject.com/] Instagram & Bluesky: @hwbtpod can find us on Instagram and Bluesky at HWBT Pod, and on Linked in and Substack at How We Build this Pod.  Thank YOU for taking the time to tune in and helping build the movement!

Hahrie Han: The Missing Link Between Outrage and Power

In this episode, May Boeve speaks with political scientist and author Hahrie Han, one of the leading scholars studying how movements actually build power. Drawing on her research, Hahrie challenges the idea that scale alone wins change, arguing instead that how we engage people determines whether movements succeed. They explore why quick, individual actions often fall short, how real power comes from relationships and collective capacity, and why so many people feel like consumers rather than participants in public life. From surprising lessons in faith communities to the urgent need for “democracy gyms,” this conversation offers a clear, grounded framework for turning outrage into lasting power. How We Build This [https://howwebuiltthis.substack.com/] is created and hosted by May Boeve [https://substack.com/@mayboeve?utm_source=global-search] Producer: Phil Surkis [https://www.philsurkis.com/] Theme music: ‘Within’, composed by Ruthie Dineen, and performed by Negative Press Project. [https://www.negativepressproject.com/] Instagram & Bluesky: @hwbtpod can find us on Instagram and Bluesky at HWBT Pod, and on Linked in and Substack at How We Build this Pod.  Thank YOU for taking the time to tune in and helping build the movement!