Today’s conversation is with Senator Mona Das.
Mona and I chatted for the podcast when she was running for Congress back in the fall of 2017. That was episode 27 if you want to check that out and hear a bit more about her background.
After an unsuccessful congressional race, Mona turned right around and ran for State Senate here in Washington. She won and has now completed her first session. Now that she’s gotten her feet wet as a State Senator, it gave us a chance to talk about her transition from running her own business to her life as a Senator and the challenges of settling in to this work.
Mona is representative of the changing face of politics. As a woman and a woman of color, she’s still in the minority, but it’s clear that she is making an impact on policies and how things will be shaped in our future. And that goes for the many other women, women of color and men of color who got elected in the last election.
Mona is a bold woman, she’s outspoken, she does not mince her words and she’s not afraid to be vulnerable. I think in the past, some of those qualities might have been seen as weaknesses but she’s proud of who she is and, in my opinion, she’s a fantastic example of who we want leading our local and national politics.
She recognizes the challenges that women face when considering whether or not to run for office and she’s actually started a coaching business and is working on a book to encourage women to run for office. The book will be a how-to—with information she wished she had herself in the process of running for office and then getting settled in to elected office.
This is such a wonderful, heartfelt conversation. Having come from a small village in the poorest state in India, Bihar, to becoming an elected member in the House, Mona is grateful for where she is. And I am too because she is such an inspiration.
OK - with that, please enjoy this conversation with Senator Das.
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Connect with Senator Mona Das
Website
Links/books/people mentioned
Olympus Day Spa
Knock Down the House Documentary (Wiki)
Connect with me:
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Facebook
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WanderTours
Be Bold Facebook Group (women-only)
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Be Bold,
Beth
