Amanda Litman is the co-founder and president of Run for Something, an organization that has recruited nearly 250,000 young people to run for local office.

A former email director for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign, she is the author of Run for Something and the new book When We’re in Charge. But building a political powerhouse from scratch meant years of under-employment, living off book advances to keep the lights on, and treating a manuscript deadline as the only way to afford a second child.

In this interview, Amanda talks about:

📚 Treating her book advance as as a second job

📺 Why TV appearances on Pod Save America pay absolutely nothing

🍼 The exhausting reality of writing a book while pregnant just to cover daycare costs

If you’re trying to build a mission-driven career that actually pays a market rate, this one’s for you.