Election Yenta -- Posting is Praxis.
Votes are a force that give us meaning
Y’all, you should know the drill. This is the newsletter where we highlight offbeat careers, maybe a hottie or two. We connect friends looking to hire/jobs/friends/apartments/roommates/projects/advice. And then I also do a few personal updates.
And, as always, this email is a reminder to go to the latest yenta thread and swap leads directly.
Updates from last time:
Sophia won her primary! Lyla’s kickstarter went so well.
My updates: I’m hiring (again)
So, fam, a lot’s been going on in my life. And a lot more is coming down the pike. Here’s a few things: Sarah and I had our one year wedding anniversary! I left Integrity Institute! That’s big. I’ve enjoyed actually being outside this summer. And I’ve been able to be fully partisan on elections this year, which is a great feeling. Speaking of which …
Elise Liu, Shug Ghosh, and I launched Keyboards for Kamala. It’s a labor of love which kind of … snowballed bigger. To boil it down, it’s a guide for how to be a keyboard warrior for democrats. And then also a webapp (or more? stay tuned!) that helps people do it easier. Lots of partnerships, interest, behind the scenes stuff. We brought on some contractors. And hey, I think the idea is compelling. Subreddits, facebook groups, whatsapp groups — all of them can be “turf” for online persuasion. People live and communicate online, so why not have a (gentle, authentic) strategy to meet them where they are at?
Things are moving fast. But if you want to spend the next four weeks doing cool stuff with a scrappy group, let me know! I’m looking for people with a background in (the intersection of some of): politics, relational organizing, deep canvassing, community organizing, social media, persuasion, training, coaching, partnerships. Do you think that “get people to post persuasive things to their friends and neighbors during an election” is an obviously good idea? Maybe one you’ve had before? Hit me up. We are hiring.
Email me your resume etc at sahar@keyboardsforkamala.fyi
Bulletin Board:
(As always, you can find the latest stuff here: sahar.io/yentathread)
(As usual, I’m also on the lookout to maybe bring on some people. See above)
JM is hiring a lead researcher at Transform Finance. She’s looking for "researchers interested in if/how/when businesses further the public interest”
LP is looking for a Program and Engagement Manager at Congregation Beth Sholom in Teaneck, NJ
MM is looking for prospective new house members in Philly — I’ve been to this house. It’s wonderful.
EK is looking for board members in in Michigan for Apple Playschools
AO is hiring for a Director of AI Strategy and also a Head of Operations at the AI and Democracy Foundation
MM moved to Amsterdam and is looking for new friends who make art
JC is hiring a senior full stack engineer and an iOS engineer to build The Global Brain at Ideaflow
SG is moving to Rome, Italy for 3 years! Looking for friends
TA is hiring for a bunch of jobs(?) at the World Resources Institute
SK is hiring engineers to build devtools in Brooklyn
ES is looking for someone to sublet/rent her Chicago apartment in early 2025
and more people have signed up for the romanceform in a more discreet way
Find it all here — sahar.io/yentathread
Smaller life updates:
I wrote a guide on how to give money this election cycle. (Or donate to us at keyboards for kamala :-P)
I started hosting shabbat dinners and so on a bit more in Crown Heights.
I went to a LOT of family vacations, conferences, retreats, weddings, and so on this summer. Exhausted.
Bigger news coming down the pike, but I am not allowed to share it yet!
Spotlight Interview: Alicia Liu
From time to time, I like interviewing friends with offbeat careers or weird jobs. The world is big and full of promise! Let’s be inspired by our friends.
Alicia is a Burner, entrepreneur, systems change builder, and serial COO looking for her next professional project
This is edited and condensed from our conversation
Me: Alicia, can you tell me about your work journey?
AL: My work is a form of art for me. I started out working in data science for major fashion labels and felt like I was doing the opposite of positive impact. Then I joined a social impact community called StartingBloc that helped me find my next few jobs - a homelessness nonprofit in San Francisco, an impact investing chief of staff role, a tech sales role. I felt like I was learning a lot every time I switched jobs, but that I hadn't found something that made me feel fully met.
Then I co-founded a direct-to-consumer custom bike company that finally allowed me to express a huge spectrum of skills and fell in love with it, especially the problem solving, out of the box thinking, and recruiting and managing teams. I loved being a COO, but I burned out really badly (as many startup founders do), and really began to see through some transformative experiences how much mental health matters.
work is a form of art for me
So I started consulting with mental health nonprofits, ended up at a foundation focused on mental health and psychedelic therapy, and eventually ended up becoming the [resident of one of our grantee nonprofits, Healing Advocacy Fund. HAF was focused on the state of Oregon at the time after it became the first state to legalize psilocybin therapy to treat depression, trauma, addiction, and anxiety.
Then my good friends Tristan Harris and Aza Raskin asked me to drop everything I was doing because ChatGPT had just come out, so I helped them incubate their work in AI safety. We briefed hundreds of journalists and policymakers and regulators over the span of a week, and we ended up producing a talk called the "AI Dilemma" that's now been seen by millions of people online.
Afterwards, I did a bunch of consulting in the philanthropy and AI and mental health spaces, and I'm currently taking my time looking for a COO or Head of Operations role somewhere values aligned.
Me: I hear you on the burnout of starting something. In retrospect -- what advice would you give to people who are considering doing something like that?
AL: Building something can often feel like you're having a baby, especially if you take in funding and build a team. I don't think people realize that. You have people relying on you for their livelihoods or to deliver an outcome, and you can't just walk away like you could with a job.
Building something can often feel like you're having a baby
In the traditional way of founding something, I'd tell people at the outset: know if you'll be excited to do it for at least five years, even if you don't get traction quickly or are low on being able to pay yourself. I think there are also wants to be a founder these days where you are not doing it full-time and are supporting the full-time team instead as an advisor and connector, but that expectation would need to be set upfront.
Founder burnout is extremely common and one of the most brutal mental health situations you can put yourself through, especially because others are relying on you and you have no idea when you'll get out of it. Building things is so so hard. Anyone who is optimistic that it will "only take this much money and time", it's worth vetting this with really talented COO/operators who can give you a gut check on this.
That being said, I discovered my dream job when I found entrepreneurship, because of the immensely high range of things you get to work on and solve, and you're constantly growing and learning and changing. I thrive in uncertainty and discomfort and challenge, especially when it's something I believe in.
Me: <Nodding vigorously>. To wrap up, what’s one interesting thing you’re pondering these days?
AL: A new idea I've been looking at lately is around nervous system chemistry. It's been presented to me as a framework for early relationships, where if you don't have compatibility here, none of the other traditional variables will make a difference. The framework is this: after 30 minutes with this person, do you feel more grounded and centered? After 30 minutes with you, do they feel more grounded? Can you show them care in ways they need that are native or comfortable to you? Can they show you care in the same way? It's illuminated a lot for me as I reflect on past relationships, and it's deeply important to me now.
If you have job leads for Alicia, email her at alicia.cora.liu@gmail.com.
Okay! We’re done!
Good luck out there. Stay in touch. And get ready for the next issue of yenta — and remember, you can always find the latest asks and gives at sahar.io/yentathread.