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Insights
From policy and politics to what it really takes to get things done, read Shannon's insights here or subscribe to her Substack. Her insights are not from theory, but from years spent inside government and alongside leaders working to advance progress in complex environments.
These are reflections from the field: what works, and what leaders often miss when the path forward feels uncertain. Because sometimes the most useful strategy starts with seeing the system more clearly.
A New Opportunity from the Right
Every once in a while, a policymaker says something that signals a real shift, not in ideology but in readiness. Senator Jon Husted’s op-ed on benefits cliffs is one of those moments.
Jan 16
The Santa Connection
If you know me, you know I decorate for Christmas early. Really early. By the first week of November, my house is fully done inside and out — not a surface left untouched. I’ve always loved it. My mom did too.
Dec 22, 2025
Head Start Survived 2025 Because Advocates Refused to Give Up
As the year draws to a close, I keep returning to a simple truth that I wish every early childhood advocate could feel in their bones. You accomplished something remarkable this year.
Dec 15, 2025
A Needed Reminder: Bipartisanship Is Still Alive in Local Government
Last week, I attended the County Commissioners Association of Ohio (CCAO) Winter Conference—a gathering I always look forward to. These convenings let us step outside our own counties for a few days and focus on learning, listening, and comparing notes about how we’re solving problems back home.
Dec 9, 2025
The Distance Between a Snow Day and the Statehouse… and Why It Matters
Ohio’s families deserve a system grounded in real life, not the rose-colored memories of days gone by. A single snow day shouldn’t be enough to send a working parent into crisis or reveal how few supports we’ve built for modern family life.
Dec 3, 2025
Living in Gratitude
Maybe it is age or perspective or just the reality of this next season of life, but I find myself living more intentionally in gratitude these days.
Nov 26, 2025
When Families Start Saying Children Cost Too Much, The Country Should Pay Attention
Seven in ten Americans now say raising children is too expensive. That is a thirteen point jump in a single year. When raising a child starts to feel like something only a few can manage, it is a sign that our priorities need attention. We can fix this. Not by asking families to stretch further, but by updating our policies to reflect the real cost of raising the next generation.
Nov 18, 2025
When Exhaustion Becomes the Opening
At Groundwork Ohio’s Momentum Institute in late October, political pollster Robert Blizzard of UpONE Insights began his presentation with a slide that quieted the room. Nearly 80 percent of Americans, he explained, believe the opposing party’s agenda will “destroy America as we know it.”
Nov 13, 2025
When the Other Side Sounds Familiar: Seeing Opportunity in Conservative Values
For nearly a month, the federal government has been shut down and millions of families are on the brink of losing access to food assistance. Hawley’s essay urging Congress to keep the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program open was not a partisan argument.
Nov 3, 2025
What Fragile Financing Reveals About Our Medicaid Future
John Corlett’s new paper, “Fragile Financing,” reframes the Medicaid conversation. On its face, it’s about Medicaid dollars—provider taxes, state-directed payments, and the complicated machinery that allows Ohio to keep $43 billion flowing through our health-care system each year.
Oct 27, 2025
The Girlfriends Who Keep Me On Key
These friendships are what bring me back in tune when life gets noisy. When I get home from time like this, I’m clearer, lighter, and more grounded. I lead better, listen better, and live better.
Oct 22, 2025
Threading the Needle: What the 2024 Family Benefits Report Card Reveals About Families, Work, & Policy
This is the rare kind of policy report that doesn’t just compile data—it tells a story about how the rules we’ve built can quietly punish parents for doing the very things we claim to value: working hard, supporting their children, and building stability.
Oct 15, 2025
When the Government Shuts Down, Kids Still Suffer (Quietly)
A government shutdown is the loudest kind of political standoff—full of headlines and blame-shifting. Yet even in that noise, the voices you never hear are those of babies, toddlers, and children who bear the invisible cost.
Oct 3, 2025
Leading by Example in Divided Times
What freedom, responsibility, and restraint can teach us about building trust again.
One of the bedrock principles of our nation is the freedom of speech. The First Amendment is not a guarantee of comfort. It protects even the words we don’t like, because if speech can be silenced whenever it offends, then none of us are truly free.
Sep 29, 2025
The Market Can’t Fix Child Care
Child care isn’t just a private transaction between parents and providers. It’s a public good. And it’s long past time we treated it that way.
Sep 15, 2025
No Lines Were Redrawn: What Ohio’s County Map Reveals About Political Power
In an era when gerrymandering is often blamed for political polarization—when we say representatives are choosing their voters instead of the other way around—this shift tells a different story. Because here’s the truth: county lines aren’t gerrymandered. They’ve been the same for generations.
Sep 2, 2025
Get Over Yourself and Get Back to Work
Instead of spending energy complaining about who’s in office, invest it in building genuine relationships with the people who are there—not wishing for the ones who aren’t.
Aug 19, 2025
Turning Toward the Table
When I started this blog series, I wasn’t sure how it would land. I just knew it needed to be written. Too many good people are showing up in policy spaces feeling frustrated, unheard, and exhausted. And I get it. These aren’t easy times.
Aug 4, 2025
Stick Around: The Power of Consistency and Follow-Up
In my final post of this series: Remember, if you want a seat at the table, don’t just knock on the door when it suits you. Stick around. Pay attention. Find ways to be helpful—even when it’s not your bill on the docket.
Jul 28, 2025
The Trusted Messenger Effect: Who Says It Matters More Than You Think
I’ve spent enough time in and around policymaking to know this: it’s not just what you say that matters—it’s who says it. I’ve seen lawmakers mentally check out of testimony—not because they disagreed with the message, but because the messenger didn’t carry the credibility or connection that earns their attention.
Jul 17, 2025
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