The incredible Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action, and author of New York Times Bestselling book, Fired Up, joined host Lisa Keefauver for the first episode of Season 8 of Grief is a Sneaky Bitch where this season the show is focusing more deeply on what it means to center aliveness in a world full of loss.
They dig into the cultural stories that pressure women to be perfect, selfless, and always certain, and offer a more humane alternative built on values, abilities, desires, and practice. In this conversation, Shannon shares how intuition shaped major turning points in her life, from starting Moms Demand Action to stepping away when it was time. Lisa and Shannon also explore embodiment, mindfulness, community, wonder, and play as essential tools for navigating change without losing sight of what feels most alive.
Shannon Watts is an author, organizer, speaker and coach who helps women create change in their lives and in the world. She has been named one of TIME’s 100 Most Influential People, a Forbes 50 over 50 Changemaker, and a Glamour Woman of the Year, and is the author of Fired Up: How to Turn Your Spark into a Flame and Come Alive at Any Age, an instant New York Times and USA TODAY bestseller. In 2012, Shannon founded Moms Demand Action, one of the largest grassroots movements in the country, which helped pass over 500 gun safety laws; stopped the gun industry’s agenda in statehouses 90 percent of the time; elected thousands of gun sense candidates to office; and passed the first federal gun legislation in a generation.
In 2023, Shannon stepped down from her leadership role at Moms Demand Action to focus on organizing women in new ways. In 2024, she organized the largest Zoom gathering in history on behalf of Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign, mobilizing over 200,000 voters online and raising over $11 million. She also co-hosted Women Wednesdays for Harris with Indivisible to provide thousands of women with practical guidance on how to take political action. Shannon’s first book, Fight Like a Mother: How a Grassroots Movement Took on the Gun Lobby and Why Women Will Change the World, was released in 2019. Her most recent book, Fired Up, released in 2025, led to the creation of Firestarter University, a leadership and personal-growth program for women, and Bonfire communities, in-person gatherings across the country to help connect and galvanize women locally.
LEARN MORE ABOUT SHANNON AT: www.shannonwatts.org
PICK UP A COPY OF HER BOOK, FIRED UP AT: www.https://bookshop.org/p/books/fired-up-how-to-turn-your-spark-into-a-flame-and-come-alive-at-any-age-shannon-watts/9f8144336832aebd?ean=9780593831939
Host Lisa Keefauver is an author, keynote speaker, narrative therapy trained social worker, widow, and cancer survivor turned grief activist on a mission to help us center aliveness in a world full of loss by reimagining the narratives of grief, one conversation at a time.
LEARN MORE ABOUT LISA: at https://lisakeefauver.com/
ACCESS GRIEF SUPPORT: at https://lisakeefauver.com/support
FOR SPEAKING INQUIRIES: Contact Bright Sight Speakers at https://www.brightsightspeakers.com/speakers-a-z/lisa-keefauver
READ HER BOOK: Grief is a Sneaky Bitch: An Uncensored Guide to Navigating Loss. https://bookshop.org/p/books/grief-is-a-sneaky-bitch-an-uncensored-guide-to-navigating-loss-lisa-keefauver/ffd73d6b6921e6b5?ean=9781477329306&next=t&
READ HER ESSAYS: AFGO with Lisa Keefauver on Substack - https://afgowithlisakeefauver.substack.com/?utm_campaign=profile_chips
LEAVE A RATING AND WRITE A REVIEW: at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/grief-is-a-sneaky-bitch/id1474558908
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