This episode is a must-listen for anyone who’s ever felt like legal talk is impossible to understand (👋 Sara included!). We’re joined by Elie Mystal, brilliant legal mind, powerful truth-teller, and New York Times bestselling author of Allow Me to Retort: A Black Guy’s Guide to the Constitution, to break down the complex world of American law and what Democrats are doing all wrong (and can do better) in a way that’s sharp, accessible, and even funny.

💥 He’s back with a bold new book: Bad Law: Ten Popular Laws That Are Ruining America. If you're fired up about the state of our country, about policy that is working frighteningly as intended, or simply want to understand how certain laws are quietly shaping (and harming) everyday life, this conversation is for you.

What to listen for:

• The least-legal legal chat we’ve ever had, including loads of straight-talking humor that makes the truth go down a little easier – on how SCOTUS operates and how we can change it, on the laws we might easily repeal to make tremendous change in our country, and more

• Why we might be seeing more whitewashing of history, and the truth that we are back to us all needing to educate our own children on this country’s true history.

• That what we are (or aren’t) doing now is exactly what we would have been doing during any great catastrophe in history

• Practical ideas for how YOU can help dismantle harmful laws and make a difference in our country’s trajectory.

This episode is perfect for fans of legal analysis without the jargon, book lovers, including our former Dear White Women book club, and anyone looking to better understand (and change) our current system.

🎧 Press play, and get ready to rethink what you thought you knew about the law.

About our guest:

Elie Mystal is the Justice Correspondent for The Nation, where he writes about politics and social and racial justice. Elie’s first book, Allow Me To Retort – A Black Guy’s Guide to the Constitution, was on the NYT’s bestsellers list in April 2022. His second book, Bad Law: Ten Popular Laws That Are Ruining America, was released in March 2025. Mystal was the executive editor of Above the Law, a website with approximately 2 million unique visitors that focuses on law, courts, and justice. He’s known for writing about the law and politics, breaking down Supreme Court decisions, and up-to-the-minute coverage of Supreme Court confirmation battles.

Off the page, Mystal is a legal contributor to the More Perfect podcast, a Radiolab spinoff, on WNYC. He’s appeared regularly on MSNBC since 2018, appearing on All In With Chris Hayes, The Beat With Ari Melber, A.M. Joy with Joy Reid, and Up with David Gura. On the Radio, Mystal has been a frequent guest on the Brian Lehrer Show, the Dean Obedallah Show, and Signal Boost with Zerlina Maxwell. He’s also appeared on The Mike Huckabee Show, the Megyn Kelly Show, Red Eye with Greg Gutfeld, and done various appearances on CNBC and Fox Business about legal industry news.

Mystal received his undergraduate degree in Government from Harvard University, his J.D. from Harvard Law School, and worked as an associate at Debevoise and Plimpton from 2003-2005.

Whether you’ve ever been a boss or have ever had a boss, you know how much those singular individuals can shape the workplace. According to studies, a good manager can increase employee engagement by as much as 70%. And, according to a survey by the American Psychological Association, a whopping 75% of employees report their boss as the worst and most stressful part of their jobs.

So, how do we know if we’re being a good boss or a bad boss? Do we just know, or should we be looking out for specific things?

Enter the incredible stories that focus on what good leaders can learn from bad bosses, featuring the author of the brand-new book, The Devil Emails at Midnight, Mita Mallick.

What to listen for:

• The importance of time in creating a healthier workplace culture

• Accountability - and how to hold others accountable, as well as check in with yourself

• What boss archetypes Mita has found most personally challenging

• The keys to being a good boss

About our guest

Mita Mallick is a Wall Street Journal and USA Today best-selling author. She's on a mission to fix what's broken in our workplaces. She’s a corporate change-maker with a track record of transforming businesses and has had an extensive career as a marketing and human resources executive. Mallick has brought her talent and expertise to companies like Unilever, Pfizer, AVON, Johnson & Johnson, Carta, and more. She’s a highly sought-after speaker and business coach to start-up founders, executives, and CEOs of public companies. Her highly anticipated second book, "The Devil Emails at Midnight: What Good Leaders Can Learn from Bad Bosses," comes out September 30, 2025.

For more about the book or to purchase The Devil Emails at Midnight: What Good Leaders Can Learn From Bad Bosses, click here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1394316488

We had a very insightful superfan make a brilliant suggestion that we’re acting on, starting with this episode. David Gaines, author of Radical Business, CEO of La Terza Coffee, and kind human being, sent in a message cheering us on for the podcast rebrand, and then pushed us to do just a bit more. Specifically, he said, “The guests you have on clearly have their brilliance to add to the world, but for me personally, the main reason I listen to your work is that I find a lot of brilliance in your perspectives as you process in real time what your guests are saying.”

Considering that while we are deeply curious human beings who are pretty darn good at interviewing people, we are ALSO speakers who very much have our own brilliant perspectives - his words, not ours - too. So, David, thank you. We’re going to weave in more episodes with our thoughts, reflections, and actions based on what we learn from our guests going forward!

In addition, this fall, we’re working on something new for our newsletter subscribers, so make sure you’re subscribed to be the first to hear about it!

And if you’re more of an audiophile, based on the fact that you’re listening to this podcast, take a moment to check the link

below to leave an audio recording of your feedback on how we can make this podcast the best it can be for YOU!

What to listen for:

• Insight into how we came up with this idea for our 2025 summer series, and how we source our guests.

• Our favorite takeaways from each one of our summer episodes, including practical tips, general themes, and questions that we’re still mulling over.

• How you can make the podcast better - we’re looking for your input!

CLICK HERE to record yourself giving us feedback on how to make this podcast and newsletter better for you!!!!! https://platform.amoofy.com/record/podcast-feedback/start