Combating Burnout with Wellness Coach, Lacey Connelly

When my friend Lacey posted that she was starting a new business to help political operatives deal with burnout, I knew I had to bring this to you. Learn more about Lacey's business and an exclusive CampaignSick discount below!

1) Who are you? Tell us a little bit about yourself and how you got here.

My name is Lacey Connelly and I have been working on political campaigns for 18 years. 2022 will be my 9th campaign cycle! 

My first experience on campaigns was an internship in college working as the tracker for an Illinois Senate primary. After graduation, I got my first full time campaign job working for John Edwards in Iowa during the 2008 presidential primary (added bonus fact for your readers is that's where we met!). Since then, I have been on a nearly non-stop roller coaster of highs and lows: campaign victories and losses; meaningful employment and unemployment; good physical/mental/emotional health and not-so-good. I have been a field organizer, a direct mail production assistant, a compliance manager, a finance director, a campaign manager, a training director, and a caucus director, so I have a LOT of lived experience.

In 2018, I was the Caucus Director for the WV Democratic House Caucus and within the span of a month, I (1) helped the Caucus see its greatest gains in a decade, (2) graduated with my Yoga Teacher certification, and (3) married my best friend, Adam. I credit the time I gave myself for my yoga practice during that election cycle to being able to manage all of those tasks simultaneously; it was the first time I personally experienced balance during a campaign season and it set this whole business idea into motion. 

2) What inspired you to focus on self care?

I had a major health crisis brought about by the stress of campaigns after the 2010 election cycle. I was a compliance manager in California, working long hours to make sure my clients' financial reports had all the necessary amendments filed. I had moved to California in 2008, after Edwards withdrew from the presidential race, and it had taken me months to land steady work that paid for the cost of living increase. I was struggling and, in response to the stress, my autoimmune disease (which I had been diagnosed with back in 2000) flared up. I ignored the flare and kept pushing until my body literally shut me down. I got so sick that I had to go on disability, move back to WV to live with my parents, and get IVIG treatments to reset my immune system.  

The fact that I had allowed myself to become so stressed out that I lost an entire year was a wake up call. During my treatments, I started reading about stress management and autoimmune recovery. Once the treatments were over, I found a yoga teacher in my area that taught yoga for immune support. I prioritized sleep and started to go to trivia nights with friends so that I had something to look forward to each week. 

Then I moved to North Dakota, worked for Heidi Heitkamp's Senate campaign for two months and came back with a severe Vitamin D deficiency. I knew better, but without someone keeping me accountable, I struggled to do better. Eventually, my commitment to my yoga practice and getting my certification gave me the support and accountability that I needed to have a balanced life during a campaign cycle, which is what I'm offering to others through my coaching program. 

3) What are the services you’re offering?

Right now, I am offering 1:1 coaching services to political operatives, volunteers, and candidates who feel like they are either burned out or on the edge of burning out. There are three different options, all with varying levels of support: (1) a one time session that consists of an hour-long Zoom call; (2) a monthly option that includes 4 hour-long Zoom calls and unlimited text/voice message support via Voxer; or (3) a three month offer that gives you three months of the monthly support at a discounted rate. 

If someone is interested in working with me, the first step is to sign up for a free 20-minute "Vibe Check" Zoom call where we can chat about what they need, how I can help, and if we hit it off where we'll work well together. Your readers can sign up for one of those calls here: https://bit.ly/20MinVibeCheckCalendar. Make sure they answer the question "How did you learn about my coaching services?" by writing in CampaignSick!

I also have a newsletter that goes out every other week, and I will be using that to announce some exciting new offers soon (including a 4-week course on mindful media consumption). If your readers are interested, they can sign up for that here: https://bit.ly/SustainableMovementsNews.

4) Who would benefit from this work? Who’s your ideal client?

My ideal client is someone who feels passionate about the work that they do and, as a result, have a habit of putting their work before their physical, mental, and emotional well being. It doesn't matter if they're on their first campaign or if they're running an entire organization -- the people who do the kind of work that we do have a tendency to martyr themselves for the "greater good." I feel like my calling in this space is to work with these folx to show them that living in such a prolonged state of stress is actually counter-productive to the results they are trying to achieve and that there are ways that they can be both impactful and happy. 

5) What does a session entail? Give us a sense of what we’d be signing up for.

I start each 1:1 coaching session with a breathing practice and some stretching. It helps my client and me let go of whatever else we've been dealing with in the moments leading up to the call so we can be fully present with each other. I then ask them what's on their mind and the session builds itself from there. My goal is to lead them towards the root of what is making them stressed so that we can address it together. I'm not a therapist, but I would say 90% of the issues my clients have brought up have been issues that I've dealt with personally, which makes addressing the problem much easier. After our session is over, I send them an email with a practice that will help them deal with their unique stress and, for monthly clients, a "homework" assignment so that we can dig even deeper the next week.

6) What general advice do you have for people in the campaign and progressive community to avoid burnout?

It's important to understand that the modern campaign environment is not built for long term sustainability -- and it's less productive as a result! Research shows that taking breaks from work is important for maxing out your job performance. Energy is limited and, just like football players take a halftime break in the middle of the Super Bowl, we need to take breaks in order to do our best work. This could be as big as giving organizers a full day off each week or it could be smaller, like encouraging our colleagues to take a lunch break (and walking the walk with them). 

If we don't address the negative energy exchange between campaigns / organizations and their employees, we will continue to burn through organizers as if they were an easily replaceable resource -- which they aren't! Any time an organizer "retires" from politics due to burnout, we're losing valuable institutional knowledge for whatever fight they were fighting. 

 

7) Why do you think these industries are especially prone to burnout?

I think they were built that way. The cyclical nature of our work allowed managers and leaders early on to ignore the fact that investing in worker's well-being brings about better results. They simply had to push their workers to get to Election Day and then the recovery was out of their purview. Once this culture was set and then glamorized in movies and TV shows (I'm going to date myself with a West Wing shout out here), we didn't stand a chance.

On top of that, the people I have had the pleasure of working with on progressive issues have all been idealists who see injustice in the world and are willing to sacrifice their own wellbeing in order to make the world a better place for others. I've seen plenty of campaigns and political organizations take advantage of that - not always consciously, but not always unconsciously either. 

8) I heard there’s a special deal for CampaignSickles. Tell me about that.

Yes! I am offering your readers 25% off of their first coaching session, whether they choose a one time coaching session (normally $150), the monthly option (normally $500), or the three month program (normally $1200). They simply need to tell me that you sent them when they sign up for their free 20 minute "Vibe Check" call. 

They will also be among the first to know about new programs that I create in response to the work I do with my 1:1 coaching clients. I've found a lot of similarities among the stressors that our folx are struggling with right now in my two months of coaching, so whenever possible, I want to take the practices that I give those folx and make them available to a bigger population.

9) How do we sign up?

The link for the 20 minute "Vibe Check" is https://bit.ly/20MinVibeCheckCalendar.

The link to sign up for the newsletter is https://bit.ly/SustainableMovementsNews. 

You can also follow me on Instagram or Linked In for smaller nuggets and links to the articles and books about stress management that I'm finding to be relevant to campaign folx.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lacey.a.connelly/   LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laceyannconnelly/ 

10) Anything else you’d like us to know?

I appreciate everything that you do, Nancy, as well as the things that your readers are out there doing. Whether they are still working on campaigns or for progressive organizations or they've "retired" to a more stable career, the people who read CampaignSick have spent time doing something to make the world a better place. And that's the only way things will ever change. 

A Firm of One's Own: Madalene Mielke

Editor's Note: Especially in today's political climate, where jobs are difficult to come by it seems like every Regional Field Director dreams of starting their own firm. I've always suspected this is a lot harder than it sounds but I get questions about doing so frequently. Since I've never done it I decided to ask some people I know who have! And so I bring you the first installment of "A Firm of One's Own." Thanks very much to Madalene Mielke, our first participant.


1)Who are you? Tell us a little about your professional background.
I help people get elected to public office.

2)When and why did you decide to start your own firm?
I started my firm in 2002. I didn’t want one boss. What I wanted was the flexibility to work with a variety of people and organizations. After I finished working on the Presidential Inaugural Committee (PIC) in 1997, I made the decision that I wouldn’t go into the Clinton Administration, although I had worked at the DNC and on the coordinated campaign for the general election chair and on VP Gore’s team. I knew that policy wasn’t my speed and that politics would be the way that I would make a career. That decision was the basis for the other decisions that I made for professional advancement. The culmination of those decisions resulted in me going out on my own.

3)Tell us a little bit about your firm and what you do.
My original focus is based on the tenants of political fundraising and training. In its 15 years of existence, my firm’s focus as well as my individual focus has evolved to include more political strategy and leadership development. Technically, people see me as a fundraiser because that’s what I do as a job. What I find more interesting is my ability to help individuals who are inclined to run for elected office, counsel them on the strategy to succeed as well as what leadership skills they need to develop to get them to a place where they’re seen as political leaders.

4)What the biggest challenges to owning your own firm?
It’s easier to do the work vs spend the time to hustle for new business. Time management is an absolute must!

5)What are you most proud of?
Being able to work with people who are making a difference in the world.

6)What do you wish you had done differently?
Nothing because I wouldn’t be where I am now as a person, as an operative, as an entrepreneur without making the choices I made. No regrets and no looking backwards other than to reflect on lessons learned.

7)What should someone know before starting their own firm?
In my line of work, finding business is a cyclical nature and having people who will advocate for you whether it’s for a job or as a potential client is important to have in any kind of business. Being a small business owner also means doing things out of your wheelhouse that may not involve any of the skills you may have acquired along the way. Need a business license? Opening a business account? Filing property taxes? Hiring an accountant, payroll specialist? Office space? Hiring staff? Now scale it all!!! All the details that can come back and be a real PITA need to happen before you can really focus on getting clients and producing quality work.

8)What is there left in your career that you are still looking forward to accomplishing?
I like to learn! I’m a student and at the same time experienced from years of practice. All industries evolve and how quickly we learn how to incorporate or retire methods is vital to staying relevant. I’m excited to engage in more leadership development and to get more women and communities of color elected to office as well as help them progress in their careers.

9)What is one thing you think everyone should know (can be professional or non-professional)?
Your success is built on your brand and your brand is built through your actions. People need to see you as solving a challenge for them. Bring solutions and a “let’s get it done” attitude.

Madalene Xuan-Trang Mielke is the Founder and Principal of Arum Group, LLC. She has nearly 20 years of experience working in political campaigns and specializes in political/non-profit fundraising and political training focused on the advancement of people of color.

Run For Something!

Run for Something is a new political organization dedicated to recruiting, training and supporting millennials to run for office. If you haven't heard about it yet you're going to starting here. Please enjoy my interview with Run for Something co-Founder, Ross Morales Rocketto. I'm so excited about Run for Something's work and to see where it goes from here! Thank you, Ross, for your time and everyone else see below how you can get involved!

1)Tell us about yourself and your professional background.
I’ve been in politics for about 15 years. I started the Houston area ended up working for a number of campaigns over the years. Three or four cycles in I realized I had got into politics because I thought getting good people elected was a way to make communities better place, but at some point I had started just working for candidates who would pay me. So I stopped doing politics for a little bit and decided when I got back in I would do so on my own terms.

About a year or so later, I got the itch again and jumped back in. I realized that part of the thing that had made me feel disillusioned was that I didn’t think the candidates I was working for were there for the right reasons or the right fit for their communities. I decided I wanted to focus on candidate recruitment even if I couldn’t do it full-time. I started working with my friends who were interested in running, and joined a political consulting firm that was founded by two top Obama campaign strategists. Eventually I started feeling restless wanted to go back in the field in January.

I wound up managing a congressional campaign for Wendy Carrillo. She is an incredible person, and is the embodiment of the American Dream. As a formerly undocumented immigrant whose family fled civil war in the 80’s, she and her family persisted and are now thriving! She just ran for Congress!

Meanwhile, Amanda and I launched Run for Something to recruit more young people to run for office on inauguration day. So when the campaign ended, I went back to Run for Something full-time.

2)Tell us about launching Run for Something.
We knew there was energy and interest from millennials who want to run for office but the response has been really fascinating and incredible. We thought maybe we’d be able to recruit 100 or 200 candidates. We launched on inauguration day and had over 1,000 candidates who signed up before the end of the weekend. Now we have almost 10,000 people interested in running!

3)What makes a good candidate? How do you decide which candidates you want to support?
The first question is “WHY are you running?” The why needs to be rooted in making their community a better place first and foremost. We’re looking for candidates who are deeply rooted in their communities-- that can mean a lot of different things. We ask questions like what does their network look like in the community? Are people asking them to run? What relationships do they have? Do others see them as a leader?

The second criterion is being willing and able to stand up and actually do it. Running for office is really hard. You need a willingness to learn, to adjust, to listen to constituents and to the people you bring on to give you advice. So much of running for office isn’t necessarily intuitive. There’s a lot about it-- like calling and asking people for money—that can be downright uncomfortable. So it’s important to understand and embrace the learning curve.

Then as a bonus, I look for someone with the ability to tell a story. Great candidates have empathy and a drive to connect with people. That isn’t to say different personalities shouldn’t run for office, but we want someone who can make the political personal.

In terms of concrete criteria run for something only supports candidates who are 35 or younger, progressive and intend to caucus (if applicable) as Democrats.

4)Why young people?
Let’s face it: most elected officials are old, white and male. Our goal is to recruit and support the next generation of governors, senators, members of congress and statewide officeholders and that often starts by running for local office. Notoriously that pipeline hasn’t existed for Democrats or we do a bad job of is getting young people into it. We need to start younger. Millennials are quickly becoming the largest voting block, or at least the largest potential voting block but in order for people to come out and vote they need to see themselves in candidates. We need to see ourselves.

5)What exactly does Run for Something do?
Our initial goal is ”to plant 1000 seeds.” We’re trying to inspire and get people engaged in the act of running for office, as many young people as we possibly can. Clearly we want to win, but the truth is for many local offices across the country no one is on the ballot or they are uncontested. There are so many offices every year that nobody runs for!

We want to provide our candidates with support in the broadest terms so creating community to share experiences and best practices, connecting them to campaign operatives and to other organizations that can train and support them-we’re not here to reinvent the wheel. And of course we want to provide many of them with financial resources. Right now we’re working on a matching program where if a candidate is able to raise 15% of what it takes to run for that office we will match that with up to 15%.

6)How can we get involved?
Go to Runforsomething.net to learn more about running or sign up to be a volunteer or a mentor. Because of the incredible influx of candidates we’ve seen one thing we need help with is candidate screening. It’s just a 30 minute phone call where the volunteer helps get information on potential candidates and fills out a form to relay it back to us. It’s a fun job because it’s the first personal touch with a lot of these candidates

7)What else do you want people to know about Run for Something?
For most, nobody is going to tap them on the shoulder to run. For people interested in engaging especially at the local and state level, you don’t have to wait for a gatekeeper to tell you it’s time to run. At the same time, you should also know what is involved which is part of why we’re here. The more local the race, the easier it is to run and win as a first time candidate. In most places isn’t that difficult to run for school board. It’s one of the most fundamental ways to get involved and those races are where everything starts. Right now progressives haven’t done as good a job at building that pipeline. School board today, council tomorrow, mayor after that. That’s where the bench is and we are here to demystify that for folks.

8)What do you wish someone had told you earlier in your career?
I wish I had had someone reminding me why it was I had gotten into this work in the first place. It’s easy to be fired up in the Trump era but, thankfully, this moment won’t last forever. If you’re not doing it for reasons that really drive you, you are going to be tired and cynical before you know it.

Ross Morales Rocketto is a progressive political operative with more than a decade of experience in campaign management, grassroots organizing, and data/analytics. Former campaign manager at Wendy Carillo for Congress, principal at Smoot Tewes Group, and management consultant at Deloitte Consulting’s innovation center. Worked in Iowa in 2007 for Bill Richardson, and in 2005 for Julian Castro. Got started in Texas during the 2002 cycle. Married, one dog, two cats.