Drama Queens - Work in Progress: Gwen Walz

Episode Date: October 22, 2024

Minnesota's First Lady and the wife of VP Nominee Tim Walz is hitting the ground running with an important message - get to the ballot box and VOTE! Gwen Walz joins Sophia to discuss the critical issues at stake this election, including a top voter concern that’s also incredibly personal to her and Sophia: reproductive freedom. Gwen also shares why and how Tim got involved in politics after returning from his military deployment, how they kept their infertility story to themselves for 20 years, and why they decided to go public with it in hopes to support other families. Plus, Gwen reveals who she turns to for advice, lessons learned as a teacher (and why she thinks Sophia would make a great professor!) and her own work in progress.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Hi, everyone. It's Sophia. Welcome to Work in Progress. Hey, Whip Smarties, welcome back to another episode of Work in Progress. Today's guest is someone that I absolutely adore. I've watched her from afar for a very long time, and her leadership has been so impressive to me, perhaps crystallizing when her husband, none other than Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, was selected by Vice President Kamala Harris to be her running mate on the 2024 ticket.

Gwen Walls is an American educator and public school administrator. She is the 39th and current First Lady of Minnesota as the wife of said governor, Tim Walz. And Gwen is fascinating to me because she is a teacher and an advocate. And she gives me the kind of energy in a conversation that I just know would have made her my absolute favorite teacher in high school. She began her English teaching career in Western Nebraska, which is where she met Tim. And throughout her career, Gwen has taught in public alternative and migrant schools, which has shaped her vision for education. She served from more than two decades as an administrator and coordinator in the Mancato area public schools,

working to eliminate the achievement gap and strive for more equity and access within education systems. Because Gwen knows that a strong public education system, which she considers to encompass from birth through senior citizens, is critical to empowering every person and for her every Minnesotan to succeed. Throughout her life, Gwen has worked passionately to build a more just and equitable world from teaching at prisons and promoting criminal justice reform to advocating for the LGBTQ plus movement, Gwen's desire to learn from and work with others to advance meaningful change is her guiding principle, which makes her an absolutely perfect guest for work in progress. Let's chat with the First Lady of Minnesota, Gwen Wals.

how are you i am fine i have great i mean minnesota fine kind of like covers everything so if you say you're fine in minnesota it's like pretty good you know and weather's great no rain you know and that's kind of like a minnesota thing too sure so yeah so i'm in minnesota today and that's pretty fun to be um here home for a day to kind of switch clothes see everybody, you know, just sleep in your own bed. So that's nice. Yeah. I'm so glad to hear it. Well, I just want to thank you for taking the time and truly for just the way that you've jumped into this race, you know, with such passion and enthusiasm and joy. It, I know it's a, it's an intense time and I can't imagine how intense it is for you all, but it really does.

does feel nice to have so much positivity in politics on our side these days. Thank you. That's kind. And thank you. I know you're very active and doing all kinds of things, everything you can. Yeah, we appreciate it. I mean, I think we're all doing it for the same reason, right? We all really care about our country and we are determined to win. And as I say in my stump speech, I know we are going to win because we have you. That's beautiful. Can I ask? I mean, and I imagine, I know that you and your husband come from, you know, historic sort of personal careers as educators.

You know, your folks that stand up for people that believe in, you know, who's coming after us and in the America that they're going to build. So I think it makes sense. You know, when I look at the two of you, I go, what a great, you know, powerhouse leadership couple they are. And then I also go, what was it like for you? You know, when you first sat down to have this conversation, not, you know, the governor and the First Lady of Minnesota, but just Gwen and Tim. And he said, hey, I think I want to run for office. Was that, did it take a while or did it just feel like, yes, that's absolutely what our family's going to go do next? well you know the governor so um you know that we never sat down to have that conversation

right like that was that that was on a dead run um actually it's it's kind of an interesting story i think um we felt compelled to to run and it seems like every step that we've taken in politics has been because we've been compelled by a really strong reason um My mom has this thing. She used to say, Gwen, you have to do the work that's in front of you growing up. And I thought growing up that meant like the dishes or my homework or something, right? But what she was really saying was that I had to see with my own eyes what the work was that was in front of me. And it was a very empowering statement to look at my neighborhood or my school or, you know, my community, eventually my state and now my country.

So there's always been, I think, for Tim and I, a real compelling reason. We never planned our life to be in politics, but we say our life kind of helped prepare us for that. But when Tim was deployed in 03, 2004, Hope was 2.5, that was 2.5 to 3.5. And we were really, you know, frustrated with the war. that was in, Tim served in supportive operation enduring freedom. And when he came back, he went to a George Bush rally in our community. And it was the first time a president had been in our community in Mancato since I don't know, a really long time, probably more than 50 years at least. And so Tim thought he should go to the rally and there were some students who wanted to go with him.

So he took some students. I did not go. I was working during the summer for the school district and just did not take the time to do that. And so at that rally, because the kids had like this John Kerry sticker on their billfold, and because they had been holding signs as a Medicaid passed, you know, that weren't like mean signs, but they were like health care for National Guard and things like that. They were asked to the rally. And yeah, and public radio documented.

this. And they asked Tim to leave the rally, and he said, I'm not going to leave the rally. There's no reason for me to leave the rally. And so they said, well, then we're going to have to put secret service around you. And this was all with our friends and our neighbors and our community. And Tim had just returned from, you know, serving a deployment. He had been like the teacher of the year and was a finalist at that time for the Minnesota teacher of the year. He was a coach. She was, you know, an active civic person in our community. And we just felt like, what kind of country is this? Where you can't have a differing or an opposing view and be okay at a rally.

And so we got involved in the John Kerry campaign and said, what can we do? And we called the Democratic Party and said, what can we do? And so they told us. And so we got involved trying to organize and we, it was our first time being involved in politics. We'd dropped literature before for a teacher who'd run for state house. Yeah. But that was it. And so we got involved and hoped John Kerry would win.

And we got involved in the Democratic Party and opening up the Democratic office in our community and trying to keep it open. Anyway, John Kerry did not win. And we were really despondent about that. And our friends and neighbors and students said, you know, one of you should run for Congress. And we're in a really red district. And Tim and I thought about it. And we said, well, in order to stop the war, you stop the money. And the only place you can stop the money is the United States Congress.

And so you have to run for the United States Congress. Because then people were like, oh, my gosh, you're running for Congress. You haven't even ever run for anything before, right? And so I said, well, Tim was the homecoming king. That was the last thing he was elected to. And, you know, they said, well, that's not a ringing endorsement for Congress. They said, well, maybe yes, maybe no. But, you know, this is our goal.

Like, this is why we're running. And so we got involved and, you know, we put it all on the line in that race. And that's a rather long story to tell. But I wanted to answer your question fully. and maybe for people who listen, it is a story that they too can relate to. Because I think you just have to find what it is that you can do, what the work is in front of you, and how just getting involved, for sure, doesn't mean you're going to eventually run for Congress, but it does mean that you're going to get involved with your community

and that taking action is super important. and listening to your friends and neighbors and facilitating those conversations, right? And finding through your own talents and your own time and your own experiences how you might best serve and asking that question, how might I best serve and then answering that with your own gifts because there's not, you know, unlike school sometimes, there's not a wrong answer here. Right. There's only a right answer because it's your answer.

So that's really how it started. And we won because once we got in that race, we were determined and we had a goal. And then it was reelected five more times after that. But we could see things were moving towards some statewide discussions. And we had some real cares and concerns about Minnesota. And so we decided to run for governor. We'll be back in just a minute. But here's a word from our sponsors. So it really is so interesting to me to hear the story of, you know, your early shift as a family into politics. And thank you.

I don't think it's too long a story at all. I loved every minute of it. But I, it's not lost on me, you know, that he talks about something that I think should be pretty basic. You know, the idea that certain things have become partisan, like making sure folks have clean air to breathe or clean water. or being frank that everyone, I think, in our country deserves health care, but certainly our veterans do. You know, I don't think that should be controversial.

And the idea, you know, that he and these students were asked to leave a rally then, and it seemed so shocking, and by the way, is and should have been. But you fast forward to today and you see the other side hosting these rallies talking about deploying the American military on American citizens. who don't vote for the candidate on the other side. You know, he wants to lock up anybody who doesn't agree with him and he thinks the fact that, you know, he's actually been called a criminal because he is a criminal. I mean, a 34-time convicted felon is somehow an inappropriate talking point. It feels like we've lost the plot a little bit,

and I would imagine especially being a military family. You know, it's got to be incredibly difficult to see folks who don't respect the Constitution. And I ask that because you all, in my observations anyway, as a citizen who's certainly a policy nerd, but you all have been so incredible at kind of taking apart these right-wing talking points simply because you are who you are.

You know, you said the governor served his country. You talked about his deployments. You, you know, First Lady, have spoken so openly about your own reproductive freedom journey, your experiences with fertility treatments, as we have these conversations now about how to protect women and our families and our abilities to have families. You know, you all have been able to kind of look around and go, what are we talking about here? you know he hunts and is for gun control same with so many people in my family you know how how do you two feel like you bring some sanity to these crazy partisan talking points because to me i'm like i can tell you both have been teachers for a long time you're so good at communicating and i i don't mean to make light of it because it is dire but the way that you seem to tell you seem to

take the wind out of those crazy sales gives me a lot of hope. And I guess I'm just curious how you guys do this, you know, as a family unit. Well, thank you. That's an awful big compliment. And we are, we are honored to serve. And part of the real thrill of being on this campaign is that we get to live our values. And that was what politics was about from the very start. We said, when Tim was asked to leave that Bush rally, we said, you know, we did not have hope, not have her dad at home for almost an entire year, not to be able to have, not to be able to express our views and not to have everybody else be able to express their views either, right? Like, that means a lot to us. And so we have to get in the game here, right, in a way. And I think all you can be is who you are. And so you bring your authentic self, good, bad, and otherwise, you know, to the table, right? And you bring your own skill set. Now, if you taught high school juniors and seniors, you would be well practiced at pulling the main points or, you know, the important points out of all kinds of noise around you.

because that's a survival skill. And if you can't do that as a teacher, your kids aren't going to be ready for what they need to do next. And you can't imagine as a teacher not being able to do that for your students. That's your responsibility. And I think for Tim and I, too,

we also just feel so incredibly hopeful in schools that every day when you go into that classroom or go into that school, you see the future in front of you. And when people would worry about the future, we never did because we saw those kids who were going to create it every single day. And Tim and I both feel like we were so incredibly blessed to have amazing students. And every year when they would graduate, we'd be like, oh, no.

You know, like there's never a new class like this again. And then next year the class would come and you'd be like, oh, my gosh, these kids are the most amazing kids ever. And then at the end of the year, we're like, oh, no, you know, and like, just use energy and kids and ideas are out there. But we took that very seriously. We say teaching, yes, that's the career we chose. It's the job we did. But more than that, it's who we are.

You know, my parents were both teachers. I have three sisters. Two of them are teachers. Tim's dad was a teacher and then a superintendent. He had three siblings. They all became teachers. Most of them are married to teachers. You know, we have great friends who are teachers. So like that was all around us. And those are skills that you develop over time. But I will say we work really hard at trying to understand and listen. And those are important things. Listening is important. And, um,

And then you have, you have to try to bring it to the task at hand. And we work at that every single day because not only now do we care about our students, but we care about the people in our community and our state. You have to know who you are and what you're fighting for and why you're fighting for it. And everybody does that in their own way. And I'm so respectful like you do doing this podcast, right? Like, you're fighting for it, and this is very important. And your listeners, they may be having a conversation with someone

nobody else is having a conversation with, right? And now we all have a chance to bring all my diverse abilities and talents together and get to that ballot box and vote for what we care about. That is our voice, and that's living our values. I don't know if that's a good answer or not. I think it's a great answer. That's kind of where I am with that. But the highest compliment for me has been so many of our students coming back and telling their stories and talking about, you know, how they appreciated us, maybe even not at the moment.

Governor Walls was always known as the fun walls and I was always known as the other walls. So, but I got those kids ready to write. whether it'll be in college or their next experience. And, you know, they came to really appreciate that. So that's been like a great joy for us on the campaign. And I know, I know they are all going to vote. We all have a piece in this. And we do this.

We do this together. And that's like a school and a classroom or an activity or a prom-building experience or a football team or a debate team or whatever it is. I love that. We do it together. I absolutely love that. And I can hear the influence that teaching has had on you, you know, in the way that you think about community and the way that you think about public service. And I feel so heartened by what you have to say. And I guess I'm curious, you know, as you said, the circle of community is ever widening, right? You go from military service. to congressional service, you know, you're going essentially from your neighborhood to your state. And now we're talking about this, you know, big national leadership level.

Who do you get to turn to for good advice on this? Like, are you calling Dr. Biden and Doug Emhoff? Or are you calling your best friend from junior high or maybe everybody? Yes, yes, yes, and yes. Like, there are important issues that are at stake. you know, reproductive freedom is on the line. And like, if you cannot make decisions about your own body, what other decisions, what other decisions even matter, right? I look at what Kamala Harris has done throughout her career and how she has fought for reproductive freedom. And I look at

Tim and where he has stood on, you know, individual freedom and the autonomy me to make your own decisions and he stood strong in the breach in that too. And there's a very clear distinction right between what Tim and Kamalin are saying and what Trump and Vance are saying, you know, I'm insulted by the other side saying things, you know, like they're going to be our protectors. You know, no, thank you very much. I, you know, I could say some not very nice things about how I feel about that or you know even even the IBF treatments and for Donald Trump to say the other night you know he's the father of IBF are you kidding me you know we were having IVF treatment are we are having fertility treatments I want to clarify that for

treatments on before he came down the golden escalator right so there is so much at stake that you have to you have to I'm not an expert on all issues. So I seek advice and listen. And yes, I have, you know, I have friends and I am very fortunate to have great friends from all over and all different perspectives. I have, you know, friend Lisa Peterson, if you're listening, spend my friend since I was three years old. Oh, hi Lisa. Right. Hi, Lisa. She still lives in my hometown. Right. And then I have friends from high school and college. But frankly, I have great friends from my teaching days and my days as director of assessment and research in our school district. And they are with me all the way. Then I have congressional spouse friends and a dear friend that I mentored in Congress. And he's with me all the way. And then I have three amazing sisters and a whole bunch of nieces and nephews. who continually support and give me advice as well as cousins and moms and aunts.

And I tried to, on the campaign trail, have the time to listen to the stories and the concerns that people have. I think if you want to be a good teacher, the very first thing you have to be is a good learner. And so I think I've learned to learn, and a lot of that is through listening. I love that perspective. But this is crazy. And Dr. Biden and Doug Emuff, oh, yeah, them too. You know, Dr. Biden's been through it. Doug M. Hopp's been through it.

But they, you know, everybody's busy too. So everybody pitches in. I have texts every day. You know, I met and a lot of people along the way. And I do want to give a shout out to the staff, our staff, too, both in the governor's office, friends when Tim was in Congress, and that the staff working so hard for the Harris Wall's ticket. They work every hour of every day.

They're the best. They're the best, right? So how lucky that, and you know why we're going to win because we have them, too, right? Like we do this together. We have all of those people pulling in the same directions. So I feel so fortunate that I get to be. kind of a landing spot for some of that.

Sure. Yeah. We'll be back in just a minute after a few words from our favorite sponsors. What you just said about how being a good teacher, which I think is

easily replaceable with leader. You know, teachers are leaders and if, you know, the election goes the way we want it to, you all will be at that next level of leadership and it does require being a good listener, you know, being willing to hear what people are going through. It's, it's one of the real, I think, perks of my life as a Democratic volunteer all these years is any time I have a question, anytime something just, oh, makes me feel crazy

because the injustice of it all feels wrong, like when we talk about reproductive freedoms, for example, there are folks I can call experts to learn who will say, this is the book you need to read. Here's the new study. I've got a couple of group chats now like you're talking about that are just white papers, new information, you know, not to give you a horrible fact, but as we talk about the facts, again, learning, teaching, that reproductive freedoms are a whole, they're a whole sphere of care. You know, it's a whole world. And whether that is access to birth control or access to abortion or access to IVF, they are all intrinsically linked. And, you know, And to see how, you know, the study came out today that as these bands have gone, these Donald Trump

abortion bans have gone into law in these states around the country, we're seeing 134 rape-related pregnancies a day now. And these women can't get care. And I'm going, okay, so the misogyny and the grotesqueness of a party that wants to take our rights away, none of these people are doctors, like you said. None of these lawmakers have gone to medical school. It's crazy to me that we're dealing with this. And there's no way, I believe, as a constituent, to say that this is rational on any level

because they're taking away your right to get an abortion when you need one. And they're taking away your right to access IVF when you want to have a family. And so it's clearly not about us or our families. And I know, as I do, I have a long and complicated. history with fertility treatment and I've spoken about that a little bit but I was so I got I just like woman to woman I have to thank you your article the the article with women's health that you penned you know you wrote it in your own words I did that once too these things that are so important I think deserve our full platforms and they can be really hard to share can you tell me a little bit

as we're mad about the insanity of the partisanship around these issues, what was the personal side of wanting to share your story? What made you and the governor say, oh, now's the time? Yeah. Okay. I'm going to answer that question, but I want to tell you, Sophia, I think you are a very good teacher. That's what I want to say. This is what you're doing right here. You're teaching. And I had to write that new fact down because I haven't read that. that. Yeah. Oh, I'll send it to you guys. I was just reading the news all morning. It hit today. It's horrible. Yeah. Thank you. But thank you for sharing that. And I think you're very good. That's so kind. Thank you. I would hire you in a second in my school. My goal for my third phase of life is to be a professor. So we'll talk about it. I think you are right here on this podcast. So I just wanted to note that. And teacher to teacher, that's a high compliment. But I wish I didn't. You know, Tim and I didn't tell that story for almost 20 years, not even to our close friends and family, really, because we felt it was just a private and personal thing. It's so personal.

Yes. And when we were going through it, like, it was hard enough to go through it, let alone, like, talk about it. So we didn't. And we just never did. And even though we had a life in public, there's still things that you have that are private, right? Yeah. But I am telling you when the Alabama Supreme Court decision came down about limiting access and the infertility implications, Tim and I looked at each other, and we were actually in his

office at the Capitol, and we are like, we have got to tell our story. Because we have got to find a way to bring some sanity to this discussion. And in a role of leadership, you have a a responsibility to do that. And so as much as I did not want to tell that story and it's hard every time I talk about it, I'm going to tell that. And I am going to ask other people who feel they can to tell their stories too, because stories change minds and hearts in ways that even facts don't. Right. So hearing someone's story is very, personal and it even moves it moves hard hearts sometimes but Tim and I knew at that moment that we were going to tell our story and we were going to

speak out because we were going to have to fight this fight and I think all women have to fight this fight however it may be even if it's not telling your own story maybe it's supporting women who are or at least this at least it is going to that ballot box and voting your voice, right? And encouraging people who may not, they may say, there are so many issues. I'm not sure what I even, I don't know if I know enough to vote. I hear some people say that. Or I'm not sure which issue is most important to me. Well, I will tell you, if you are a woman or if you are a man who knows a woman, right? You have got to have the right to make your own decisions about your own body.

Otherwise, that word freedom is just an abstract concept, right? And that's an issue. One of the things that I really, I try to talk to people about in my sort of circle of influence, whether it's the podcast or around the dinner table, is there are certain issues where the math and the morals really meet. Because if you understand that morally, a person cannot be a fully functioning member of society, if she cannot decide if and when to become a parent, you know, if she cannot plan her higher education, if she cannot start her small business, you know, whatever it might mean, when you think about the implications for the economy, if 51% of us cannot meaningfully participate in our education and in the economy, that harms everybody, even the folks in this country who can't get pregnant. And so if we want to build a prosperous America, we have to do that with planning. You'd never be able to build a prosperous business without a business plan. Think about your whole entire life, your whole entire existence that works on a timeline. And for us, the timeline has to be about being able to control our bodies. We determine when, if, or how we are

going to start a family. Exactly. And that is our health care. But, you know, I think a distinct difference, again, between Tim and Kamala and Trump and Vance is that Tim and Kamala have made it very clear that they trust women. Exactly. They trust women. And I do not see that communicated in any way, shape, or form from the other side. And if you don't trust women to determine their own health care, their own decisions, right, their own reproductive freedom, then what else don't you trust them with? Exactly. Right?

I just, I just think it is a defining issue, and I know you do too, and I want to thank you for your advocacy here, and I think for your listeners, right? Even if you can tell your story, great. If you have a story, if you know, I think the reason why this election is important to you, that's your story to tell too. And if you can tell that to three people, I can give you a little homework assignment here. Tell three people. Oh, I love that. You know, like the story or whatever story about why this matters so much, that will compel people to vote.

But we have to vote. we have to vote with our we have to have our boys with our feet and we have to vote right at that ballot box and we have to make sure we have a plan well you said it we've got to vote our values yes we do and you know i have to thank you i know i'm watching the clock um but i have to thank you because you know everything from education to criminal justice reform to the wonderful advocacy that you and the governor do for the LGBTQ plus community thank you so much to this sensible conversation you have about, you know, the economy to gun reform to all the things, you show up holistically for us. You talk about the sorts of programs and policies that will better the lives of the American people, however they live, wherever they live. And for that, you know, as a person who's not until this election been able to vote for y'all, but I can't wait. I appreciate that, even as a resident of another state. I know there's a million more issues we could talk. about. But I guess I just want to ask you as you look forward in this moment, because, you know, we're under 30 days now, what for you feels like your work in progress?

Oh, gosh. Well, that's a big question. But maybe so kind of, I would say, you know, what my mom says, like, do the work in front of you. So I'm keeping my eyes and ears. And and all of it open to see where I can have an impact and, you know, and what I, what I can do. But at this moment, I'll go back to what I said before. I am privileged to be able to live my values by being on this ticket and meeting people across this country who are doing extraordinary things that they thought they never could do because this election. matters so very much. And when I was a teacher, other teachers sometimes said, you know, to kids, you have to earn my respect. And I never felt that way. I always said to students when they came in my classroom, you have my respect. And I hope I have your respect. And let's just work together to maintain that, right? Because I think when we have a view of the world,

where we are in this together, where we see individuals where we have a hope for the future and respect for all people and everyone, right? Every single person as well as all of us and there is a place for all of us and for everyone. And again, that's a distinct difference that Tim and Kamala share compared to the other side who just have sort of a stratified view of things. But when we really live that, when we really say that is who we are and put that to action, well, I think we can't lose. And that's why I believe so much in this ticket and in all the people and I'm meeting

and in you, Sophia, and in your listeners. and I just can't say enough that it matters that you take that power yourself, right? You take your own power because we do it together and we all make a difference together. Make sure you have a voting plan. Make sure those around you have a voting plan and know why you're voting. There's lots of information out there and you can say, oh, you know, there's so much I might not sort through. Well, we need to vote for our future. And we need to vote for the kind of future and world that Kamala and Tim believe in that they fought for as middle class champions their entire life. And I, Tim is a very authentic person. He always has been. And I am going to be proud to cast my ballot for the Harris Wall's ticket. You and me both. Thank you. Thank you. It's the greatest honor to have someone vote for that ticket. I appreciate it. And I feel honored about that. And you know, we are working hard and we're going to just continue to do so. And I hope I get to meet some of your listeners along the way.

That'd be so cool. And I hope I get to meet you along the way too. Me too. I had the pleasure of meeting your husband at the human rights campaign gala and he's just, he's a gem. You know, he's an absolute gem of a man. He's something else. He really is. I'm very grateful to you both. Thank you so much for taking the time today. I know you have a million other things to do. We will make sure to remind all of our people to go out and vote and make a plan. We're close. And hopefully we can talk again after the election. I would love that. I totally. I don't. your husband i want to go shooting with him so i'm coming to minnesota holy smokes okay okay you just keep on keeping on i'm ready i had the camo in the closet i was ready to go yeah yeah you are ready for sure have the orange man okay yes ma'am okay see you soon thank you so much thank you to your team thank you bye bye This is an IHeart podcast.