Co-founder & President, Run for Something · Author · Speaker

Amanda
Litman.

Author of When We're in Charge — named a best business book by the Financial Times. Co-founder of Run for Something, which has helped elect 1,650+ candidates since 2017. Speaker who leaves people with something to do.

Amanda Litman, co-founder of Run for Something and author of When We're in Charge

I'm not waiting
for someone else
to fix it.

I co-founded Run for Something in the weeks after the 2016 election — because the system wasn't going to fix itself, and enough people were finally ready to do something about it. We built the largest progressive candidate pipeline in the country. We've helped elect more than 1,650 candidates to city councils, school boards, and state legislatures. That number goes up every election cycle.

I've also written two books: Run for Something (2017), a practical guide to running for local and state office that I wrote because people kept asking how to do it, and When We're in Charge (2025), a leadership guide for the next generation built on interviews with more than 100 leaders across politics, business, media, and tech. Before any of this, I served as National Email Director for Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign — one of the largest digital fundraising operations in political history.

I live in Brooklyn with my husband, two daughters, and their rowdy rescue dog. I write on Substack about politics, leadership, books, and whatever I can't stop thinking about.

The books.

Two books. One argument.

On Substack

What I'm actually
thinking about.

Politics, leadership, the books I can't stop recommending, and the occasional rant about something that's making me insane. Free to read.

Subscribe free →

I will not waste
your audience's time.

On running for office, building organizations under pressure, next-gen leadership, and what civic engagement actually requires of individuals right now. I've keynoted conferences, led executive roundtables, and spoken at universities. I'm direct, I don't do platitudes, and I leave people with something to do.

When We're
in Charge

The Next Generation's Guide to Leadership

Available in hardcover, e-book, and audiobook (narrated by me!).

When We're in Charge paperback cover

Paperback coming September 2026.

When We're in Charge book cover — Amanda Litman, published 2025 by Zando

What if things didn't suck?

Most leadership books treat millennials and Gen Z like problems to manage. This one was written for them.

When We're in Charge is a direct, practical guide for the next generation of leaders — the ones who are finally in charge and determined not to replicate the management they spent years resenting. How do you lead with authority without becoming the boss you hated? How do you set real boundaries without losing credibility? How do you build a team culture that doesn't require people to sacrifice their whole lives?

Based on Amanda's experience building and leading Run for Something — and on conversations with more than 100 next-gen leaders across politics, business, media, tech, and education — this book answers the questions that actually come up. It makes the case for the four-day work week, argues that transparency is powerful and dangerous in equal measure, and explains why the boss taking parental leave matters as much as offering it.

Named a best business book by the Financial Times. Endorsed by Adam Grant, Anne Helen Petersen, Ilana Glazer, Jon Favreau, and Tori Dunlap. Available in hardcover, e-book, and audiobook — narrated by Amanda.

Endorsements.

"A refreshingly candid, delightfully irreverent guide to leadership for the next generation. Amanda Litman busts some major myths about how to succeed at the helm. Get ready to rethink some of your basic assumptions about authenticity, productivity, and professionalism."

— Adam Grant, #1 NYT bestselling author of Hidden Potential and Think Again

"Enough already with the quiet quitting. When We're In Charge is the new essential handbook for taking power and actually using it to do good."

— Jon Favreau, Jon Lovett & Tommy Vietor, Crooked Media

"An ambitious and refreshingly practical examination of modern management… Litman doesn't just ask leaders to be revolutionary, she shows it is possible with an actionable road map for 21st-century governance."

Financial Times

"Amanda Litman continues her legacy of mapping out systems for Millennials & Gen Z who believe in basic human rights to take ownership of our institutions and make this country one we're proud to be living in."

— Ilana Glazer

"Will help you be the boss you wished you had. Chock full of invaluable insights into the changing workplace and how to lead with compassion — and still get sh*t done."

— Tori Dunlap, NYT bestselling author of Financial Feminist and founder of Her First $100K

"Unlike anything else in the 'business book' space — a must-read for anyone who doesn't just want to make the world better, but wants to figure out how to keep caring."

— Anne Helen Petersen, author of Can't Even and co-author of Out of Office

"The workplace is evolving more rapidly than ever. When We're In Charge has all the insights and advice for leaders to navigate these choppy waters."

— Sami Sage, NYT bestselling author of Democracy in Retrograde

"Essential reading for any Gen Z or millennial who holds a leadership position or one day hopes to. Amanda Litman has given them the roadmap to do exactly that."

— Jason Kander, NYT bestselling author of Invisible Storm, first millennial elected to statewide office

Press & appearances

Run for
Something

A Real-Talk Guide to Fixing the System Yourself

Run for Something book cover — Amanda Litman, published 2017

Fix the system yourself.

When I first wrote this book in 2017, it was the first of its kind — a practical, pep-talk-y guide with the exact steps you need to run for office. It was the book I wanted to give every person who signed up to run with Run for Something.

Now in the second Trump era, it's even more relevant. We need real people to run for local office and become the change they want to see. Forget Congress. Forget the Senate. Focus on the offices that get the real work done: state legislatures, city councils, school boards, mayors.

It doesn't matter if you've never imagined yourself running. This book will walk you through it.

While you're here

The new book — When We're in Charge — came out in 2025. It's about what happens after you win.

The org

Run for Something — the organization — has helped elect 1,650+ candidates since 2017.

Visit runforsomething.net →

I will show up
and say the thing.

On civic engagement, running for office, and what next-gen leadership actually looks like in practice — from someone who's built an organization, written two books about it, and isn't going to give you a TED Talk full of empty inspiration.

I speak on next-generation leadership, millennial and Gen Z management, civic engagement, and running for office — for corporations, nonprofits, universities, and conferences. Every talk is shaped around the specific audience. I don't do one-size-fits-all.

What I actually
talk about.

Every engagement is shaped around your audience. These are the areas I know best — and have been asked to speak on most.

01
Next-generation leadership
What millennial and Gen Z leaders are doing differently, why the old playbook is failing them, and what good management actually looks like now.
02
Building organizations under pressure
What it takes to build and lead a mission-driven organization when the stakes are high, the resources are limited, and the world won't stop changing.
03
Authenticity & identity at work
How to show up as yourself without surrendering your whole self to your role — especially when you're the one setting the culture.
04
Civic engagement & democracy
What's broken, why individual action still matters, and how to move people from feeling overwhelmed to doing something specific.
05
Running for office
Why the next generation should run, how to decide if you're the right person, and what actually happens once you do — the parts no one tells you.
Amanda Litman speaking at the Betty Anderson Speaker Series at UT Austin LBJ School

University of Albany, Fall 2025 — on generational leadership

Amanda Litman speaking at the Charter Workplace Summit 2025

Want me at
your event?

I do keynotes, panels, fireside chats, and executive roundtables — for corporations, nonprofits, universities, and conferences. Every engagement is shaped around your audience. Tell me what you're planning and I'll tell you quickly if it's the right fit.

Past clients include Charter, Albany Business Review Women's Summit, conferences for professional wellness executives and development leaders, plus students at dozens of universities across the country.

Contact

Reach out with your event date, location, expected audience size, and topic of interest. I read everything.

hello@amandalitman.com →

While you're here

My latest book goes well
with a keynote.

Or just on its own, if you lead a team and want to do it differently.

In the
press.

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View full media archive (110+ appearances, 2017–2026) →
Press inquiries

For press inquiries, interview requests, or media assets, reach out directly.

hello@amandalitman.com →

Amanda
Litman.

Amanda Litman is the co-founder and president of Run for Something, which recruits and supports young, diverse progressives running for down-ballot office. Since launching on Inauguration Day 2017, RFS has built the largest progressive candidate pipeline in the country, electing more than 1,650 leaders across nearly all 50 states — mostly women and people of color. She is also president of RFS Civics, a 501(c)(3) focused on ending the gerontocracy in American politics.

She is the author of two books: When We're in Charge: The Next Generation's Guide to Leadership (Zando/Crooked Media Reads, 2025), named a best business book by the Financial Times and endorsed by Adam Grant, Ilana Glazer, Jon Favreau, and Anne Helen Petersen; and Run for Something: A Real-Talk Guide to Fixing the System Yourself (Atria, 2017), with a foreword by Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Before launching Run for Something, Litman served as National Email Director for Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign, where she oversaw a digital fundraising operation that raised $330 million from more than 3 million donors. She previously served as digital director for Charlie Crist's 2014 Florida gubernatorial campaign and deputy email director for Organizing for Action. She holds a B.A. in American Studies from Northwestern University.

Politico named her one of 50 ideas driving American politics (2018). Bloomberg named her one of the people to watch (2019). Fortune included her on their 40 Under 40 list (2020). She was named to Time's Next 100 in 2022, was a 2022 Dial Fellow at the Emerson Collective, and is a 2025/2026 Obama Foundation USA Leader.

She lives in Brooklyn with her husband, two daughters, and their rowdy rescue dog.

Amanda Litman — author, organizer, co-founder of Run for Something

Common questions.

Do you do virtual events?

Yes — about a third of my engagements are virtual or hybrid. Same prep, same energy, different logistics.

What's your speaker fee?

It varies by event type, size, and whether it's nonprofit/academic vs. corporate. Email me and I'll give you a straight answer.

Do you keynote political events?

Sometimes. I'm thoughtful about it — reach out with context and I'll let you know quickly.

Can I interview you for a podcast or publication?

Yes! I love a good conversation. Email hello@amandalitman.com with what you're working on.

Are you related to Juliet Litman, Harry Litman, or Leah Litman?

Nope! Just lots of Litmans out there doing really cool things.

Contact

Get in touch.

For press inquiries, speaking requests, book orders, or anything else — reach out. I read everything sent to hello@amandalitman.com.