Soul & Science : #101: When a Movement Becomes a Brand | Kyle Lierman, CEO of Civic Nation
SHOW NOTES
How do you turn civic engagement into a brand people actually want to join?
Kyle Lierman, CEO of Civic Nation and former Obama White House staffer, joins Jason Harris to talk about leading large-scale movements—It’s On Us, When We All Vote, Made to Save—and the organizing principles that make them work.
Kyle shares how his time at the White House shaped his leadership philosophy, why Gen Z is the most pivotal generation for social change, and how cause-driven campaigns can harness creativity and data to move millions without losing their humanity.
Key Takeaways:
✅ Organizing and branding share the same goal: building trusted relationships at scale
✅ Great movements have a sprint mentality—urgency drives innovation and impact
✅ Gen Z controls the culture for a 30-year block; win their trust, and you shape the future
✅ Build where people want to be, not just where they already are
Memorable Moments:
💡 “Put your head down, do your job incredibly well for six months, and then you can do anything.”
💡 “We’re making one plus one equal five—organizing power plus creative storytelling.”
💡 “Gen Z has the power to bring an issue to the forefront in a way no other generation does.”
💡 “Our job isn’t to give people medicine—it’s to build the kind of community they want to join.”
Brought to you by Mekanism.
Kyle Lierman, CEO of Civic Nation and former Obama White House staffer, joins Jason Harris to talk about leading large-scale movements—It’s On Us, When We All Vote, Made to Save—and the organizing principles that make them work.
Kyle shares how his time at the White House shaped his leadership philosophy, why Gen Z is the most pivotal generation for social change, and how cause-driven campaigns can harness creativity and data to move millions without losing their humanity.
Key Takeaways:
✅ Organizing and branding share the same goal: building trusted relationships at scale
✅ Great movements have a sprint mentality—urgency drives innovation and impact
✅ Gen Z controls the culture for a 30-year block; win their trust, and you shape the future
✅ Build where people want to be, not just where they already are
Memorable Moments:
💡 “Put your head down, do your job incredibly well for six months, and then you can do anything.”
💡 “We’re making one plus one equal five—organizing power plus creative storytelling.”
💡 “Gen Z has the power to bring an issue to the forefront in a way no other generation does.”
💡 “Our job isn’t to give people medicine—it’s to build the kind of community they want to join.”
Brought to you by Mekanism.
Soul & Science
Does marketing live in the heart, or in the head? Should you trust your instinct, or your integers? If the answer is both, should you lead with one more than the other? As a creative agency, Mekanism has been asking these questions of ourselves and our clients for over 10 years. Join co-founder and CEO of award-winning creative agency Mekanism, Jason Harris, on his quest to answer these questions with the world’s leading marketers from the brands we’ve all come to love. Named CEO of the Year by The Drum Magazine, Jason will draw from his experience during these easily digestible 20-minute episodes to explore the Soul of these famous brands and the Science of staying relevant, exploring how they’ve become culture defining emblems in our modern world.
Brought to you by Mekanism
Brought to you by Mekanism
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