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Sharon McMahon
Sharon McMahon is an American podcast host, author, Instagram influencer, and law and government teacher. Nicknamed "America's Government Teacher", McMahon produces and hosts civics- and history-focused content on her podcast, Instagram and other platforms[1] with a particular focus on combating misinformation, from both sides of the aisle, and providing nonpartisan explanations on the application of constitutional law to contemporary American politics.[2] Teaching careerMcMahon taught government and law in public schools in the suburbs of Washington, D.C.[3][4][5] After years of teaching, McMahon began publishing politics-oriented content to her Instagram in September 2020 in response to what she saw as rising misinformation in her own social media feeds amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and 2020 election cycle.[6][7] BookMcMahon's first book, entitled The Small and the Mighty: Twelve Unsung Americans Who Changed the Course of History, from the Founding to the Civil Rights Movement, was published in September 2024.[8][9][10] During a promotional tour for the book McMahon was interviewed by filmmaker Ken Burns at the 92nd Street Y, New York City.[11] The Small and the Mighty landed in the #1 spot on the New York Times Best Seller list for hardcover non-fiction the week of its launch.[12] PodcastIn July 2021, McMahon began hosting the podcast "Here's Where It Gets Interesting", which is ranked as in the center politically according to AllSides.[13] The 400+ episodes are a mix of interviews with notable Americans and narrations shedding light on American history and civics, including topics ranging from the Prohibition, the Civil Rights Movement, World War II, and the Leo Frank case to the responsibilities of the electoral college, principles of democracy, and the functions and structure of US government. Podcast guests have included Sen. Mitt Romney, actor George Takei, actor Rainn Wilson, Heather Cox Richardson, Maria Bamford, and documentarians Ken Burns and Sarah Botstein.[14] NewsletterMcMahon launched her newsletter, The Preamble in June 2024 and has more than 200,000 subscribers.[15] Philanthropic activityIn December 2020, McMahon launched her first giving campaign with the goal to raise $1000 for a family in need. Instead, McMahon crowdfunded more than $125,000. In January 2021, McMahon gained media attention for organizing a letter-writing campaign to thank U.S. Capitol custodians cleaning up after the January 6th insurrection.[16][17] McMahon's motto, "Pennies into miracles", has resulted in over US$10 million being raised for teachers grants,[18] medical debt payments, natural disaster relief[19] and families in need. In 2022, "Governerds", what McMahon's following nicknamed themselves, were able to raise US$565,000 for RIP Medical Debt who was able to forgive $147,000,000 of medical debt for individuals and families in the USA.[18] In early December 2023, Governerds raised an additional US$1M for RIP Medical Debt and US$600K for families in need.[citation needed] AwardsMcMahon was recognized as Communicator of the Year by PRWeek and nominated as Best Social Creator at the 2022 Webby Awards.[1][20] "Here's Where It Gets Interesting", the podcast, won a 2023 Webby Award for Best Writing and People's Voice.[21] Media appearancesMcMahon has appeared on The Daily Show and as a panelist for the George W. Bush Presidential Center's "Engage at the Bush Center" series.[22] In 2021, McMahon appeared on CNN and Good Morning America. She frequently appears on local news and radio networks across the United States, such as Minnesota Public Radio, Maine Public Radio and KSL, advocating for civil engagement and discourse while breaking down constitutional topics.[23][24][25] In June 2021, Wired wrote about McMahon's ability to help people break out of echo chambers and information silos on social media.[26] Other activityMcMahon is a founding partner of "Starts With Us", an organization that seeks to overcome division and polarization.[27] Starts With Us is "a movement to empower millions of Americans who are tired of the culture of contempt and energized to foster critical thinking and constructive communication across individual's lines of difference".[28] McMahon has also launched Government for Grownups, a workshop series about US history and government.[29] Bibliography
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