Emma Bloomberg reminds us- Moms don't live in political silos

Welcome to Momarchy, the podcast where we take the chaos out of politics and the shame out of motherhood.

If you’re a mom in 2026, you’ve probably had this thought at least once this week:

“Should I be more politically engaged? How could that possibly fit in my life right now?”

Same.

It’s not that moms don’t want to be involved, or that we’re simply “not making time”. From the moment we wake up, we already feel behind. We are rushing to get the bare minimum done before our kids wake up, balance breakfast and responding to work emails, and if childcare is a part of the plan you then have a small few hours for your job and every other task that’s been piling up. And it’s not like we are well rested. Our nights are spent half awake, half asleep listening for any sounds that might be alarming.

When we sat down with Emma Bloomberg, founder and CEO of Murmuration, we started exactly where most of us are living: tired, concerned, and trying to stay involved without fully losing our minds.

She doesn’t sugar coat it. The country feels heavy right now. Politics feels fraught. But—this part mattered—when you zoom in to the local level, there’s still a lot of hope. Neighbors working together. Parents showing up. People solving real problems without screaming at each other on the internet.

That’s the work Murmuration exists to support.

So what IS Murmuration?

Scientifically: The grouping that birds create for safety from predators, to stay warm, and to share information, using complex, synchronized aerial displays (often by starlings) to confuse attackers, conserve body heat, and find food/roosts before dusk (Thanks for the definition Google AI).

In mom terms: Murmuration helps local community groups do the kind of organizing and civic work political campaigns do—but nonpartisan, and not just once every four years.

Emma told us the idea came from noticing how often parents weren’t actually included in decisions about public schools, even though we’re the ones living with the consequences. Meanwhile, the organizations trying to elevate parent voices were under-resourced and basically running on spreadsheets and goodwill.

Murmuration built the tools—and the data—to change that.

Moms don't live in "issue silos"

One of our favorite lines from Emma: the moms who organize don’t live in issue silos.

Because of course we don’t. You can’t care about schools without caring about healthcare, housing, safety, climate, food prices, and whether your community feels stable enough to raise kids in. Our lives overlap—so civic engagement should too.

Her bigger point: if we only organize inside political or issue bubbles, we never build the coalitions needed to actually make change.

A real example (because we like receipts)

Emma shared how Murmuration worked with Rank the Vote. With better tools to identify supporters and reach the right people, they mobilized 1,600 people in four days and packed a public hearing room in Boston.

Not magic. Infrastructure.

Civic engagement does not = voting once every four years

Emma was clear: voting matters, but civic life is bigger than election day. Don’t get us wrong, voting every four years is critical. If more people did, maybe we wouldn’t be in this situation.

BUT local elections are often decided by hundreds of votes. Local meetings have tiny turnout. Showing up—especially with a few friends—can genuinely change outcomes.

And if we only ever talk to the people who always vote, we never grow participation or bring in new voices.

The parenting part: balance is a lie

We asked how she balances running a national organization and being a mom. Her answer? She doesn’t. She makes trade-offs.

Some days work gets 100%. Some days kids do. Most days you’re squeezing in school portal logins in the three minutes before your next call (she was literally doing this before our interview while we were trying to figure out which recording link was correct. She was very patient and gracious, btw).

Her favorite kid-friendly civic lesson? Pick up one piece of trash every time you walk down the street. While you’re doing it it may feel small. But what if every time someone went outside they picked up and threw away a piece of trash?

The takeaway

Emma’s message was simple—and comforting:

You don’t need to be a political expert.
You don’t need to wait for a perfect leader. We are the ones who will make a difference.
Start local. Start human. Start where you actually live.

Three tiny things you can do this week

1. Learn one local thing (school board, city council, next election date—just one).

2. Do one small action (show up, volunteer, donate $10, send an email, pick up a piece of trash).

3. Talk to one neighbor (“how are you?” absolutely counts).

Civic engagement doesn’t have to be your personality. It can just be a habit.

Our kids are watching what we do when things feel hard, let’s make them proud.

Listen to the interview on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.