At just 22 years old, Ini Udomah made the decision to run for city council in Blaine, Minnesota. What followed was a crash course in local government, community engagement, leadership, and the realities of stepping into the public arena at a young age.

In this episode, Ini joins us to share the motivations behind his campaign, the unexpected challenges he and his team encountered along the way, and the lessons he learned from the experience. We explore what it means to show up for your community, why younger voices matter in civic decision-making, and how participation in local government can shape the future of a community.

Whether you're considering public service yourself or simply curious about how local politics works from the inside, Ini's story offers an honest look at the opportunities, obstacles, and responsibilities that come with trying to make a difference.

Being the smartest person in the room won't fix what's broken.

The solutions we need live somewhere between expertise and lived experience, knowledge and curiosity, certainty and conversation.

What could we build if we spent less time proving we're right and more time learning from each other?

🎙️ Episode 2 of Not The Authority is live now on YouTube and Spotify.

#NotTheAuthority #WeHaveQuestions

The internet keeps sorting us into smaller and smaller corners.

People who think like us.

Vote like us.

Believe like us.

But if we're ever going to make progress, we're going to have to get a little more curious about the people outside our corner.

That's what we're exploring on Not The Authority.