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American Potential

American Potentialamericanpotential.podbean.com
American Potential is a national award-winning podcast that shares how individuals are taking action in their communities to break barriers. While some of our guests may be public officials or influencers, many are ordinary Americans who decided, “enough is enough,” and are stepping up in a big way. We share policy solutions to the most important challenges our country faces and talk to people who are doing something about it. Our hope is that when you hear about other people’s stories of success – and struggle – you will realize that you are capable of doing extraordinary things within your own community and know that you are not alone. David From, a Regional Vice President at Americans for Prosperity, hosts the American Potential podcast. David brings a wealth of experience in grassroots advocacy and a deep commitment to advancing freedom and opportunity for all Americans. American Potential has earned multiple prestigious honors for its impact and excellence in storytelling: Platinum Award at the 2024 Viddy Awards for the episode featuring Mike Rowe, recognized in the long-form podcast category. Gold Award at the 18th Annual w3 Awards in the News and Politics Podcast category. Award of Distinction at the 31st Annual Communicator Awards in the Individual Episodes – Political category for the episode “Eco-Regulation Gone Wrong: The Unintended Costs of Colorado’s Climate Laws.” These awards—judged by experts from organizations like Google, Amazon, Microsoft, and the Smithsonian—highlight the podcast’s effectiveness in elevating compelling stories of freedom, innovation, and citizen-led change.
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Episodes

Right to Work faces a big battle in Michigan.

Host Jeff Crank sits down with Terry Bowman, who has worked at the Ford Motor plant in Michigan for 26 years and helped get Right to Work passed in 2012. Michigan has just passed a bill to repeal Right to Work. We hear from Terry how this will effect workers. #americanpotential Check out American Potential here: htt ps://americanpotential.com

Mar 24, 202336 minSeason 1Ep. 21

Fishy Politics: Government Bureaucracy for the NJ Fishing Industry

Host Jeff Crank sits down with herring fisherman William Bright and Ryan Mulvey (Cause of Action Institute Counsel) to talk about regulations in New Jersey that have negatively impacted herring fisherman and learn what they're doing about it. Check out this case here. https://causeofaction.org/loper-bright-enterprises-inc-v-gina-raimondo/ Check out American Potential here: https://americanpotential.com...

Mar 22, 202333 minSeason 1Ep. 20

Senator Mike Lee wants to UNSHACKLE America’s energy

Host Jeff Crank sits down with Senator Mike Lee of Utah to talk about his UNSHACKLE Act, which seeks to reform the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Check out the UNSHACKLE Act here: https://www.lee.senate.gov/2021/3/sen-lee-reintroduces-unshackle-act Check out American Potential here: https://americanpotential.com

Mar 20, 202322 minSeason 1Ep. 19

What makes Lt. Governor Winsome Earl-Sears a trailblazer

Host Jeff Crank sits down with Lt. Governor Winsome Earl-Sears to talk about her early days as a US Marine, how her faith plays a role as an elected official, and becoming the first black woman to become Lt. Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Check out American Potential here: https://americanpotential.com

Mar 17, 202336 minSeason 1Ep. 18

Does free speech still exist on college campuses?

Host Jeff Crank sits down with free speech champion Casey Mattox to discuss the growing problem across college campuses around America. A university should be a place where free speech is the norm, but that has quickly changed over the years. Jeff and Casey discuss why the free sharing of ideas has been thwarted on campus with a fun bracket twist. Download the FUN basketball bracket here: https://fantasy.espn.com/tournament-challenge-bracket/2023/en/group?groupID=5251965 Check out American Poten...

Mar 15, 202335 minSeason 1Ep. 17

William Burt: From law-breaker to law-changer

William Burt was going in and out of jail as a drug dealer before his 12-year-old son challenged him to put his family first. Host Jeff Crank sits down with William to hear his incredible story about how he overcame many obstacles in life to open up his mobile barber shop and change Iowa law to allow more businesses like his to operate. Watch Williams's story here as well: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=io1DT_kOws4&t=418s Check out American Potential here: https://americanpotential.com...

Mar 13, 202356 minSeason 1Ep. 16

Huge wait times, long drives, and endless bureaucracy for our Veterans.

Host Jeff Crank sits down with the General Counsel of Concerned Veterans for America (CVA) Herb Ford to discuss the fact-finding assignment of filing a Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA) request on the VA and to see if they were following the VA Mission Act. Herb shares the troubling findings and what CVA is doing about it. Check out CVA here: https://cv4a.org Check out American Potential here: https://americanpotential.com...

Mar 10, 202327 minSeason 1Ep. 15

Perspective from a Veteran: How the Mission Act can help save lives

Host Jeff Crank sits with Veteran Nate Banks to discuss the VA healthcare system. Nate experienced firsthand how inefficient and uncaring the VA System was when he was diagnosed with cancer and only had the VA system to treat it. Despite passing the Mission Act to give Veterans more options in care, there's still a long way to go. Check out American Potential here: https://americanpotential.com

Mar 08, 202331 minSeason 1Ep. 14

Are we failing our Veterans?

Host Jeff Crank sits down with Russ Duerstine, the Executive Director of Concerned Veterans for America. They talk about the bureaucracy of the VA, the pitfalls of the government standing in the way of Veterans getting the care they need, and how we can make the system work better for those who served our country. Check out CVA here: https://cv4a.org Check out American Potential here: https://americanpotential.com...

Mar 06, 202334 minSeason 1Ep. 13

David vs. Goliath: Louis Koorndyk takes on Las Vegas, Clark County, and the State of Nevada

Host Jeff Crank sits down with Louis Koorndyk to talk about how unnecessary regulations from Clark County placed a massive burden on his ability to take care of his parents. Instead of throwing in the towel, Louis is committed to taking on the status quo and pushing back. Check out American Potential here: https://americanpotential.com #americanpotential

Mar 02, 202326 minSeason 1Ep. 12

Short-term-rental laws: Limiting what you can do with your own home!

Host Jeff Crank sits down with Louis Koorndyk, who started a short-term rental business to help take care of his aging parents. Little did he know it was illegal. Listen to Louis talk about his experience with Clark County and how he has taken on this burdensome regulation. Check out American Potential here: https://americanpotential.com #americanpotential

Feb 28, 202340 minSeason 1Ep. 11

Freedom and cookies make a delicious mix

Host Jeff Crank sits down with Grandma Doug's cookies founder to talk about the barriers he ran into while trying to start and run a successful home-baking business. These cookies are good, and the story is even better. Check out Grandma Doug's cookies here: https://grandmadoug.com Check out American Potential here: https://americanpotential.com

Feb 23, 202329 minSeason 1Ep. 10

Health Saving Accounts are AMAZING!

Host Jeff Crank sits down with Americans for Prosperity's Senior Policy Fellow, Dean Clancy to discuss the benefits of Health Savings Accounts, what government barriers exist for everyday Americans to get an HSA, and how Dean almost started an international crisis. Check personal options info here: https://personaloption.com Check out more info on HSA's here: https://hsasforall.org Check out American Potential here. https://americanpotential.com...

Feb 21, 202320 minSeason 1Ep. 9

Dear Congress: You might have a spending problem...

Host Jeff Crank sits down with Akash Chougle, Vice President of Government Affairs at Americans for Prosperity, to talk about the Dear Congress Campaign and how people can get involved in it. Sign the Dear Congress letter today: HERE

Feb 16, 202328 minSeason 1Ep. 8

It’s called Voluntine’s Day at American Potential

Jeff Crank shares a special love story about two grassroots volunteers on Valentine’s Day. Mariana and Antonio Reyes met at a Grassroots Leadership Academy training to become activists. One thing led to another, and 18 months later, they got married, and their lives changed forever. Check out American Potential here: https://americanpotential.com

Feb 14, 202327 minSeason 1Ep. 7

Taxpayers paying for billion-dollar sports stadiums, good idea or bad?

Host Jeff Crank sits down with Brian Costin, Deputy Illinois State Director of Americans for Prosperity, to talk about the business of sports stadiums. They discuss how and why everyday taxpayers usually get stuck with the sometimes billion-dollar bill in most cities around the US when a professional sports team builds a new stadium. Is this fair? Check out American Potential here: https://americanpotential.com

Feb 10, 202333 minSeason 1Ep. 6

Mistruths from the President: State of the Union reaction

Jeff Crank sits down with Akash Chougule, Vice President at Americans for Prosperity, to get his immediate reaction to President Biden’s State of the Union address. We ended up getting more of the same from the President: touting wasteful spending, recommending bad policies, mistruths and a missed opportunity to address the real needs of Americans. Check out American Potential here: https://americanpotential.com

Feb 08, 202326 minSeason 1Ep. 5

Sen. Ted Budd on making life more affordable, SOTU and some rooster stories

Host Jeff Crank speaks with Sen. Ted Budd about growing up on a chicken farm, why he ran for Senate, how we can make life more affordable and what he expects from the State of the Union. Check out Senator Budd's Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/SenTedBudd

Feb 07, 202317 minSeason 1Ep. 4

It’s illegal to operate a mobile barbershop in Iowa??

Jeff Crank sits down with Drew Klein, Iowa State Director of Americans for Prosperity, to talk about William's Story. William learned to cut hair while incarcerated. Once released, he made a plan to change his life and be a positive impact on his community by bringing his new skill to the underserved. But Iowa law made it illegal to operate a mobile barbershop. Check American Potential's website here: https://americanpotential.com Check out a video on this story here: https://youtu.be/io1DT_kOws...

Feb 01, 202338 minSeason 1Ep. 3

Intro: America is not reaching its full potential.

America is not reaching its full potential, but we believe it can. This podcast will showcase the stories of extraordinary Americans taking action in their communities to address the pressing challenges facing our country. Host Jeff Cranks talks about how this new podcast was started and talks with the people on his team who help make it happen. Check American Potential's website here: https://americanpotential.com

Feb 01, 202322 minSeason 1Ep. 2

American Potential Trailer

American Potential shares how individuals are taking action in their community to break barriers. While some of our guests may be public officials or influencers, many are ordinary Americans who decided, “enough is enough” and are stepping up in a big way. We share policy solutions to the most important challenges our country faces and talk to people who are doing something about it. Our hope is that when you hear about other people’s stories of success – and struggle – you will realize that you...

Dec 22, 20221 min
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