Fatima Bey: 0:02

MindShift PowerPoint. This is Mind Shift Power Podcast, the number one critically acclaimed podcast where we have raw, unfiltered conversations that shape tomorrow. I'm your host, Fatima Bey, the Mind Shifter. And welcome everyone. Today we have with us Braden Frame, and he is out of Texas in the USA, and he is the CEO of the Cartographers Group. And I have been waiting to have this conversation with the right person, and I'm really, really excited to have him on today. How are you today, Braden?

Braden Frame: 0:38

I'm doing great. Thanks so much for having me.

Fatima Bey: 0:40

Thank you for coming on and allowing us to hear from your brain today. So let's I like to dive right in. So just tell us why are you on this podcast today?

Braden Frame: 0:52

You know, um, I I kind of found you um along the way as I was trying to branch out a little bit. And I and I love the conversation about trying to influence youth. They got so many, I mean, the whole world is stacked against young people. And um, as a dad and one who is raising teenagers and involved in just watching kids tackle um everything, I think being a part of that conversation, opening their eyes to um opportunity and hope, um, and then kind of having a real world view of the challenges that are out there, I think is just such a great chance to uh to give back and join that um that deeper, deeper conversation.

Fatima Bey: 1:27

And I'm really happy to have you on here because I I that's something I the audience is going to hear about you is you are completely willing to have real, honest conversations. Uh, and I respect that a lot. So tell us, what is your experience with politics?

Braden Frame: 1:45

Um, politics is it's what I do for work right now. So, right now I lead an organization. We have uh eight employees, and we work on um political action and lobbying and uh campaigns and political work um across the spectrum from city council races and school board races all the way up to um federal elections and uh and lobbying. I've been involved in politics both um on the consulting side, um, but then also as a uh a union boss, a union leader, um, somebody who's done lobbying and and advocating, and then just as a as a volunteer and an organizer myself, uh working on races and speaking about issues that kind of were close to my heart. Um so I've been I've been active in trying to make sure that you know my voice is is heard with the the chorus of voices of of people who share kind of like minds and ideas.

Fatima Bey: 2:30

And how how long have you been doing that?

Braden Frame: 2:33

Um I would at least at least 20 years now. I'm getting older. So I wouldn't say 20 years.

Fatima Bey: 2:38

I yeah, I knew I knew it was a long time. Uh I was just curious. When you were younger, did you know that you would you would be involved with with politics?

Braden Frame: 2:47

Oh no. When I was younger, I had no idea what I was gonna be when I was gonna grow up. I didn't find um I didn't find this career until after my last career and I didn't find my my first career until I was almost 25. Um, it was late in the game when I kind of figured out what I wanted to do. Um and then I was I was lucky enough to I served as a firefighter and a paramedic for um 12 years on the job and um had the time of my life. And when a couple of injuries kind of cut that career short, um I fell back on some other skills that I had grown through that time and am now here, committed to public safety and public good and public policies that kind of try to try to work for everyone.

Fatima Bey: 3:26

So, in order to get into um being a political consultant, it was you falling back on another, another job, or how did that happen?

Braden Frame: 3:36

So I um when I was on the job as a firefighter, I was very active with my uh employee labor organization and um spoke up about issues that affected my job, my membership, um, our wages, our benefits, the working conditions. And in doing that, you quickly realize that everything that you do as a public employee is connected to politics. And if you peel back the layer of the onion another step, you realize that almost everything that we either take for granted, that we like, or that we hate about our lives in a lot of ways is affected by political activity, politics, laws, ordinances. And so being involved, which is so hard to do, but being involved in those conversations is the only way to be able to get kind of meaningful change. And so I'd done that as a volunteer, and then I did that as the communications director uh with my local in the fire service. And then I was fortunate enough to use my skill set um with technology and communications um and political science and some data analysis to be able to do that with uh firefighters and paramex across the United States and Canada. And so that experience when I got hurt on the job allowed me to transition into this new role in this new company.

Fatima Bey: 4:48

So what I'm hearing, I'm gonna, what I'm extracting from what you just said, part of what I'm extracting from what you just said, is you didn't plan this. It it's the passion came when you actually started doing it. Would that be accurate?

Braden Frame: 5:02

Oh, that's totally true. Yeah, absolutely.

Fatima Bey: 5:05

And I think that's true in so much in life. You say that you started off late, and I don't think 25 is late. And I'm saying that because a lot of our teenagers are taught that uh they're big losers if they don't know what they want to do at 18. Nobody ever says those words directly to them, but we kind of do it through action. And I it's very much untrue. And I think that you just demonstrated a key point that I'm always talking about, and that you don't have to have it all figured out, but you do have to try. And that trying is how you figure it out. Yeah.

Braden Frame: 5:37

Because it sounds like I I I completely think that if um, if you don't have it figured out, as long as you haven't given up, then you're working towards a goal. And if that goal today is figuring it out, then that's okay. That is a completely reasonable goal. Um, what you can't do is you can't sit still. You can't not try something new. You can't not keep working, you can't not keep growing in where you're at. Um, but you don't have to have it all figured out. I didn't have it all figured out at 18. I didn't have it figured out at 25 when I switched careers. Um, I didn't have it figured out at 35 when I switched careers, and I still don't have it all figured out. But, you know, every day we're trying, um, trying to learn something new and and do a little bit better and plan a little bit harder. And I think as long as you're learning, you're headed down the right path.

Fatima Bey: 6:17

Very well said. Very well said. So we're here today to talk about politics. And I I asked you all of that because I think that everything you just said is very relevant to what we're about to talk about. Why should let me ask you this: why should anyone who's 14 get involved in politics?

Braden Frame: 6:35

So I think when when you're a youth, you have, you know, you have your whole life in front of you and you have a bunch of ideas about what you don't like about things, uh, whether it's how your parents' rules are, whether it's what your subjects are at school, whether it's what you think you need to know or what you should have to know. And those are all great opinions based on what little bit of the world that you've seen right now. But it's so important, I think, to also take in and be a part of the bigger conversation because most of the things around you, whether it's how much we pay for our food, whether it's what things we have to study in school, whether it's what certifications or how to get to college or what boundary lines exist, all of those things are all controlled by politicians. They're all controlled by people who are elected into positions of authority. And the sooner young people realize that, the sooner they can have a voice in making the world as they see it, making the world better as they see it. And the more people who bring their voice to it, the more control we have and power we have with the electorate rather than with the few who are currently involved.

Fatima Bey: 7:39

Yeah, but but I'm only 14 and they don't listen to me because they because adults are just corny. So they don't listen to me. So why should I get involved in politics? Um, who's gonna hear my voice?

Braden Frame: 7:49

You know, that's the same, um that's the same pushback we get from adults, um, the same pushback we get from people in their 30s or their 40s or or even grandparents sometime. And the reality is that you have to start learning the system to be able to influence it. And you can choose to just go along with it and let other people choose for you. You can. And there are millions of um citizens across the world who don't actively participate in their political process. And by doing that, you are de facto endorsing whatever comes your way. And um, while it is harder to learn the system, and while it's a little bit harder to make an informed vote, I think that especially um in democracies like the United States, where we have access to free and open, fair elections, the responsibility of getting involved early is just so valuable because it takes so little. It truly takes so few people to really change the outcome of a community. Um, and I see that all the time. You know, we see elections that are won by, you know, dozens uh of votes. Less than a hundred votes dictate a huge number of local elections. And so, you know, when you're 14 or 15, understanding how much power one person has and being able to influence that. And then when you're 18 or 19, voting in your first election and influencing the outcome of community relations, I think it's just so powerful.

Fatima Bey: 9:13

And it really can be. And I love, I love your response to that. The fact that you brought up that you hear those same sort of responses from grown folks, not just teens, tells me that it's not an age thing. It's a human thing. Um and I do think that there are a lot of people, regardless of age, who kind of feel defeated when it comes to to politics. So with that, let me ask you this. What should a 16-year-old not do when it when it relates to this topic?

Braden Frame: 9:48

You know, I think, you know, two big things, especially right now, that teenagers um and all people, um, but teenagers should be really aware of is number one, don't be a fool. And and by that I mean don't be fooled by accepting everything that you're shown and accepting that that's the truth. The amount of fraud in social media, whether that is intentional fraud through AI manipulation or um cultural programming that's being put into play, or the amount of fraud that occurs by people just disingenuinely sharing with you a spin on the truth. Um if there was anything I was to encourage you young people to do, is to be just a little more cynical and question, question what you're shown, um, because there's a layer of truth that's so important to reach that isn't on the surface. And if we can get you critically thinking like that and questioning things, and you'll be so much safer as you enter into the world.

Fatima Bey: 10:44

I want to add, I want to piggyback off what you just said. When you don't pay attention to what's going around you, you are the absolute perfect victim. Oh, absolutely. And that is not just for that's not just for teenagers, that's for everybody. We make the absolute perfect sheep, pansies, victims, give it a word. Uh, you know, when we don't pay attention and and we decide that we're just going to let life slide by. You know, a lot of people I'm gonna put it this way this is gonna sound rough, but it's true. A lot of people are in the cemetery right now because they just let things go. And they did nothing. And they just believed what they were handed. Would you agree?

Braden Frame: 11:27

I would completely agree. I think the need to question what we're being shown is is greater. It's greater than ever, you know. And this isn't just politically speaking, this is just personally speaking. The amount of people who are trying to scam us, take our passwords, steal our codes, get into our lives and take our data, um, manipulate the way that we think, make us hate our neighbor for made-up reasons that aren't actually true. I mean, the number of people that are out there doing that right now is been is significantly greater than it's ever been before. There's so much more access to the truth. And by and large, that means that there's so much more immediate um misinformation and disinformation that we're being bombarded with every single day. And so, um, while all of that sounds super negative, right? The answer, I think the easy way out is to say, well, then I don't want to be a part of any of it. But that's not how you protect your future. It's not how you protect our future, not how you protect our community, um, how you protect our families. And so I think it's more important than ever to call out bad data, call out impersonators and lies and cheats and thieves. It's more important to be a little more cynical and a little more uh inclined to search the truth out rather than take whatever we're shown at face value. And I think if we do those things on the small scale, it won't feel like a lot of immediate change. But over this next generation, over this next decade, we'll be able to fight back on the powers that are trying to trick us and trick our our communities and give us the voice that we need to stand up against them.

Fatima Bey: 12:59

I want to say something here, and I and I want your response. If every politician, every single one of them, was once a teenager. How did they get there?

Braden Frame: 13:12

I think um, yeah, I mean, every every everybody was a teenager. I think that that's true. Um I think to push back a little bit though, I think we do have to realize that many, not all, but many politicians, that their experience at teenagers was probably significantly different than the experience that many of your listeners go through. And the reality of our political system is that because so many people, who were all young people who become adults, because so many people felt like they didn't have the power, felt like they didn't have the influence, felt like they didn't have the right to have an opinion or to speak up, or frankly, did not make it a priority to stay informed. I think that people who had a leg up, an opportunity, a connection, a hook, that those people often had a different experience at teenagers, which made it easier for them to transition into positions of authority. And so the way that we balance that, I think, is by encouraging young people to know that there is power in simply voting. There is power in simply speaking up. And you don't all have to run for Congress. You don't all have to run for president, but you do and should be a part of the total conversation, even in so much as just voting in your local city council race, even if it just means just voting at a state level. You don't have to change the world, but you should influence it just a little bit. And by doing that, I think we'll get better candidates and people who are more relatable to the average everyday person's challenges.

Fatima Bey: 14:45

Let me ask you this because you just said a really, really, really, really key point. Even if you don't want to become a politician, you talk about voting. And this is something as a black woman, I get very frustrated with some of my black folks who are like, it's all a scam, I'm not voting. And I want you to to comment on my statement here. When we don't vote, what we are telling the political system is that we don't matter. I don't care if you're black, white, Asian, tall, short, skinny, fat, poor, rich, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, whatever your demographics are. When those demographics do not show up at the voting booth, you are telling politicians your issues don't matter. So when stuff comes up that they know they have to deal with because they want to stay in office, they are not going to deal with your issue because you don't vote anyway. So who cares? That's not right, but it's reality. Am I right?

Braden Frame: 15:41

I think politicians naturally will show the attention to the people and the subsets of audiences who vote. Absolutely. And I think that by not voting I think it's worse than saying that that particular group's issues don't matter. I I think to take it the next step, if you don't vote, you are by inaction endorsing the majority, which is often not how you feel. I mean, the the the number of Americans who are billionaires versus the number of Americans who aren't billionaires, the the numbers don't lie there. And yet the number of Americans who don't vote in crucial elections that endorse policies, programs, legislation, and laws that uniquely benefit a material class of people of which the majority is not a part of is significant. And so by not voting, it's not just saying that your issues don't matter, but you're condoning the actions of the majority. And oftentimes their priorities are going to conflate against the things that we as the majority really do care about.

Fatima Bey: 16:48

Now, I I I love the I love the way you just said that. You're absolutely right. Now let me ask you this. For let's say I'm a teenager in Washington or Missouri, just pick a state. How can I what can I do? I I mean, I'm 15 and I know that the future needs to be, we need to do something about our future or it's or we're screwed. So what can I do as a 15-year-old right now?

Braden Frame: 17:19

You know, I think it's really important to try to find small ways to be involved and um find things that matter to you. You know, the reality for most people, and I think most voters, is that 99% of all of the issues they don't have a really strong opinion about. You know, you're gonna have an opinion on things that really closely affect you. If you're a homeowner, you're gonna care about taxes. If you are in a socioeconomically challenged state and you are trying to achieve a college education, you're gonna care about student loan options and funding. I think that if you're next to a public waterway, you're gonna care about flood protection. I think that if you're in a farm belt, you're gonna care about farming legislation. And I think that if you're in a city, you're not gonna think about where your food comes from. And that doesn't mean that's not important. It just means that every issue doesn't have to be your issue. And that's okay. I think young people need to know that you don't have to take up the world to have an opinion in politics. And I also think that they have to find things that really matter to them. You know, some people are really motivated by very particular subsets of issues, and that's okay. Um, and I think they're finding that community where you can learn more about it and understand, especially when you're young, your side, but then also take the time to learn the opposition side from a place of understanding, not a place of anger, really can open your eyes to developing your own thoughts on where is the role of government, where is your opinion about the role of government? Because a personal opinion is very different than where we think government should be coming in, to have a play. And I think learning about that when you're young really can open your eyes to knowing that you can be right, but perhaps your government doesn't need to be the enforcer of what you think is right. Um, and so I think that's a that's a key thing that we don't do enough studying about, you know, and I also don't think we we do enough studying about trying to learn um how government works, you know, and and where you can have the biggest influence um at any age, you know, learning about how laws are made in your state or even in your community. Um I think there's just so much value to understanding how much power we as individual citizens have that we just we just forget about. We just we just forget because we don't know. We just we're just so busy, we forget how much power a few citizens put together and really have.

Fatima Bey: 19:35

Let me ask you about a really specific position. What is an alderman?

Braden Frame: 19:40

So an alderman is a term that's used in certain city forms of government um as a as a representative. So sometimes you'll be called a city council member, um, a supervisor, an alderman. It just depends on the form of city government um that it applies to. So, like Chicago, for instance, they don't have city council districts, they've got aldermen who represent their districts.

Fatima Bey: 20:00

Okay. And could a youth get involved in something like that?

Braden Frame: 20:06

So normally a youth can't hold an elective position until they're over the age of 18. But there are tons of programs. You know, one of the ones we have here in Texas, the Texas House is a page volunteer. So where high school kids can go serve as a page in either the House or the Senate for a day or a couple of days, and they can earn high school credit for learning how government works. And they attend house sessions, they move paperwork from office to office, they get to sit on house committee meetings and on house discussions and on votes. And it's a great way to be involved. A lot of city councils um will have internships and volunteer programs for kids in high school to get involved in a particular council member or mayor's office to learn more about how the system works and constituent conversations and things like that.

Fatima Bey: 20:54

So is that a good place to start? I mean, obviously, some high schools offer um political, uh, you know, politician-based, I would say, classes, because they're all go by different names. But uh there are schools that offer that. There are a lot of schools that don't. Uh let's say you have someone who doesn't. Can they get involved with local government? Um, just, you know, getting, like you said, uh getting becoming a page or the like?

Braden Frame: 21:19

Yeah. I I mean, I think there's there's a ton of opportunities to volunteer. And, you know, volunteering can be directly with nonpartisan, like city-level government at like the city council or a county commissioner's court or county government. Um, you can also take a partisan approach. Um, there are plenty of young Republicans and young Democrats clubs that exist across the country and most counties, most schools will have some organizations. And I think that the trick there is if you're young and you're inclined to be involved and you want to have a voice, is to find your voice and not let other people define your voice. And I think it's really important. Um, to tell kids that most people don't fall exclusively into one party or the other. And that's just a fact of life. Um, more Americans are truly independents than they are partisan aligned. Um, but people find themselves in parties because parties are a way of gaining political power. And you have to learn um where your lines and your issues lie and what's important to you and at what level of government those things are important to you. Um but finding that out about yourself and about your community and uh about your family, I think is such an important part of growing up because as you become an adult, and as not even all adults realize, local government at the state and county and city level impacts your life every single day.

Fatima Bey: 22:51

Yes. And that's what I mean.

Braden Frame: 23:01

It's huge. And so the sooner we can get some people involved in those things, the better.

Fatima Bey: 23:06

That goes along with what I was gonna ask too. Earlier we talked about um, you know, getting involved in politics because the the politicians are the ones who are making decisions that can dramatically affect your life. And I think I don't know how else to say this, but no matter you talk about what people are passionate about and get involved in what you are passionate about. And that's something I I constantly preach. I completely agree. But I think what most people don't realize is no matter what you're passionate about, whether it's about animals, whether it's about church, whether it's about uh your football team, whatever you are passionate about, it could be a science. I can't think of one topic that's not affected by politics on some level or another. Am I right?

Braden Frame: 23:54

No, you're absolutely right. There, there, every single facet of our life is regulated, controlled, affected, or influenced by political action, policy, or law at every level. And so no matter what you're interested in, there is a lawmaker or an ordinance or a piece of legislation that directly affects how that system works.

Fatima Bey: 24:18

Now, there's a there's something that you can do where you can go and petition lawmakers about a law. What is that called?

Braden Frame: 24:25

Um, you can mean lobbying, you can go lobby them, um, or you can send in just a constituent email uh where you write an email or a letter to them. Um you can testify on bills, you know. So if an issue that really is important to you is coming up to be discussed before a body, uh legislative bodies will often have open hearings where citizens can go and speak their mind and share why a particular position is so important to them.

Fatima Bey: 24:47

And how old do they have to be to do that?

Braden Frame: 24:49

Depends on the issue. Um, you know, but most uh like city issues and city councils, they'll accept um a teenager will be able to go and speak up there if they want to.

Fatima Bey: 24:58

So there's another way that they can get involved, and they don't necessarily have to become president of the USA. You know? Um there's many different ways of getting involved, and um and I want them to hear that from someone who just knows this field really, really, really well.

Braden Frame: 25:14

You know, I love that you bring the president because that is the biggest misnumber in all of politics is this idea that that's where your politics have to start. And I I think that the the politics of the office of the president, especially in the current climate that we're in, are a lot bigger than most people can wrap their heads around. And that's okay. I think at the same time, your community politics, your county politics, and your state politics are a lot easier to enter and be a part of and a lot easier to have a voice in. Um, and especially at a city level, you'd be amazed how many ordinances and issues and funds and how much money comes before the city council that any of us could go and have a voice and a vote in and be a part of that conversation. And because those council members or aldermen um are elected by a few thousand people, truly the voice of a few dozen or a few hundred is is is significant in in those situations.

Fatima Bey: 26:17

Absolutely. I really I love that you keep talking about the local um politics because I think a lot of times you're right, people think that I have to be a senator or something that a senator's that's a big position, you know, that's grand. You don't have to start that big. And like you said, your local politics probably affect you much more than than you know the federal stuff. It's not that the other stuff doesn't affect us, but your more immediate effects are felt in your local, your local town or city or you know, state. And I love, love, love, love that you're bringing that up. So let me ask you this what advice do you have for the youth of the world today?

Braden Frame: 26:57

You know, I was thinking about this as we were getting ready for this. And if I was gonna give every single young person across the world one piece of advice, I would have to say that you can't, don't let them get you down. Because, man, there is something every day out there that is trying to get you down and beat you up and tear you up. And that's okay. Yes. The the haters and the naysayers, they're always gonna be there, but you can't let them win. Right. Um, it doesn't mean you can't have an off day or a bad day, but you can't let them win. Um, our our world will crumble if young people lose hope and and lose the enthusiasm for change and for speaking about the future. And so I think that um whatever way you can find your light to speak up, whether that's through politics or through art or for through community or through service, I think that it's just so important you keep, you keep that positive attitude and you don't let those haters get you down. Um and don't be a hater. That's the other half of it too. Like, you know, world hasn't, there's enough problems in the world. Don't be contributing to that nonsense either.

Fatima Bey: 27:59

Yes, you're absolutely right. I love, I love that advice. Don't let things get you down because I think that's a big message that our youth need to hear today. They are growing up in a world that we never had to experience in the way they are.

Braden Frame: 28:11

Yeah.

Fatima Bey: 28:12

And, you know, they have a lot more, quite frankly, they have a lot more to be scared of than we ever were. And so, and I think I think that gets lost on us adults sometimes. So, yes, don't let everything get you down. That's great advice. So I mentioned in the beginning that you're the CEO of the cartographers group. What is that?

Braden Frame: 28:32

The cartographers group is a um is a group of companies that me and my business partner started. We make up the modern cartographers and modern Fortis. And so we serve with public safety and public safety adjacent causes, um, providing strategic communications, policy advice, uh, federal and state lobbying, and then political campaigns. So we help um police, fire, and EMS unions and public safety adjacent technologies elect people to city council and to county boards and to state legislatures and at federal offices. We lobby the United States, House, and Senate and the office of the president for bills passaging or to kill bills that are bad. And um, we help put good people in office and we try to take bad people out of office through the political process. And so my job there is to lead the team. Um, so I work with uh data and strategy and ad buying and um technology programs that leverage kind of the best of what AI and um the internets have for us today to try to influence communities and share the message um that helps keep them safe and ensures that we're putting our money um in programs that save lives rather than things that put people's livelihoods and and lives at at risk.

Fatima Bey: 29:50

And that's awesome. You just said a mouthful there. You do a lot. Um so where can people find you?

Braden Frame: 29:58

Uh you can find us at cartographersgroup uh.com. Cartographers is an old word, it means map maker. Um we we like it. Um so cartographersgroup.com or a moderncartographers.com. And you can find me uh personally if you want to reach out or have a question at braidenframe.com.

Fatima Bey: 30:15

And I recommend that you do reach out to him. We only touched about maybe a pin needle size of the stuff we could talk about with Braden. He knows a lot, um, very well informed, and uh really great to talk to. I've enjoyed my conversation with him off air air as well. Thank you very, very much, Braden, uh, for coming on and I really appreciate you.

Braden Frame: 30:37

Thank you so much and uh wish all the best.

Fatima Bey: 30:40

And now for a mind-shifting moment. Politics is a multi-layered, multifaceted, complex thing. However, what's less complex is you getting involved in local decision making. Let's talk about that for a moment. Let me ask you this. Do you show up at your local city council meetings that are open to the public, to your town halls and the like, because they go by many different names? Do you show up and voice your opinion on the topics? Especially as a youth. Because not enough of you show up when you do, it's kind of a big deal. Do you show up and say something? When you do show up and say something, even though it may seem small to you, it's not small. And let me tell you why. Many of your local city council members or the like, your local government people, your local organizations are making decisions that affect you and the people around you based on what they think. If you don't show up and tell them what you think, they can only rely on what they think. Sometimes they're selfish, but sometimes they just don't know any better because you never told them, you never gave them a different way of thinking. Show up and make a difference in your local community. It doesn't have to be big. You don't have to be the savior of the world. Sometimes all you need to do is speak up. Start off with that. What's going on in your life that you've not spoken up about?

Fatima Bey: 32:28

You've been listening to My Shift Power Podcast for complete show notes on this episode, and to join our global movement, find us at fatimabey.com. Until next time, always remember there's power in shifting your thinking.