About the author, Sharon McMa­hon is a dis­tin­guished edu­ca­tor, his­to­ri­an, and pub­lic speak­er wide­ly known for her com­mit­ment to civic edu­ca­tion and her mis­sion to com­bat mis­in­for­ma­tion. With a back­ground in gov­ern­ment and law, McMa­hon spent years teach­ing high school stu­dents, instill­ing in them a deep under­stand­ing of Amer­i­can his­to­ry, democ­ra­cy, and the leg­isla­tive process. As polit­i­cal polar­iza­tion and mis­in­for­ma­tion became increas­ing­ly preva­lent, she rec­og­nized the need for acces­si­ble, unbi­ased, and fact-based expla­na­tions of gov­er­nance. This real­iza­tion led her to launch her now-famous Insta­gram account, Sharon Says So, where she sim­pli­fies com­plex polit­i­cal top­ics in a way that is engag­ing, non­par­ti­san, and easy to under­stand. Through this plat­form, she has gained a devot­ed fol­low­ing, with mil­lions turn­ing to her for clear, straight­for­ward dis­cus­sions on law, the Con­sti­tu­tion, and the func­tions of the U.S. gov­ern­ment.

In addi­tion to her social media pres­ence, McMa­hon is also the host of the high­ly acclaimed pod­cast Here’s Where It Gets Inter­est­ing, which delves into less­er-known aspects of U.S. his­to­ry, high­light­ing piv­otal events and fig­ures that have shaped the nation. Her sto­ry­telling abil­i­ty brings his­tor­i­cal events to life, draw­ing con­nec­tions between the past and present to help lis­ten­ers bet­ter under­stand the polit­i­cal and social land­scape of today. She is also the founder of The Pre­am­ble, a newslet­ter that pro­vides insight­ful his­tor­i­cal con­text for cur­rent events, allow­ing read­ers to stay informed with fact-checked, reli­able infor­ma­tion. McMahon’s abil­i­ty to break down com­pli­cat­ed legal and gov­ern­men­tal con­cepts has posi­tioned her as a trust­ed source for indi­vid­u­als seek­ing to nav­i­gate today’s often con­fus­ing polit­i­cal envi­ron­ment with clar­i­ty and con­fi­dence.

Beyond her role as an edu­ca­tor, McMa­hon has made a sig­nif­i­cant impact through her phil­an­thropic work, using her plat­form to dri­ve real-world change. She has led var­i­ous fundrais­ing ini­tia­tives that have col­lec­tive­ly raised over $9 mil­lion for numer­ous caus­es, includ­ing fund­ing teach­ers in under­priv­i­leged schools, assist­ing domes­tic vio­lence sur­vivors, help­ing clear med­ical debt, sup­port­ing crit­i­cal­ly ill chil­dren, and pro­vid­ing aid to refugees. Her activism high­lights her deep com­mit­ment to ser­vice, empha­siz­ing that informed cit­i­zens should not only seek knowl­edge but also act upon it to improve their com­mu­ni­ties and the world around them. Through these efforts, she has demon­strat­ed the pow­er of col­lec­tive action and grass­roots move­ments, encour­ag­ing her fol­low­ers to be more engaged in phil­an­thropy and civic respon­si­bil­i­ty.

McMahon’s influ­ence extends beyond social media, pod­casts, and newsletters—she has also become a sought-after speak­er, shar­ing her exper­tise on civic engage­ment, mis­in­for­ma­tion, and his­tor­i­cal lit­er­a­cy. She fre­quent­ly gives lec­tures and par­tic­i­pates in dis­cus­sions on democ­ra­cy, vot­ing rights, and the impor­tance of under­stand­ing gov­ern­ment process­es. Her work serves as a reminder that an informed soci­ety is a pow­er­ful one, and she con­tin­ues to inspire indi­vid­u­als to think crit­i­cal­ly, ask ques­tions, and par­tic­i­pate active­ly in shap­ing their com­mu­ni­ties. Through her engag­ing approach, McMa­hon proves that civic edu­ca­tion doesn’t have to be dull or intim­i­dat­ing; instead, it can be dynam­ic, enlight­en­ing, and, most impor­tant­ly, acces­si­ble to all.

Through her tire­less ded­i­ca­tion to edu­ca­tion, sto­ry­telling, and activism, Sharon McMa­hon has cement­ed her­self as one of the most influ­en­tial voic­es in con­tem­po­rary civic dis­course. Whether through her engag­ing social media con­tent, in-depth pod­cast episodes, phil­an­thropic ini­tia­tives, or live dis­cus­sions, she remains stead­fast in her mis­sion to equip peo­ple with the knowl­edge they need to be active, informed, and respon­si­ble cit­i­zens. Her work is a tes­ta­ment to the idea that edu­ca­tion is a life­long jour­ney, and she con­tin­ues to empow­er peo­ple of all back­grounds to engage with his­to­ry and gov­er­nance in mean­ing­ful ways. In a world increas­ing­ly plagued by mis­in­for­ma­tion, McMa­hon stands as a bea­con of truth, prov­ing that facts still mat­ter and that knowl­edge tru­ly has the pow­er to change the world.