Cathy Russell
Author
Policy Expert
Community Leader
Advocate
Boulder, Colorado
Cathy Russell is an evolutionary microbiologist, author of Evolution's Arc, and President of Liberty Toastmasters North. She brings scientific expertise to discussions of liberty principles, education policy, and human creativity.
Biography
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Cathy McGowan Russell is an evolutionary microbiologist with a Ph.D. in microbial evolution who has dedicated her career to science education and public engagement. She is the author of Evolution's Arc, a work that reframes the universe's story as an ever-accelerating arc of creativity where life and intelligence emerge naturally from evolutionary processes.
Russell began her career on the cutting edge of science education, working on The Microbe Zoo, a National Science Foundation-sponsored project that was among the first science education projects published on the World Wide Web. Her curiosity expanded beyond microbiology to the larger Epic of Evolution, and in 2004, she launched EpicOfEvolution.com to make this vast story accessible to diverse audiences.
Over decades, Russell has brought evolutionary science to church groups, civic organizations, and schools. She joined the Evolution Sunday movement in 2005 and developed Exploring Evolution, a hands-on middle school curriculum through the University of Colorado's Science Discovery program. In 2009, she became involved with the International Big History Association.
Her intellectual journey led her from progressive politics and atheism to a faith-based understanding and liberty-focused political philosophy. She launched FreeBoulder.org during the COVID pandemic to address local policy issues and currently serves as President of Liberty Toastmasters North, leading discussions on founding principles and constitutional philosophy.
Russell lives in Boulder, Colorado with her husband and is the mother of a scientist pioneering new computer language at NASA. She has appeared on the Kim Monson Show 9 times since 2022, discussing education policy, liberty principles, and her perspective on human creativity and flourishing.
Books by Cathy Russell
Articles by Cathy Russell
The Cosmology of Freedom
In her essay, The Cosmology of Freedom, Cathy McGowan Russell examines the difference between pessimistic cosmologies and optimistic cosmologies. Russell…
Episodes
15 appearancesJune 18, 2026
How Engaged Citizens Uphold Individual Rights and Limited Government
Civic Engagement & Grassroots
Liberty Toastmasters on engaged citizenship, Karen Gordey on Lakewood's zoning fight, Priscilla Rahn on Excalibur Classical Academy, Pat Miller's run for State Senate, and a Communist Manifesto book review. June 18, 2026.
“This pursuit of happiness is so important that it's the pursuit of virtue and virtue that gives you long-lasting happiness.”
May 21, 2026
Self-Governance Requires a Virtuous Citizenry
Civic Engagement & Grassroots
Karen Gordey on Lakewood civic engagement, Liberty Toastmasters on civic virtue, Stephen Varela on Colorado GOP, Paula Sarlls on Memorial Day. May 21, 2026.
“And I think the big take home for me is that greater freedom requires greater virtue from the citizens.”
May 15, 2026
Creation, Purpose, and the Battle for Colorado’s Future
Civic Engagement & Grassroots
Guest host Marshall Dawson on Cathy Russell's Evolution's Arc, Brandon Wark's Colorado session-end bills, and Molly Lamar on Cherry Creek. May 15, 2026.
“And as I started doing the research on this book, I discovered something so radically, profoundly amazing, which is that the entire universe is progressing.”
April 30, 2026
Toastmasters and the Republic: Communication, Community Banking, and Constitutional Limits
Colorado Politics & Policy
Gauri Seshadri, Jay Davidson, Dave Evans, Karen Gordey, and Karen Levine on the Kim Monson Show for April 30, 2026.
“I really believe that the art of communication creates all of our other liberties and that's why I'm a fanatical fan of Toastmasters and of Kim's show.”
March 20, 2026
Natural Rights, Cherry Creek Turmoil, and Lakewood’s Upzoning Battle
Civic Engagement & Grassroots
Liberty Toastmasters debates natural rights. Cherry Creek SD faces $20M scandal. Lakewood citizens fight upzoning. March 20, 2026.
“I look at it as an inherent, there are many people, good-hearted people, most of my friends who are liberals, and they believe in what I will call the pirate bias. They believe that anybody who has wealth, massive wealth, got it by stealing, looting, plundering, or enslaving other people. And what they don't understand is how capitalism works, is that you can become incredibly wealthy by serving other people.”
February 23, 2026
Housing First Failure, the Homelessness Crisis, and Benevolence Versus Toxic Altruism
Colorado Politics & Policy
Marshall Dawson and Cathy Russell examine Housing First's failure with Michele Steeb and Step Denver's success with Meghan Shay. February 23, 2026.
“I'm one of those people who believes that the number one problem facing our country is what I call inconsiderate kindness, which is when people think they're doing something kind, but they don't consider the consequences of what's going on.”
December 18, 2025
Healthcare Premium Crisis and the Perils of AI in Medicine
Civic Engagement & Grassroots
“The further back you look, the farther ahead you're likely to see.”
October 16, 2025
Recommended Changes to the Childhood Vaccine Schedule and Government Overreach
Colorado Politics & Policy
“So it's a massive perversion that is not the will of the people.”
September 25, 2025
The World Lived in Political Darkness Before the U.S. Constitution
Ballot Measures & TABOR
Scott Powell on America's revolutionary founding. Liberty Toastmasters explores God-given rights. Cherry Creek School Board.
“When you get something that's better than you expected, it creates a new neural pathway.”
August 28, 2025
The Future of American Energy Policy and the AI Revolution
Civic Engagement & Grassroots
“Yeah, well, and to go back to what Carol said, I think we need all of these things.”
July 24, 2025
Property Rights, AI Surveillance, and the Legacy We Leave Behind
Colorado Politics & Policy
Liberty Toastmasters explores property rights while Kurt Gerwitz examines AI cults on July 24, 2025.
“So the main point I want to say about property rights is that property is, as has been mentioned by Marshall and Dave and others, is the ability to create wealth.”
November 12, 2024
Net Zero Failures, Climate Realities, and Economic Freedom
Civic Engagement & Grassroots
Steve Goreham exposes net-zero failures and lithium battery fires. Cathy Russell shares her journey from climate believer to Trump supporter. November 12, 2024.
“But to me, the more devastating aspect of the whole climate change narrative is that humans are a cancer on the planet.”
September 11, 2024
Remembering 9/11 and the Fight for Medical Freedom
Civic Engagement & Grassroots
Kim Monson commemorates 9/11 with a Flight 93 reenactment and interviews Honey Rinicella and Cathy Russell. September 11, 2024.
“And I have to say that one of my new favorite phrases is: nobody knows enough to be a pessimist.”
June 2, 2022
Election Integrity, Polling Data, and the Creator’s Cosmology
Richard Baris reveals Biden's approval collapse, Austin Hein campaigns for limited government, and Cathy Russell explores cosmology. June 2, 2022.
“I would like to button it up by encouraging everybody to examine your cosmology or examine your creation story. And is it making you happy? Is it making you creative? Is it giving you a sense of possibility about the future?”
January 24, 2022
Revising Colorado Social Studies Standards and the Battle for the Statehouse
Cathy Russell exposes troubling revisions to Colorado social studies standards while Danielle Neuschwanger outlines her vision for governor. January 24, 2022.
“For me, this is mostly a mental health issue. I took, for Zen's class, the People's History of the United States and subsequently fell into a deep, long depression. Then, by the grace of God, it stumbled upon me that the arc of the universe is long and it bends towards love.”
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About Cathy Russell
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