Breaking Glass

Hi Breaking Glass friends! It's Sabrina. I want to tell you about my new show A Fine Mess. If you like Breaking Glass, you'll love A Fine Mess, where we broadening the mission of digging deeper into important and timely topics in order to challenge our own pre-conceived notions. After you hear A Fine Mess' trailer, be sure to click this link to subscribe and listen to the podcast: https://link.chtbl.com/tgng-Yvh?sid=BreakingGlassProduced by Evoke Media (the team behind the Sundance Film Festival award-winning Sugarcane and co-creators of the #1 chart-topping investigative podcast Blind Plea), A Fine Mess aims to help listeners tackle difficult conversations and foster tolerance and inclusivity. Each week, Sabrina interviews expert guests like late-night comedy host Samantha Bee about the rise of satirical news, esteemed Stanford Graduate School of Business lecturer Matt Abrahams on how to approach divisive political discourse, and former executive editor of Teen Vogue Samhita Mukhopadhyay on the impact of hustle culture.Breaking Glass is a production of Evoke Media, a nonprofit organization that exists in order to elevate the people and stories working to make the world a more unified and equitable place. To join a global conversation about gender equality: Sign up for our Tits & Tats newsletter rounding up whit and resources on gender equity Follow along on Instagram at ...

Nothing like a holiday to turn up the heat on hard conversations. In this Season 2 Finale, Kassia and Sabrina reflect on conversations they've had with family and friends who don't necessarily agree with their points of view, including:Sabrina's history of heated arguments with her uncle and how they finally managed to have a calm conversation about abortionKassia's tendency to come in a little too hot with family members who disagree on humans rights issues like vaccinationThe tragic moment in 2021 when gun violence hit too close to home and how Kassia is trying to find the human side of every storyLike what you hear and want more? Sign up for our newsletter full of episode updates and resources on issues impacting women around the world.Breaking Glass is a production of Evoke Media, a nonprofit organization that exists in order to elevate the people and stories working to make the world a more unified and equitable place. To join a global conversation about gender equality: Sign up for our Tits & Tats newsletter rounding up whit and resources on gender equity Follow along on Instagram at ...

We've never met a woman without a complex relationship to her own hair. Shorter, longer, curlier, straighter, lighter, darker, up, down. For many women—especially Black women—hair can be a complicated thing. Founder of Parting the Roots, Simone Wright is working to educate people and organizations on the history, politics, and significance of Black hair and the Black Canadian identity. She joins Sabrina to talk about:• The historical importance of Black hair in pre-colonial Africa, how the slave trade suppressed this connection, and the ways non-Black communities still attempt to control Black hair today.  • The role outside forces and intersectionality play in a woman's relationship with her hair• Her journey to embrace natural hair and the response she's received personally and professionallyLike what you hear and want more? Sign up for our newsletter full of episode updates and resources on issues impacting women around the world. Breaking Glass is a production of Evoke Media, a nonprofit organization that exists in order to elevate the people and stories working to make the world a more unified and equitable place. To join a global conversation about gender equality: Sign up for Tits & Tats, our biweekly newsletter rounding up whit and resources on gender equity Follow along on Instagram at ...

130 years. That's how long it will take to achieve gender equity at the highest levels of global politics. Around the world, women are still less likely to be encouraged to run for public office at every level - this starts with what we tell young girls about what is possible and ultimately influences women's lack of confidence to step into the race. Erin Loos Cutraro founded She Should Run to give women from all walks of life the tools they need to run for public office. In this re-release from season one, Erin joins Kassia and Sabrina to talk about:• The double standards that women endure when running for public office• Why representation matters and what changes when women hold elected positions• How she manages to remain hopeful about the future of our democracyLike what you hear and want more? Sign up for our newsletter full of episode updates and resources on issues impacting women around the world. Breaking Glass is a production of Evoke Media, a nonprofit organi...

Contrary to what society would like us to believe, not every woman wants to be a mother. Some women regret the choice altogether.Orna Donath was only 16 years old when knew with certainty that she never wanted to be a mother. In the decades that followed she never waivered in that decision. Today, Orna is a sociologist and author in Tel Aviv, Israel. In this rerelease of one of our most beloved season one episodes, she joins Kassia and Sabrina to talk about:• Her personal experience of the stigma society places on women who choose not to mother• Her thought-provoking research on women who deeply regret their decision to have children• How we can begin to untangle womanhood from motherhoodLike what you hear and want more? Sign up for our newsletter full of episode updates and resources on issues impacting women around the world. 

Every year, one in five women in the United States struggles with mental health. Income disparities, caregiving responsibilities, higher rates of poverty and violence are just a few of the risk factors that leave women especially susceptible to chronic stress.Dr. Beth Ricanati is no stranger to burnout. She was the mother of three children and a physician working full time when she realized she needed to prioritize self-care. At the recommendation of a friend, she turned to baking bread as a way to build ritual and community into her weekly routine. Dr. Ricanati joins Sabrina to discuss:The mental health crisis in America and why women are more likely to experience chronic stress than menWhy creating meaningful rituals with our hands can benefit mental healthThe need to shift away from self-care toward community care to address the underlying causes of women's mental health issuesLike what you hear and want more? Sign up for our newsletter full of episode updates and resources on issues impacting women around the world. 

In honor of Sexual Health Month and our recent conversation with Zoe Mendelson, Sabrina and Kassia are opening up - like really, intimately opening up - about sexual health. We're walking through Zoe's book, Pussypedia, discussing some of its more shocking takeaways, and our relationships with our mothers who were often our own source of education when we were young girls. In this no-holds-barred conversation, we end up talking about:• Not soaping your slit and other things we all wish we knew about sexual health• Masturbation and how much pleasure we each might want• Sex toys, what to call them, and who's never gone shopping for oneMore personal than ever before, Sabrina and Kassia bear all including a quite shocking admission. Like what you hear and want more? Sign up for our newsletter full of episode updates and resources on issues impacting women around the world. 

When Zoe Mendelson first googled squirting, she had no idea the rabbit hole of sexual education she was about to go down. The internet was riddled with inconsistent information and even experts disagreed on some of the simpler questions she was curious about.An information designer by training, Zoe became passionate about curating a comprehensive platform for accessible and inclusive sex education. She has since dedicated the better part of a decade to learning about, writing about, and talking about pussies. She joins Sabrina Merage Naim to talk about:Why we need to take back a more gender and organ inclusive use of the word pussyThe role of the patriarchy in disinformation around people's pussiesBuilding Pussypedia - a free, bilingual encyclopedia of the pussy that aims to address the lack of quality, accessible information about our bodies on the internet.We also discuss the launch of her new book, Pussypedia. Like what you hear and want more? Sign up for our newsletter full of episode updates and resources on issues impacting women around the world. 

Around the world, 1 in 3 women experiences physical or sexual violence in their lifetime. In India, where a woman is raped every fifteen minutes, the outlook is especially dire.ElsaMarie D'Silva walked away from a twenty-year career in aviation to launch SafeCity - the world's foremost crowdmapping platform for gender-based violence. An entrepreneur, activist, and survivor, she joins Kassia to talk about:The various forms of gender-based violence—including physical, sexual, and psychological— and the prevalence of it in IndiaWhat happens when survivors have  safe spaces to share their storiesHow stories and data can empower women and their communities to take action.Like what you hear and want more? Sign up for our biweekly newsletter full of episode updates and resources on issues impacting women around the world.

Did you know the word “homosexual” didn't appear in the Bible until 1946? Neither did we. And neither did Kathy Baldock until a gay friend said, “Even God doesn't love me,” and Kathy, a heterosexual, practicing Christian, went looking for answers. Today, Kathy is an author (Walking The Bridgeless Canyon), LGBTQ advocate, international speaker and educator. She has done more research than almost anyone in the world on the origins of Christianity's discrimination against the LGBTQ community. She joins Sabrina to discuss:• How two words became combined and mistranslated to “homosexual” in the 1946 Revised Standard Version (RSV) of the Bible                                                                                       • The ways in which the Church's relationship to the LGBTQ community has evolved• How an antiquated understanding of procreation, among other things, led to gender discrimination in the ChurchLike what you hear and want more? Sign up for our newsletter full of episode updates and resources on issues impacting women around the world. 

Women account for less than 10% of leadership positions in governments around the world. At this rate, we will not achieve gender equality in these highest positions of power for 130 years. Marissa Conway is not surprised. Neither intimidated nor impressed by the foreign policy sector dominated by older, white men, Marissa has had a front row seat to the patriarchal systems in which policies are made. A vivacious young analyst and activist, Marissa made a name for herself founding the Centre for Feminist Foreign Policy. Based in England, she has supported political campaigns,,consulted governments around the world and joins Kassia to discuss: • How to deconstruct patriarchal power dynamics in foreign policy• The ways she sees governments, capitalism, and Western ideals co-opting feminism• What feminism means to her and whether or not it can be achieved without women in positions of powerLike what you hear and want more? Sign up for our newsletter full of episode updates and resources on issues impacting women around the world. 

Despite the influence of civil rights icons Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and James Baldwin, their mother's stories were all but erased from history. That is until Dr. Anna Malaika-Tubbs came along.While pregnant with her first child, Dr. Mailka-Tubbs wrote the award-winning book The Three Mothers: How the mothers of Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and James Baldwin Shaped a Nation. Her original research details the lives and influence these women had, and is a catalyst for conversation about the many ways we continue to undervalue the work of mothers. She joins Sabrina to discuss:• The ways in which American society could better celebrate and support mothers• How she refused to be erased as the wife of a prominent politician• Her experience as a Black woman raising young childrenLike what you hear and want more? Sign up for our newsletter full of episode updates and resources on issues impacting women around the world. 

Abortion saves lives. Abortion is healthcare. Abortion should never have been politicized.But it was. And in the wake of Roe v. Wade being overturned, when we're mostly full of anger and sorrow, we really need glimmers of hope. One such spark can be found in a place one might expect fervent opposition to abortion: Ireland. In this rerelease of one of our very first episodes, Ailbhe joins Sabrina & Kassia to share how she organized a national movement to legalize abortion in Ireland. They talk about:• Her experience growing up gay in a conservative Catholic community• How she navigated oppressive cultural gender expectations• Why the Irish campaign for reproductive rights was ultimately successfulLike what you hear and want more? Sign up for our newsletter full of episode updates and resources on issues impacting women around the world. 

Ever been called an angry feminist? Us too. Soraya Chemaly is a writer, speaker, and activist who studies the many reasons women have to be angry, and why they're called bitches, hot-headed, crazy feminists when they are. She is an award-winning activist, the best-selling author of Rage Becomes Her: The Power of Women's Anger, and director and co-founder of the Women's Media Center Speech Project. She joins Sabrina to discuss:• The reasons women have to be angry, from microaggressions to macro-level sexism• Why anger is actually one of the most hopeful, forward-thinking, and powerful emotions• Why men and women are conditioned to experience and display emotion differentlyLike what you hear and want more? Sign up for our newsletter full of episode updates and resources on issues impacting women around the world.

We're releasing a bonus episode from 1972! Just kidding. We're releasing a bonus episode from 2022 about what to do now that the United States is about to revoke the rights of millions of people with uteruses. Sabrina reaches back out to human rights attorney and previous guest, Julie Kay to talk about:•        What this legal ruling might mean for other rights•        Which interventions are and are not likely to work once Roe v. Wade is overturned•        How we keep going, keep fighting, and strategically channel our rage  Like what you hear and want more? Sign up for our newsletter full of episode updates and resources on issues impacting women around the world. 

Many double standards exist for women and men, but perhaps none as ubiquitously as how they use their voice. A loud little girl is called bossy, a bold assertive woman is called a bitch. The same leadership qualities that we celebrate in men we often silence in women and Phumzile van Damme has experienced this at every turn of her career. Elected to serve as a Member of Parliament for South Africa at the age of 31, van Damme went on to hold positions of National Assembly Whip, Shadow Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies Committee, and National Spokesperson of her party. She is one of the most accomplished young, Black, female politicians in South Africa and yet the relentless pressure to silence her eventually led to her resignation in 2021. She joins Kassia to talk about:• Her political rise and her reputation for defying tradition and speaking out on behalf of gender equity• Her struggle with self-confidence and imposter syndrome• The attempts of organized gendered disinformation campaigns to undermine her political influenceLike what you hear and want more? Sign up for our newsletter full of episode updates and resources on issues impacting women around the world. 

It's not often that a poet's first paid piece of writing jumps to the top of the New York Times bestseller lists. Kate Baer's did. Her first book, What Kind of Woman was published in 2020 and followed shortly by a book of erasure poetry, I Hope This Finds You Well (2021). Both tackle the underlying treatment of women and mothers in modern society.Even if you haven't picked up one of her books (yet), you've probably seen her work, which regularly goes viral online. She joins Kassia to talk about:• The slow burn of being lost, overwhelmed, and undervalued as a woman and mother• The unreasonable expectations that society places on women and the support it fails to provide • The unglamorous realities of writing (hint: lots of misogyny, failures, emotional labor, and some very expensive childcare)Like what you hear and want more? Sign up for our newsletter full of episode updates and resources on issues impacting women around the world. 

In a country that criminalizes homosexuality, Kaz is an openly queer individual. Bisexual, lesbians, and transgender persons are not recognized by the Kenyan constitution and yet she lives openly and authentically while encouraging others to do the same.Kaz started her career as a singer and performer. In 2006, she won the Kora Award for The Most Promising Female Artist in Africa and was dubbed the Kenyan Queen of Soul. Today she is the host of The Spread, a sex-positive podcast that creates a safe space for people to understand their sexuality and learn to live confidently in awareness of their sexual identity. She joins Sabrina to talk about:• Her experience being sexually abused as a child• How she recovered from revenge porn as a young adult• What we can all learn from the bondage, discipline, dominance and submission and sadomasochism (BDSM) about consentLike what you hear and want more? Sign up for our newsletter full of episode updates and resources on issues impacting women around the world. 

Five kids between the two of them, Sabrina and Kassia know a thing or two about pregnancy. From infertility to miscarriage, morning sickness to stretch marks these ladies could write a real epic. That's why they're pulling back the curtains - not as experts on any one of these issues, but as mothers and friends who want to dispel some of the ways society tends to sugar coat pregnancy. We're talking about:The first trimester and the burden of being expected to endure it in secretMiscarriage and why it does us a great disservice to not talk about it more candidlyInfertility, vulnerability, and the honest desire to hold the cards close to our chestWe're getting real personal in this episode, showing up for one another to celebrate big news and recount hard losses and to invite you all to start talking. Like what you hear and want more? Sign up for our newsletter full of episode updates and resources on issues impacting women around the world. 

Comprehensive sex education is not standardized in schools across Arab countries and more than 40% of pregnancies are unintended.Since moving from Chicago to Dubai in 2014, Dr. Salem has defied tradition and delivered sex education to women through her OB-GYN clinic as well as through her Instagram account. With more than 20k followers, she answers questions, busts myths, and provides advice to women who don't otherwise have access to sex ed. She joins Kassia to talk about: Providing OB-GYN care in conservative Arab cultures where many women are taught to be ashamed of their bodiesTurning to social media to build a platform for sex education that is not otherwise available in schoolsHow women, men, and authorities are responding Like what you hear and want more? Sign up for our newsletter full of episode updates and resources on issues impacting women around the world. 

Reproductive freedom is in grave danger across the United States. Experts predict that it is not a question of if Roe will be overturned this year, but rather when.Kathryn Kolbert is one of the most influential reproductive rights attorneys in the country. Julie Kay is a passionate human rights attorney who came up under the mentorship of Kitty at the Center for Reproductive Rights. Collectively, these women are two of the most aggressive and accomplished defenders of reproductive rights around the world. They join Sabrina Merage Naim to talk about:Kitty's 1992 appearance before the U.S. Supreme CourtJulie's successful argument before the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human RightsWhat we need to do to protect reproductive rights across the country when Roe is overturnedWe also discuss their newest book, Controlling Women: What We Must Do Now to Save Reproductive Freedom. Sign up for our newsletter full of episode updates and resources on issues impacting women around the world. 

Season two is coming soon and this is our little love letter to those loyal listeners who are waiting oh so patiently. It's been a few months since our 43rd episode dropped to wrap up Season 1. And since then, we've been chasing babies, growing businesses, and planning how to knock your socks off in our second season. A few of the to dos on our list? • Mix up the show format• More intimate one-on-one conversations with world-changing guests• Launching a powerful and practical email newsletter that brings you all the best resources around episode topics. In today's bonus episode, Sabrina and Kassia drop in to say hello and whet your appetite for the launch of our next season. Head over to breakingglasspodcast.com to review season one episodes before we dive into season two.

Rules were bent. Glass was broken. Minds were expanded. Join Sabrina and Kassia in reflecting on the audacious, gutsy guests whose stories, advice, and badassery comprised season one. The co-hosts discuss the conversations that left a mark and opened their eyes to the vast array of experiences women are facing around the world. Sabrina reveals the episode that most challenged her, and Kassia shares how she has personally grown in unexpected ways.

Dr. Faith Mwangi-Powell grew up in rural Kenya with two parents who were deeply committed to her education. The daughter of a village chief, it wasn't until she completed her PhD and was deep into her career in public health and population studies that she realized child marriage had been happening all around her. Today, Dr. Faith is the CEO of Girls Not Brides where she leads a network of global organizations working to end child marriage. She joins us to reflect on her own childhood, how she was sheltered from many of the cultural traditions happening right around her, and the work she's doing to support the 650 million women currently living with the consequences of child marriage.  

Erin Jorgensen is an artist, musician, and a somewhat accidental abortion activist. Having grown up in a Mormon family in rural Washington, Erin eventually turned her back on the church and moved to the coast to pursue a career in music. A struggling artist, she resorted to sex work to make ends meet. After four abortions, Erin's roommate and dear friend urged her to open up about her experience and to her disbelief, Erin found that her story wasn't unique at all. In fact, nearly one in four women in the United States will have an abortion in her lifetime. Today, Erin is the Communications Director for Shout Your Abortion and she joins us to share her story publicly for the first time. We're talking about the emotional, mental, and physical toll of abortions, the judgement and stigma endured by any woman making this decision, and the many reasons why legislation has no place in women's reproductive health.

Matthew Nouriel is a British Iranian who from a young age, was attracted to all the things little boys in traditional homes should never be attracted to - Barbies, dresses, make up. Growing up between the UK and Los Angeles, Matthew diverged from the path that their family laid out for them and found a home among the LGBTQ+ community of West Hollywood. Soon, Matthew was able to merge their passion for stand up comedy and femininity to become The Empress Mizrahi. In this episode, Matthew relays the challenges of being a queer little boy in a traditional home and culture, the joys of drag, and why it took so long to find pronouns that felt right. 

At the young age of 16, Orna Donath knew with certainty that she would never be a mother. To Orna, this self-realization was not as extraordinary as society would want her to believe. To her, it was mundane. Just as common as choosing to become a mother. In the decades that followed she became a sociologist and author, producing thought-provoking research on women who regret motherhood along with those who chose to never have children at all. She joins us to share her own personal experience of the stigma societies place on women who choose to not mother as well as how we can begin the complex journey to untangle womanhood from motherhood.

Esther Amini is a writer, artist, and psychotherapist whose family emigrated from Mashad, Iran to New York City before she was born. Despite their newfound freedom, the life of secrecy and duplicity that they had known in Iran resulted in generations of trauma. Esther has spent a lifetime navigating these two conflicting realities - that of a conservative Jewish Iranian daughter whose only aspirations should be to marry and to mother, and that of a curious child who grew into an accomplished woman with professional accolades and a strong will. Esther reflects on her experience straddling these conflicting cultures, how the secrets have shaped her, and how she has managed to define womanhood on her own terms.

Jackson Katz is founder & president of MVP Strategies and an outspoken expert on why gender violence is a man's issue. Jackson grew up in a dysfunctional family and in college found himself studying the intersectionality of race, gender, and discrimination. Watching strong female classmates survive rape and campaign for campus safety, Jackson grew increasingly infuriated by the lack of engagement he saw from his male peers. In the decades since, Jackson has been a trusted male voice at the forefront of ending gender violence. We're talking masculinity, strength, and how he's training a new generation of leaders and bystanders to take an active role to end violence against women.

Nasreen Sheikh was born into a rural village in Nepal to a family struggling to survive. The desperation of her upbringing drove her to work in a sweatshop as a young child where she lived and worked in a 10x10 foot room alongside 5 other people. After escaping child labor, she founded Women's Local Handicraft to disrupt the manufacturing supply chain and create meaningful work and living wages for Nepali women. Despite beating the odds, Nasreen still wasn't free. As a young adult she found herself being forced into an arranged marriage which she managed to escape only by hiding on the day of the ceremony and petitioning village elders to dissolve the marriage. Nasreen joins us to reflect on the obstacles that she's faced as a young girl born into extreme poverty, and why she feels compelled to shed a light on the lives of more than 250 million individuals still trapped in modern slavery. 

Do you ever find yourself wondering who the personalities are behind these voices on Breaking Glass? This one's for you. Today we're pulling back the curtain and co-hosts Sabrina and Kassia are getting personal. We're rambling about the complexity of podcasting, the mess of motherhood, and how in the world we ended up in partnership with one another on this show. Kassia opens up about trying to raise empathetic children and her crush on old men, while Sabrina reflects on the profound impact of her gap year and her global goals for this show. Together, we vow to do a better job weaving our own stories into this global conversation about womanhood.

Sandra Pepera is a Ghanaian woman raised in Britain by parents who were deeply committed to girls' education. No stranger to the experience of being a minority in the room, Sandra is a campaigner at heart and has dedicated her life to equity and justice work. Today, she is a renowned an expert in international development, democracy, and gender equity. The Director for Gender, Women, and Democracy at the National Democratic Institute in Washington D.C., she works tirelessly to help women overcome barriers to their equal and active political participation all over the world. We're talking tokenism, quotas, politics, as well as how to engage our sons in issues of gender equity. Typically constrained by professionalism and diplomacy, we're excited to share Sandra's story completely unleashed.

Chrissy Powers was 13 years-old when her father brought home a purity ring and sat her down to talk about the importance of waiting until marriage. Purity culture was the norm in her Evangelical Church community but the burden of shame and guilt that was placed on her as a young girl led to years of eating disorders and anxiety. Now, as a licensed family and marriage counselor, and married with kids herself, she is going back to her roots to deconstruct the damaging effects of idolizing purity and attaching shame to sex, the joys of finding pleasure in her own body, and how she'll do things differently for her kids. 

In this special Father's Day episode we sit down with Sabrina's father, David Merage. A successful businessman, immigrant, and philanthropist, David reflects on his roots in a patriarchal society and the strong women whom he looked up to as a child. We discuss his duality as an Iranian Jew living in America, a successful entrepreneur whose family had meager means, and a conservative businessman with progressive social values. We press him to explain his perspective on women's rights, why he's willing to leverage his resources for policy change around early childcare, and why he believes that women should have paid maternity leave but why he's not quite comfortable calling himself a feminist.

Kristina Wilfore and Lucina Di Meco are global experts and passionate advocates for women's digital rights. With more than 800 million people using the internet as a primary source of information, these ladies are critically concerned about the number of intentional and fraudulent attacks against female politicians and journalists online. The rise of gendered disinformation to undermine women in leadership and deter women from running for political office is pervasive. Kristina and Lucina reflect on individual and social consequences of these strategic digital attacks on women, how they're working to bring public awareness with their inititiave, #ShePersisted, and why social media companies should be held accountable.

Carli Lloyd was headed into her tenth season of professional volleyball when she found out she and her long-term partner were pregnant. This deeply personal news came at a high professional cost. Carli and her partner didn't even get a chance to process this news personally before it was thrust into the public view and her contract was swiftly cancelled. Traumatic as it was, Carli's story isn't unusual. She joins us to reflect on women's rights in professional athletics and the culture shifts being seen across some sports to mandate pregnancy policies and protect maternity leave for mothers. 

Aminata Conteh-Biger grew up in a well-off family in the capital of Sierra Leone where her father prioritized education and opportunities for his six daughters. She had a happy and protected childhood until a truly devastating civil war broke out in her country resulting in the deaths of more than 50,000 individuals. She herself was kidnapped for seven months before fleeing as a refugee to Australia. Aminata's own story of survival doesn't end with the war. After rebuilding her life in Sydney, Aminata endured the traumatic birth of her first child which ignited a passion for maternal health. The founder of Aminata Maternal Foundation, Aminata has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars and changed thousands of women's lives in Sierra Leone, which has some of the worst child and maternal mortality rates in the world.

After years of working in male-dominated industries, Heide Iravani and Emily Clifford co-founded Piccolina, a lifestyle brand dedicated to empowering today's young children to become tomorrow's leaders and problem-solvers. These renegade entrepreneurs share their experiences of how becoming mothers inspired them to take the leap and launch a business that disrupts the way we think about fashion choices for our children and the messages they receive early on in life. We talk about the gender boxes we place around our children, the stereotypes and career paths that constrain them, and what we can do as parents to inspire creativity and equity in the next generation.

Ester Steinberg has been in the comedy circuit since she was 16 years-old trying to make her way on stage at the one comedy club in Tampa, Fl. The message she received? No girls allowed. She then made her way to Los Angeles before settling with her comedian husband and their son in New York. Ester brings some levity and comedic anecdotes to what it's like for a woman and a new mother in the world of stand up comedy. She's reflecting on how she's approached her career during parenthood and the pandemic, as well as both the sexism she's endured as a female comedian, and the humor she's found in the mess of motherhood.

Michela Bedard is an outspoken feminist. She has to be. As the Executive Director of Period, she is heading up a youth-led movement to end period poverty around the world. Michela doesn't shy away from hard conversation and believes that there should be no shame or stigma around the topic of menstruation. We discuss how menstruation inequity is a foundational element of gender gaps across industries and why she believes it is critical to have menstruators at every table where decisions are being made if we are ever going to achieve gender equity.

From a very young age Neysara realized that the world had something wrong about her. Born to cis-gender parents in rural India, the only transgender individuals she saw were banished to the margins of society, often selling themselves as sex workers to survive. Neysara had different aspirations. She completed college and then pursued an incredibly risky transition to live openly as a woman. She shares her harrowing story running from relatives who threatened her life, hiding under a burka for years while transitioning, and ultimately rebuilding her identity as a woman, entrepreneur, and activist. Today, Neysara lives and works in Amsterdam and leads Transgender India to provide resources, safety, and community for transgender individuals across the country. 

Carly Burson and Priti Pugalia are business partners working to disrupt generational poverty for women around the world. Carly is based in Texas and is the Founder of ethical fashion brand LAUDE the Label. Priti is the founder of Craft Boat, a recycled paper and textile manufacturing studio in Jaipur, India, deeply committed to encouraging sustainable Indian craftsmanship. Together they are disrupting fashion industry norms by working with artisans to create meaningful living wages and break cycles of poverty. They join us to talk about the origins of their companies, the deeply personal nature of this work to their families, and the ripple effect that a living wage can have on a woman's life.

Julie Adams is a Sydney-based photographer widely known for her work in Vogue, Harper's BAZAAR, Glamour, Marie Claire and others, what we're talking about today is her personal project titled This Is Me. For this personal project, Julie has photographed hundreds of women, all of whom modeled for an unretouched photograph in their swimsuit and shared some of their own reflections about body image, mental and physical struggles, and why we are all beautiful in our uniqueness. Julie reflects on how what started as a body image project targeted at young women, quickly evolved into a more sophisticated reflection of womanhood that appealed across generations. 

Meredith Fineman has never struggled to find the right words. The daughter of a journalist and granddaughter of English professors, she comes from a long lineage of wordsmiths. It comes as no surprise that Meredith has found her professional stride as a communication expert. Founder of FinePoint, a communications agency, and author of Brag Better, she has built her career teaching women and men the skill of shameless self-promotion. She shares with us how women at the top of their industries still struggle to promote themselves and how professional advancement hangs in the balance.

Sarah Dubbeldam is no stranger to the superficial scrutiny of the media industry. A model for many years, the deterioration of Sarah's mental health drove her to defy the status quo and create more authentic content for women. Darling Magazine was launched as a source of relatable and accessible storytelling on the topics women care most about, and it quickly captured headlines when it became the first publication in the United States to commit to not retouching photography. Sarah dives into that decision, shares where they draw the line as artists and creative professionals, and reflects on her own desire to move the media industry toward inclusivity and female empowerment.

Pat Mitchell has shattered nearly ever glass ceiling in the media industry. She was the first woman to lead PBS, CNN, and to produce the first national program hosted by a woman for women. She has won Emmy's, Peabody's, and been nominated for Academy Awards. But before any of this success, Pat was an unemployed single mother in New York City navigating the gender barriers that were all around her. She joins us to talk about the grit she had to claw her way into the industry, the gumption it took to walk away from stable positions to produce content that women were craving, and the sense of obligation she feels as a woman at the top to lift up other women beside her. Today Pat is singularly focused on using her influence to elevate more women's stories and to push the media industry toward greater gender equity.

Dr. Yuko Kawanishi is a sociologist based in Tokyo, who specializes in mental health, gender relations, and contemporary Japanese social issues. When in 2020, nearly 7,000 women took their own lives and the country experienced one of the highest suicide rates in the world, Dr. Kawanishi took interest. She joins us to reflect on the professional expectations, the stoic culture, and the social shame that created a perfect storm of pressure on women during the pandemic. Dr. Kawanishi breaks down the gender equity dynamics in Japan at large, and makes a compelling case for every woman to connect with the mental health services they need.

Darcy Gaechter is the first woman to kayak the Amazon River from source to sea, a tumultuous journey that lasted nearly 5 months. She has been whitewater kayaking for twenty-one years and for the past fifteen years, she has been considered one of the most accomplished expedition kayakers in the world. Darcy may not have set out to be a feminist or role model, but after hearing that women couldn't accomplish the same feats as men in the world of extreme sports, shear stubbornness and perseverance led her to tackle the toughest rivers in the world and has earned her the respect and attention of partners, sponsors, and clients, alike. Leading by example, Darcy is having a tremendous impact on the gender dynamics within the whitewater kayaking industry and is shattering stereotypes of what girls can do as extreme outdoor athletes.

This is the story of two women from different corners of the globe whose paths cross as champions of girls education in Kenya. Rebecca Crook is a former teacher from California. Debborah Odenyi grew up in rural Kenya, became a teacher, and is now an independent consultant to education organizations. They met in Nairobi where they are supporting education innovators and organizations to improve quality of-- and access to-- education for girls across the country. They join us to share their personal and professional experiences of the truly transformative impact on health, economics, and equity when more girls have access to empowering education.

Jeffery started his career in human resources and sales but pivoted when he realized that if he was not advocating for women's issues at work, then he was not shaping the world that his daughter would inherit. Since then, Jeffery has built yWomen, a consulting firm with deep expertise on creating space at the table for women in corporate America. He addresses questions of his white male privilege head on, shares how he's leveraging his position to invite more men to be better advocates for women, and reflects on how companies benefit from gender diversity across all levels. 

Carol Fishman Cohen is an expert on helping mid-career professionals - the vast majority of whom are women - relaunch their careers after extended breaks. The global pandemic and its crippling impact on the female workforce has made Carol's expertise especially valuable to women. Carol's story starts more than two decades ago when she stepped out of a successful finance career to raise her children. More than ten years later she navigated the complex path of rebuilding her career and ultimately pivoted to founding a company specifically focused on helping other women do the same. We're talking about what women can do to relaunch their careers, how to advocate for ourselves in the workplace and what we can do to resuscitate our careers after COVID.