InspireHER series

Hi everyone! I am finally back after a brief hiatus during which I completed my arangetram in classical Indian dance (bharatnatyam) with my younger sister and ran a COVID fundraiser through Ladyship and Swaravedika. Here is the link to my dance if anyone is interested and here is the link to donate to the causes of the fundraiser. I am so happy to finally be back and will be posting regularly again. In such times I hope my podcasts brings all of you powerful ladies some inspiration. In today's episode, we are joined by Colleen O'Brien, Chief Marketing Officer of M12, Microsoft’s venture fund.  She manages all channels, including web and social, for Microsoft's corporate venture fund. She specializes in digital storytelling, executive communications, and brand management rigorously grounded in business results. She eliminates marketing activity in favor of marketing impact. Be inspired by her perspectives and the work she is doing to prepare the next generation leaders! Voice your opinions in our forums at www.ladyshipinc.org. 

In today's episode, we are joined by one of our very own - Dr. Elizabeth Jewett. Jewett will be Watchung Hills Regional High School’s eighth superintendent. After assuming this role, she worked on a strategic planning process that includes three overarching goals: Create and expand programs and services that enhance the social and emotional wellness of all students within a compassionate learning community. Build and strengthen support structures that engage students in developing their individual potential, enable students to experience success in high school, and empower students to plan and prepare well for post-secondary learning. Integrate creative, innovative, and interdisciplinary learning throughout the district to empower and inspire students to succeed in a changing global community. Be inspired by her perspectives and the work she is doing to prepare the next generation leaders! Voice your opinions in our forums at www.ladyshipinc.org. 

In today's episode, we are joined by the amazing and powerful Debbie Hart. Debbie Hart is the founding President and CEO of BioNJ, the life sciences trade association of New Jersey. Ms. Hart worked alongside New Jersey’s biotechnology industry leaders to establish BioNJ in 1994 and has been working with the organization since then. She also founded Association Associates, Inc., an association management company providing efficient and cost-effective management services to trade and professional associations and societies. She has the unique ability to establish an organization’s vision, mission, values and strategies, and implement them into tangible results. Be inspired by her perspectives and the work she is doing around public policy change! Voice your opinions in our forums at www.ladyshipinc.org. 

In today's episode, we are joined by another powerful woman, Meg Jones. Meg Jones is a Senior Expert in Trade and SDGs. Having held senior roles in economic empowerment at the United Nations for over a decade, she moved into the technology space leading a team to set up an on-line learning academy teaching a no-code application development solution to build apps and DApps on blockchain. As Chief, Economic Empowerment at UN Women, Meg lead a global team with flagship programs in entrepreneurship and investment; decent work and social protection; climate-resilient agriculture; and renewable energy. Meg received the ‘Global Inspiring Women Worldwide Award’ in 2017 by Women’s International Networking; ‘Woman of the Year' in 2013 by the Organisation of Women in International Trade; and a ‘World of Difference’ award in 2012 by The International Alliance of Women for her contribution to women's economic empowerment. Meg holds a Master of International Studies and a Bachelor of Economics having studied in Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Netherlands. She speaks English, French and Japanese.  Be inspired by her global perspectives and the work she is doing to give back to the community! Voice your opinions in our forums at www.ladyshipinc.org. And hope you all had a relaxing Christmas break! Happy New Year!

In today's episode, we are joined by the very authentic and inspirational leader, Madinah Ali, President at Excelente Inc. Ms. Ali's expertise is directing organizations through change, continuous quality improvement, and team building, while developing IT and telecom strategies to improve service levels in the contact center industry. Ms. Ali has specialized international experience in the following countries: Switzerland, Australia, Brazil, United Kingdom, South Africa, China, Puerto Rico, Canada, Mexico, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Philippines and Japan, where she has provided consulting services in economic policy and global sourcing. Be inspired by her global perspectives and the work she is doing to give back to the community! Voice your opinions in our forums at www.ladyshipinc.org. And hope you all had a relaxing Thanksgiving break!

In today's episode, we are joined by the amazing Catherine Milone, President of Junior Achievement of NJ since 2004. In her role, she is charged to manage statewide operations of JA NJ that impact 86,000 students in 4200 classrooms annually. She also serves as an independent director for the KearnyBank foundation, and is one of the ten nationally selected presidents entrusted to JA USA HR Committee. She was appointed to the NJ State Employment and Training Commission (SETC) in 2016, and is Chair of their Shared Youth Vision Council. Most recently, she was elected to the Board of Trustees for NJ Business and Industry Association (NJBIA) and is Co-Chair of their Education and Workforce Development Policy Committee.Listen to how she always ends her board meetings - we all need to have that attitude. Voice your opinions in our forums at www.ladyshipinc.org. 

In today's episode, we are joined by the highly inspirational leader - Kelly Nagel, President and GM of North America, Jabra. Kelly is an industry veteran with more than 20+ years of IT Channel market experience and joined Jabra in 2016 from OKI Data and Ingram Micro where she held several senior leadership positions, developed strong insights to channel structures and strategies in the U.S. and generated hundreds of millions of dollars in annual revenue. Throughout her career she has maintained a successful track record of tackling new challenges, and co-launched the Jabra Women's Network in 2018. As President and GM for Jabra in North America, Kelly continues to drive the company's proven growth strategies. Be sure to listen carefully on how she navigated her career moving from the hotel business into tech. Voice your opinions in our forums at www.ladyshipinc.org. 

In today's episode, we are joined by the most humble and amazing UN Under Secretary General and Special Adviser on Africa, Dr. Beance Gawanas. She took the time to interview despite being so busy with preparations for UNGA 2019. Ms. Gawanas was appointed in January 2018 as Special Adviser on Africa for the United Nations after having served as Commissioner for Social Affairs at the African Union Assembly of Heads of State and Government, from 2002 to 2012. She was a Commissioner on the Public Service Commission in Namibia from 1991 to 1996, and an Ombudswoman in the Namibian Government from 1996 to 2003. She has also been a lecturer in Gender Law at the University of Namibia, Director of the Board of the Central Bank of Namibia, and involved in many non-governmental organizations including Secretary-General of the Namibian National Women's Organization and patron of Namibian Federation of Persons with Disabilities. As Chairperson of the Law Reform Commission she oversaw the passage of the Married Persons' Equality Act. The commission also did extensive work on Rape Acts and other important laws that were eventually passed after her time. I hope you all are as inspired as I was in being around her. We do have this podcast on video and will publish it on Ladyship's blog soon. After listening to her, it reaffirmed the vision that I have set for Ladyship. Follow bienceg on Twitter to see her comment about Ladyship!

In today's episode, we are joined by a veteran at the UN and hugely inspirational Aparna Mehrotra, Director, UN system Coordination Division, UN Women. UN Women is the United Nations entity dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women. Over many decades, the United Nations has made significant progress in advancing gender equality, including through landmark agreements such as the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women - CEDAW. Working for the empowerment and rights of women and girls globally, UN Women’s main roles are:  - To support inter-governmental bodies, such as the Commission on the Status of Women, in their formulation of policies, global standards and norms.  - To help Member States implement these standards, standing ready to provide suitable technical and financial support to those countries that request it, and to forge effective partnerships with civil society.  - To lead and coordinate the UN system’s work on gender equality, as well as promote accountability, including through regular monitoring of system-wide progress. Learn more at https://www.unwomen.org. Voice your opinions in our forums at www.ladyshipinc.org.

In today's episode, we are joined by the dynamic and inspirational - Lopa Banerjee, Director, Civil Society Division at UN Women. UN Women is the United Nations entity dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women. A global champion for women and girls, UN Women was established to accelerate progress on meeting their needs worldwide. UN Women supports UN Member States as they set global standards for achieving gender equality, and works with governments and civil society to design laws, policies, programmes and services needed to ensure that the standards are effectively implemented and truly benefit women and girls worldwide. Learn more at https://www.unwomen.org. Voice your opinions in our forums at www.ladyshipinc.org.   

In today's episode, we are joined by the highly inspirational - Christine Bongard, President and Founder of The WIT Network. It is a network of Women in Technology that is made of local communities across the world that connect locally to support women who work in the world of technology. They have more than 3000 members across 80 communities and 30 countries. Pay special attention to how Christine navigated her career as a co-founder in a male dominated workforce! It is amazing to see how she created a community to support and mentor women in the technology industry. You can find more information about The WIT Network at www.thewitnetwork.com. Voice your opinions in our forums at www.ladyship.org.   

This is the very first episode of our podcast for GenZ women entering the workforce in the upcoming decade! Get inspired by Michelle Siekerka, President and CEO of New Jersey Business & Industry Association, as she talks about how she navigated her career. Be sure to catch the tip around taking bite size pieces of the elephant when it is staring at you!

Currently, there are many organizations across the globe that have a mission to encourage young women to pursue the STEAM fields. These consist of grassroots movements via NGO’s, new courses introduced by educators and educational institutions to let younger women try out STEAM fields and also events and campaigns that build awareness about STEAM fields. So the good news is, by the time GenZ and beyond enters the workforce, pipeline of women in STEAM fields will not be the biggest issue.  As GenZ and beyond start entering the workforce, it is important to study the lessons learned from the current generation and apply the learnings to encourage more women to pursue leadership and entrepreneurial positions. What is needed is an equal playing field where the pipeline entering the workforce is not only diverse and inclusive but is also able to realize their fullest potential. Ladyship aspires to become a community of the next generation entrepreneurs, leaders and trailblazers – carrying forward the legacy of the fearless women who treaded this path before all this awareness was raised. As such, we will start with a monthly podcast called “InspireHER”, where successful women in various fields like business, medicine, STEAM, law, government, education etc will talk about their experiences and impart wisdom to the new generation.