The Bridge from The Aspen Institute

Can capitalism and activism work together in movements of collective action? Does morality play a key role in leadership? In this episode of The Bridge, host Peggy Clark, Vice President of the Aspen Institute and Executive Director of the Aspen Global Innovators Group, interviewed Jacqueline Novogratz, founder and CEO of Acumen, and Steph Speirs, co-founder and CEO of Solstice, on the value of moral leadership and how humility, accountability, and collective action can serve as tools to shape the future. Learn more about The Bridge podcast and other programs at https://www.aspenglobalinnovators.org/.

How has the women's movement evolved since 1919? What challenges remain in the fight for gender equality? This month marks the 100th anniversary of the 19th amendment that granted white women the right to vote in the U.S. Constitution. In this episode of The Bridge, host Peggy Clark, Vice President of the Aspen Institute and Executive Director of the Aspen Global Innovators Group, interviewed Cecile Richards, former president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Ai-Jen Poo, executive director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance, and Katherine Grainger, adjunct professor at New York University's Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, on how we can learn from the lessons of the past in order to rebuild the women's movement in a different way. Learn more about The Bridge podcast and other programs at https://www.aspenglobalinnovators.org/.

This month's episode of The Bridge features an insightful conversation between Chelsea Kline and Kate Manne on how women encounter and deal with misogyny in their daily lives. Chelsea Kline is a long time champion for women's rights and social justice and in 2018 she ran a fierce campaign for the Massachusetts State Senate, where she won 41% of the vote. Kate Manne is an associate professor at the Sage School of Philosophy at Cornell University and author of two books on the nature, function and persistence of misogyny: Down Girl: The Logic of Misogyny and Entitled: How Male Privilege Hurts Women. this month's episode, Chelsea and Kate join host Peggy Clark, Vice President of the Aspen Institute and Executive Director of the Aspen Global Innovators Group, to discuss the logic of misogyny, how misogyny affects their lives, and what they recommend to face misogyny. This month's episode was recorded live the Omega Institute's Women and Power: Gathering Our Strength conference in Rhinebeck, New York. The Bridge Podcast pairs wise women of different generations in revelatory conversations about what matters most. Download the newest episode of Season 3 of The Bridge, and tune into other Bridge episodes from Season 1 and Season 2 on your favorite podcast app. Learn more about The Bridge podcast and other programs at https://www.aspenglobalinnovators.org/.

This month's episode of The Bridge Podcast features an intergenerational conversation on the intersection of current and past thinking of feminism and gender issues. Riane Eisler, one of the first thinkers of gender issues, joins Jamia Wilson, who is leading us in revisioning the thinking behind gender issues today, in a deep conversation on redefining the feminist movement. Hosted by Peggy Clark, Vice President of the Aspen Institute and Executive Director of the Aspen Global Innovators Group, The Bridge Podcast pairs wise women of different generations in revelatory conversations about what matters most. Download the newest episode of Season 3 of The Bridge, and tune into other Bridge episodes from Season 1 and Season 2 on your favorite podcast app. Learn more about The Bridge podcast and other programs at https://www.aspenglobalinnovators.org/.This month's episode was recorded live the Omega Institute's Women and Power: Gathering Our Strength conference in Rhinebeck, New York. The Omega Institute is a nonprofit, educational organization on the forefront of holistic studies. For more than 40 years they have helped people and organizations integrate personal growth and social change. moving beyond ‘the way it is' toward ‘the way it can be'. To experience some of the wisdom Omega has to offer, check out their Omega's new podcast “Dropping In” - featuring allows you to 'drop in' on classes and intimate conversations with some of the inspiring artists, climate change provocateurs, spiritual teachers, health experts, and other thought leaders that come to Omega to share their wisdom. You can listen to “Dropping In” on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, and Spotify.   And, if you like The Bridge conversation from the Women & Power weekend, you can watch more from the conference On-Demand, at eomega.org/gatheringourstrength. 

To kick off Women's History Month and to celebrate International Women's Day, The Bridge is excited to launch Season 3 with a fierce, intergenerational conversation between Madeleine K. Albright, former U.S. Secretary of State, and her daughter Alice Albright, CEO of the Global Partnership for Education. In an intimate discussion, Madeleine and Alice discuss the barriers and opportunities they both faced in their lives, the challenges of being working moms, and their hopes for the future. Hosted by Peggy Clark, Vice President of the Aspen Institute and Executive Director of the Aspen Global Innovators Group, the Bridge podcast pairs wise women of different generations in revelatory conversations about what matters most. Download the first episode of Season 3 of The Bridge, and tune into other Bridge episodes from Season 1 and Season 2 on your favorite podcast app. Learn more about The Bridge podcast and other programs athttps://www.aspenglobalinnovators.org/.

In every field — business, politics, science, tech, and sport — women are breaking barriers in unprecedented numbers. As more women have taken up careers than at any time in our history, are women experiencing a "moment,” or have the pressures for gender equality and compensation finally achieved results? This month's episode of The Bridge is from the “Breaking Barriers: Women Defining Leadership” session at the Aspen Ideas Festival in Aspen, CO. In this session, remarkable leaders from diverse backgrounds shared their views on what it means to break barriers. This Bridge episode features host Peggy Clark's, Vice President of the Aspen Institute and Executive Director of the Aspen Global Innovators Group, conversation with Lan Yang, the co-founder and chairperson of Sun Media Group and Sun Culture Foundation. She has been known as the “Oprah of Chinese media.”  Download the final episode of Season 2 of The Bridge, recorded live from the Aspen Ideas Festival in Aspen, CO in June, to hear Lan discuss her groundbreaking leadership as a woman in the Chinese media industry. Learn more about The Bridge podcast and other programs at https://www.aspenglobalinnovators.org/.

When women mobilize, countries are transformed. In the United States, women have been the majority of voters in every national election since 1964. In 2018, women helped elect a Congress with a record-breaking 127 women members. Supermajority, a national community for women's activism and civic engagement, is using the sparks of millions of women across the country to ignite the fire of change. In this episode of The Bridge, host Peggy Clark, Vice President of the Aspen Institute and Executive Director of the Aspen Global Innovators Group, spoke with Supermajority co-founders Cecile Richards and Alicia Garza to learn more about Supermajority and the reasons behind this groundbreaking movement. Download this month's episode of The Bridge, recorded live from the Aspen Ideas Festival in Aspen, CO in June, to hear Cecile and Alicia discuss their plan to mobilize 2 million women across the country within the next 12 months. Learn more about The Bridge podcast and other programs at https://www.aspenglobalinnovators.org/, and learn more about Supermajority at https://supermajority.com/.

What is implicit bias, and how can we overcome it? How can we address our biases in a world hyperconscious of identity? In this special live episode of The Bridge, host Peggy Clark, Vice President of the Aspen Institute and Executive Director of the Aspen Global Innovators Group, sat down with Alexis McGill Johsnon and Ndidi Nwuneli to uncover why we experience implicit bias. Alexis, now the acting president and CEO of the Planned Parenthood Federation, also co-founded the Perception Institute, which uses cutting edge behavioral science to help organizations reduce discrimination linked to race and gender. Ndidi, founder of LEAP Africa, co-founder of AACE Foods, and managing partner of Sahel Capital, is a fierce entrepreneur who has experience navigating implicit bias and stereotypes in the business realm. Download this month's episode of The Bridge to hear Alexis and Ndidi talk about the implicit bias and stereotypes they have faced and the individual and collective action we can take to combat it. Learn more about The Bridge podcast and other programs at https://www.aspenglobalinnovators.org/.

Let's talk about sex! In this politically charged and technologically driven era, how we talk about sex to different generations is exceedingly important. To dive into this topic, Dr. Ruth Westheimer and Molly Fischer sat down in this Bridge episode to discuss attitudes about sex today. Dr. Ruth is an acclaimed psychosexual therapist, author, and radio host of the “Dr. Ruth Show.” Molly is senior editor at the website The Cut and a podcast host of The Cut on Tuesdays. In this episode, Dr. Ruth and Molly join host Peggy Clark, Vice President of the Aspen Institute and Executive Director of the Aspen Global Innovators Group, to offer advice and insight on how to approach topics of sex and sexual health with the next generation in this rapidly changing, technology-driven era. Learn more about The Bridge podcast and other programs at https://www.aspenglobalinnovators.org/.

In this episode, Kavita Ramdas proclaims, “We are the women of India. We are not flowers, we are the sparks that will ignite change.” Kavita is the Director of the Women's Rights Program at the Open Society Foundation, and she has made gender equity and justice her life's work. In this episode, Kavita joins host Peggy Clark, Vice President of the Aspen Institute and Executive Director of the Aspen Global Innovators Group to discuss what inspired her to become the leader that she is today, how women can reclaim their power, and the status of sexual and reproductive health and rights for women across the globe. Learn more about The Bridge podcast and other programs at https://www.aspenglobalinnovators.org/.

How can women's activists of different generations learn from each other? Is there a deep divide or are we closer than we think? Older activists bring decades of struggle and a sense of the fragility of hard-won gains, while young activists see issues through a more integrated and intersectional lens. This episode of The Bridge explores how we can learn from the past and also shape the future for women, and features a conversation between Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka and Dr. Alaa Murabit. Phumzile is the United Nations Under-Secretary General and Executive Director of UN Women. Alaa is a physician, activist, and one of the 17 Global Sustainable Development Goal Advocates appointed by the UN Secretary General. On this special live episode of The Bridge podcast, Phumzile and Alaa join host Peggy Clark, Vice President of the Aspen Institute and Executive Director of the Aspen Global Innovators Group, to share their unique perspectives on the progress the world is making in advancing equal rights for women. Learn more about The Bridge podcast and other programs at https://www.aspenglobalinnovators.org/.

How can we build a global movement of love in a time of change and hatred? Ai-jen Poo is the Director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance, Co-Director of Caring Across Generations, and Co-Founder of Supermajority. Kumi Naidoo is a human rights activist and the current Secretary-General of Amnesty International. Kumi was also the first African head of Greenpeace. On this episode, Ai-jen and Kumi join host Peggy Clark, Vice President of the Aspen Institute and Executive Director of the Aspen Global Innovators Group, to discuss the state of global movements today and how activism is an act of love. Learn more about The Bridge podcast and other programs at https://www.aspenglobalinnovators.org/.

Irin Carmon and Linda Hirshman share many things in common - one is that they both respect and have written books about Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Irin Carmon is a senior correspondent at New York Magazine and the author of the New York Times bestseller Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Linda Hirshman is a lawyer, cultural historian, and the author of Sisters in Law: How Sandra Day O'Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg Went to the Supreme Court and Changed the World. On this episode, Irin and Linda sit down to discuss how Justice Ginsburg's leadership has shaped the country and what the future looks like for women in positions of power. Learn more about The Bridge podcast and other programs at https://www.aspenglobalinnovators.org/.

Dr. Agnes Binagwaho served as the Rwandan Minister of Health for 5 years, and she is now the Vice Chancellor and co-founder of the University of Global Health Equity. Dr. Binagwaho returned to her home country just two years after the Rwandan Genocide in 1996, and since then has been a leader in fighting for better health systems in the country. In this episode, Dr. Binagwaho shares her thoughts on Rwanda's push for creating better health systems, her ideas on equity in health around the globe, and her perspective on the value of including more women in leadership roles. Learn more about The Bridge podcast and other programs at https://www.aspenglobalinnovators.org/

What happens when women lead? In 2006, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf became the 24th president of Liberia and the first democratically elected female head of state on the African continent. To kick off season two of The Bridge, President Sirleaf shares her wisdom on leadership, the challenges she faced during her presidency, and what other countries might learn from her experience as the first female president in Africa. Learn more about the Bridge podcast and other programs at https://www.aspenglobalinnovators.org/

At the 1995 Beijing World Conference on Women, Hillary Clinton famously said "Women's rights are human rights, and human rights are women's rights." Listen to two pioneering women describe where they were and what they were thinking when they heard that phrase. Ambassador Melanne Verveer, who was then Chief of Staff to Hillary Clinton, listened from backstage. She remembers the decision for Clinton to make that bold statement. Shabana Basij-Rasikh listened from Afghanistan where she, dressed as a boy, was one of few young girls able to attend school. This month on The Bridge podcast, host Peggy Clark interviews Shebana Basij-Rasikh, Afghan educator, humanitarian, and women's rights champion, and Melanne Verveer, executive director of the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security at Georgetown University, and former United States Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's Issues. Ambassador Verveer and Shabana reflect on women's rights, progress in conflict situations, and their own personal journeys. This week's recommended companion episode is “Sitting in the River: Akaya Windwood and Liz Ogbu." Find it here.

In what direction is the river flowing today for women in power and leadership? What tools do we have to break down walls and constructs of oppression: race, class, gender? If the politics of rage only get us so far, what kind of selves can we cultivate to take on these issues with levity, like a stream, towards tomorrow? Close friends Akaya Windwood, president of Rockwood Leadership, and Liz Ogbu, designer and social innovation strategist, dive in.

How does understanding our bodies, our health, and our sexual experiences push the feminist dialogue forward today? From the institute's Spotlight Health conference, The Bridge explores this question from two viewpoints: Vera Papisova, Teen Vogue's Wellness Editor, and Teresa Younger, President and CEO of Ms Foundation for Women. Hosted by Peggy Clark of The Aspen Institute.

How can storytelling, especially through film, take people to a different place? How can stories expose vulnerabilities and empower people to take action? This episode features two award winning filmmakers who have used their craft to change hearts and minds. Abigail Disney and Michèle Stephenson share their respective journeys into film, and explain where they find hope for the women's movement. Hosted by Peggy Clark of The Aspen Institute.

How can the civil rights and women's movements be mutually supportive? What does the women's movement look like today? What are its shortcomings? What makes community organization successful and sustainable? Kimberlé Crenshaw, lawyer and critical race theorist, and Mia Birdsong, family activist, community builder and Ascend Fellow, weigh in. Hosted by Peggy Clark of The Aspen Institute.

As fossil fuels, natural disasters, the role of science, and the Environmental Protection Agency fill the news, former President of Ireland Mary Robinson and Rachel Kyte, CEO of Sustainable Energy for All, discuss why climate change is at the heart of the women's movement and women's rights. Peggy Clark, vice president at The Aspen Institute and leader in the global women's movement, hosts this thought-provoking conversation.

After seeing a mass mobilization of women across the world in January, one important question arises: What does a global women's movement look like? African women's rights leaders Joy Phumaphi and Sisonke Msimang discuss what they've learned, and how they envision the future of global women's rights. This thought provoking conversation is hosted by Peggy Clark, Vice President at The Aspen Institute and leader in the global women's movement.

In this premiere episode, journalists and friends Courtney Martin and Pat Mitchell discuss what's ahead, and the rich past that can inform how we confront it: How will a new Trump administration impact the women's movement? Will the urgency around issues like reproductive justice dissolve women's generational differences? Martin wrote "The New Better Off" and co-founded the Solutions Journalism Network. Mitchell was the first woman President of PBS and advocates for women and girls. Their candid, laughter-filled conversation is with Peggy Clark, executive director of Aspen Global Health and Development at the Aspen Institute.