What We Do

In the final episode of the miniseries, Abe Arrington shares the ending to his story, at least the prison part, and tells us about what he’s up to now. Stacey, Brittany, and Abe offer their parting words and hopes for the future. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1To7EwPeUwpM1fqM2swoyUXhwVdK5CxtlQRPmHArp_b0/edit?usp=sharing

Kira takes you back to the origin of the miniseries: Stacey Putka, Executive Director of Defy Colorado. Stacey discusses her journey and Defy’s complicated path to get to where it is today. We also listen to the incarcerated men at Arkansas Valley Correctional Facility as they graduate from the Defy program after eight long months of study. 

Kira speaks with Brittany Lewis, PhD candidate at George Washington University, about the historical record behind why something like what happened to Abe Arrington could ever happen in America. https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1059&context=themis https://rachel-cargle.com/the-great-unlearn/

Kira welcomes you back to the podcast and introduces a very special story. WWD has always featured the stories of incredible women, and that’s not changing. But over the last few months, as America’s problems of systemic racial injustice shifted to the forefront of our nation’s consciousness, we decided to use the pod as a vehicle to examine the intersection between race and the criminal justice system. You’ll hear about our justice system from three very different points of view and hopefully, you’ll take away something that will help us live in a more unified nation. https://www.defycolorado.org/ 

Happy Wednesday! We are back with another episode featuring the fabulous Nina Davuluri. Nina is the cofounder of the skincare brand Aavrani which is making a major splash in the skincare and beauty industry. She is an advocate for diversity and cultural competency and STEM education. She is a phenomenal host and on camera personality, and yes, she is a former Miss America. Nina is someone that I have looked to for advice in some of my most trying times and someone I see as a soundboard to bounce ideas off of to help me figure out the crazy game of life! Before we get to the episode, a quick WWD announcement. I mentioned before that I love true crime and I love women's empowerment podcasts, well I've found a way to bring the genres together. Something really major (at least to me) is coming up at the end of November and that is the one year anniversary of WWD which I can't even believe. To celebrate that, we're bringing you this project and it is completely different from anything that WWD has ever done. So look out for that. In fact, WWD is going to take a break for a few weeks while we work on this project for you and then we will be back with regular content. In the mean time you can catch up on any episodes you might have missed and tell all your friends about the show! Now sit back and enjoy this episode with Nina Davuluri!

Hello WWD! This week I am having an amazing conversation with the one and only Laura Rutledge. A graduate of the University of Florida, you can catch Laura as the host of SEC Nation and a slew of other shows on ESPN talking college and professional football, basketball tournaments, championships, and basically anything under the sun when it comes to sports. On the podcast she tells you all about what she does, how she got there, what she's overcome, her advice for you, some of her most embarrassing moments on camera, and some of her most rewarding moments along with how she balances it all or at least how she fits it in to 24 hours a day and seven days a week. Laura is a true testament to working hard and earning your success. Ya'll are gonna love this episode!

IT IS EPISODE 30. WHAT?! Thank you so much to all of the listeners out there who have made this possible! I am so thankful for each and everyone of you and for all of the kind messages I get every week about how much you love the show. To celebrate episode 30, I could not be prouder to bring you this next episode. It took months of coordination, overcoming technology, and extensive work for the Resonate Recordings team to bring you this episode, but alas it is here and I hope you love it as much as I loved creating it. Please welcome Angel Joy Blue to the show. Months ago, Angel was nominated by one of our listeners to be on the show and finally here she is! Angel is quickly establishing herself as one of the best singers of her generation, having performed in over 35 countries in the last 6 years in venues like the Royal Opera House in London, La Scala in Milan, and The Met and Carnegie Hall in New York, along with many, many others. Currently singing the role of Musetta in The Met's production of La Boheme, the stunning opera singer with her Masters in Music in Opera Performance from UCLA is recognized all over the world for her beautiful timbre and incredible stage presence. Angel and her mother co-founded a foundation called Sylvia's Kids, a foundation that gives a scholarship award to support an inner city high school senior graduating and continuing their studies at a trade school, community college, or four year university. But beyond all of that, she is simply a wonderful human and you will feel that in every word of this interview. Enjoy! And thanks again for getting us to 30!

This week on WWD, Kira is taking a few minutes of your day to break down what successful people in the world actually do on a day to day basis as their lifestyle to set themselves up for success, what she does daily, and some of the new projects that WWD is working on. See you next week for Episode 30! What?!

Happy Wednesday! It's the best day of the week because it's What We Do Wednesday and we have a new interview for you! Last week we had a Miss USA on and this week, we thought it would be only right if we balanced that out by having on a Miss America! Please welcome none other than Mrs. Savvy Shields Wolfe to the show. Savvy was Miss America 2017 and I'm so proud to call her a Miss America Sister. Born and raised in Fayetteville Arkansas, Savvy, an art major at the University of Arkansas, spent her year as Miss America advocating for healthy life decisions with "Savvy's Choices", woking with CMN Hospitals, the USO, and much, much more. Savvy just got married and is literally living her best life with her new husband Nate. She continues to crush the social media game and is releasing some original art work soon! Today we are covering a lot, including her tips and tricks for social media, married life and planning a wedding, some of her big challenges leading up to and during Miss America, her favorite moments from the experience, mental health and dealing with our mental health in a positive way, and her hopes for the future! Please enjoy the episode!

Hello What We Doers! This week WWD welcomes Kristen Dalton Wolfe to show! Kristen is a former Miss USA who helps women step into the radiance of their true identity. Since Miss USA, Kristen has used her passion for women coupled with her degree in Psychology to launch SheisMore.com, a faith blog to spread the truth that every woman is royalty. 400,000 readers are impacted every month by the site. Kristen and her husband are based in Los Angeles and run men and women’s ministries, retreats and conferences. They speak regularly in churches, conferences, events and universities. Kristen is also a TV host with her own nationally syndicated show and you may also see her in global print and commercial campaigns. Kristen is the author of Rise Up, Princess: 60 Days To Revealing Her Royal Identity and Rise Up With God: The Guided Journal. Her next book, The Sparkle Effect is coming soon! Today on the episode, Kristen and Kira discuss Kristen's road to and after Miss USA, her life based in faith, a spirited discussion on relationships, religion, and overcoming anxiety, the joys and challenges of being a new mom, launching a book product, and much more! Please enjoy!

Hello everyone and welcome back to another episode of WWD! This week we are welcoming Kelly Hawkins to the show. Now like me and like many of us, Kelly is in the early stages of starting her very own venture called the Daily Rally. Kelly has worked for ESPN, ESPNU, CBS Sports, Fox Sports, the Jacksonville Jaguars and many others. After college she went to the PGA TOUR to serve as a reporter and producer which is how we met. Now Kelly is bringing her sports wisdom to the masses and providing fun content for guys and girls alike in a super whitty and charming way. If any of you out there want to be better sports fans or just want to know what the heck is going on out there, you have to subscribe to the daily rally. For now, Kelly is sharing some of the lessons she’s learned along the way and giving a really relatable take on being an early stage female entrepreneur. Please enjoy!

This week, WWD welcomes Divya Gugnani to the show! A serial entrepreneur and early stage startup investor, Divya is the CEO and cofounder of Wander Beauty, Divya started her career in finance and venture capital. She's also quite the home chef, having graduated from the French Culinary Institute, truly a woman of many talents. Today on the show, we're talking advice for female entrepreneurs, employment tips, how to pivot in the face of failure, Divya's journey from a "normal" career to entrepreneurship, what it's like to experience "hypergrowth" and sell a company, and just really good life advice that everybody needs. So I hope you enjoy the episode!

Hello WWD fam! We are so excited to be BACK after a much needed summer break. Hopefully everyone has had a super productive and bad ass summer and of course a ton of fun in the sun. Ok so this week, Kira is just getting reacquainted with you all and touching on some of her summer experiences. We're telling a few road warrior stories anddddd also mentioning some Miss America drama thoughts. Basically we all just need to love each other and support the 51 women competing for the title of Miss America over the next few weeks. Please take a listen, subscribe, and maybe even go nuts and leave us a comment!! As always, send in your questions, comments, compliments, etc. to info@whatwedo.live. See you next week!

This week, What We Do is a little off our normal routine because the Miss America Organization dropped some bombshell news that naturally shook our little world and made national news headlines. That's right, MAO is retiring the swimsuit competition and there are lots of feelings about that. Here to talk about those feelings and much more is Gretchen Carlson. Gretchen is a TV personality, Author, Mom, Advocate, Former Miss America, and the Chairwoman of the Miss America Organization. I put it to my instagram followers to submit questions for Gretchen on the new changes and I got some amazing questions that resulted in a great conversation. Thanks to everyone who submitted questions. We are clarifying some misconceptions, clearing up the confusion and doing a lot of explanation of what went into this decision. If you enjoy the episode or if you have any other questions please DM me @whatwedopodcast or send an email to info@whatwedo.live. Enjoy!

Bethany Coates is the CEO & Founder of BreakLine. BreakLine is an education and employment company that builds an affordable path to compelling careers. Prior to founding BreakLine, Bethany was an Assistant Dean at Stanford Graduate School of Business (GSB), where she led global and social impact education. Her work included establishing Stanford business education throughout the world, including China, Europe, India, Mexico, and South America. Bethany co-led the creation of a GSB program that provides entrepreneurship education to Post-9/11 Veterans. She also developed case studies and curricular content used by Stanford GSB today. Prior to her time at Stanford, Bethany was a consultant at McKinsey & Co. a leading global management consulting firm. She earned her BA from Princeton University, and her MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Bethany and her team are truly making a difference in the lives of Veterans. Today she is sharing about her lessons learned in entrepreneurship, building a business, success stories, finding your path, and more.

Hello listeners! It is Episode 21 and WWD is so excited to welcome Broadway Star Kelli O'Hara to the show! The Tony award winning actress from Elk City, OK has graced the stage in iconic productions like The King and I, South Pacific, Jekyll and Hyde, Nice Work If You Can Get It, and countless others. From Broadway to Opera at the Met to roles on the silver screen, Kelli has truly done it all and continues to be a force in the industry. Today, we're talking about her journey through the competitive world of show business, what it took to make it, being from a small town and moving to New York City, her most memorable roles, advice for those that want to follow in her footsteps, and much more. Listeners should also be proud that I didn't fan girl TOO hard over Kelli. Enjoy!

I recently put it to my Instagram followers to nominate people they wanted to hear on the podcast. Many many messages later, an overwhelming number of people nominated Brittney Blackerby. Having met Brittney before and after receiving so many messages about her and her story, I knew she was the clear winner. A 2015 graduate of Henderson State, Brittney is currently pursuing her Masters in Counseling while enjoying married life and being a dog mom. Brittney is a former Miss Arkansas competitor and is announcing something very exciting about her platform, "Break the Silence: Preventing Child Abuse”, on the episode. Brittney is also sharing a raw account of her experiences as a child who suffered sexual abuse at the hands of a teacher. She is a shining light and an example to all that you need not be defined by anything that you have been through. Her story is remarkable and I am so honored that she chose to share it on What We Do.  WARNING: Content may not be acceptable for all listeners. Listener discretion advised.

WWD is back with this week's exciting guest, Lauren Thompson! You can catch Lauren most mornings as a Co-Host on Golf Channel's Morning Drive where she has worked for the past 9 years. Lauren is sharing her secrets to success, how she balances having two little boys with a full career, getting up at 3:00AM every morning, what some of her most difficult TV moments have been and how she maneuvered out of them, how mentorship has played a role in her life, how she came to be a TV host, and much more! Big thanks to Lauren for making the time and sharing her wonderful insights!

This week, Kira is mixing it up from her regular interview content and releasing another episode on a topic that she finds very relevant to our lives: public speaking. At some point or another, either for your job or an event or a competition, you will be forced to speak in front of an audience of more than one person. Regardless of if you’re comfortable with that or not, tune in to the podcast for Kira’s musings on public speaking, tips and tricks, ways to build your confidence, how to manage nervousness, her pet peeves and personal struggles with nerves. Apparently American’s number 1 fear is public speaking, let’s fix that.

This week's guest is one of my dearest friends and someone that I am so honored to have in my corner. Alexa Rogers graduated with a degree in business management, a Spanish minor, and an international business certificate from Arizona State University. She later went on to be Miss Arizona 2014 where she championed her platform of fighting homelessness for at-risk youth. With over 8 years of marketing & graphic design experience, she started Social Light Design where she creates custom Snapchat Geofilters and other promotional design material, as well as social media consulting. She believes that "What we do" with social media and branding can make a large impact on the community - both locally and globally. Alexa is a true representation of making it work and taking on that side hustle like a pro. We're talking about how to start your own business, being ok with your dreams changing, her tips and tricks for social media, some advice for any Miss America hopefuls out there and much more.

This week's guest is someone that is so special to our host as a mentor and friend. Kelli Davis is the Director of Celebrity Relations for Children's Miracle Network Hospitals which means she is charge of getting the cause in front of celebrities, getting them on board to help market the cause, and she makes miracle moments happen for the kids of Children's Miracle Network Hospitals with their favorite celebrity heroes. Kelli is also the host of the Untold Miracles Podcast where she shares wonderful miracle stories and she is a motivation speaker discussing miracles, how to make them happen, and her own struggles with things like anxiety, depression, body dysmorphia and how she's overcome them. Please enjoy this emotional and inspiring episode!

It's Masters week! For all you non-golf fans, basically this is the Kentucky Derby, Super Bowl, and any other big sporting event you can think all wrapped into one tidy Azalea covered package. In the spirit of The Masters, what better than to share my interview with someone who is truly making strides in the game of golf? What We Do is pleased to welcome the one and only Suzy Whaley. Suzy is not only a golf professional in Connecticut, a former LPGA pro, and an entrepreneur, but she is the first woman to ever be elected to serve as an officer of the PGA of America. This coming November, she will be the Organization's first ever female president. The decorated golfer is also a loving wife and mother and shares her stories of what it took to overcome obstacles, how she thinks the game of golf can grow to be more inclusive, tips for anyone starting their own business, her sales pitch to you if you are a non-golfer and are thinking about getting into the game and much more. Regardless if you are a regular golfer or you've never picked up a club, Suzy talks about major life lessons that everyone can learn from. Enjoy!

Maria Klawe is a renowned computer scientist and mathematician who champions initiatives on getting more women and minorities into STEM fields. Among many positions, she previously served as the Dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Science at Princeton University and she currently serves as the first ever female President of Harvey Mudd College. Beyond her significant contributions to her areas of study and love of teaching and lecturing, the accomplished artist's main passion focuses on inspiring women to tackle their biggest academic dreams. We discuss her personal story and major challenges as a woman in her career field, her thoughts on how to get over the imposter syndrome of feeling like you are not good enough, advice to any students out there who might be struggling or feel like the challenges of an education outweigh the benefits and much more. Maria is a prime example of harnessing your talents, whatever they might be, for the greater good and making change in the world. What We Do is so honored to have her on the show.

This week Kira is taking on another subject that she’s put a lot of thought into recently as it seems to define her lifestyle: the hustle. Many of you out there live a hustle lifestyle or at least have a side hustle. If you’re always working towards that next big thing, your goals aren’t confined by societies norms and expectations, and you sometimes get overwhelmed with it all, this episode is here to remind you that you are KILLING it at life. You just need to give yourself a little credit. Tune in to listen to Kira’s hustle history and how she thinks our perspective on it all should be!

This week’s guest has been someone that I’ve looked up to since 2013 when I first started as a volunteer for Safe Horizon. If you are at all interested in non-profit management or want to learn more about the issues surrounding domestic violence and the services available, this is the interview for you. Ariel Zwang has been the CEO of Safe Horizon since 2008. Safe Horizon is the nation’s leading provider of services to victims of crime and abuse. Each year it provides support to hundreds of thousands of people who have endured domestic violence, child abuse, human trafficking, and many other forms of violence. Ariel began her career at Morgan Stanley and the Boston Consulting Group and was previously the executive director of New York Cares, which, under her leadership, became the city’s largest volunteer organization, deploying 40,000 volunteers annually. Ariel received an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BA in Applied Mathematics from Harvard College. Today we’re having a real conversation about some of the worst things people do to one another. Sometimes, we ask ourselves, “what can I do about that issue to help”? For many of us, there isn’t always a clear path. But you should be knowledgeable of what is going on around you and listen. You never know when you can make a difference in someone’s life.

This week, I’m doing something a little different and talking about the influencer culture, purchasing followers, and the negative connotation that can be associated with “Influencers”. After reading the investigative piece by the New York Times called: The Follower Factory-Everybody wants to be popular online. Some even pay for it. Inside social media’s black market, it really got my wheels turning and forced me to face some thoughts I’ve been having myself on the world of social media. This week’s episode details those thoughts. We’ll be back next week with full interview content.

It's episode 10! Can you believe it?! This week's guest is absolutely perfect to mark the occasion. What We Do is thrilled to welcome Alexandra Wilkis Wilson to the show. Alexandra is the co-founder of Gilt, Glam Squad, and Fitz Co. She is currently the CEO of Fitz Co. and also SVP of Consumer Strategy and Innovation at Allergan. The Harvard and Harvard Business school alum is a best selling author, speaker, and fierce wife and mother of two. Alexandra's vast experience in entrepreneurship, start-ups, and advising and investing in fellow female founders makes her the perfect guest for the WWD audience. If anyone out there is interested in starting your own business or is scared to take the plunge on a big dream, whatever it may be, this episode is for you. Enjoy!

This week, What We Do welcomes Ashley Mayo to the show! Ashley is the Brand Editor at Golf Digest and oversees style coverage for the magazine. She currently lives in Manhattan, where she has miraculously managed to maintain a 3 handicap. Ashley played Golf for UVA and then found her way through making it at a publication in a time when they were going under by focusing on growing Golf Digest's social media presence. We discuss her love of writing, how to keep going in the face of haters, why she thinks more women should get into golf, some of her favorite career moments (like playing a round of golf with snoop dog!) and more!

We are so excited to welcome award-winning veteran journalist Sarah Wallace to What We Do! Sarah is a member of NBC 4 New York’s investigative unit, the I-Team. Sarah cemented her reputation as one of the city’s best reporters by securing exclusive interviews, including a one-on-one prison interview with child killer Joel Steinberg and an interview with Julio Acevedo, the Brooklyn man now convicted in the hit-and-run death of a couple in Williamsburg. Through an intermediary, she helped negotiate Acevedo’s peaceful surrender to the NYPD after he fled the state. Among her many accomplishments in journalism are a George Foster Peabody Award, two Edward R. Murrow Awards and 17 Emmy Awards. Sarah began her broadcast career in radio in San Francisco, California, working as a news assistant at KNBR while attending college at the University of California, Berkeley. After earning a BA in Communications and Public Policy, she jumped right into television news, hired as an anchor/reporter at KMJ-TV in Fresno. Sarah then moved to KCRA-TV in Sacramento as an anchor/reporter before taking a job as a weeknight anchor at KTTV in Los Angeles. She moved on to KCST-TV in San Diego as an anchor/reporter before being hired as a consumer/investigative reporter at WABC-TV in New York. She anchored the weekend newscasts for six years before joining the station's investigative unit in 1998 where she worked until 2015 before joining NBC 4 New York. Kira and Sarah discuss making it as a reporter, what makes a good reporter and journalist, the climate of the news industry today, the challenges and struggles she's faced, her most triumphant moments, the work ethic her job requires, some incredible stories, and much more. Enjoy!

What We Do is excited to welcome Megan LaMothe, CEO of Foray Golf to the show! As a former Victoria's Secret Executive and an avid golfer, Megan discovered a major hole in the market for women's wear in golf. She decided to jump off the proverbial cliff and create her own brand which grounds itself in the fit of a woman's body and limited release collections. But it wasn't easy to get there! Tune in to Megan's incredible story of perseverance, navigating the corporate world, business school, branding, breaking into fashion, behind the scenes of Victoria's Secret, being a mom, and much more. If you'd like to learn more about the brand, visit foraygolf.com or follow them @foraygolfusa on instagram!

This week, Kira is joined by Sage Steele. You can see Sage Monday-Thursday mornings as the lead anchor of SportsCenter on ESPN. Sage shares her story of coming up in the sportscasting business, managing a family life with the challenges of working in entertainment, some of her fondest memories through the years and some of her biggest challenges. She gives her advice to anyone who dreams of following in her footsteps and talks accepting failure and celebrating success. Thank you so much to Sage for being a guest on What We Do! Enjoy! Edited and mixed by ResonateRecordings.com

This week, Kira is joined by television host, style and beauty expert, former Radio City Rockette, and all around force for good, Emily Loftiss! Tune in to hear Emily's, raw, real, relatable, and HILARIOUS musings on life, beauty tips, and being fabulous. We discuss changing your dreams, love, loss, leopard print, putting out positive thoughts into the universe, how you can be a little more glam and confident in your every day life and much more! You can follow Emily @emilyloftiss on all social channels and tune in to her Everyday Glam Facebook Live show every Tuesday on the Emily Loftiss Facebook page at 9pmET. Edited and mixed by ResonateRecordings.com

This week, Kira wishes everyone a Happy Holiday season, shares her thoughts on the end of 2017, and teases what you can look forward to from the podcast in 2018! Edited and mixed by ResonateRecordings.com

In Episode 3 of the What We Do Podcast, Kira sits down with Jenni Pulos of "Flipping Out" on Bravo. Actress, comedian, rapper, wife and mother of two, Jenni shares her thoughts on failing your way to the successes of your life, trusting life's journey, bullying, IVF, sexual assault in Hollywood, mentorship, religion, and much more! Edited and mixed by ResonateRecordings.com

Episode 2 of the What We Do Podcast features our very first guest! We are thrilled to welcome Megan Alexander. Megan is a national news correspondent, author, speaker and actress. She can be seen every evening as a correspondent on the longest-running, top rated syndicated national news magazine television show INSIDE EDITION. You can find her book, Faith in the Spotlight, on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/dp/1501143069/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_YMIjAbPYR25ZG On today’s episode, Megan and Kira discuss facing rejection, finding your seat at the table, staying true to yourself, taking your place in success no matter your beliefs or where you come from, and much more! Make sure to tune in and subscribe! Edited and mixed by ResonateRecordings.com

In Episode 1 of the What We Do Podcast, host Kira Kazantsev welcomes you to What We Do, gives you some insight into her life before, during, and after being Miss America, the road to launching the podcast, what you can look forward to from What We Do and much more. Edited and mixed by ResonateRecordings.com

"It isn't what we say or think that defines us, but WHAT WE DO". -Jane Austen The What We Do podcast is all about sharing stories of strong female leaders from entrepreneurs to agents of social change to tv personalities to hometown heroes making a difference in their community and beyond. Just like Jane says, it's what we do. So let's inspire women to be more, dream more, and DO more, together. Coming Tuesday, November 28th!