In this episode, we talked with Laura Rose, a philanthropist, public speaker, youth and women’s empowerment activist, and specialist. She is the CEO of Greenheart International, the Co-founder of Purpose Earth, and a woman with a huuuuge heart. Laura shared with us a dream she had when she was only ten- a literal dream that changed her life. She needed to make a choice. At 26, she had no idea what she wanted to do next. The connection between that 10-year-old dream and the adult Laura came full circle. That is when she realized that what she loved more than anything in the world was people and connections.

Laura was interviewed by Maria Julia Vale (Maju). Maju is a young Brazilian community leader, entrepreneur, and activist.

Bio:

Co-founder and CEO of Greenheart International, Laura Rose is a passionate youth empowerment specialist who has dedicated her life to the development and support of global leaders through her work in cultural exchange, purpose work, mentoring, public speaking, and philanthropy.

In addition to her more than 30 years with Greenheart, Laura is Co-Founder of Purpose Earth a nonprofit organization dedicated to launching, funding and mentoring grassroots projects around the globe that provide creative solutions to some of our greatest challenges. 

She is also a board member of Empowerment Collective dedicated to the eradication of modern-day slavery by giving marginalized women in Nepal & India the skills they deserve to ensure self-sufficiency and dignity.  She is also a board member of She is the Universe.

An experienced public speaker, she has facilitated public speaking workshops for youth and been a panelist and keynote speaker in numerous forums.  She’s worked closely with members of the U.S. Department of State, community leaders and international representatives to further the causes of public diplomacy and mutual understanding.  And has served on executive committees of the  boards of CSIET and Alliance for Cultural Exchange in Washington/

She currently has the honor of mentoring four women change makers in Nepal, Ghana, Lebanon, and the Caribbean, and is co-recipient of the Unity Earth Keepers of the Flame Award in 2021,  the Barbara Marx Hubbard Award for Innovation with her husband, Emanuel Kuntzelman in 2015.  Earlier this year Laura was made recipient of the prestigious Heroine of Humanity Award given by the Visioneers Foundation in Vancouver.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-rose-27700312/

Meet Niti Parikh, a trailblazing designer, architect, and maker, who currently serves as Director of Learning Spaces and the MakerLAB at Cornell Tech in New York City. Niti’s belief that everyone is a maker inspired her to create and cultivate an environment where students of all ages and backgrounds can prototype and bring their ideas to life.

As a young girl growing up in India, Niti used to visit project sites with her father, who worked as an architect. During her design career, Niti has gained education, experience and skills that have translated into a variety of different jobs. 

In this episode, we learn more about Niti’s experience going door-to-door at architecture firms in downtown Chicago to find an unlikely internship, failing her first sketch class in design school, and stumbling into a maker’s space where she forged life-altering friendships in San Francisco. 

As you listen to Niti’s interview, you will learn more about the power of mentorship, collaboration, community and getting outside of your comfort zone. 

⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/npstudionyc/⁠

Nitti was interviewed by Maria Julia Vale (Maju), a young Brazilian community leader, entrepreneur, and activist. Maju works as a community manager as part of the She Is The Universe Intern Program.

In today's episode, we talked with Kristen Hinckley, a devoted Early childhood researcher and practitioner with experience in Latin America. She is passionate about working to ensure children around the globe have the opportunity to develop to their full potential.

Kristen chose to pursue a profession in service to the youngest ones. Since the beginning of her career, her interest in the Spanish language and Education moved her, so she combined her passions to build her professional path. Kristen knew she wanted an International experience instead of what her peers were following, ultimately leading her to Perú. As she shares her career story with us, she advises on the importance of networking and reaching out to people with whom you share similar career interests, sharing very practical tips on connecting and networking efficiently. For Kristen, what motivates her to continue and dedicate her work to young children's education is the belief that --Every child deserves the same chance to thrive and achieve their full potential.

Kristen is originally from the USA and lives in Perú and Switzerland.

Kristen's Interview was hosted by Maria Julia Vale (Maju): A young Brazilian community leader, entrepreneur, and activist. Maju is also part of the She Is The Universe Intern Program and works as a community manager.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristenhinckley

Bio:

Kristen Hinckley, a graduate of Dartmouth College, where she studied Spanish and International Development, worked as a Kindergarten teacher in Peru and then as an education policy researcher for the Peruvian Ministry of Education, implementing a national study on early childhood education. She recently completed her Master's in International Education Policy at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She is pursuing her doctorate in Early Childhood Development at the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute.

In today's episode, we talked with Kalpana Bhandarkar, a heart-led health care and non-profit expert from the USA. She defines herself as the type of worker who has to love her work to be good at it. She chose a career that was in service to other people, and from the start, she knew she wanted to make a contribution to those around her. When deciding on her career path, she looked for jobs where she found the most injustice. For Kalpana, those were healthcare and education.

Kalpana is a Goal-oriented coach and the Principal for Spring Bee Advisory, where she provides advisory and consulting services to health care and other non-profit organizations. Kalpana is also a board member for multiple non-profits, including She is the Universe. 

Through this interview, we learn about her fascinating journey in the health care and non-profit industries and so much more! For nearly 20 years, Kalpana has dedicated her professional career to improving access to quality health care for marginalized populations. We are so inspired by her passion to support others through everything Kalpana does. We know you will too.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kalpana-bhandarkar-7610795/

Kalpana was interviewed by Emily Elizabeth Montero. Emily is a young woman, leader, and activist from the Dominican Republic. She participated in She is the Universe's first in-person leadership retreat. She has a thirst for learning and growing, opening doors for others to do the same. Emily is part of @dominicanlearn, a youth organization to support Dominican students in accessing extracurricular activities. It is our honor to see Emily continue her growth journey with everything she does.

Bio:

Kalpana Bhandarkar is a service-oriented professional with 20 years of experience in health care administration, strategy, policy development & analysis, advocacy, and civic engagement.  

She is committed to advancing health and racial equity and undoing the harmful effects that results from structurally racist policies. 

She has worked at NYC Health + Hospitals, Maimonides Medical Center, Mount Sinai Adolescent Health Center, The Children's Defense Fund, and Manatt Health.

Kalpana holds an undergraduate degree from Tufts University, A Masters in Public Health from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and a Masters in Business Administration from Johns Hopkins Carey Business School.

Meet Paige Kalenian, an inspiring self-taught 18-year-old musician, writer, and performer from California. Through Paige’s story, we got an insight into all the moving parts of being in the music business. In our conversation, Paige’s passion for connecting with her audience, who she thinks of as family, was evident. It was a gift to witness her authenticity, humanity, connection to her intuition, care, and love for the music she brings to the world and the why behind what she does. With a grateful and open heart, Paige let us into her world, and we are so excited to share this with you.

Ivanna Polo interviewed Paige. Ivanna is part of She is the Universe’s community, the Girls Galaxy. She is an intelligent, multi-passionate, and determined young woman from Cuauhtémoc, Mexico.

This is a note from Ivanna “Paige was very open about her experiences within the music industry in a way that felt very funny and familiar to me. She showed a lot of enthusiasm and passion for both her past and upcoming projects. I think of her story as impactful and very humane because of the importance she gives to her roots and the supporters she’s had along the way.”

Bio:

Paige Kalenian is the front human of Raue, an upcoming two-piece grunge band from Santa Cruz, CA. With her focus mainly on playing guitar and singing into a microphone, Paige (18 y/o) writes and performs everything melodic in Raue's tracks. Raue has 18 songs released on major streaming platforms, such as Spotify and Apple Music, since starting the band in the summer of 2021. 

Paige is an engaging showman, always connecting with the audience. Fans immediately take note of the energy Paige and Raue's drummer, Jax, bring to the stage. With hair flying and ears ringing, their post-grunge sound is paired nostalgically with a performance rooted in punk rock; loudly immersing and elegantly melodic. 

Raue's latest single, "KARMA!!," was released through a partnership with iconic boardwear company Volcom. Together they intend to revive and renew Volcom's music/art-focused project "The World According to Volcom Entertainment." Paige, like Volcom, is dedicated to delivering raw and genuine art grounded in a DIY mindset while supporting and encouraging others to follow their chase and pursue their passions. 

@rauemusic[email protected]

https://www.youtube.com/@rauemusic

En este episodio conversamos con Itzel Rocillo, una autodidacta pionera en derecho y política espacial en América Latina. Esta conversación es una inspiración para quienes escuchamos, pero también para Itzel quien nos dijo que en ningún otro lugar tuvo la oportunidad de compartir su historia como en esta entrevista. Esta conversacion está llena de aprendizajes. Itzel trajo experiencias de alto valor a la mesa; como mujer en un país latino donde los recursos de ayuda y apoyo son escasos. Escucharemos las experiencias que marcaron su camino hasta el día de hoy, hasta convertirse en profesional del derecho aeroespacial. Ella es una gran referencia de que el camino no es lineal y que cada quien puede encontrar su propia ruta.

Itzel fue entrevistada por Sheily Sapeg de República Dominicana. Sheily es una líder en la comunidad She is the Universe y una líder en su propia vida. Le apasiona todo lo que tiene que ver con el espacio y está trabajando para convertirse en ingeniera aeroespacial.

Biografias:

Itzel Rocillo es originaria de México, donde estudió derecho en la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM). Obtuvo su título con la investigación “La generación de normas jurídicas internacionales para regular los vuelos suborbitales: un estudio del desarrollo del turismo espacial de Virgin Galactic”. También estudió innovación en el sector público y propiedad intelectual.

https://twitter.com/ItzelRocillo

Space Generation

Sheily Sapeg es bachiller técnico en mantenimiento aeronáutico aspirando a cursar una carrera universitaria de 4 años en ingeniería aeroespacial. Logró ser aceptada en la carrera de sus sueños en el 2022 pero en su país no invierten en ese tipo de educación, su meta se vio aplazada más sin embargo no ha cambiado.

Mas allá de algún día ser ingeniera aeroespacial, si tuviese que poner un título a lo que quiere ser y está tratando de ejercer sería: Activista por la Educación Aeroespacial.

@sapeg.aerospace

In this episode, we talked with Aisha Bhoori, a queer Pakistani-American writer based in Los Angeles, USA. Aisha shared her non-linear path and journey of becoming a fiction writer for TV and Hollywood movies, specifically her role as a writer for Disney Plus’ series MS. MARVEL. We discussed what previously held her back, her fears, and how she overcame her fears to share her writing. Aisha shared how she continues to overcome her fears and alchemize her emotions to keep sharing her voice. We talked about her passion for creative collaboration, the power of transforming competitiveness into community, and how representation and her culture are essential to her. Aisha was interviewed by Maria Julia Vale (Maju). Maju is a young Brazilian community leader, entrepreneur, and activist. She is also a Marvel fan, so meeting Aisha was very special to her.

Aisha Bhoori is a queer Pakistani-American writer based in Los Angeles by way of the Jersey Shore.

She has written on MS. MARVEL (Disney Plus) and THE STAIRCASE (HBO Max). Her fiction has been published or is forthcoming in Ploughshares, Nashville Review, and The Harvard Advocate.

She is a 2021 Sundance Episodic Lab Fellow and a 2022 Sundance Adobe Fellow.

A graduate of Harvard, she was a three-time recipient of the Edward Eager Memorial Fund Prize for best creative writing, the Harvard Monthly Prize for greatest literary promise, and the David McCord Prize for Unusual Creative Talent in the Arts.

https://www.aishabhoori.com

A Woman's Place (AWP) is a podcast about purpose, possibility, and personal stories. We are a series of intimate, inspiring, and eye-opening conversations between amazing teenage girls and women from around the world working across diverse professional fields, following their purpose in life. Hear from women in science, art, agriculture, technology, finance, communication, education, government, health, law, marketing, engineering, music, and much more! Explore different interests and see what it takes to pursue something that truly sparks your curiosity. Our mentors share intimate stories of overcoming fear, adversity, and self-doubt in each episode. You will leave inspired as they ultimately share how they lead their lives doing meaningful work they love.

We are here to challenge social preconceptions about "a woman’s place" in life and the professional world. We are here to break glass ceilings—all of them. We are here to show each other that a woman's place is everywhere and anywhere she wants it to be.

The AWP podcast is produced by teenage girls from the Girls Galaxy Community, and She is the Universe: a global movement for girls’ empowerment. Listen to AWP episodes on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Youtube, and anywhere you get your podcasts. Girls, let’s uncover our purpose in life together!