A Woman’s Place

In this episode of A Woman’s Place, we sit down with Anne LeBaron, CEO of Take Stock in Children of Manatee County, to explore how mentorship, education, and opportunity can transform the lives of young women and underserved students.

Resources: Take Stock in Children Website

If media has the power to shape our worldview, whose version are we getting?

In Part 1 of this series, we explore how media, from films and podcasts to books and advertising, quietly shape our ideas about power, authority, and whose voices hold value.

The reality? Men still dominate the narratives, both on-screen and behind the scenes, framing male perspectives as the default and setting the tone for what we see as credible, influential, and true.

But that’s only one version of the world, not the full picture.

This episode is a call to pause and question what you’re consuming. Get curious. Ask who’s creating what you watch, read, and listen to, and whose perspective might be missing. Because media doesn’t just reflect our world, it decides who gets to define it.

Resources: Gender and media - GSDRC, Gender Bias in Advertising: Research, Trends and New Visual Language, Online images may be turning back the clock on gender bias, research finds - Haas News, USC Annenberg releases a new study exploring the gender and race/ethnicity of hosts and guests of popular podcasts, Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, Half the world, only a quarter of the news: Women appear or are heard in just 26 per cent of all broadcast, radio and print clips, Get the Facts About Women in the Arts | NMWA, Revolutionary Art: Gender and Racial Inequality in the Art World, The Surprising Source Of Gender Bias In Theater : NPR, Through Women's Eyes

This episode explores how gender sits at the center of a cultural moment where identity, power, and politics are deeply intertwined. Why are traditional gender roles resurfacing? Why is there such intense backlash? And how did something so personal become such a powerful political tool?

As conversations about gender grow louder, more polarized, and increasingly weaponized, we ask a deeper question: who wrote the rules and do they still serve us?

From patriarchy and power structures to LGBTQ+ identity, reproductive rights, and resistance to social change, this episode unpacks the roles we’ve inherited and what happens when we begin to challenge and rewrite them.

Resources: Autocracy and patriarchy are surging worldwide—but women are pushing back | Harvard Kennedy School, Gender Ideology, the Far Right, and LGBTQ Politics | PS: Political Science & Politics | Cambridge Core, America's 'Marriage Material' Shortage

In Part Two, Jeff Hartman, an 8-year military veteran and longtime high school teacher, shares his perspective on being a stay-at-home dad in the United States and navigating a traditionally female-dominated space. He reflects on the praise and criticism his family has faced, the expectations placed on mothers, and the realities of building community among stay-at-home moms. The conversation also explores the social isolation of full-time caregiving and the economic realities that are reshaping modern parenting roles.

We spend a lot of time talking about how the world works, or doesn’t work, for women. But none of us exist in isolation. In this two-part conversation, we turn our focus to men: what’s working, what isn’t, and how we can better support one another moving forward.

For Part 2, we continue the conversation with Dr. Phil Wagner, Professor of Organizational Behavior at the Raymond A. Mason School of Business at William & Mary. Along with being an award-winning educator, Dr. Phil brings a thoughtful perspective on men, masculinity, and the ways gender socialization shapes all of us. What makes his insights especially valuable is the empathy, optimism, and curiosity he brings to conversations about the future of gender relationships.

In this second installment, we dive deeper into changing roles, cancel culture, the “four-legged stool” of traditional masculinity, fatherhood and caregiving, the impact of AI, and what healthier collaboration between men and women could look like.

Resources: The Radical Candor book — Kim Scott's #1 bestseller that's reshaping modern management, State of American Men 2025 | Equimundo, Supercommunicators By Charles Duhigg: The Power of Connection

Quick—when you hear “eating disorder,” who do you picture? What kind of person?

If you're like most people, you picture a young white woman. And yes, by some estimates, 85–90% of those with diagnosed eating disorders are women. Hmmm… any ideas why that is? Women’s sense of control and agency, for one. The socialized importance of appearance (thinness!) for women, for another. But there’s more.

The triggers for eating disorders are often rooted in trauma. But clearly not everyone with trauma develops—or maintains—an eating disorder. And as our guest points out, what sustains and perpetuates an eating disorder is often very different from what started it. PLUS, there is an entire category of “disordered eating”—phenomenally common, yet not clinically diagnosed.

Dr. Zoe Ross-Nash is a licensed clinical psychologist who specializes in eating disorders—and the perfect person to dig into this topic with us. Learn about the most current thinking on eating disorder causes and treatments, why it is a women’s issue—but not only a women’s issue—how GLP-1s fit into the picture, and more.

Chances are high that either you or someone you know struggles with disordered eating. But have you talked about it? Probably not. Why the secrecy and stigma? Join us as we work to bring this common issue out of the shadows and into the light.

Resources: Dr. Zoe Ross-Nash, 2026 Through Women's Eyes International Film Festival: Reel Equals, Discover 10+ Trusted Eating Disorder Resources for Recovery & Education

What does political leadership look like when women have a real seat at the table? In this episode, we explore why women’s representation in political leadership matters—right now. From the current state of women in office in the United States to how we compare with other countries around the world, this conversation looks at both the progress made and the gaps that remain.

Resources: Facts and figures: Women’s leadership and political participation | UN Women – Headquarters, Women account for 28% of lawmakers in the 119th Congress – unchanged from the last Congress | Pew Research Center, #GetOutTheBias: Let’s push back against gender bias in elections, Women’s Power Index | Council on Foreign Relations, Center for American Women in Politics, Running Start, She Should Run

We talk a lot about how the world is working - or not working - for women. But we sure as hell don't live in a silo! This two-part conversation is all about men: what's working, what's not, and how we can work together better. 

We are joined by Dr Phil Wagner, professor of Organizational Behavior at the Raymond A, Mason School of Business, William and Mary. In addition to being a dedicated and award-winning teacher, Dr Phil is an astute observer of men and how gender socialization affects us all. And, my favorite, he brings an empathetic, optimistic, and forward-looking lens to the future of gender relations.

You won't want to miss this two-part conversation about changing roles, cancel culture, the four-legged stool of traditional masculinity, caring for children, AI, and so much more.

Resources: State of American Men 2025 | Equimundo, The Radical Candor book — Kim Scott's #1 bestseller that's reshaping modern management, Supercommunicators By Charles Duhigg: The Power of Connection