We are delighted to welcome Lisa Wardell, CEO & Chairwoman of Adtalem – the sole Black female CEO and Chairwoman in the S&P 400 Index. From breaking through the double glass ceiling to empowering others to do the same, Lisa relates her modest beginnings as a first-generation college student through her charge to the top. We also take a look at her impact at Adtalem, a for-profit global education company, where she has increased racial diversity on her senior leadership team by 50% over four years, all while increasing revenue and growing the business.

Setting the scene for diplomacy; what does the grand stage look like and how do we take advantage of it? Ambassador Capricia Penavic Marshall, Secretary Hillary Clinton’s Chief of Protocol, reveals all in her new book “Protocol: The Power of Diplomacy.” A second-generation American, Ambassador Marshall shares how her multicultural background prepared her for her tenure in both the Clinton and Obama Administrations facilitating the highest levels of dialogue.

The global issue of climate change will require a holistic solution. Pär Stenmark, Chief Regulatory Affairs Officer/Public Affairs Manager for IKEA Range & Supply, joins the podcast to describe how to unlock the green, circular economy. Drawing on his experience as a forester, pioneering in forest certification and also working for the Swedish government as a committee secretary, Pär relays how IKEA continues to service its global customers while remaining true to its values of democratic design for the people.

In the spirit of Mother’s Day, host Safiya Ghori-Ahmad welcomes Ambassador Melanne Verveer and Alyse Nelson to the podcast for a discussion on global women’s issues in the era of COVID-19. Alyse, CEO of Vital Voices, outlines how to support women impacted by the surge in domestic violence while under quarantine lockdowns. In turn, Ambassador Verveer extolls the strong female leadership we’ve witnessed on the world stage during this crisis.

As businesses move online and teleworking rumbles on, the pool for cyber-attacks has deepened. FireEye Mandiant’s Sandra Joyce and Charles Carmakal join guest host and McLarty Associates Senior Director Amb. Robert Blake to discuss how best to protect your business. Also, a glimpse into how North Korea trains their cyber hackers.

Harvard University Distinguished Service Professor Joseph Nye joins host Safiya Ghori-Ahmad to discuss his new book “Do morals matter? Presidents and foreign policy from FDR to Trump.” Dive into his thoughts on leadership, foreign policy, and the coronavirus.

Guest host and McLarty Associates managing partner Kellie Meiman Hock sits down with Fred Hochberg, former President of the Export-Import Bank of the United States (2009-2017). We discuss Hochberg’s new book, Trade is Not a Four-Letter Word: How Six Everyday Products Make the Case for Trade, as well as the importance of increasing public awareness and understanding of trade policy.

Guest host Amb. Jorge Guajardo sits down with James Palmer, senior editor at Foreign Policy and longtime Beijing correspondent, to discuss the spread and response to COVID-19 in China and around the world.

Guest host Fran Burwell sits down with Ambassador Stavros Lambrinidis, the European Union's Ambassador to the United States. We discuss the current challenges and future opportunities for the transatlantic relationship, from the trade war and climate change to regional security and Brexit. Plus, we hear about the ambitious geopolitical agenda of the new European Commission.

We sit down with Ambassador Jorge Guajardo and Tami Overby to discuss the potential economic and geopolitical effects of the novel coronavirus (aka COVID-19). Drawing from their experience working with East Asian governments during previous epidemics like H1N1, Jorge and Tami offer suggestions for US companies to support the people of China and show goodwill in this time of public health emergency.