“The link for us with (the WHO) is about universal health coverage and the sustainable development goal number three, which obviously the WHO places in the middle of the wheel of all the sustainable development goals. But on top and behind and with each other is climate action. We cannot have one without the other. And our role is to remind a lot of people that when they're making policies, they're talking about human beings.”  Emma O’Brien on Electric Ladies Podcast

Climate change has a real impact on public health, from asthma and other respiratory illnesses due to CO2 and pollutants, to biodiversity-related risks like viruses, to heart disease, malnutrition and injuries and deaths from extreme weather events and extreme heat. Not to mention the stresses of displacement and trauma of these events.

Listen to Emma O’Brien, Ph.D., the founder of the Global Scrub Choir and Head of Music Therapy at the Royal Melbourne Hospital talk about music + public health + climate change in this truly inspiring interview on Electric Ladies podcast with host Joan Michelson.  

You’ll hear:

• The impact of music on the brain – and the impact of creativity on health.
• The connection between the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Global Scrub Choir and the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals – and why the Choir was at the UN’s Climate Week 2023.
• Risks to public health from climate change
• Plus, insightful career advice ….

“if you're within a system, I think you need to spend a lot of time understanding that system, but also,  never being afraid to question it.… not be afraid to ask questions. Because I found across my career that often I'll ask a question in a meeting and everyone will go, oh, thank goodness someone asked that question.” Emma O’Brien on Electric Ladies podcast

You’ll also want to listen to:

• Sandra Bargman & Chantal Bilodeau, about their Climate Cabaret
• Jill Tidman, Executive Director of The Redford Center, on how we talk about the climate and documentaries
• Daniella Ortega, writer and director of “Carbon: The Unauthorized Biography.”
• Deborah Rutter, President of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on managing creative people and the Reach center’s sustainability features. (Note: This was recorded under the previous name of the show, Green Connections Radio.)

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“Corporate America has a very important role to play in this transition. They have the resources, they have the talent, and they are being nudged by their customers, their employees, even their suppliers, their investors, and obviously regulators to do this work. They know it's the right thing to do…Just as a quick thing to think about is it used to be that the people who were in sustainability were kind of on the sidelines…Now their talent is being tapped into the C-suite because it's like, wait a minute, we don't have a choice. We have to do this. And now we have the regulators and we have the SEC. And so that talent is actually has a more center stage.” Joan Michelson on “Doing Sustainability” podcast

How do we “do” sustainability? What role does the Corporate sector play in this fight against global warming? Where do the resources and strategies to do it come from?

Listen to Electric Ladies Podcast host Joan Michelson as a guest on “Doing Sustainability” with host Gary Baker, a branding expert also focused on the sustainability space. It was fun for Joan to be interviewed for a change, so have a listen and let us know what you think.

You’ll hear:

• Integrating sustainability into business strategy
• How to embrace the demand for transparency and accountability to build trust with the markets
• The magic of partnerships, internal ones and external ones
• Figuring out how your business can leverage the ESG economy to achieve its own goals.
• Plus, insightful career advice ….

“When I'm doing coaching with people for their own careers, it's about what parts of you do you want to give a voice to? And a company is the same thing. In branding it's a personality, right? And so it's what do you want to put forward first? …And what parts of that portfolio of what you do are most relevant today? What's the intersection between what you do well, where the marketplace is and the message you really want to get across? And it's in that Venn diagram is where the magic is.” Joan Michelson on “Doing Sustainability”

You’ll also want to listen to:

• Katie McGinty, Chief Sustainability Officer of Johnson Controls on the vital role of buildings in combatting climate change.
• Evelyne Saelens, ESG Advisory Lead at UL Solutions on “mobilize, measure and manage” ESG initiatives and outcomes.
• Mary Morrissey, famed author and coach, on the power of “Brave Thinking” and what it really is.
• Heather Grady, Vice President of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, on leveraging philanthropy to drive results.
• Heather Boushey, Member of the National Council of Economic Advisors in the White House and Chief Economist of the Invest in America Cabinet

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“The march that we have seen in businesses taking on climate commitments has been one of those forcing functions to bring the data related to buildings front and center (because buildings account for 40% of greenhouse gas emissions) ….There is a whole heck of a lot of inefficiency to cut out of those buildings. And so, as we think of the enormity of the climate challenge, buildings are that rare space that actually taking action cash flows is accretive to your bottom line because you're cutting out a whole lot of waste that otherwise there's just a burden on your bottom line.”  Katie McGinty on Electric Ladies Podcast

Buildings are 40% of greenhouse gas emissions, so they are paramount to addressing the climate challenge. But how? It’s complicated. Buildings are complex ecosystems with tons of regulations to meet because of how central they are to our well-being and safety.

Listen to Katie McGinty, Chief Sustainability Officer of Johnson Controls in this fascinating conversation with Electric Ladies podcast host Joan Michelson.  Johnson Controls has played a central role managing our workplace environments for over 140 years.

You’ll hear:

• The impact of covid on buildings and how that has affected carbon management programs.
• How buildings are managed and equipped to improve their performance and reduce costs, including by integrating various systems that were previously isolated.
• How the centrality of the workplace in retaining top talent has affected building infrastructures as much as climate commitments have.
• The impact of the Infrastructure Investment Act and Inflation Reduction Act
• Plus, insightful career advice ….

“At the end of the day, what matters is relationships. And if you have a choice to produce a good, even if not immaculate PowerPoint or presentation, whatever it is…take a risk of walking it around to a couple of people and say, ‘I'd really love your feedback on this.’ Take the time and maybe get out of your comfort zone to build those relationships. The other thing (is)… amplify… Make it a point of saying, ‘Sue just said X, Sue, I actually thought that was pretty interesting. Could you say a few more words about that?’… I think we can help our colleagues come into the game if we reinforce the foot they have put forward and we open the door for them to be able to express themselves more fully.” Katie McGinty on Electric Ladies podcast

You’ll also want to listen to:

• Lauren Salz, CEO of Sealed, on how heat pumps reduce energy costs and emissions of buildings.
• Pamela Conrad, CEO of Climate Positive Designs, landscape architect and professor at Harvard
• Sarah Golden, VP of Energy at Greenbiz, on geothermal energy as clean, renewable power.
• Heather Boushey, Member of the National Council of Economic Advisors in the White House and Chief Economist of the Invest in America Cabinet
• Elizabeth Thompson, VP of the U.S. Green Building Council on whether “green” buildings are safe. (Note: This was recorded under the previous name of the show, Green Connections Radio.)

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“We start to look at the advantages of the technology, and we start to really focus in on where can we go forward? What are the things we're doing and how do we get there collectively so that it is the industry, and the infrastructure side actually coming together and making those choices and implementing these safety features or implementing these (technologies)… There's no one right solution…It's collaboration and it will always have to be.” Michele Mueller on Electric Ladies Podcast

There’s a reason automakers are calling themselves “mobility” companies today, not just automakers. It’s because technology is such a dominant piece of the vehicle and transportation sector writ large. How do these technologies change our daily routines?

Listen to this fascinating interview on Electric Ladies Podcast with Michele Mueller, Manager of Connected, Automated and Electrification at the Michigan Department of Transportation, in the heart of the auto sector.

You’ll hear:

• How new technologies are transforming vehicles, not just electrifying them, and turning them into more than transportation.
• How the Michigan DOT is staying in touch with communities across the state, to ensure they meet their needs, including underserved populations.
• How the Michigan DOT is collaborating with the auto industry, including automakers, suppliers, entrepreneurs and regulators to balance all interests but putting the traveling public first.
• How the Michigan DOT is innovating and testing new technologies, including updating their infrastructure with the new federal funding (Infrastructure Investment Act, Inflation Reduction Act)
• Plus, insightful career advice

“One is, I would say do something you enjoy doing. Find your passion. I found my passion and even on a bad day, it's a good day, right? I get up in the morning, I get excited to do and to achieve what I've set forward. I think the other thing is, don't expect to change the world tomorrow, right? It takes time. It's taken me a very long time. It still takes me every day to look at things. Things aren't going to change overnight, and some things may require a little more energy and a little more pushing and challenging of yourself and others to actually get to achieve that.”

Michele Mueller on Electric Ladies podcast

You’ll also want to listen to: (some might be recorded under our previous name, Green Connections Radio)

• Tiya Gordon, Cofounder and COO, itsElectric urban EV charging systems
• Linda Zhang, Chief Engineer, Ford F160 Lightning EV
• Suzy Deering, Chief Marketing Officer of Ford – on bringing change to a legacy industry as an outsider.
• Genevieve Cullen, President, Electric Drive Transportation Assn. – on financial benefits for buying EVs in the new legislation, and EVs coming to market soon
• Kristen Siemen, Chief Sustainability Officer of General Motors
• Neha Palmer, Founder/CEO of TeraWatt Infrastructure on charging for EV trucks

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Mobilize, Measure, Manage ESG – Evelyn Saelens, ESG Advisory at UL Solutions

“These climate events, they're impacting our everyday lives. They're making the world unsafe…Sometimes it might feel that it's hard to get to solid, tangible information. It's hard to know that what you're doing is meaningful, that it really has an impact. So the, what made it extremely interesting at being able to develop these ESG programs at UL Solutions is that the science and the standards driven angle always flows through what we aim to do.”

 Evelyne Saelens on Electric Ladies Podcast

While global elites meet in Davos this week, many of them are wrestling with how to respond to the “new” 21st century economy that requires focusing on their organization’s impact on the planet and people, as well as its ability to generate excellent profits. And now, they need to disclose it all in a range of new reporting requirements. How?

Listen to Evelyne Saelens, ESG Advisory at UL Solutions, part of the 100+ year-old scientific standards company discuss what they are measuring these days to help private and public entities manage and report their climate impact in this fascinating conversation with Electric Ladies podcast host Joan Michelson.  

You’ll hear:

• The three main challenges she says organizations face: mobilize, measure, and manage.
• How they decide what exactly is best to measure and how to manage it.
• Why and how companies are integrating ESG into their core business strategies.
• Keys to measuring carbon in one’s operations
• Plus, insightful career advice ….

“Try to be proactive. Get out there, find those people that you are comfortable with putting yourself first, being proactive, maybe even a little aggressive. Why not? We can be aggressive if we know what we want. Let's do it. So that is the advice that I would give is, is to not sit back, get out there and, do that with people around you that are supportive, that you feel comfortable with doing that.”

Evelyne Saelens on Electric Ladies podcast

You’ll also want to listen to:

• Helle Bank Jorgensen, Founder/CEO of Competent Boards, training boards on ESG issues
• Karen Alonardo, VP of ESG at Navex, software systems
• Suzanne DiBianca, EVP Corporate Relations and Chief Impact Officer, Salesforce, on their Net Zero ESG systems
• Natalie Jaresko, former finance minister of Ukraine – on the hidden power of ESG

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What Is 'Brave Thinking'? - Mary Morrissey, Renowned Speaker & Advisor, Author of "Brave Thinking: The Art and Science Of Creating A Life You Love"

”Brave thinkers on the other hand, developed the courage to think and live from a vision…They're not going to let circumstances win. They don't deny the circumstances or situations, but they don't let them win. And they're pulling from something that's greater than the circumstance, situation, or condition. And there's a way to hold our thinking and mind when circumstances can seem so daunting, so difficult. So, impenetrable. Brave thinkers summon the courage to think and live from a vision, regardless of the circumstances, situations, and conditions.” Mary Morrissey on Electric Ladies Podcast

In this new year, we need all the “brave thinking” we can get – to accelerate the innovating and implementation of the ground-breaking technologies and services we need to both mitigate climate change and to improve our lives, have thriving businesses and create and serve in fulfilling careers.

For what “brave thinking “ means and how to do it, listen to this inspiring discussion between Electric Ladies Podcast host Joan Michelson and renowned speaker, advisor and author, Mary Morrissey, who literally wrote the book about it. She has addressed the United Nations repeatedly, collaborated with the Dalai Lama, and advised leaders across the world. She’s also the author of the best-selling book, “Brave Thinking: The Art and Science Of Creating A Life You Love,” as well as others. 

You’ll hear:

• What “brave thinking” is and is not.
• What transformation is and means and how to do it.
• How to get insights from what we feel as “struggle”
• How to lead with “brave thinking”
• Plus, insightful career advice, such as…

“Start with a vision…Fast forward in your mind, It’s three years from now or five years from now, and it all worked out. If it all worked out, what kind of income would you really be making that you would love? What, what difference are you making? What impact are you bringing? How many hours a week are you working?.. So you design a work life that answers what would I love? What would I bring? What would I create? What would I earn? What is my time off like? And get a really clear picture of that.”

Mary Morrissey on Electric Ladies Podcast

Read Joan’s Forbes articles here too.

You’ll also like (some may have been recorded under our previous name, Green Connections Radio):

• Career Collage Episode 5: Lucy Hargreaves, Pamela Conrad, Jessica Filante-Farrington, Sarah Golden, Rose-May Lucotte
• Climate Philanthropy, Heather Grady, Vice President, Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors
• Changing Your Leadership Style, Maggie Bieniaszewska, Auto Sector Entrepreneur in Poland
• Career Collage Episode 4: Jean Case, Melissa Lott, Heather Boushey, Daniella Ortega, Jill Tidman
• Michele Wucker, author of “You Are What You Risk: The New Art & Science to Navigating an Uncertain World.”

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“Really think about why are you doing what you're doing, what motivates you?…(and) be extremely opportunistic and don't be afraid to take risks….(M)ost of my opportunities that I've had have come from me putting my hand up, taking a chance, doing something that feels scary and terrifying, but that is aligned to my core goal and mission of working on climate and sustainability.” Lucy Hargreaves on Electric Ladies Podcast

To kick off 2024, here is powerful career advice for women who want to make a difference and make money and excel in their career. My talented guests and I give career advice in every episode of Electric Ladies Podcast (400+!) and listeners asked us to air collages of some of that advice now and then.

This episode includes advice from these five extraordinary women from government, the arts, science and business, using their unique talents to drive a clean, green economy in which women have economic parity (the Electric Ladies Podcast mission).

This episode brings you advice from:

·       Jessica Filante-Farrington, Director of Global Sustainability at AT&T

·       Rose-May Lucotte, CEO and Cofounder of ChangeNow Summit, massive climate summit in Paris, France

·       Sarah Golden, Vice President of Energy at Greenbiz, climate-focused media and events company

·       Lucy Hargreaves, Head of Climate Policy at Patch, carbon markets platform

·       Pamela Conrad, Landscape Architect, Founder and Executive Director of Climate Positive Design

Read Joan’s Forbes articles here too – which also include career advice, as well as ways to stay abreast of the clean, green economy.

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“Philanthropy generally, we consider, contributing private money for public good or community good. And climate philanthropy is simply, when we are making those private contributions in ways that are going to address the climate crisis that our country and that the world is facing today. I would expand that slightly by saying that one of the trends that I'm seeing is a real interlinking of climate and nature problems and climate and nature solutions.”

 Heather Grady on Electric Ladies Podcast

Philanthropy is being reinvented today, including what is now called “climate philanthropy.” It’s in part about considering the solutions nature can provide to the climate crisis, instead of just relying on new technologies.  They each have a singular purpose as well as a role in the bigger vision, and require accountability  

Listen to Heather Grady, Vice President and Practice Lead for Environment and Climate at Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, explain how they are leveraging philanthropy to help avert climate catastrophes in this fascinating conversation with Electric Ladies podcast host Joan Michelson.  

You’ll hear:

• What climate philanthropy is and how it works – and how they view “risk.”
• How they are leveraging the new federal funding, including the Inflation Reduction Act.
• What they think of the oil companies, ESG (environment, social, governance) and other hot topics.
• Which areas Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors focuses on and why
• Plus, insightful career advice ….

“When women are clear that they do want to make a difference, that they want a job with purpose, that's a good thing to put in your cover letter and express on your cv. There are people who haven't worked on mission-driven organizations or companies yet. But if you've spent time, say, doing a lot of volunteer work in your community, whether it's climate or children's rights or whatever it may be, make sure that you're emphasizing that when you're applying for positions. We are really looking in my organization, and I see this increasingly, people are looking for new employees who are values-aligned and values aware.”

Heather Grady on Electric Ladies podcast

You’ll also want to listen to:

• Justin Winter, Cofounder, One Earth, on “philanthro-activism”.
• Zainab Salbi, Cofounder of Daughters for Earth, one of the partners in One Earth – and Founder of Women to Women International and its former CEO
• Rosemary Atieno, Women Climate Centers International – on how they are helping women in rural Kenya grow their economies and address climate change at the same time.
• Natalie Jaresko, former finance minister of Ukraine – on the hidden power of ESG

·       Sandrine Dixson, Co-president of the Club of Rome (global leaders) – on the need for a new economic model that puts people and planet ahead of profit.

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“The theme across all of this, this clean energy transition, it is private sector led, but government enabled. So, we as a government are trying to enable the private sector to move faster so we can meet our very ambitious goal, which includes a 50% reduction from 2005 levels of greenhouse gas pollution by 2030… There's a lot of clean energy technologies that are underpinning all of this and, includes things like, clean hydrogen, advanced nuclear, virtual power plants, carbon capture and sequestration and so forth.”  Vanessa Chan on Electric Ladies Podcast

While leaders across countries and sectors meet in Dubai this week for the UN climate conference known as COP28, engineers, scientists and business leaders across the country are transforming our energy system to be zero carbon emissions. They are powered in part by the billions of dollars in federal funding and incentives from the Inflation Reduction Act, the Infrastructure Investment Act and the CHIPS & Science Act.

Where’s that money going? Listen to Vanessa Chan, Ph.D., Chief Commercialization Officer and Director of the Office of Technology Transfer at the U.S. Dept. of Energy, explain it in this fascinating discussion with Electric Ladies host Joan Michelson. 

You’ll hear about:

• The cool technologies transforming our energy system – and how innovating it works
• How they are spending the billions in the Inflation Reduction Act, the Infrastructure Investment Act and the CHIPS and Science Act
• How you can track their investments and progress
• What it means for how you power your home, business or school
• Plus, insightful career advice, including what she learned by working in distinctly different jobs – corporate, academia, as an entrepreneur, and now in government:

“Always live below your means. I cannot say that enough. You know, my late husband and I, we, shared a house where the four of us, including two kids, shared a bathroom. And this was when I was a McKinsey partner, and he was in a senior executive…which meant that we could bank all our money, which gave us huge financial flexibility going forward, which means you can take more risks, right?... I think second is, really be willing to follow a north star that matters to you and no one else. And so, my North Star has always been, am I interested in what am I doing and am I learning?” Vanessa Chan on Electric Ladies Podcast

Read Joan’s Forbes articles here too.

You'll also like:

• Melissa Lott, Ph.D., Director of Research at the Center on Global Energy Policy, Columbia University – on what it will take to get to carbon zero.
• Lauren Salz, CEO & Cofounder, Sealed, heat pumps company  - on how heat pumps work, and how you can leverage the new federal funding to get one inexpensively.
• Halla Hrund Logadottir, Director-General, Iceland’s National Energy Authority, on how the country has become 85% renewable energy.
• Meredyth Crichton, Ph.D., Clemson University Energy Innovation Unit  - on wind power
• Jennifer Gerbi, Ph.D., Deputy Director and Acting Director, ARPA-E, the innovation arm of the Department of Energy

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“For me, the key to my career was being clear on what my mission is….I feel so enormously fortunate that I found a president to be able to work for who shares that goal….So I think the lesson in that is either be the leader that you want to believe in, or find that leader and attach yourself to them and see what amazing things you can do together. But, for me, it's been about being clear on what it is that I wanted to achieve.” Heather Boushey on Electric Ladies Podcast

In 2023 we’ve had dozens of extraordinary women at the top of their game on Electric Ladies Podcast (like all 400+ of our episodes!). From C-level corporate executives to top government officials, entrepreneurs, artists, journalists and scientists, they are all paving their own way – and new paths for women – to build a career by making a difference and making money. In each episode, I ask them for career advice for midcareer women who want to do the same. In this series, listeners requested we air episodes with just their advice.

In this episode in the series, listen to career gems from five extraordinary women from government, the arts, science and business, using their unique talents to drive a clean, green economy in which women have economic parity (the Electric Ladies Podcast mission).

This episode brings you advice from:

·       Heather Boushey, Ph.D., Member of the White House Council of Economic Advisors and Chief Economist of the Invest in America Cabinet at the White House

·       Daniella Ortega, award-winning documentary filmmaker and codirector, writer, and coproducer of “Carbon: The Unauthorized Biography” and Development and Investment Manager – Documentary at Screen Australia

·       Melissa Lott, Ph.D., Director of Research at the Center on Global Energy Policy, at Columbia University and the lead scientist on the ground-breaking PBS documentary “Chasing Carbon Zero.”

·       Jean Case, CEO Of the Case Foundation and former SVP of AOL, and ground-breaking philanthropist and investor focused on purpose-focused, diverse entities

·       Jill Tidman, Executive Director of The Redford Center (founded by actor/filmmaker Robert Redford and his late son James Redford), advancing environmental solutions through storytelling.

Read Joan’s Forbes articles here too – which also include career advice, as well as ways to stay abreast of the clean, green economy.

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