Madam Policy

Kicking off Madam Policy's COP28 in 8 series is Founding Executive Editor of Cipher and top national energy and climate reporter Amy Harder. Amy joins hosts Dee Martin and Carolyn Spector from Dubai for the 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference, better known as COP28. Get the inside scoop from Amy about hot topics from methane reduction measures, the "investment gap," the role of the oil and gas industry and more in this special episode of Madam Policy! Per usual, Amy is covering it all. Tune into this fast-paced episode and come back for the other quick convos that are part of our COP28 in 8 series.

** The COP28 in 8 series is a mini episode series where we have 8 minute conversations with the women involved with COP28 in Dubai.

**This was recorded on December 5th, 2023 and events may have changed since this recording.

Madam Policy is 100! We're celebrating Madam Policy's 100th episode and no better way than hosting trailblazer Dr. Geri Richmond, DOE's Under Secretary for Science and Innovation! The brilliant physical chemist Dr. Richmond leads the Office of Science, the nation's largest federal sponsor of basic research in the physical sciences; DOE's applied R&D areas of nuclear, fossil, and renewable energy, and energy system integrity; and the DOE national laboratories and their facilities. Dr. Richmond has been honored by numerous awards including the National Medal of Science, the Priestley Medal from the American Chemical Society, and the Linus Pauling Medal Award. Deeply commitment to the advancement of women in science, Dr. Richmond is the founding director of a grassroots organization called COACh that has helped over 25,000 women scientists and engineers in career advancement in the U.S. and in dozens of developing countries globally.

Hosts Dee Martin and Rebecca Brown are joined by the Under Secretary to discuss the Department of Energy's role in supporting the US's advancement in energy, science, and technology. Want to learn about the nation's top priorities for advancing the Clean Energy Transition? Want to hear our thoughts on the themes of the bestselling book Lessons in Chemistry and how it ties into Dr. Richmond's real life work empowering women in STEM? Want to know what advice the Under Secretary would give to her 24-year-old self? Tune in to our monumental 100th episode now!

Earlier this year, the FBI Agents Association (FBIAA) made history by electing FBIAA President Special Agent Natalie Bara and FBIAA Vice President Special Agent Jen Morrow, the first female-duo, to lead the Association. The FBI Agents Association is a member organization representing current and former agents and focuses on three key areas: legal support, advocacy, and charitable foundations. This week, FBIAA hosts the 10th annual G-Man Honors gala, a fundraising event for the Association's two key foundations. The Memorial College Fund pays the college tuition of children of Agents who die while employed by the Bureau, and the Membership Assistance Fund provides financial support in times of need for agents in the face of unexpected and often catastrophic situations.

Tune in as hosts Dee Martin and Kendall Mitchell sit down with Special Agents Bara and Morrow to discuss FBIAA policy priorities, the importance of supporting the FBI family, and offer important advice to young women thinking about becoming FBI Agents. Want to know what these Special Agents would be if they weren't in the FBI? How the FBIAA is advocating in the executive and legislative branches for current and former Agents? What advice these groundbreaking women would give to their 24-year-old selves? Listen now!

President and CEO of Democracy Forward Skye Perryman, a leading figure in fight to safeguard our valued constitutional and civil liberties, shares her views on the key cases before the United States Supreme Court this term. Join hosts Dee Martin and Senior Principal Josh Zive as they engage Skye on a wide range of cases and their implications for democracy. Reproductive choice, gun control laws, and Chevron deference are all on the table. Plus, hear from Skye about being an advocate and shaping policy, as well as her advice on going to law school! Tune in to learn about all of this and more!

Are you ready to take some time for yourself every day? Restore your confidence? Rejuvenate your mind? Then pick up your copy of Self!sh by actress and author Stephanie Szostak today! Self!sh is your personal playbook for your mindset. Stephanie calls it "your toolkit to cope and grow." Stephanie created Self!sh in collaboration with Give an Hour—a national mental health nonprofit focusing on providing direct counseling, peer support groups, and education. One thing that is absolutely NOT selfish about Stephanie is that a portion of the proceeds from her book go to Give an Hour.

Stephanie joins host Dee Martin to discuss her new book Self!sh, her struggles with anxiety, and her career. She shares about what led her to write Self!sh, highlighting her experience with loss and imposter syndrome as her career ramped up. She shares how those feelings led her on a journey to address how her self-worth is not tied to outside validation. Stephanie simultaneously inspires us and provides a pragmatic approach to developing tools to succeed in life.

Stephanie is an award-winning actor who played opposite Meryl Streep as French Vogue Editor Jacqueline Follet in the iconic film The Devil Wears Prada; she won Best Lead Actor – Female for her film Satellite; she played the villain Brandt opposite Robert Downey, Jr. in Iron Man 3 and so much more. She also starred in the ABC series A Million Little Things and now she is a new author! Don't miss this episode.

"You've been given gifts, use them" is the advice that Co-Chair of VERITY NOW and policy powerhouse Beth Brooke would give to her 24-year-old self. Beth has dedicated her career to creating an inclusive space for women and the LGBTQ+ community. Prior to her work at VERITY NOW, an organization aimed at educating and advocating for gender equity in vehicle safety standards, Beth served as the Global Vice Chair of Ernst & Young, held multiple senior roles at the Department of the Treasury, and has chaired the Board of Vital Voices. This two-time delegate for the U.S. to the UN Commission on the Status of Women has been named one of Forbes 100 Most Powerful Women 11 times and has been vocal about the importance of differences in the workplace, whether it be professional or personal, and how it leads to a better product and working environment.

Tune in as hosts Dee Martin and Caitlin Sickles sit down with Beth Brooke to discuss how to become a "changemaker" in a world that deprioritizes gender and equity. From car safety standards to LGBTQ+ rights, Beth breaks down all the ways in which she has advocated for greater inclusion in professional spaces. Ever wonder about the accuracy of test dummies? Thinking about becoming more involved in advocacy? Or are you just really interested about Beth's rise to stardom as an Indiana basketball legend? Tune in to learn about all this, and more!

United States District Court for the District of Columbia Judge Ana Reyes arrived in Kentucky from Spain at the age of five speaking very little English, making school and adaptation difficult. Ana’s first-grade teacher took notice and dedicated her personal time before school each morning teaching Ana the language. That early life lesson instilled in Judge Reyes a deep commitment to selfless service and paying it forward.  Today, Judge Reyes is the first Hispanic woman and the first openly LGBTQ judge to serve on the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and is a role model for many others.

On this special episode of “Madam NOT Policy,” Judge Reyes joins hosts bestie Dee Martin and good friend Caitlin Sickles to discuss her journey from Uruguay to Spain to Kentucky to the bench. Highlights include tales of those who helped the Judge along the way, including first-grade teacher Patricia Harkleroad and her own mother, The Lilliam—a force of nature! Tune in as they discuss the importance of visibility for marginalized communities, conveying calm, and singing birds in trees (that’s for you, Elizabeth, also bestie). Want to hear about Judge Reyes’ love of the Boston Red Sox and her advice on how to best put on a bus tour? Tune in!

Do you know what "if you see it, you can be it" means? It's a phrase designed for trailblazers like Ambassador Carrin Patman. Ambassador Patman has inspired thousands of young women to excel through her years of extraordinary service in the public and private sectors. Raised in a family dedicated to public service, Ambassador Patman has always known that she would find or create ways to strengthen her communities and pay it forward. The Ambassador, a former trial partner at Bracewell LLP, was the first woman to serve on the Firm's Management Committee; she chaired the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County; and helped establish the Center for Women in Law at the University of Texas School of Law.  In August of 2022, the U.S. Senate confirmed her to be the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to Iceland. A powerhouse litigator, trailblazer for women in law, and mentor to many, Ambassador Patman has helped shape the future for women and broken down barriers in gender bias.

Host Dee Martin sits down with friend and mentor, Ambassador Patman, to talk about her legendary career and extraordinary journey. They discuss the relationship between the U.S. and Iceland as longstanding allies and the continued progress both countries can achieve together. Want to learn about Iceland's utilization of different types of renewable energy? Overcoming gender bias in the workplace? How Thor's hammer is used in the United Nations? Tune in now!

"Learn to be a storyteller" is just one of the pieces of advice that the brilliant Dr. Bhavya Lal would give to her 24-year-old self. Dr. Lal and her analyses have been at the forefront of space policy for the past decade; she created and curated the role Associate Administrator for Tech, Policy, and Strategy at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA); and she was the first woman in 60 years to hold the position of acting chief technologist for NASA. She spent years in the private sector leading strategy technology assessment for The Institute for Defense Analyses. She has four degrees--three of which are from MIT--and she was nominated and selected to become a member of the International Academy of Astronautics.

Join hosts Dee Martin and chair of Bracewell's technology section Constance Rhebergen as they speak with Dr. Lal about her amazing work with space initiatives, policy, and technology. They discuss the potential between international collaboration on Space IP, the Artemis program, and the efforts to explore space beyond our moon. Ever wonder about the increasing commercialization of space? Thinking about orbital debris? Curious about whether the plot of Gravity is more feasible that we thought? Then this episode is for you! Or, if you just really love golgappa, like our guest and hosts do, then this episode is really for you! Tune in now!

Congresswoman Yvette Clarke, inspired by her mother former New York City Council Member Dr. Una S. T. Clarke and a predecessor of her current congressional seat U.S. Representative Shirley Chisolm, has dedicated her life to public service. Congresswoman Clarke is the U.S. Representative for New York's 9th district—a district that prides itself on being an immigrant port and mosaic of different cultural, ethnic, and belief backgrounds­. Not only is Clarke the Representative for NY-09, but she was also born and raised in the district she now represents after her parents immigrated from Jamaica to attend school in Brooklyn. Clarke co-chairs the Congressional Caribbean Caucus, is a Senior Member of both the House Energy and Commerce Committee and House Committee on Homeland Security and has been a member of the Congressional Black Caucus since coming to Congress in 2007 and chairs its Immigration Task Force.

Congresswoman Clarke sits down with hosts Dee Martin and "forever team Clarke" former staffer Kendall Mitchell to discuss her work, her leadership, and her constituents. They discuss Representative Clarke's leadership within CBC and her policy priorities and roles during ALC. Want to know how to create systemic change? Tune in now!