The Call with Erica Williams Simon

Allow me to play the role of the waiter who is here to serve you an exciting appetizer — The Call is almost BACK!!! Episode One airs Tuesday, July 10 but this teaser offers up a few bon mots from upcoming guests like Franchesca Ramsey, Gabi Fresh and Janet Mock.

Angela Yee, co-host of the nationally syndicated, wildly popular radio show, The Breakfast Club, is the final guest of The Call's Season 2. In this episode, Yee talks about what she's learned about negotiation, how she refused to be the "female sidekick" on-air in a male dominated industry, using your platform for good, pushing past sexism, and how to be respected for your work.

In this episode of The Call, Tarana Burke, founder of the #MeToo organization, tells the real story behind the movement in an effort to bring the focus back to its original intent: healing. She also talks about the danger of the hashtag, why she feels she and the movement have been misrepresented in the media, and her powerful words for survivors today.

In this episode of The Call, I sit down with Melina Matsoukas, director of HBO's Insecure and "Thanksgiving," the Emmy Award-winning episode of Master of None, not to mention director of Beyoncé's "Formation" and Rihanna's "We Found Love." We talk about her career path, how her politics influence her work, and the bold, badass thing she said when she first met Beyoncé.

Adrienne Maree Brown is the author of a book I recommend so often I might as well put it in my email signature: Emergent Strategy: Shaping Change, Changing Worlds. She's a Detroit-based writer, activist, facilitator, poet, and avid sci-fi fan. In this episode, we nerd out; We talk about what birds can teach us about social movements, the value of personal pleasure, why Beyoncé is absolutely everything, and how to survive the end of the world.

Hope you love listening to this episode as much as I loved making it.

This week I sat down with Amanda Nguyen, activist, future astronaut and founder of Rise, a national civil rights nonprofit that helps survivors of sexual assault. After being raped in college, Amanda discovered just how few rights victims of sexual assault actually had within the criminal justice system. Thanks to Amanda and the work of many others, the Sexual Assault Survivors’ Rights Act was unanimously passed in Congress in 2016. In our conversation, we talk about Rise, why no one should ever be pressured to tell their story, and why she still has every intention of becoming an astronaut. It's enough to help even the most cynical cynic believe that anything is possible -- and to always reach for the stars.

On this week's episode of The Call, Erica sits down with Nina Jacobson, the powerhouse Hollywood executive and producer responsible for The Hunger Games to Princess Diaries to American Crime Story: The People v. OJ Simpson. As one of a handful of female heads of studios, she's changing the way that the industry responds to and engages with women in power. This week, we talk about how she seeks to tell iconic stories that tackle gender, power and race; we talk inspiration, mistakes, and what she thinks of this pivotal moment in the entertainment industry. Enjoy.

In this episode of The Call, Erica Williams Simon speaks with award-winning radio show host Krista Tippett about the difference between religion and spirituality, why we should all be kinder to ourselves and what she would say to Donald Trump if she had the chance.

Despite garnering attention for organizing a city-wide protest to fight Trump's proposed Muslim ban, 17-year-old activist Hebh Jamal isn't interested in being a "famous activist." She thinks the focus on her is a distraction from the issues at hand. So when we sat down to talk for this week's episode on her day off from class, we made sure to talk about the issues that matter to her: diversity in education, what it means to be a feminist and how answering a call to activism absolutely requires some risk -- no matter how old you are.

In this episode of The Call, Erica sits down with Latham Thomas, wellness expert, doula and author of “Own Your Glow: A Soulful Guide to Luminous Living and Crowning the Queen Within." They talk about birthing dreams, how to lean into the louder, less "socially acceptable" parts of ourselves and discuss what would happen if our work lives respected our menstrual cycles. It's a good one. Enjoy.