Milana Vayntrub and Erin Gerber aren't just talking about how to make the world a better place. They're doing it by supporting refugees and migrants. Milana's is a face you may recognize from tv, film, and commercials. She happens to be a refugee herself and the co-founder of CantDoNothing.org (http://cantdonothing.org/), a nonprofit organization and awareness campaign that supports Syrian refugees. Erin is a friend of mine since childhood. She was the inspiration for this episode since she's been working all around the world with refugees and displaced people for 7+ years. Erin shared with me the particular struggles faced by women and girls in these communities. I learned so much from her, and I know you will too.

Actor Wendi McLendon-Covey is all heart and 0 effs. This special mix is why she's compelling as a person and a performer. She was about to abandon acting altogether when she booked the job (Reno 911) that would transform her career and life forever. She told me all about the joy of being in your 40s and gave me some great advice for my birthday.

Ilyse Hogue is the President of NARAL Pro-Choice America (http://www.naral.org/) and one of the leading voices on not just reproductive rights, but all civil rights for women. She shared with me her expertise on the Hyde Amendment (http://www.prochoiceamerica.org/media/fact-sheets/bans-on-abortion-coverage-goverment-programs.pdf)and her personal experience with her own abortion.

Did you know in 1970 the first all-female class-action lawsuit was brought about by employees at Newsweek? Some of the brightest voices in journalism had been working and stagnating at the magazine for years - Nora Ephron, Susan Brownmil...

If the death penalty is about providing vengeance and/or closure to crime victims and their families, are those needs being served by the existing California death penalty system? Many people would answer no, based on the fact that the State hasn't killed anyone sentenced to death in 10 years. As each case drags on and on, costing tax payers millions and millions of dollars, the pervasive question is, "Can it be fixed? If so, how?" I wanted to explore these ideas, so I spoke with Gwen Freeman (http://www.kpclegal.com/freeman-gwen). She's an attorney who has

(https://theenthusiasmenthusiast.files.wordpress.com/2016/08/img_0414.jpg?w=680)Self portrait by Gwen Freeman

represented several death row inmates filing habeas corpus proceedings. Though our approach is different, our conclusion is the same. The California death row system must be eliminated. Voters will have an opportunity to decide this issue in November by voting on a pair of propositions. Yes On 62 (https://ballotpedia.org/California_Proposition_62,_Repeal_of_the_Death_Penalty_(2016)) will end the death penalty and replace it with life in prison without parole. No On 66 (https://ballotpedia.org/California_Proposition_66,_Death_Penalty_Procedures_(2016)) will prevent the already failed system from getting worse.

If you want more info on Troy Davis' case, please go here (http://www.amnestyusa.org/our-work/cases/usa-troy-davis).

Y'all. It's almost football season! It's an exciting time of nerves and elation. I needed someone to share my enthusiasm for the sport and talk about the complexities of being a female fan. So, I reached out to Liz Loza (http://lizloza.com/), a Yahoo Fantasy Football analyst, host of the Xs and Ys podcast (https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/xs-ys-podcast-your-his-hers/id465885728?mt=2), and badass mom. I love it when I connect instantly with a guest and feel like we're totally friends by the end of the show. We talk about so much in this episode, but her story about shooting fireball at the very end is one of my fave podcast moments of all time. Enjoy!

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The thing I find myself most inspired by and passionate about is sharing the stories of women. So, while I'm definitely not "enthusiastic" about pregnancy loss, I am very fired up about making women feel less alone when they experience it. It's an honor, truly, to share these two stories. First, I spoke with my friend and neighbor, Lauren Koenig. She miscarried her baby at 10 weeks. I love how Lauren is so honest and raw about her experience.

(https://theenthusiasmenthusiast.files.wordpress.com/2016/07/46265e82-67d6-4e9f-849c-4c7f5926f5af.jpg?w=680)Lauren Koenig and her son Avery

Next, I talked with Maribeth Ayers Stickel about giving birth to a stillborn baby at 40 weeks and 2 days. It's a heartbreaking story, but Maribeth and her husband survived the unimaginable and are stronger than ever. I hope you'll learn as much as I did from these stories and share them with people who may be helped by hearing them.

As you may remember from my chat with the women of Laurelly (http://theenthusiasmenthusiast.com/2016/07/06/female-partnerships-with-lauren-pritchard-kelly-vrooman/), I love a female partnership. So, I really wanted to talk with the insanely busy and successful women of MoveLifestyle.com (http://www.movelifestyle.com/). We were able to make it happen with 2 of the 3 founders (missed you Ashley!),

(https://theenthusiasmenthusiast.files.wordpress.com/2016/07/image-1.jpg)Jenn and Autumn hard at work, sorta!

Autumn Reeser and Jenn Wong. You may recognize Autumn (https://twitter.com/autumnreeser) from shows like The OC and Entourage. If Jenn (https://twitter.com/wayofthewong)'s voice sounds familiar, it's because she does voiceover work on shows like Yo-kai Watch and games like Call of Duty: Black Ops II. What is great about our chat is that these ladies talked so freely about how their friendship created this business, about how they learn from their partners, and bras. Yeah, we go deep on bras. These ladies are legit fun.

In 2015, 104 (76D, 28R) women held seats in the United States Congress, comprising 19.4% of the 535 members; 20 women (20%) serve in the United States Senate, and 84 women (19.3%) serve in the United States House of Representatives. How do you think that affects policy? How do those policies affect our daily lives? At the rate we're going, the United States won’t reach gender parity in public office for at least another century. I can't wait that long, and neither can Sara Guillermo. Sara works for iGNite (http://www.ignitenational.org/), a non-profit organization building a movement of young women to become political leaders.

Can you be nice and be funny? Can you be nice, female, and funny? Can you be nice, female, funny, and SUCCESSFUL? Lauren Pritchard and Kelly Vrooman can and are doing that very thing. Their duo, Laurelly, is dominating the L.A. improv scene by giving each other unyielding trust and support. Week after week, these two are teaching everyone that nice ladies finish first.

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