In this special bonus episode, we explore a topic the show hasn’t covered before: menopause. We delve into what would need to change with healthcare and the workforce to better support women through menopause, as well as the economic factors that could enable those policies. 

Host Reena Ninan speaks with Dr. Jessica Shepherd, gynecologist and author of the new book Generation M, Dr. Claus Runge, Bayer’s chief health equity officer, and Kathryn Schubert, President and CEO of the Society for Women’s Health Research (SWHR). This live panel discussion was recorded at Foreign Policy’s Her Power Summit, which took place on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.  

The Hidden Economics of Remarkable Women is a production of Foreign Policy, with support for this episode from Bayer. (Photo credit: Jonathan Heisler)

Guests and organizations:

Suggested reading:

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This week, we’re bringing you an episode of What Could Go Right from our friends at The Progress Network.

Each Wednesday on What Could Go Right, hosts Zachary Karabell and Emma Varvaloucas converse with diverse experts to have sharp, honest conversations about what’s going on in the world, even during difficult times. In this episode, they dive into the global health crisis that doesn’t get nearly enough attention - tuberculosis (TB). Tuberculosis is one of the deadliest infectious diseases in the world, yet it has been largely ignored by wealthy nations and Big Pharma. One person who refuses to let that stand is #1 New York Times bestselling author, YouTuber, and activist John Green. His new book, Everything is Tuberculosis, explores the history, science, and injustices surrounding this disease. 

Tune in to new episodes of What Could Go Right every Wednesday wherever you get your podcasts, and don’t miss the Friday episodes where Emma and Zachary highlight the latest progress from around the globe.

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This week, we’re sharing another show you might like. Cramped is a podcast created and hosted by Kate Downey, “because having a microphone gets you more answers than having a uterus.”

In this episode, Kate talks to her mom about joining the Boston Women's Health Movement in the 1970s. Why was body literacy such a big part of feminism in the 70s, but when Kate became an active feminist in Boston in the 2000s, she didn't get information about body literacy? To learn more, Kate talks to Laura Prieto, program director of Our Bodies, Ourselves.

Listen to more episodes of Cramped here: https://www.katehelendowney.com/cramped

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While the show is on hiatus, we want to share a few podcasts on the HERO feed that we think you might like. We will release these episodes over the next month. 

This first one is from a podcast called The Most Important Question from the Important, Not Important team. When HERO first launched, Important, Not Important featured one of our early episodes. It’s a good show, and we’ve been happy to remain in touch over the years.

This episode fits in well with our recent season. It’s an interview with Dr. Ticora V. Jones, who served as the chief scientist for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). She’s currently the chief science officer at the NRDC. 

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Have feedback or questions about the episode? Tweet at the show, or send a message to [email protected].

Want more? Get started with fan favorite episodes at podcast.importantnotimportant.com.

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First, we need to share some news. This may be our last episode.

We are so grateful to the funding we have received for this podcast over the past four years. But our largest grant is ending soon. So for now, we are saying goodbye. We truly hope to be back in your feed someday.

To commemorate HERO, we are doing one last “follow-up” episode. This was an idea from you, our listeners. You suggested talking to past interviewees and seeing what they are doing now.

For today’s show, we’re doing a “reporters’ roundtable” where we look back and look ahead at some of our most impactful stories of the past eight seasons. Host Reena Ninan talks to Kenya-based reporters Sharon Kiburi and Eunice Maina as well as South-Africa based journalist Elna Schutz.

If you are new to the show, you may want to go back and listen to the stories that Kiburi, Maina, and Schutz talk about on this episode:

In the meantime, please stay in touch. You can email us at [email protected] or contact our senior producer Laura Rosbrow-Telem at [email protected]. We hope to be back soon.

The Hidden Economics of Remarkable Women is a podcast from Foreign Policy, supported in part by the Gates Foundation and Northwestern University’s Roberta Buffett Institute for Global Affairs.

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The idea for today’s show came from you: our listeners. Many of you wanted to hear follow-up stories. You suggested talking to past interviewees and seeing what they are doing now. In particular, you were curious if the gender equality issues they were advocating for had advanced or backslid since we first reported on them.

Today, we are coming back to Sabrina Habib, who was on our very first episode in 2021. Habib is the CEO and co-founder of Kidogo, a nonprofit focused on creating affordable high-quality daycare centers in Kenya. Since we last spoke with Habib, Kidogo has greatly expanded. Host Reena Ninan asks her what led to this growth and about her recent endeavors with Melinda French Gates.

The Hidden Economics of Remarkable Women is a podcast from Foreign Policy, supported in part by the Gates Foundation and Northwestern University’s Roberta Buffett Institute for Global Affairs.

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Health and human services. Nutrition. Job programs. These are just a few of the sectors impacted by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) cuts in Nigeria—one of the top 10 recipients of U.S. foreign aid. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio recently announced the elimination of 83 percent of USAID programs.

On today’s episode, senior producer Laura Rosbrow-Telem talks to aid workers and direct recipients in Nigeria about the fallout of the cuts so far. After that, host Reena Ninan interviews two special guests about what can be done to address the funding gap. First, Ninan talks to Nabeeha Kazi Hutchins, president and CEO of Population Action International (PAI). Since it launched more than 60 years ago, PAI has advocated for sexual and reproductive health care in the United States and abroad. Then, Ninan speaks with Michael Jarvis, executive director of the Trust, Accountability, and Inclusion Collaborative (TAI). TAI is a network of funders focused on strategic and systemic ways to do philanthropy, including the MacArthur and Ford Foundations, among others. Jarvis reveals what he thinks funders can and can’t do at this moment.

Guests Interviewed:

The Hidden Economics of Remarkable Women is a podcast from Foreign Policy, supported in part by the Gates Foundation and Northwestern University’s Roberta Buffett Institute for Global Affairs.

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As a special bonus, we're sharing an interview host Reena Ninan recorded with Preethi Herman about how to launch a digital campaign that actually changes policy.

Herman led the Change.org Foundation, supporting 100 million people in campaigns worldwide. Currently, Herman is the CEO and co-founder of the Nguvu Collective, a women-led organization that has impacted more than 200 million lives.

**Note: This interview took place before the U.S. foreign-aid freeze, which we will address more in coming episodes. Still, Herman’s advice about advocacy could not be more relevant.

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If you want to share how the disruption of aid is impacting your life, please be in touch. It can be anonymous, if you prefer. You can reach us at [email protected].

The Hidden Economics of Remarkable Women is a podcast from Foreign Policy, supported in part by the Gates Foundation and Northwestern University’s Roberta Buffett Institute for Global Affairs.

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The United States has long been the largest aid donor in the world, accounting for about 40 percent of humanitarian assistance globally last year, according to the United Nations. But that is quickly changing. 

Most U.S. foreign aid is currently on hold. Thousands of projects are at risk of elimination. And nearly all staff from the U.S. Agency for International Development are on administrative leave. 

How did we get to this moment? And what has been the impact of the foreign aid freeze so far, including on women and girls? 

In the newest season of the Hidden Economics of Remarkable Women, we are following the U.S. foreign aid news. In this first episode, you will hear a conversation we taped at Foreign Policy’s Emerging Threats Forum, an official side event of the Munich Security Conference, about the economic and security implications of halting overseas development assistance.

Foreign Policy editor in chief Ravi Agrawal spoke with Ndidi Okonkwo Nwuneli, the president and CEO of the One Campaign, and Umulkher (Umi) Harun Mohamed, a member of Kenya’s National Assembly. Their conversation focuses on Africa, which gets about 30 percent of U.S. foreign aid annually. 

If you want to share how this disruption of aid is impacting your life, please be in touch. It can be anonymous, if you prefer. You can reach us at [email protected]. 

The Hidden Economics of Remarkable Women is a podcast from Foreign Policy, supported in part by the Gates Foundation and Northwestern University’s Roberta Buffett Institute for Global Affairs.

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On today’s episode of the Hidden Economics of Remarkable Women, the final in our season focusing on the World Bank/IMF meetings this fall, we dive deep into the World Bank’s newly launched gender strategy. We will hear from two leaders driving this vision forward, as they explain why the Bank decided to prioritize some new goals. 

First, host Reena Ninan speaks with Hana Brixi, Global Director for Gender at the World Bank, from the Atlantic Council’s pop-up studio in the IMF atrium. Then, Ninan talks to Anna Bjerde, Managing Director of Operations at the World Bank. Bjerde oversees a portfolio of programs worth about $340 billion and is leading new Bank reforms to make it more efficient. 

Guests and organizations: 

The Hidden Economics of Remarkable Women is a podcast from Foreign Policy, supported in part this season by the Gates Foundation, Northwestern University’s Roberta Buffett Institute for Global Affairs, and the Atlantic Council. 

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