Host Nancy Barrow got a chance to speak with the founder and CEO of the Women's Business Development Council (WBDC) Fran Pastore. She believes women are jumping into business ownership, but are still lagging behind in leadership roles in government and big business. She said there is only one female CEO of a Fortune 500 company in Connecticut. Fran is the Board Chairperson for CT Paid Leave, and talks about her passion for the program, and why she was one of many advocates pushing for the program to become a law in the state. The WBDC Celebrates 25 years of empowering  female owned businesses to thrive.

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It's not easy to be a foster parent. Host Nancy Barrow  talks with two foster care parents about how to navigate the  system. DCF ( The Department of Children and Families) also joins in on the discussion, and talks about the big changes the agency has made over 30 years.

It takes a special person to  be a foster parent. Jessika Holmes is a relative foster parent who worked for DCF. She is the guardian of her sister's daughter, which has caused some tension within her family. Jessika says caring for her has taught her about patience and boundaries.

Antonio Eason works in the foster care field and was a foster parent. He and his husband took in a 16 year old boy who identified as a girl. Antonio says it was the most rewarding experience of his life.

  State of Connecticut DCF Foster Care Director Natalia Liriano, has been at the agency for 30 years. She talks about the changes within the agency, but said one thing never changes, the need for foster parents in Connecticut. She explains that the goal is reunification with the birth parents when it's possible.

CT Paid Leave can give you up to 12 weeks of bonding leave if you add to your family by birth, adoption or fostering. Go to our website at ctpaidleave.org.

 If you are interested in becoming a Foster Care parent, call 1-888-KID-HERO.

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We need more women in politics.  West Hartford Representative Jillian Gilchrest and Anne Hughes who is a Representative for Weston, Easton and parts of Redding are at the capital fighting for legislation that will help women and families. These two smart and gutsy women talk about the need to inspire more women to run for political office to create more female friendly laws in Connecticut,  like CT Paid Leave.  Both women have their Master's Degree in Social Work, and that may be part of the reason why they are so passionate to  create a better state to live in with more gender and racial equity. They say this will make Connecticut  a more attractive place to live and work. 

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 April is National Donate Life Month. Connecticut residents have applied for both Organ and Bone Marrow donations under CT Paid Leave benefits. As of April 25th, 18 people have applied for organ donation and 4 for bone marrow donation.

 Host Nany Barrow talks with 4th term Connecticut Representative Jeff Currey, about his own journey to find a lifesaving kidney.  Jeff talks about his life openly and with a sense of humor. Find out who ended up giving Jeff a kidney!

Joining Jeff and lending their expertise about organ donation, is Caitlyn Bernabucci, the Director of Community Affairs and Development of New England Donor Services, and Annie Landeen, the RN Living Donor Transplant Coordinator for Hartford Hospital. 

Under CT Paid Leave, serving as an organ or bone marrow donor is a qualifying health condition.  To find out if you qualify, please go to ctpaidleave.org.

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In this episode we are talking about one of the qualifying reasons for taking CT Paid Leave. You can receive twelve days of income replacement for family violence also known as domestic violence. 
My guests are the Executive Director of the Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence(CCADV) Meghan Scanlon.
The Executive Director of The Network in Enfield Karen Foley O'Connor.
And domestic violence survivor Jenna.
In this powerful podcast, Jenna tells her story of how she got to the other side of her controlling and abusive relationship. This is the first time Jenna has told her story publicly.  Karen and Meghan talk about their services and we discuss restraining orders and warning signs.

If you need help or need to talk with someone please contact ctsafeconnect.org 
call or text 888-774-2900. Advocates are available 24/7.
Please call  9-1-1 if you believe you are in danger.
The national domestic violence hotline is 800-779-7233.

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March is Women's History Month, we celebrate by speaking with the highest ranking female in the state's executive branch, Lieutenant Governor Susan Bysiewicz. Host Nancy Barrow sat down with the  busy Lieutenant Governor and talked about women in government, the need for more women to participate in politics, and how to bridge the gender pay gap. She talked about importance of CT Paid Leave and why we need this important program to help families in the state.  She also talked about how her Mom inspired her as a woman and a lawyer.

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March is Women's History month. In celebration of that Host Nancy Barrow got a chance to sit down with CT Paid Leave Board Member, and the CEO of the YWCA Hartford Region, Adrienne Cochrane. They talked about how important the CT Paid Leave program is to the community and workers in Connecticut. Adrienne Cochrane talks about how the YWCA has remained  solvent and consistent through the pandemic, and says we should honor all the unsung "sheroes" during Women's History Month.

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Host Nancy Barrow talks to Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont about Paid Family and Medical  Leave, and why it is good for the state and it's workers. He talked about how this program would have helped some of his own employees in his business. He talked about why he chose to implement the program now and how it makes Connecticut a more family friendly state. He talked about how he wants to be remembered as a Governor.

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Host Nancy Barrow talks candidly with the CEO of the Connecticut Paid Leave Authority, Andrea Barton Reeves . They discussed how she became the CEO of CT Paid Leave, and the tools she needed  to get the program delivered on time and under budget.  Helping people was always part of her plan, and that guided her to become the CEO of a start-up state program, that helps people with income replacement for certain health or family issues. Working through the pandemic wasn't easy, and she says hiring people during that time was similar to reality TV. 

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