The Women's Current

Susan Granger, a product of Hollywood, born into Hollywood ‘Royalty’.

A little name dropping here is more than okay. Let’s consider that her father, S. Sylvan Simon was director/producer at MGM and Columbia. After his sudden death while filming From Here to Eternity, Susan’s mother remarried and her step-father was Armand Deutsch, and MGM producer. Her godfathers were Red Skelton and Milton Berle. Lucille Ball carried her out of the hospital after she was born. Her horse was given to Elizabeth Taylor. Milton Berle set her up on a date with a newly arrived Elvis Presley. He brought her flowers and sang a Frank Sinatra song to her. And Errol Flynn read lines from Romeo and Juliet with her.

Having been born into the business, Susan knows it inside and out. Therefore, who better to be a movie and drama critic?

A fun and entertaining conversation with Susan:

Born in the Golden Age of Hollywood

Playing ‘let’s pretend’ and working with her father

King Charles, National Velvet & Elizabeth Taylor

A date with newbie Elvis Presley

Her stepdad and an honest conversation – actress vs journalist

Journalism and Pierre Salinger

Why an entertainment critic

History of the movie business

Women and them movie industry

Pandemic and its effect on the industry

Factors to look for when reviewing

‘What I looked for are films that would hold up over the years and be new to my children and grandchildren. And as the years go on, they would find them entertaining.’ (On how she chose the films for her book.)

For more than 25 years Susan has been bringing her unique perspective to the field of communication. Her commentaries, reviews and interviews are distributed around the world. Susan is also the author of 150 Timeless Movies where she reviews classic and contemporary timeless movies.

Susan has worked extensively doing speech and presentation coaching for top management and executives in several industries. Her articles have been published in WORKING WOMAN, PLAYBOY, THE NEW YORK TIMES, REDBOOK, LADIES HOME JOURNAL, FAMILY CIRCLE, TRAVEL AGENT, and COSMOPOLITAN…and many others.

Susan studied journalism with Pierre Salinger at Mills College. She then graduated with highest honors in journalism with a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania.

Life with My Idiot Family: A True Story of Survival, Courage & Justice over Childhood Sexual Abuse, Kathy Picard's story. 10 years of abuse by her stepfather.

The Abuse and Staying Silent

The abuse started when Kathy was 7 and lasted for 10 years. The grooming for the abuse took place at around the age of 5. Her abuser and rapist was her step-father, a person who she had been raised to believe was her father. He told her real bad things would happen if she told. At the age of 9 she told her grandmother who said’ we don’t talk about those things.’ And at the age of 28 she told her Aunt Judy who believed her but didn’t want to talk about it. Kathy promised her she wouldn’t until her Aunt died. Upon her Aunt Judy’s death, Kathy told everyone. Kathy wanted to make sure that if anything happened to her, he would be the first one they would look to.

The stats are staggering:

1 in 5 girls and 1 in 20 boys are sexually abused

The average age of abuse is 12

Average disclosure age is 44

And the average years before disclosure is 32

 The statute of limitations for criminal proceedings is 43

The statute of limitations for civil proceedings is 53 thank to Kathy. It had been 21 up until her fight to get it changed.

The day after the civil statute of limitations changed from 21 to 53, by a unanimous vote, Kathy, who was 53, filed charges against her stepfather. In 2015 Kathy won her civil suit. She had the courage to call him a rapist to his face in the courtroom. Kathy is now on a mission to educate children that it’s okay to tell someone and keep telling until someone listens. And to educate police departments on talking to children who have been abused. Teachers and parents, friends and family all need to listen.

Kathy Picard is an inspiring award-winning advocate. Advocating for the prevention of childhood sexual abuse. Her work centers on increasing awareness of the harsh realities of sexual child abuse. She is a survivor, public speaker and public safety trainer. Kathy won an Unsung Heroin Award, the William Pynchon Award and the Zonta International’s Founder Day Award. All for her work and advocacy in the successful reform of the Massachusetts Statute of Limitations laws regarding sex crimes against children.

A very candid conversation with Kathy:

The start of the abuse

Telling her grandmother

Not speaking out

Finally breaking the silence

Answering those who said ‘Why now? It was such a long time ago. Can’t you just let it go?’

2002 the event that encouraged her

1-800 lawyer

The fight for justice and the change in the statute of limitations

Her day in court and finally saying the words to her abuser’s face ‘rapist’

Justice for that little girl

Her advocacy work

Tzvia Bader and TrialJectory

Tzvia Bader is the CEO and Co-Founder of TrialJectory. She is an experienced entrepreneur with decades of experience in business development, product marketing and strategy. Prior to TrialJectory, Tzvia headed the global business unit at Amdoc building new product strategy. She was the founder and CEO of KIDDOapp, and IOS and Android based family scheduling technology strategy and Vocativ, a start-up aiming to identify fake news in social media using advanced analytics. Tzvia holds a Msc (Masters of Science) degree from the University of Nottingham, Nottingham,UK.

TrialJectory - Matching Cancer Patients to Clinical Trials

With a diagnosis of malignant melanoma in hand, for Tzvia Bader this was not a battle that she could lose. Having been a technology executive for many years, she did what she knew best and turned to the internet. In her mind she had pictured a scenario similar to searching for a new house, like Zillow. Tzvia quickly discovered that this did not exist.

Tzvia learned that the process for patients to gain access to advanced treatments through clinical trials was completely broken. She mentioned this to her husband. His response: build one. And so Tzvia went about building TrialJectory. TrialJectory is democratizing access to advanced cancer treatment. Tzvia built an AI-Powered decision support platform empowering patients to own their own cancer journey. The Artificial Intelligence (AI) system helps patients understand all treatment options. In addition, it gives pharmaceutical companies transparency into patients’ needs and wants. And allows them to effectively design and recruit for clinical trials.

A very informative and hopeful conversation with Tzvia:

The cancer diagnosis and one oncologist

‘Zillow’ like search and the broken findings

 A caring oncologist and his limitations

Clinical trials making choices

Owning your journey

Breaking through the boundaries of fear

The formation of TrialJectory

Opening doors for patients

Research, technology and access to real data

Access and cost of clinical trials – it’s not what you think

‘Let’s Talk Race: A Guide for White People'

Fern L. Johnson, PhD and Marlene G. Fine are the co-authors of ‘Let’s Talk Race.’ Both are specialists in race relations, ethnicity and gender in discourse. And 30 years ago a gay couple was not allowed to marry. Nor were they allowed to adopt. Wanting a family, Fran and Marlene started independently researching adoption avenues. There were a variety of restrictions that they would not be able to overcome.

Both Fern and Marlene thought they knew a lot about race. They made the decision to learn how to raise their sons and give them a healthy racial identity, and prepare them for life in a White world.  And so they talked to all of their Black friends and colleagues to educate themselves as much as possible.

Fern L. Johnson, PhD., grew up in Minnesota. She focuses on race, ethnicity, and gender in discourse.  Fern is currently Senior Research Scholar and Professor Emerita of English at Clark University (Worcester, Massachusetts). In addition to her position as Professor of English at Clark, she directed the interdisciplinary Communication and Culture Program. Earlier in her career, Fern was a faculty member at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst and St. Cloud State University in Minnesota. She received her B.A. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities and her M.A. degree from Northwestern University.

Marlene G. Fine, PhD, grew up in Belmar, New Jersey, a small resort community on the New Jersey shore.  Marlene is Professor Emerita at Simmons University, specializing in cultural diversity, leadership, and dialogue. She authored Building Successful Multicultural Organizations, and her articles appear in a broad range of journals. She is a seasoned speaker and workshop facilitator. Marlene co-authored, with Fern Johnson, The Interracial Adoption Option, which draws on their experience as white parents of African American sons.

A very insightful and real conversation with Fern & Marlene:

The decision to adopt

A gay couple trying to adopt

Why a Black child

Identifying different needs

Perceptions and the lack of knowledge

Privilege isn’t what you think it is

The conversation is getting difficult – why it needs to continue

Prompts and let’s talk race

‘If you’re conscious you’re aware of something. The question is, what are you aware of?’ – Kashonia Carnegie

We don’t always think much about what it truly means to be conscious. Does it only mean that we are awake? Or that we actually see what’s around us and understand it? Are we truly conscious? Is there a difference between social consciousness and ethical consciousness? Kashonia Carnegie is a moral philosopher who has researched ethics and conscious change.   And what is conscious change? It’s all about ethics. Looking for patterns, she studied her own life. Kashonia became her own life-coach, before life coaching was a thing. Her findings about her own life journey resulted in the realization that each step had to do with consciousness. They included conscious business skills and conscious leadership when she became Australia’s first female oil company representative. She then went on to become a radio broadcaster using conscious communication skills. And her entrance into academia led her to conscious intelligence competencies.

 Meet Kashonia Carnegie

Kashonia is a Moral Philosopher with a PhD in Ethics of Conscious Change. She is the author of the ‘Conscious Change’ series of books. As a life-long learner, woven throughout all of her media and university work are extensive academic and independent studies. These studies include areas such as spirituality, religious studies, creative thinking, storytelling and positive psychology.

Her work includes leadership coaching; corporate and community workshop design and facilitation. In addition, Kashonia is a sessional mediator/conciliator for state government departments in the Australian states of Victoria and Queensland. She has conducted over 200 mediation/conciliation conferences with a successful resolution in excess of 90%.

 A very conscious changing conversation with Kashonia:

Growing up on a sheep and dairy farm

Defying her mother

Living under the stars

‘Road to Damascus’ experience and the awakening of her own consciousness

Australia’s 1st Female Oil Representative & defying the male-dominated business

Media career and the pre-#Metoo movement

The conscious change movement and ethics

Conscious change, Covid and the rise of feminine energy

Having a purpose in life

Author Gabrielle Bluestone - Hype: How Grifters and Con Artists are Taking Over the Internet - and Why We're Following Them

Hype explores social media scams, influencers and why we follow and fall for them. While working as a journalist at Vice, Gabrielle Bluestone was the first to uncover the scam behind the infamous Frye Music Festival. Because of her reporting, con man Billy McFarland is behind bars for fraud.  But it wasn't before many innocent people had been duped into giving him millions of dollars. Gabrielle went on to become the Emmy nominated executive producer of the Netflix documentary Frye.

The documentary and Gabrielle went on to receive an Emmy nomination. And then she dug some more. Her background as a reporter for Gawker, Jezebel and Vice, along with being a licensed attorney gave her the tools she needed. She had a lot of questions and was looking for answers. Although con artists have been around for a long time, this was new. Con artists are now being assisted by technology and social media.

Gabrielle Bluestone is a journalist and attorney from New York. Her writings have appeared in The New York Times, Washington Post, New York Observer, Sunday Times Magazine, Esquire, InStyle and Gawker. Hype is her first book.

A conversation and lots of questions with Gabrielle:

From attorney to journalist

It looked like a dream festival

One picture questioned it all

That classic cheese sandwich

Influencers and marketing

'The Joneses' made in 2010 - a prediction of the future?

Influencers

How scammers survive

Seems like a pyramid scheme

Playing to our dreams

FOMO - Fear of Missing Out

The continuation

How do we stop it

Bold and gutsy are just two words that describe Jackie Botelho, a woman who is setting a new standard in the hospitality and event experience arenas. Jackie as never been afraid of stepping up and talking to people. She’s never been afraid to reach a goal that others told her was unachievable. Jackie has always wanted to do more. And Jackie has always known that she could do more. ‘The sky’s the limit’ is something that she has always believed in. The result was the building of Above and Beyond VIP Concierge (ABCVIP), a hospitality and event agency.

Covid changed the way that events were experienced and Jackie and her team were leading the way. Virtual gave her the opportunity to take off her heels and dig in. People who never would have attended in person events, were now experiencing them. Shy, introverted or just not wanting to be around others, Jackie gave them the opportunity to join. And let’s not forget the national exposure. No politics, no pandemic speak, just plain fun.

This week’s conversation with Jackie:

• A bold move to California

• Striking gold in California & bringing it back to NYC

• Why hospitality

• A gutsy plan and the creation of ABCVIP

• A deal with the Marriott

• Pandemic timing

• Pivoting on a dime

• Experiencing Covid

• Virtual, all those introverts and a national presence

• The naysayers – ‘I’m not listening’

• Expansion and more

Dorothy Wickenden and The Agitators

New York Times bestselling author Dorothy Wickenden's latest book - The Agitators: Three Friends Who Fought for Abolition and Women’s Rights. The Agitators is the true story of Harriett Tubman, Martha Coffin Wright and Frances A. Seward. One a former slave, one a Quaker mother of 7 and one a politician’s wife. Although three very different women, they came together to fight for abolition and women’s rights in the mid-nineteenth century in Auburn, New York.

Much history has gone into the fight for abolition and women’s rights. Many have heard of Harriet Tubman, a former slave who was the conductor of the Underground Railroad. The Underground Railroad, a network of secret routes and safe houses used by enslaved African Americans to escape into Free states and Canada.

But not many have heard of Martha Coffin Wright or Frances A. Seward. By introducing us to them, Dorothy shines a light on the story of three women who worked together. Yes, three women who worked together at a time when women had little control. So little that a married woman didn’t own anything. And yet somehow Frances, Martha and Harriet fought for the end to slavery and advocated for women’s rights.

Dorothy is the executive editor of The New Yorker and the host of its weekly podcast Politics and More.’ She is also the NY Times bestselling author of Nothing Daunted: The Unexpected Education of Two Society Girls in the West. Dorothy edited The New Republic Reader: Eighty Years of Opinion and Debate.

A conversation and a lot of history with Dorothy:

Why these three women

The connection

The women

Upper and middle class women and their roles

Witnessing abuse and feeling helpless

Frances’ awakening and Martha’s aide

Meeting Harriet

Their families

The bold move that allowed Francis to sell Harriet the house

How Harriet established herself

Jean Shafiroff 'The First Lady of Philanthropy'

Jean Shafiroff has been called ‘The First Lady of Philanthropy’.  She has spent a lifetime doing charitable work. And it all started when she was a child, learning from her parents.

After her first daughter was born, Jean made the decision to be a stay-at-home mom. As she says, she was lucky to be able to do so. And as a result, she volunteered at the school. This allowed her to spend time with her daughter and help out with school functions and fundraising. A start which turned into a career of philanthropy. At times you could find Jean on the boards of seven charities at once.

Philanthropist, author, human rights and animal rights advocate and socialite, Jean serves on multiple national and regional philanthropic boards. She is the ambassador and spokesperson for American Humane Feed the Hungry Covid-18 Program. Jean is the host of ‘Successful Philanthropy, a TV show on LTV. She is also the author of ‘Successful Philanthropy: How to Make a Life By What You Give’.

Jean serves on the boards of the South Hampton Hospital Association, NYC Mission Society, French Heritage Society, Couture Council of the Museum at FIT, Global Strays, Jewish Board (Honorary Trustee), and Southampton Animal Shelter Foundation Honorary Board. She is a New York Women’s Foundation Board Alumna and remains very active with the Foundation and women’s issues.

Jean holds two degrees: a BS in Physical Therapy from the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University and an MBA in finance from Columbia Business School at Columbia University. She resides in Manhattan and Southampton with her family.

A conversation with Jean:

The beginnings of philanthropy

Stay-at-home decision and volunteering

Starting off small

Making a difference

Choosing what’s right for you

But I can only give an hour…

Fashion and parties and loosening up the crowd

The fashion industry and the pandemic

The pandemic and the change

Feed the Hungry Covid-19 Program

Daughters following in mom’s footsteps

A message

My Babysitter, My Summers With a Serial Killer is a chilling true story, part memoir and part crime investigation. Based on Liza's summers as a child on the Cape, you con't be able to put it down. It was the 60’s. Her babysitter was a kind, handsome handyman who took Liza and her sister on adventures. Adventures which included visits to his ‘secret garden.’ A secret garden which turned out to be where some of his victims were buried. And a babysitter who turned out to be a charming, brutal psychopath. This was before the term 'serial killer' was coined.

Lifelong friend, investigative journalist Jennifer Jordan knew this was a story that needed to be told when she heard it. Together they took the pieces of the puzzle and turned them into a chilling, unimaginable story. A story where Liza learns to trust her voice.

Liza Rodman

Liza Rodman attended the University of Massachusetts/Amherst and received her Bachelor of Arts with a concentration in Creative Writing from Vermont College. She has balanced life as a mother, stepmother, writer and tax accountant for more than thirty-five years. In 2005, she began researching the story of Tony Costa when she realized her personal connection to the infamous Cape Cod killer. She has gathered thousands of documents, testimonies, and interviews, perhaps more than any other investigator or journalist who’s worked on this case. She and her husband live outside Boston and have three children and five grandchildren. The Babysitter is her first book.

Jennifer Jordan

Jennifer Jordan is an award-winning author, filmmaker and screenwriter, with over 35 years’ experience as a reporter, journalist, and radio and television producer, working for NPR and PBS in Boston and Salt Lake City, as well as writing for several newspapers and magazines. She has written four books. Two of her books won the National Outdoor Book Award. In 2016 she created, directed, and produced the documentary 3000 Cups of Tea: Investigating the Rise and Ruin of Greg Mortenson, a documentary examining the deeply-flawed 60 Minutes report on the renowned philanthropist.

A chilling and gripping conversation with Liza Rodman and Jennifer Jordan:

Summers in Provincetown

1968 meeting Tony Costa – babysitter/serial killer

 Adventures and a secret garden

1968 – 1st known murder

Years of nightmares then a face becomes clear

Confronting her mother

Obsession and investigation

Working together

Memoir and crime investigation – natural balance of writing

Trusting your voice

The story comes out and family reaction