September 28, 2021
The drive to end "period poverty" by making sanitary products for women more affordable is building momentum. It's a problem shared by girls and women, throughout the world, experiencing homelessness, fleeing domestic violence or enduring poverty. In the U.S., one in five girls miss school because of the cost of tampons or pads, which are taxed in 34 states. It was Australian Rochelle Courtenay, founder of Share the Dignity, who begn the global drive to end the gender-based "tampon tax" abd tackle the stigma around menstruation. Courtenay talked about her Big Idea whose time has come with Anne Doyle for the Game Changers podcast of the International Women's Forum. Click her for info on organizations and efforts to tackle this problem.
September 13, 2021
A fascinating conversation with investigative journalist Anna Clark, author of the definitive book on the lead contamination crisis that poisoned the water in Flint, Michigan. Clark's powerful storytelling skills reveal the structural racism entwined with this perfect storm and bring to life the courageous citizens who rose up to fight for their lives against city, state and federal government officials who insisted their coffee-colored water was "perfectly safe."
September 7, 2021
Can you imagine suddenly losing your sight in the prime of your life? That's exactly what happened to Yolanda Nava, a successful, multi-lingual, Latina broadcast journalist who learned how to reclaim her joy and recreate her life after what she describes as "the death of my old self." Her new book, THROUGH THE DARK, and this conversation with Anne are full of wisdom and inspiration about the resiliency of the human spirit and the power each of us holds within to continuously grow, even through traumatic, life-changing experiences.
August 30, 2021
The crisis of sexual assault has is not limited to USA gymnastics. One in six women and one in 30 men experience sexual assault in their lifetimes. Nor is it new; it has been going on for centuries. And the trauma of sexual assault, often committed by someone the victim knew, scars a human spirit for decades. Guests Trinea Gonczar, a former gymnast who was "treated" for years by imprisoned predator Dr. Larry Nasser, and Kimberly Hurst, Founder and Executive Director of the Avalon Healing Center, are courageous advocates for victims and "sister survivor" experts in what it takes for suffering individuals to truly heal and the leadership required, as demonstrated recently by Simon Biles, for complacent cultural attitudes to change.
August 23, 2021
French sailor Alexia Barrier, who grew up beside the sea in the south of France, recently completed a solo, nonstop, around the world yacht race. The Vendée Globe is considered the ultimate challenge in ocean racing; she is the first woman to complete the race for the benefit of science. I interviewed Alexia for the Game Changers podcast of the International Women's Forum. In our conversation she shares: her experience spending 111 days alone at sea; how we can each play a role in protecting our oceans; the challenges that women still face to achieve opportunities to hone and test their sailing skills at the highest levels, and the scale at which plastics are negatively impacting the environment of planet Earth.
August 10, 2021
Bending Toward the Sun: A Mother and Daughter Memoir is a powerful story of survival, healing and the generational impact of trauma. The story begins with the memories of Rita Lurie, who was only five years old when the Nazis invaded Poland and she and 14 members of her Jewish family hid for two years, often freezing and starving, in a small farmhouse attic. Very few children survived the Nazi genocide of Jews and the grueling refugee years following World War II, let alone found their way to America to become an inspiration to their children and grandchildren. Lawyer and human rights activist Leslie Gilbert Luri, who co-authored this memoir with her mother, joins Anne to share her Mother's remarkable story, insights about generational trauma and inspiring lessons about the strength and resilience of the human spirit.
July 27, 2021
The current state of Democracy and the challenges facing our interconnected and inter-dependent countries and continents look quite different from outside the United States. Roberta LaJous, a seasoned diplomat who has been the Mexican Ambassador to Spain, Cuba, Austria and Bolivia, as well as serving at the UN, shares what she perceives as the greatest threat to democracy today, how the world views the USA in light of the citizens' attack on the Capitol, and how women in Mexico are dramatically increasing their political power.
July 6, 2021
Bias, discrimination and racism against Asian Americans have increased dramatically. Over 3,800 incidents of hate-related incidents have been reported during the COVID pandemic, including a vicious attack in NY''s Times Square against a 65-year-old Filipino woman on her way to church. Joining us to talk about the depth of the problem are Liz Kari, daughter of the woman whose hate crime was witnessed by millions on social media, and founder of AAP I Belong. Also, Thear Sy Suzuki, a child survivor of Cambodian genocide who has risen to become a respected Dallas leader and was featured in former President George W. Bush's new book, OUT OF MANY, ONE: Portraits of America's Immigrants. Both advocate for fewer bystanders and more Upstanders against all racism.
