She's Got Nerve

Martha Piper and Indira Samarasekera
  • 5.0 (6)
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  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

"She’s Got Nerve" was created to assist women in leadership positions and those who aspire to lead in the future.The podcast explores themes first examined in the hosts’, Martha Piper and Indira Samarasekera, book titled “Nerve: Lessons on leadership from two women who went first.” The topics explored in this podcast include differences between the leadership styles of women and men, leading with grit and grace and how to achieve balance (if there even is such a thing!) This podcast aims to help women of all ages and backgrounds with practical advice on how to lead with confidence and resilience. 

  1. 2025-11-20

    Mary Sue Coleman: Listen More Than You Speak

    In this episode Martha and Indira have a conversation with Mary Sue Coleman, an internationally recognized biochemist who received a Bachelor of Science in chemistry from Grinnell College and a Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of North Carolina. She was on the biochemistry faculty at the University of Kentucky for nineteen years, then served as the 18th President of the University of Iowa from 1995 to 2002.  In 2002 she was appointed 13th President of the University of Michigan—the first and only woman, to date, to serve in that capacity. In January, 2022 she returned to U of M as the interim President replacing Mark Schlissel and remaining in that role until Santa Ono took office on October, 2022.  Time magazine ranked her as one of the ten best American University Presidents in 2009, citing her success in fundraising and her emphasis on research. She is an elected Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and along with many other honours and appointments has served as President of the Association of American Universities. It would seem as if Mary Sue Coleman has done it all, making this discussion especially unique and exciting. Contact She's Got Nerve Email nervebook2021@gmail.com Visit our website https://nerve2021.com/ Follow us on Instagram @nervebook2021 and LinkedIn @she'sgotnerve A special thanks to our team: Marketing Manager & Producer | Orla McErlean Show Manager | Eilis Courtney Thanks for listening to She's Got Nerve!

    48 min

  2. 2025-11-06

    Catherine McCauley: Titles Don’t Matter

    In this episode Martha and Indira have a conversation with Catherine McCauley, a remarkable administrator who has worked in both Ontario and British Columbia. She is currently a founding partner of Quinn McCauley Giving Strategies Inc. in Vancouver and is sought after for her expertise in charitable giving, public sector fundraising and foundation management.   A true leader who has demonstrated “nerve” as a sought-after adviser and entrepreneur, Catherine is an exemplary role model as a leader who often works in mysterious ways! Contact She's Got Nerve Email nervebook2021@gmail.com Visit our website https://nerve2021.com/ Follow us on Instagram @nervebook2021 and LinkedIn @she'sgotnerve A special thanks to our team: Marketing Manager & Producer | Orla McErlean Show Manager | Eilis Courtney Thanks for listening to She's Got Nerve!

    46 min

  3. 2025-10-23

    Lisa Coleman: Patience is a Virtue

    In this episode Martha and Indira have a conversation with Lisa Coleman, the first woman and first Black person to be president of Adler University—a private graduate studies university dedicated to graduating practitioners who will lead social change and create a more just society. Founded in Chicago in 1952 to continue the work of Alfred Adler, a physician and psychotherapist who emphasized the individual’s need to engage with community and create positive social impact.  In addition to the Chicago campus, Adler University also has a second campus in Vancouver, making it unique in educating graduate students in both the United States and Canada. Dr. Coleman earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology and anthropology at Denison University in Ohio and her master’s degree from Ohio State University.  She received a Ph.D. in social and cultural analysis and American studies at New York University. Prior to assuming the presidency, she held administrative positions at Tufts University and Harvard and was the first senior vice president for global inclusion and strategy innovation at NYU. What a treat it is today to be able to have a conversation with Lisa Coleman, a trail blazer and academic leader. Contact She's Got Nerve Email nervebook2021@gmail.com Visit our website https://nerve2021.com/ Follow us on Instagram @nervebook2021 and LinkedIn @she'sgotnerve A special thanks to our team: Marketing Manager & Producer | Orla McErlean Show Manager | Eilis Courtney Thanks for listening to She's Got Nerve!

    56 min

  4. 2025-10-09

    Nadine Caron: When Opportunity Doesn’t Come Wrapped with a Bow

    In this episode Martha and Indira have a conversation with Nadine Caron, the first Canadian female general surgeon of First Nations descent, as well as the first female First Nations student to graduate from the University of British Columbia’s medical school, being the top ranked student. She has also received an MA degree in Public Health from Harvard and completed a postgraduate fellowship at the University of California, San Francisco, focused on endocrine surgical oncology.  Nadine currently works as a general and endocrine surgeon in Prince George and leads the Northern Biobank Project, which aims to improve patients’ access to personalized medical research in northern British Columbia. In 2014 she co-founded the Centre for Excellence in Indigenous Health at UBC and has played numerous roles at the federal, provincial and local levels to improve health outcomes for Indigenous Peoples.  She has received honorary degrees from the University of the Fraser Valley and SFU and is the recipient of the Order of British Columbia. What a treat it is today to be able to have a conversation with Nadine Caron, a trail blazer, a public health advocate and academic leader. Contact She's Got Nerve Email nervebook2021@gmail.com Visit our website https://nerve2021.com/ Follow us on Instagram @nervebook2021 and LinkedIn @she'sgotnerve A special thanks to our team: Marketing Manager & Producer | Orla McErlean Show Manager | Eilis Courtney Thanks for listening to She's Got Nerve!

    58 min

  5. 2025-09-25

    Moura Quayle: The Importance of Designed Leadership

    In this episode Martha and Indira have a conversation with a woman leader who has demonstrated “nerve” throughout her entire life.  Moura Quayle a renown strategic design scholar and urban systems designer. Moura has done it all—in both academia and government and community affairs. She has been an academic leader at UBC and has served in various leadership roles including Dean of the Faculty of Land and Food Systems, the founding Director of the School of Public Policy and Global Affairs, and most recently as Vice-Provost and Associate Vice-President of Academic Affairs, to name a few.  In addition to her academic roles, Moura served as Deputy Minister of Advanced Education as well as being the B.C. Commissioner of the Pacific Coast Collaborative. Her research focuses on strategic design, especially as it is applied to leadership—authoring a groundbreaking book entitled Designed Leadership where she applies design principles to leadership. What a treat it is today to have a conversation with Moura Quayle, a woman who has truly had the nerve to “re-design” (if we may) leadership. Contact She's Got Nerve Email nervebook2021@gmail.com Visit our website https://nerve2021.com/ Follow us on Instagram @nervebook2021 and LinkedIn @she'sgotnerve A special thanks to our team: Marketing Manager & Producer | Orla McErlean Show Manager | Eilis Courtney Thanks for listening to She's Got Nerve!

    49 min

  6. 2025-09-11

    Melanie Woodin: Her First Days Leading the U of T

    In this episode Martha and Indira have a conversation with Melanie Woodin, an internationally recognized neuroscientist who studies the mechanisms underlying learning and memory in the brain. Melanie has recently been named the University of Toronto’s 17th president, the first woman to assume this position.  Prior to this appointment, she was dean of the university’s Faculty of Arts and Science—Canada’s largest and most comprehensive faculty. She completed her bachelor of science degree in biology and master of science degree in zoology at the U of T and obtained her PhD in neuroscience from the University of Calgary. Following postdoctoral study at Berkeley, she joined the U of T as an assistant professor in 2004 and has spent her entire academic career at that university. Typically, we have interviewed women who have either completed their leadership roles or are in the final years of their respective assignments. In this episode, we are pleased and excited to be interviewing a remarkable woman who is just beginning her term as president—who is embarking upon her journey, rather than completing the role.  It was so interesting hearing from Melanie, her perspective as she takes on this new role, what she is feeling, learning, and experiencing in the first weeks of her presidency! Episode Resources •Piper, Martha and Samarasekera, Indira. Nerve: Lessons on leadership from two women who went first. Toronto, Ontario ECW Press, 2021. Contact She's Got Nerve Email nervebook2021@gmail.com Visit our website https://nerve2021.com/ Follow us on Instagram @nervebook2021 and LinkedIn @she'sgotnerve A special thanks to our team: Marketing Manager & Producer | Orla McErlean Show Manager | Eilis Courtney Thanks for listening to She's Got Nerve!

    53 min

  7. 2025-06-26

    Autism Is My Superpower With Guest Sara Seager

    In this episode Martha and Indira speak candidly with Sara Seager, a Canadian-American, world-renowned leader in astrophysics and planetary science. A professor at MIT, she has been instrumental in advancing the study of planets outside our solar system. Her research has greatly improved our understanding of the wide variety of exoplanets that exist in the galaxy and pushed us closer to finding another Earth-like world that could support life.  After obtaining her Bachelor of Science degree in math and physics at the University of Toronto, she earned her PhD in astronomy at Harvard University. She has won almost every academic astronomy award possible including the Sackler Prize, the Helen B. Warner Prize from the American Astronomical Society, and most recently the Kavli Prize in Physics.  She is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, a MacArthur Fellow, and a member of the American Philosophical Society. In 2020 she was appointed as an Officer of the Order of Canada. As the author of an award-winning memoir, The Smallest Lights in the Universe, she has distinguished herself not only as a scientist but also a storyteller who explores the wonders of human connections. We are thrilled to be able to have a conversation with Sara, an extraordinary scientist and enlightened humanist. Episode Resources Piper, Martha and Samarasekera, Indira. Nerve: Lessons on leadership from two women who went first. Toronto, Ontario ECW Press, 2021.Seager, Sara, The Smallest Lights in the Universe: A Memoir. Canada, Penguin Random House, 2020.Contact She's Got Nerve Email nervebook2021@gmail.com Visit our website https://nerve2021.com/ Follow us on Instagram @nervebook2021 and LinkedIn @she'sgotnerve A special thanks to our team: Marketing Manager & Producer | Orla McErlean Show Manager | Eilis Courtney Thanks for listening to She's Got Nerve!

    38 min

  8. 2025-06-12

    Surfing The Waves With Kim Brooks

    In this episode Martha and Indira speak candidly with Kim Brooks, who began her term as Dalhousie’s 13th President and Vice-Chancellor in 2023 after serving as Acting Provost and Dean of both the Law School and the Faculty of Management. Kim has had a distinguished career as a law professor at Queen’s University, UBC and McGill and is known for her expertise in tax law.  In addition, she has been a recipient of a 3M Teaching Fellowship and is well recognized as an advocate for university community inclusiveness. She is not only the first woman but also the first openly queer person to hold the position of president at Dalhousie. Episode Resources •Piper, Martha and Samarasekera, Indira. Nerve: Lessons on leadership from two women who went first. Toronto, Ontario ECW Press, 2021. Contact She's Got Nerve Email nervebook2021@gmail.com Visit our website https://nerve2021.com/ Follow us on Instagram @nervebook2021 and LinkedIn @she'sgotnerve A special thanks to our team: Marketing Manager & Producer | Orla McErlean Show Manager | Eilis Courtney Thanks for listening to She's Got Nerve!

    48 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
6 Ratings

About

"She’s Got Nerve" was created to assist women in leadership positions and those who aspire to lead in the future.The podcast explores themes first examined in the hosts’, Martha Piper and Indira Samarasekera, book titled “Nerve: Lessons on leadership from two women who went first.” The topics explored in this podcast include differences between the leadership styles of women and men, leading with grit and grace and how to achieve balance (if there even is such a thing!) This podcast aims to help women of all ages and backgrounds with practical advice on how to lead with confidence and resilience. 

Information

  • Creator
    Martha Piper and Indira Samarasekera
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2025
  • Episodes
    23
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2025 She's Got Nerve
  • Show Website
    She's Got Nerve