Women Amplified The Conferences for Women

In this episode, join Hillary Wicht, an acclaimed expert in executive leadership coaching, as she explores the art of communication.



Discover the hidden "power leaks" that undermine influence, and learn practical strategies to overcome them.



With Hillary's guidance, listeners will learn how to build trust, ensure their voices are heard, and gain respect for their ideas. Drawing from her diverse background, Hillary will share how to break free from patterns that hold you back and step into your full potential, transforming your communication skills and impact.

In today’s competitive job landscape, acing an interview is more challenging than ever.







Anna Papalia, seasoned HR expert and author of the transformative guide Interviewology, brings a game-changing approach to mastering interviews. In this enlightening conversation, uncover the pivotal role of self-awareness, and why standard advice often misses the mark.







Explore the four distinct interview styles—Charmer, Challenger, Examiner, and Harmonizer—and how recognizing them can shift the dynamics in your favor. With Anna’s actionable insights, learn to sidestep common pitfalls, embrace your unique style, and truly resonate with your interviewer.







Interviewology isn’t just about securing a job—it’s a journey to understanding oneself, empowering you to shine authentically in every interaction. 





Read more: Secrets to a Successful Interview





















Our Guest: Anna Papalia













Anna Papalia is the CEO of Interviewology, a keynote speaker, and a career influencer with over 1.5 million followers across social media platforms.  She has worked with large companies, such as Cigna and Lincoln Financial, and taught at Temple University’s Fox School of Business for 12 years, where she collected research and discovered the four interview styles. As a former Director of Talent Acquisition turned career coach, she has vast experience on both sides of the interview table and knows what it takes to interview better. She has advised more than 10,000 clients, helping students, entrepreneurs, senior executives, and job seekers in all industries, and taught hundreds of corporate training sessions dedicated to training hiring managers how to interview. Nominated for HR Person of the Year in 2020, she is also a public speaker at the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and DisruptHR, and is a highly sought-after thought leader on all things interviewing. She lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.















Our Host: Celeste Headlee













Celeste Headlee is a communication and human nature expert, and an award-winning journalist. She is a professional speaker, and also the author of Speaking of Race: Why Everybody Needs to Talk About Racism—and How to Do It, Do Nothing, Heard Mentality, and We Need to Talk. In her twenty-year career in public radio, she has been the executive producer of On Second Thought at Georgia Public Radio, and anchored programs including Tell Me More, Talk of the Nation, All Things Considered, and Weekend Edition. She also served as cohost of the national morning news show The Takeaway from PRI and WNYC, and anchored presidential coverage in 2012 for PBS World Channel. Headlee’s TEDx talk sharing ten ways to have a better conversation has over twenty million total views to date. @CelesteHeadlee























Additional Resources:









* Read Papalia’s new book, Interviewology: The New Science of Interviewing







* Check out the FREE a href="https://www.conferencesforwomen.

This episode features an extraordinary conversation between chef and humanitarian José Andrés and Target strategic advisor Laysha Ward.







Andrés’s work with World Central Kitchen recently earned him a nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize. In this conversation, which was recorded at the 2023 Pennsylvania Conference for Women, we’ll hear about his work fighting hunger, the power of compassion, adaptive leadership, and effecting positive social change.







Learn from his vision for creating a more equitable and nourished world — and identify small ways in which you, too, can make a difference and have an impact.





























Our Guest: José Andrés







José Andrés, named one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in 2012 and 2018, and awarded the 2015 National Humanities Medal from President Barack Obama, is an internationally recognized humanitarian, culinary innovator, educator, and New York Times bestselling author. A pioneer of Spanish tapas in the United States, he is also known for his groundbreaking avant-garde cuisine and his award-winning restaurant collective, JoséAndrésGroup. In 2021, he launched José Andrés Media (JAM) which produces television series, books, podcasts, and digital content with a focus on food-related stories and the culture of food. JAM projects include the Emmy-nominated series José & Family in Spain for Max and the Longer Tables podcast. In 2023, Andrés and George Washington University partnered to lead the world in delivering food system solutions through a Global Food Institute, powered by interdisciplinary research and teaching. In 2010, Andrés founded World Central Kitchen, a non-profit which uses the power of food to nourish communities and strengthen economies in times of crisis and beyond. WCK continues to respond to natural disasters ranging from hurricanes, wildfires, and earthquakes, as well as humanitarian emergencies around the world. Andrés’ work has earned awards and distinctions, including Outstanding Chef and Humanitarian of the Year by the James Beard Foundation and the 2017 Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Association of Culinary Professionals. Andrés and World Central Kitchen were awarded the Princesa de Asturias Foundation’s 2021 Concordia Prize. As a naturalized citizen originally from Spain, Andrés has also been a tireless advocate for immigration reform.















Guest Host: Laysha Ward













Laysha Ward is an accomplished C-suite executive with 32 years of leadership experience at Target, where she now serves as Strategic Advisor. In 2017, Ms. Ward was named Executive Vice President, Chief External Engagement Officer, overseeing Target’s enterprise-wide approach to engage and deepen relationships with cross-sector stakeholders to drive positive business and community impact. She is a founding member of the Racial Equity Action and Change committee(REACH), established in 2020 to help lead the organization’s strategy to drive lasting impact for Black team members, guests and communities. Ms. Ward began her career with Target in 1991 as a member of the store sales and management team of Marshall Fields in Chicago. She was named Director of Community Relations in 2000 and promoted to Vice President of Community Relations and Target Foundation in 2003. She previously served as Executive Vice President, Chief Corporate Social Responsibility Officer before being named to her current position. In 2008, President Bush nominated and the U.S. Senate confirmed Ms. Ward to serve on the board of directors of the Corporation for National and Community Service, the nation’s largest grantmaker for volunteering and service.

This episode originally aired in June of 2023. We’re closing out the year by highlighting the best episodes of 2023. We hope you’re enjoying some much-needed down time!















The Women Amplified listener featured in this episode of “That’s a Good Question” is leading a remote business unit with ambitious goals, a steep climb ahead, and limited resources.







She’s struggling with the tricky juggling act of keeping her team engaged — while avoiding the balance and burnout conundrum — and without compromising her hands-off leadership style.







Through active problem solving, practical advice and shared experiences, our host Celeste Headlee and guest expert Brooke Bass of Liberty Mutual team up to help. Our listener will gain actionable tips and strategies to identify the right priorities to focus on, work “smarter” but not “harder,” and ultimately create a balance that allows her team to shine with autonomy and freedom.







Are you struggling with an issue at work — or at home? Submit your question here and we’ll try our best to help on an upcoming episode of “That’s A Good Question!”























Brooke Bass













Brooke Bass is the senior vice president and manager, property claims for Global Retail Markets US. She leads a department of 2,400 professionals that handle personal and small commercial property claims in the US and provide customers peace of mind when they need it most. Bass began her career with Liberty Mutual Insurance in 2004 as a consultant in corporate strategy & research (CS&R), where she worked on engagements for all SBUs. Prior to her current position, which is based in Boston, she was VP & manager of corporate strategy & research, and prior to that assistant vice president and assistant claims product manager for personal markets property claims. Bass holds a BS in environmental engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College. She obtained her CPCU designation in 2007.















Celeste Headlee













Celeste Headlee is a communication and human nature expert, and an award-winning journalist. She is a professional speaker, and also the author of Speaking of Race: Why Everybody Needs to Talk About Racism—and How to Do It, Do Nothing, Heard Mentality, and We Need to Talk. In her twenty-year career in public radio, she has been the executive producer of On Second Thought at Georgia Public Radio, and anchored programs including Tell Me More, Talk of the Nation, All Things Considered, and Weekend Edition. She also served as cohost of the national morning news show The Takeaway from PRI and WNYC, and anchored presidential coverage in 2012 for PBS World Channel. Headlee’s TEDx talk sharing ten ways to have a better conversation has over twenty million total views to date. @CelesteHeadlee























Additional Resources









* Do you have a problem? Let’s solve it! Tell us about your work/ life challenge here and you could be...

This episode originally aired in January of 2023. We’re closing out the year by highlighting the best episodes of 2023. We hope you’re enjoying some much-needed down time!















This episode features an extraordinary conversation between award-winning author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (Americanah, Notes on Grief) and Target strategic advisor Laysha Ward.







Spoken or written, words are a powerful vehicle to share knowledge, offer perspectives and influence others. They can be truths, facts, or alternatively, they can perpetuate negative thoughts, stereotypes, even fake news.







Recorded at the December 2022 Massachusetts Conference for Women, these two women explore Chimamanda’s journey to offer perspective around the power of words, acknowledging differences, and being fully inclusive. Learn how to avoid rushing to judgment and to truly understand opinions — even those that strongly differ from your own.





























Our Guest: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie







Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is an award-winning author born in Enugu, Nigeria. She graduated summa cum laude from Eastern Connecticut State University with a degree in communication and political science. She has a master’s degree in African studies from Yale University, and in creative writing from Johns Hopkins University. She was awarded a Hodder fellowship at Princeton University and a fellowship at the Radcliffe Institute of Harvard University. She received a MacArthur Fellowship, popularly known as the “genius grant.” She has received honorary doctorate degrees from 15 prestigious universities and colleges. Adichie’s work has been translated into over thirty languages. Her first novel, Purple Hibiscus, won the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize, and her second novel, Half of a Yellow Sun, won the Orange Prize. Her novel Americanah won the US National Book Critics Circle Award, and was named one of The New York Times Top Ten Best Books of 2013. She has delivered two landmark TED talks: The Danger of A Single Story and We Should All Be Feminists, which started a worldwide conversation about feminism. Her most recent work, Notes On Grief, an essay about losing her father, was published in 2021. She was named one of TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World in 2015. In 2017, Fortune Magazine named her one of the World’s 50 Greatest Leaders. Adichie divides her time between the United States and Nigeria, where she leads an annual creative writing workshop.















Guest Host: Laysha Ward













Laysha Ward is an accomplished C-suite executive with thirty years of leadership experience at Target. In 2017, Ward was named executive vice president, chief external engagement officer, overseeing Target’s enterprise-wide approach to engage and deepen relationships with cross-sector stakeholders to drive positive business and community impact. In 1991, Ward began her career with Target as a member of the store sales and management team of Marshall Fields in Chicago. In 2000, she was named director of community relations and promoted to vice president of community relations and Target Foundation in 2003. In 2008, President Bush nominated, and the U.S. Senate confirmed Ward would serve on the board of directors of the Corporation for National and Community Service, the nation’s largest grantmaker for volunteering and service, which she continued to serve as board chair under the Obama Administration. Later that year, she was promoted to president of community relations and the Target Foundation. She serves on the Aspen Institute Latinos and Society Advisory...

This episode highlights the resilience and courage of an extraordinary woman: Shoshana Johnson, the first Black female prisoner of war in U.S. military history and a Purple Heart recipient. Johnson has proven her strength in the face of adversity, and now she shares her experiences as an author and speaker.







In a heartfelt discussion with  award-winning journalist and author Celeste Headlee, we delve into Shoshana’s journey of survival, her advocacy for veterans, and her efforts to support women in the military.





Read more: Lessons in Resilience and Recovery













Excerpt from I’m Still Standing: From Captive U.S. Soldier to Free Citizen – My Journey Home:







“You will have the operation tomorrow”, the doctor said. “Do not eat until I come for you again for the surgery”, he instructed, and he left. I was nervous about having surgery, but my legs weren’t getting any better. After four days, I was still losing blood, still bleeding through the bandages, and my wounds looked raw and horrible.







Pain was my constant companion. I figured anything they could do to help the wounds would be better than doing nothing. I laid down that night not sure if I could sleep, nervous about the surgery. A couple of hours later, my cell door opened. The light from the hallway suddenly spilled into the small room, blinding me for several moments. The doctor, the nurse, and a guard were there. They stood me up and blindfolded me using a sleep mask. They didn’t bother tying my hands this time.







They shuffled me down the hall of the prison and I could hear them getting others out of their cell. I figured it was Hudson and Hernandez, the others who had been wounded. The doctor hadn’t told me we would all be going. But I was glad not to be the only one. They took us all outside, propping me up all the way. For a few brief moments, I was outside. The night air seemed crisp and refreshing after so much time in the confines of my cell.







After a couple of seconds, I smelled cordite from all the automatic gunfire I had been hearing and suddenly realized how close to the fighting we must have been. I smelled fire, stuff burning, and the general rot that comes from too many smells mixed together. They quickly hustled us into the back of a truck and we took off into the night. We all jostled around in the back as we careened through the streets, automatic weapons fire and the thump of small explosions going off all around us.







Occasionally I heard a high scream and then a sudden heavy boom. That could only mean a U.S. bomb. The Iraqis didn’t have stuff like that. It was impossible to figure out where it was coming from as we turned and swerved down the streets.







It was horrible being blindfolded, not knowing where we were going, not able to see where the firing was coming from. Much of it was close. I knew the driver was going fast as to avoid being a target. As nervous as I was about the surgery and about getting hit by some random bullet, it felt good to know that Americans were close. I rode in the truck silently rooting for my side to kick some righteous ass.















Shoshana Johnson













Shoshana Nyree Johnson was born in the Republic of Panama. She attended the University of Texas at El Paso, and later joined the U.S. Army in 1998. In February 2003, Johnson received orders to deploy to Iraq as a Food Service Specialist, (92G) with the 507th Maintenance Company, 5/52 Battalion 11th Brigade. On March 23,