Women Leaders

Women Leaders - European Leadership Network
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The podcast that discusses global current affairs with women leaders! Ilana Bet-El chats with wonderfully qualified women experts from around the world in informal but in-depth conversations that explain, analyse and highlight events of the day. Women Leaders brings incredibly well-informed perspectives to world events: not the news, but what the news means! From geopolitics to security, defence and wars, and from economics to journalism, media and disinformation, we bring context and insight to the rapid changes in the world. Contribute to the conversation or share your topic wishes with a comment & a 5-⭐️Reach us on our Instagram and follow for updates @women_leaders_podcastProudly partnered with European Leadership Network,  Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and websiteSupported by a grant from the Foundation Open Society Institute in cooperation with the Open Society Foundations Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. 2 days ago

    9/11 25 years on with Brenda Berkman

    The background to the disaster that was 9/11 has been researched exhaustively, while the security and geopolitical outcomes — notably in Afghanistan, Iraq, the whole Middle East and many other parts of the world — are evident, with many effects felt to this day. But the event itself has receded into the past, and for younger generations is but history. The reality of two planes flown maliciously into the twin towers of the World Trade Centre in Manhattan, and the attempt to fly one into the Pentagon in Washington DC, is unknown to many, undoubtedly outside the USA. Brenda Berkman, the first female firefighter in the New York Fire Department, or indeed in the US, was there: she was a first responder. In a narrative often harrowing she recounts the reality of the day, in what was left of the World Trade Centre — as indeed the many months afterwards when the debris was cleared. From devastating detail and trauma of the event to ensuring the place of women in remembering 9/11, Brenda Berkman offers a gripping testimony to a day that changed world history. An important conversation! This episode was recorded on 11 September 2026 Chapters Brenda's journey to becoming the first female firefighter in NYCBrenda recounts her experience on 9-11Health impacts and long-term effects on respondersLessons learned and the future of women in firefightingBrenda's life after retirement and advocacy for womenMentions YouTube- documentary Taking the HeatYouTube series - Pioneering Change as NYC’s First Female FirefighterPrints - Thirty-six Views of One World Trade Center9/11 Memorial & Museum - Honouring Four Women of Ground ZeroFollow Brenda Berkman: website Instagram LinkedInIlana Bet-ElInstagram @women_leaders_podcastListen to this episode on our YouTube channelOur partner European Leadership Network Twitter LinkedIn Facebook websiteCredits Production: Florence FerrandoMusic: Let Good Times Roll, RA from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/ra/let-good-times-rollLicense code: ZXIIIJUU2ISPZIJTContribute to the conversation with a comment & a 5-⭐️ Reach us on our Instagram and follow for updates @women_leaders_podcast Watch now our episode on Youtube Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  2. 28 Aug

    Mary, The Formative Female Figure with Miri Rubin

    Women Leaders concludes its summer season of women authors There is probably no more famous and pervasive female figure than Mary, mother of Christ. There are remarkably few known facts about this woman, but that has never stopped myths, ideas, imagery and music to evolve around her as a core element of the story of Christianity, and ultimately Western then global culture. In this last episode of our summer season of women authors, we discuss the evolution and significance of Mary, Mother of God: The History of the Virgin Mary with its author, Professor Miri Rubin. One of the most noted historians of the medieval and early modern periods, she helps us discover the many roads the idea of Mary has travelled, as well as a broader discussion on the Middle Ages and ideas of religion. A great conversation ranging from the first century AD to the late Dolly Parton! This episode was recorded on 27 August 2026 Chapters Miri Rubin's background and journey into medieval historyMary's centrality in Christian theology and practiceMary's role as a vessel in religious storiesMary in contemporary culture and popular mediaThe relevance of medieval history and Mary today Mentions Book - Mother of God: A History of the Virgin Mary: Amazon UKBook - The Middle Ages: A Very Short Introduction: Amazon UKBook - Charity and Community in Medieval Cambridge: Amazon UKThe Annales ScholesPodcast - Our life in the classics with Mary Beard: SpotifyReadings - Oxford University Press - Very Short IntroductionsProject - The European Qur’an Follow Miri Rubin LinkedIn Queen Mary University of LondonIlana Bet-ElInstagram @women_leaders_podcastListen to this episode on our YouTube channelOur partner European Leadership Network Twitter LinkedIn Facebook website Credits Production: Florence FerrandoMusic: Let Good Times Roll, RA from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/ra/let-good-times-rollLicense code: ZXIIIJUU2ISPZIJTContribute to the conversation with a comment & a 5-⭐️ Reach us on our Instagram and follow for updates @women_leaders_podcast Watch now our episode on Youtube Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  3. 21 Aug

    China’s Children Separated with Barbara Demick

    The summer season of women authors is truly global, taking us this time to China. The superpower image it now exudes overshadows realities in the near past, when poverty was rife and beyond the big cities hundreds of millions were in poverty and often illiterate. The outside world had little knowledge of this, and in the 1990s and early 2000s China was considered a safe source of babies for adoption while also doing a good deed. Tens of thousands of babies, mostly girls, were adopted by Western families, all assured these were abandoned due to the infamous “one child policy”. But reality turned out differently. Barbara Demick, award-winning journalist and author, penned the incredible Daughters of the Bamboo Grove: China’s Stolen Children and the Story of Separated Twins. An author of a number of previous celebrated volumes on North Korea, Tibet and Bosnia, she brings vast experience as an observer of humanity to her reporting and writing. In a fascinating conversation, we explore how her books were written, how she became involved with the story of the twins, and why China was and remains such a complex subject. This episode was recorded on 21 July 2026 Chapters Reporting in conflict zones and repressive regimesThe story behind 'Daughters of the Bamboo Grove'Changes in rural China over the past 15 yearsThe evolution of China's laws and societyBarbara’s research and writing process Mentions Book - Daughters of the Bamboo Grove: UK Amazon US AmazonBook - Nothing To Envy: Real Lives In North Korea: UK Amazon US AmazonBook - Eat the Buddha: The Story of Modern Tibet Through the People of One Town UK Amazon US AmazonBook - Besieged: Life Under Fire on a Sarajevo Street: UK Amazon US AmazonArticle - China’s one child policy, Britannica Follow Barbara Demick Website Instagram LinkedIn Twitter/XIlana Bet-ElInstagram @women_leaders_podcastListen to this episode on our YouTube channelOur partner European Leadership Network Twitter LinkedIn Facebook website Credits Production: Florence FerrandoMusic: Let Good Times Roll, RA from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/ra/let-good-times-roll License code: ZXIIIJUU2ISPZIJTContribute to the conversation with a comment & a 5-⭐️ Reach us on our Instagram and follow for updates @women_leaders_podcast Watch now our episode on Youtube Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  4. 14 Aug

    Life, Love and War with Katherine Saad Feghali

    Women Leaders continues its summer series with women authors. Much has been written about the current horrors of Lebanon, but they really started long ago, in the civil war that raged between 1975-1990. As part of our women authors summer season, we turn to a novel written about coming of age in that period — to the brutality of war alongside the attempts at keeping normality alive, of food and family and nostalgia, of young love and loss, of the harsh destruction of commonality amongst different ethnicities in the face of brutality. Katherine Saad Feghali is the author of Glass Cedars, a roman à clef in which she recounts her love for Lebanon while observing its disintegration. A lyrical book that in many ways tells far more about the reality of Lebanon than any factual reporting. A touching and interesting conversation about destruction, PTSD and Lebanon! This episode was recorded on 11 August 2026 Chapters The origins of Glass CedarsTurning personal tragedy into a missionThe universal human experience of migration and conflictThe role of women in Lebanon and the USThe importance of human stories over political narratives Mentions Book - Glass Cedars - Amazon US & Amazon UKPoem - Epic of Gilgamesh - BritannicaAssociation - Education and Opportunities for Lebanon Follow Katherine Saad Feghali LinkedIn InstagramIlana Bet-ElInstagram @women_leaders_podcastListen to this episode on our YouTube channelOur partner European Leadership Network Twitter LinkedIn Facebook website Credits Production: Florence FerrandoMusic: Let Good Times Roll, RA from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/ra/let-good-times-roll License code: ZXIIIJUU2ISPZIJTContribute to the conversation with a comment & a 5-⭐️ Reach us on our Instagram and follow for updates @women_leaders_podcast Watch now our episode on Youtube Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  5. 7 Aug

    Our life in the classics with Mary Beard

    Women Leaders is having a relaxing summer with women authors. The Odyssey is a big summer hit, but it has been a hit for 3000 years: it is both a classic, and part of the classics, a broad field of study that Western culture has long been obsessed with. From legalities to laughter and from battles to bread, the ancient Greeks and Romans seem to have lived our lives then, while we seek out their lives now. Mary Beard is undoubtedly the most prominent classicist of our times, and her new book, Talking Classics: The Shock of the Old reflects most clearly on our longstanding relationship with the classical period and its ongoing relevance. A strong woman leader, she has authored many books, including the important Women & Power: A Manifesto. In a fun and fabulous conversation, Mary Beard discusses the significance of many issues past and present — and what she really thinks of The Odyssey, the film. Don’t miss it! This episode was recorded on 4 August 2026 Chapters: What is a classicist?Use and abuse of classical culture in politicsOrigins of the silencing of women's voicesNolan’s Odyssey impact on female charactersMentions The Booker PrizesPodcast - Instant Classics with Charlotte Higgins: YouTube Spotify Apple Podcasts  InstagramInstant Classics - Podcast Book Club on the OdysseyBook - Women in Power, a Manifesto (2017), AudibleBook - SPQR, a history of Ancient Rome (2015)Book - Talking Classics, The Shock of the Old (2026), AudibleBook - Samuel Butler The Authoress of the Odyssey (1922)Book - H.R Trevor-Roper History & imagination (1981)The Odyssey movieFollow Mary Beard Cambridge University, InstagramIlana Bet-ElInstagram @women_leaders_podcastListen to this episode on our YouTube channelOur partner European Leadership Network Twitter LinkedIn Facebook websiteCredits Production: Florence FerrandoMusic: Let Good Times Roll, RA from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/ra/let-good-times-rollLicense code: ZXIIIJUU2ISPZIJTContribute to the conversation with a comment & a 5-⭐️ Reach us on our Instagram and follow for updates @women_leaders_podcast Watch now our episode on Youtube Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  6. 24 Jul

    Security, Cooperation and Conflict with Rose Gottemoeller

    We are living in a world of open conflicts existing alongside peaceful life: while life in many parts of Europe and the US are focused upon summer holidays, Ukrainian cities are being pounded by Russian missiles and their soldiers are fighting Russian ones in the Donbas, while missiles are flying across the Middle East and Iran. It is a contradictory and jarring reality, which the various instigators of the violence claim to be necessary, and inevitable — notably Vladimir Putin, President of Russia. In first illegally annexing Crimea in 2014, then mounting a full-scale invasion in 2022, Putin claimed not only that Ukraine was not a legitimate state but rather a part of Russia — but also that it was necessary as part of Russia’s defence against an ever-expanding and threatening NATO. This narrative is rooted in a malignant Russian reading of the end of the Cold War, US and NATO intentions, and Russian dreams of world significance. It is also the subject of a new book by Rose Gottemoeller, former NATO Deputy Secretary General, and the guest of this episode. From the current situation in Russia and Ukraine, to the intricacies that led to it, this is a great conversation on one of the most important periods of recent history. This episode was recorded on 22 July 2026 Chapters: What is the START Treaty?Nuclear forces & deterrence rationaleThe impact of Ukraine conflict on Russia and global securityPutin's leadership, decision-making, and strategic mindsetThe future of Russia-US relations and cooperationThe importance of international cooperation and stability Mentions Book - Security Through Cooperation: Space, Nuclear Weapons, and US-Russia Relations After the Cold War UK website with a 20% discount code: RGOT20US websiteRose’s previous Women Leaders episodes: “A historic 2022 International Women’s Day” 8 March 2022“Back and big – Geopolitics with Rose Gottemoeller, an IWD special” 8 March 2024Putin’s options: an oligarch speaks outs - The Economist Follow Rose Gottemoeller LinkedInIlana Bet-ElInstagram @women_leaders_podcastListen to this episode on our YouTube channelOur partner European Leadership Network Twitter LinkedIn Facebook website Credits Production:Florence FerrandoMusic: Let Good Times Roll, RA from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/ra/let-good-times-rollLicense code: ZXIIIJUU2ISPZIJTContribute to the conversation with a comment & a 5-⭐️ Reach us on our Instagram and follow for updates @women_leaders_podcast Watch now our episode on Youtube Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  7. 3 Jul

    The US at 250, the exceptional experiment with Laurel Rapp

    The United States is celebrating the 250th anniversary of its founding on July 4th. Whilst the country is living through deep changes in its global perception, it is well to remember that as an entity it has always been different: the first declared republic, rejecting monarchy or any form of inherited rule in favour of government by the people and for the people. A nation created by a Declaration of Independence, governed by a balance of power between the legislative, executive and judicial branches. These have now become the obvious markings of democratic rule, but at the time they were a startling innovation. Or, as the US likes to think of itself, an exception. The past two years have definitely seen many global examples of US exceptionalism, be it in Greenland, Venezuela or Iran, as well as internal radical changes related to immigrants, the structure of government and the role of religion. But it may be that many of these were foretold, not least in the last lines of the US national anthem: “Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just, And this be our motto - “In God is our trust” And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.” Laurel Rapp, Director of the US and North America Programme at Chatham House, is an excellent guide to the US experiment and exceptionalism. In a conversation that takes her back to her work in the State Department and her school days, the foundations and meaning of US identity and uniqueness are beautifully revealed - and explain a lot of today’s realities! This episode was recorded on 1 July 2026 Chapters The US 250th Anniversary significanceUnderstanding American exceptionalismThe legacy of Manifest DestinyContradictions and cultural wars over US historyIs the American dream dead?What is it to be a US diplomat? Mentions US Declaration of IndependenceUS ConstitutionChatman House US and North America programmeEvent (17 September 2026) US at 250: Separation vs. concentration of power – America’s enduring constitutional debate Follow Laurel Rapp LinkedIn, Chatman House pageIlana Bet-ElInstagram @women_leaders_podcastListen to this episode on our YouTube channelOur partner European Leadership Network Twitter LinkedIn Facebook website Credits Production: Florence FerrandoMusic: Let Good Times Roll, RA from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/ra/let-good-times-rollLicense code: ZXIIIJUU2ISPZIJTContribute to the conversation with a comment & a 5-⭐️ Reach us on our Instagram and follow for updates @women_leaders_podcast Watch now our episode on Youtube Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  8. 19 Jun

    Lebanon’s pivotal place in the Middle East with Suzan Haidamous

    The war in Iran, and the broader Middle East, is apparently over — at least according to US President Trump. A 14-point agreement between the US and Iran has been signed - in Versailles Palace, where the ill-fated agreement ending World War I was signed - largely giving Iran all it asked for. The world economy may eventually return to some semblance of normality as the Strait of Hormuz reopens, assuming it really does, but the region as a whole is far from at peace, and somewhat far from comprehending a deal that stablizes remarkably little. This is especially true to Lebanon: torn apart by its own sectarian violence and economic deterioration, it has become the core issue of dispute. For Iran, Hezbollah must remain intact and in control, with Iranian oversight of the whole country; for Israel, Hezbollah must be disarmed and removed from Lebanon’s southern border. Neither Israel nor Lebanon are parties to the newly signed 14-point agreement, though both have now embarked upon some kind of talks sponsored by the US. That may not matter, as in the complex web of Lebanese politics, Hezbollah is more powerful than the government. However, it has been weakened dramatically by Israel, that is also pushing back on it while licking its wounds from what seems like a humiliating defeat. Suzan Haidamous, Beirut-based correspondent for the Washington Post, is the perfect person to make some sense of Lebanon’s predicaments. In a great and wise conversation, she brings lived experience of Lebanon coupled with great insight and compassion. Chapters: Understanding Lebanon and Syria todayReporting from the ground: experiences in SyriaHezbollah's role and influence in LebanonThe future of Lebanon and regional dynamics with IranIs there still hope for peace in the Middle East? Mentions 2024 beeper attack on Hezbollah2024 walkie talkie attack on HezbollahSusannah George - Washington post pageLiz Sly - Washington post pageUN Security Council resolution 1701UN News - Explainer: What is Security Council resolution 1701?Women Leaders - As missiles flySuzan Haidamous article “An airstrike trapped a journalist” Follow Suzan Haidamous Washington Post page LinkedInIlana Bet-ElInstagram @women_leaders_podcastListen to this episode on our YouTube channelOur partner European Leadership Network Twitter LinkedIn Facebook website Credits Production: Florence FerrandoMusic: Let Good Times Roll, RA from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/ra/let-good-times-rollLicense code: ZXIIIJUU2ISPZIJTContribute to the conversation with a comment & a 5-⭐️ Reach us on our Instagram and follow for updates @women_leaders_podcast Watch now our episode on Youtube Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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About

The podcast that discusses global current affairs with women leaders! Ilana Bet-El chats with wonderfully qualified women experts from around the world in informal but in-depth conversations that explain, analyse and highlight events of the day. Women Leaders brings incredibly well-informed perspectives to world events: not the news, but what the news means! From geopolitics to security, defence and wars, and from economics to journalism, media and disinformation, we bring context and insight to the rapid changes in the world. Contribute to the conversation or share your topic wishes with a comment & a 5-⭐️Reach us on our Instagram and follow for updates @women_leaders_podcastProudly partnered with European Leadership Network,  Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and websiteSupported by a grant from the Foundation Open Society Institute in cooperation with the Open Society Foundations Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Information

  • Creator
    Women Leaders - European Leadership Network
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    62
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Women Leaders
  • Show Website
    Women Leaders

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