428 episodes

Engaging and enlightening interviews with women leaders on energy, climate, sustainability and corporate responsibility -- ESG, environment,social and governance issues. Business, policy and technology, money, the arts and careers. Topics include driving innovation, leadership, communications and career advice. Inspiration, trends and insights. Hosted and produced by Joan Michelson, acclaimed journalist, business leader, coach and speaker, based in Washington, DC.

Electric Ladies Podcast Joan Michelson

    • Management

Engaging and enlightening interviews with women leaders on energy, climate, sustainability and corporate responsibility -- ESG, environment,social and governance issues. Business, policy and technology, money, the arts and careers. Topics include driving innovation, leadership, communications and career advice. Inspiration, trends and insights. Hosted and produced by Joan Michelson, acclaimed journalist, business leader, coach and speaker, based in Washington, DC.

    Women Voters, Climate & This Critical 2024 Election

    Women Voters, Climate & This Critical 2024 Election

    “Women are very worried about these (extreme weather) events, and they're the ones that really worry about the impact on communities.…They want to leave a better country for their children...They will say that climate change is something that really is on my agenda more because my children talk to me about it and they listen to their children and grandchildren. That said, the urgency around climate change ebbs and flows a little bit. Many of the single issue climate change voters are also single issue war and Gaza voters. So that's pushed this issue out a little bit. But in the long run, women are very worried about the climate.”  
    Celinda Lake on Electric Ladies Podcast
    We are in the midst of the most consequential election in modern history, when democracy is literally on the ballot, as is protecting the planet. President Biden passed the largest climate mitigation legislation in history, with $3 trillion in investment and financial incentives in clean energy, communities, etc.  The Republican nominee, “former guy” is in the pocket of fossil fuels and promises to reverse all that funding.
    What do women voters want? Listen to master opinion researcher Celinda Lake, Founder/CEO of Lake Research Partners for the unvarnished truth, with Electric Ladies podcast host Joan Michelson.  
    You’ll hear:
    How women voters today feel about climate change and how it influences their voting. How opinion research really works in today’s polarized electorate with layers of technology and unconscious messaging to penetrate. How to talk about climate change to women voters so they listen and respond with urgency. How her being raised in Montana has made her a better opinion researcher. Plus, insightful career advice …. “Women often have far more skills than their resumes translate into. And actually we're going into a good period now where I think employers and organizations are looking for the skillset that you have more than the job titles that you have. And that's good for women because we have a lot of skills that we will have acquired in different arenas. Bring in your all… It's tough out there. It requires resilience, but just remember that you have a tremendous amount to offer and, um, you know it, and sooner or later somebody's going to figure that out too.” Celinda Lake on Electric Ladies podcast
    You’ll also want to listen to:
    Joan Michelson hosts a Forum at The Newseum on the Constitutional Amendment that certified women’s right to vote, the 19th Amendment. Marcia Chatelain, Ph.D., Professor of American History at Georgetown University on the power of black women voters. Brooke Kroeger, author of “The Suffragents,” about the men who supported women’s right to vote. Vanessa Chan, Ph.D, Chief Commercialization Officer of the Department of Energy on transforming our energy systems (and the Inflation Reduction Act funding) Heather Boushey, Member of the National Council of Economic Advisors in the White House and Chief Economist of the Invest in America Cabinet “The Power of Women Voters,” Joan Michelson’s Forbes article on the anniversary of the certification of women’s right to vote. Subscribe to our newsletter to receive our podcasts, blog, events and special coaching offers..
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    Follow us on Twitter @joanmichelson

    • 33 min
    Reducing IT’s Carbon Footprint – Monica Batchelder, Chief Sustainability Officer, HPE

    Reducing IT’s Carbon Footprint – Monica Batchelder, Chief Sustainability Officer, HPE

    “During the pandemic, a lot of companies underwent digital transformations…At the same time that that was happening, sustainability was really catching wind, particularly in places like Europe.… (I)f you are a non-manufacturing company, your largest source of operational emissions is probably your IT. So…CIOs now have these mandates trickling down from their CEO or whomever that they need to reduce their energy consumption and their emissions. And they're saying, how do I do that while also meeting these business imperatives?”  Monica Batchelder on Electric Ladies Podcast
    Information technologies have a huge carbon footprint, about 1.5% of total global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, which equals about all of what the UK emits. It’s about all the electricity those units use, including in their manufacturing process. But, they also reduce the impact of other systems and are critical to our lifestyles, economy and business goals. How we reduce the impact of IT?
    Listen to Monica Batchelder, Chief Sustainability Officer of HPE (Hewlett Packard Enterprises) in this fascinating conversation with Electric Ladies podcast host Joan Michelson to find out.  
    You’ll hear:
    How the pandemic accelerated IT carbon management programs. What “radical collaboration” is and how HPE is using it to help startups access technologies The challenges CIOs are facing today to both reduce IT’s carbon footprint while it’s also the backbone of the system for reducing the impact of the rest of the organization. Addressing the conflict minerals challenge, global standards and frameworks, and much more Plus, insightful career advice …. “Leadership isn't a title. It's not about having decision making power. It's not about being around the table in the boardroom. If you have the right idea, it is a pragmatic idea, you have built trust in that your peers know that if you bring them an idea, it is going to be thought through and it is going to be sound, and it might be transformative, (then) you will get the buy-in, you need to make change happen… It's about building trust with stakeholders from the start to get your ideas across. And that's how you can create the change you want.” Monica Batchelder on Electric Ladies podcast
    You’ll also want to listen to:
    Michele Mueller, Michele Mueller, Manager of Connected, Automated and Electrification at the Michigan Department of Transportation Vanessa Chan, Ph.D, Chief Commercialization Officer of the Department of Energy on transforming our energy systems (and the Inflation Reduction Act funding) Joan Michelson on “Doing Sustainability” with Gary Baker, on the balancing act between carbon impact and business and social goals Katie McGInty, Chief Sustainability Officer of Johnson Controls, on how to reduce the carbon impact of buildings Heather Boushey, Member of the National Council of Economic Advisors in the White House and Chief Economist of the Invest in America Cabinet Subscribe to our newsletter to receive our podcasts, blog, events and special coaching offers..
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    Follow us on Twitter @joanmichelson

    • 43 min
    Music, Public Health & Climate Action – Emma O’Brien, Global Scrub Choir

    Music, Public Health & Climate Action – Emma O’Brien, Global Scrub Choir

    “The link for us with (the WHO) is about universal health coverage and the sustainable development goal number three, which obviously the WHO places in the middle of the wheel of all the sustainable development goals. But on top and behind and with each other is climate action. We cannot have one without the other. And our role is to remind a lot of people that when they're making policies, they're talking about human beings.”  Emma O’Brien on Electric Ladies Podcast
    Climate change has a real impact on public health, from asthma and other respiratory illnesses due to CO2 and pollutants, to biodiversity-related risks like viruses, to heart disease, malnutrition and injuries and deaths from extreme weather events and extreme heat. Not to mention the stresses of displacement and trauma of these events.
    Listen to Emma O’Brien, Ph.D., the founder of the Global Scrub Choir and Head of Music Therapy at the Royal Melbourne Hospital talk about music + public health + climate change in this truly inspiring interview on Electric Ladies podcast with host Joan Michelson.  
    You’ll hear:
    The impact of music on the brain – and the impact of creativity on health. The connection between the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Global Scrub Choir and the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals – and why the Choir was at the UN’s Climate Week 2023. Risks to public health from climate change Plus, insightful career advice …. “if you're within a system, I think you need to spend a lot of time understanding that system, but also,  never being afraid to question it.… not be afraid to ask questions. Because I found across my career that often I'll ask a question in a meeting and everyone will go, oh, thank goodness someone asked that question.” Emma O’Brien on Electric Ladies podcast
    You’ll also want to listen to:
    Sandra Bargman & Chantal Bilodeau, about their Climate Cabaret Jill Tidman, Executive Director of The Redford Center, on how we talk about the climate and documentaries Daniella Ortega, writer and director of “Carbon: The Unauthorized Biography.” Deborah Rutter, President of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on managing creative people and the Reach center’s sustainability features. (Note: This was recorded under the previous name of the show, Green Connections Radio.) Subscribe to our newsletter to receive our podcasts, blog, events and special coaching offers..
    Thanks for subscribing on Apple Podcasts or iHeartRadio and leaving us a review!
    Follow us on Twitter @joanmichelson

    • 51 min
    The Future of Sustainability & ESG – Joan on “Doing Sustainability” Podcast With Gary Baker

    The Future of Sustainability & ESG – Joan on “Doing Sustainability” Podcast With Gary Baker

    “Corporate America has a very important role to play in this transition. They have the resources, they have the talent, and they are being nudged by their customers, their employees, even their suppliers, their investors, and obviously regulators to do this work. They know it's the right thing to do…Just as a quick thing to think about is it used to be that the people who were in sustainability were kind of on the sidelines…Now their talent is being tapped into the C-suite because it's like, wait a minute, we don't have a choice. We have to do this. And now we have the regulators and we have the SEC. And so that talent is actually has a more center stage.” Joan Michelson on “Doing Sustainability” podcast
    How do we “do” sustainability? What role does the Corporate sector play in this fight against global warming? Where do the resources and strategies to do it come from?
    Listen to Electric Ladies Podcast host Joan Michelson as a guest on “Doing Sustainability” with host Gary Baker, a branding expert also focused on the sustainability space. It was fun for Joan to be interviewed for a change, so have a listen and let us know what you think.
    You’ll hear:
    Integrating sustainability into business strategy How to embrace the demand for transparency and accountability to build trust with the markets The magic of partnerships, internal ones and external ones Figuring out how your business can leverage the ESG economy to achieve its own goals. Plus, insightful career advice …. “When I'm doing coaching with people for their own careers, it's about what parts of you do you want to give a voice to? And a company is the same thing. In branding it's a personality, right? And so it's what do you want to put forward first? …And what parts of that portfolio of what you do are most relevant today? What's the intersection between what you do well, where the marketplace is and the message you really want to get across? And it's in that Venn diagram is where the magic is.” Joan Michelson on “Doing Sustainability”
    You’ll also want to listen to:
    Katie McGinty, Chief Sustainability Officer of Johnson Controls on the vital role of buildings in combatting climate change. Evelyne Saelens, ESG Advisory Lead at UL Solutions on “mobilize, measure and manage” ESG initiatives and outcomes. Mary Morrissey, famed author and coach, on the power of “Brave Thinking” and what it really is. Heather Grady, Vice President of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, on leveraging philanthropy to drive results. Heather Boushey, Member of the National Council of Economic Advisors in the White House and Chief Economist of the Invest in America Cabinet Subscribe to our newsletter to receive our podcasts, blog, events and special coaching offers..
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    Follow us on Twitter @joanmichelson

    • 35 min
    The Power Of Buildings – Katie McGinty, Johnson Controls Chief Sustainability Officer

    The Power Of Buildings – Katie McGinty, Johnson Controls Chief Sustainability Officer

    “The march that we have seen in businesses taking on climate commitments has been one of those forcing functions to bring the data related to buildings front and center (because buildings account for 40% of greenhouse gas emissions) ….There is a whole heck of a lot of inefficiency to cut out of those buildings. And so, as we think of the enormity of the climate challenge, buildings are that rare space that actually taking action cash flows is accretive to your bottom line because you're cutting out a whole lot of waste that otherwise there's just a burden on your bottom line.”  Katie McGinty on Electric Ladies Podcast
    Buildings are 40% of greenhouse gas emissions, so they are paramount to addressing the climate challenge. But how? It’s complicated. Buildings are complex ecosystems with tons of regulations to meet because of how central they are to our well-being and safety.
    Listen to Katie McGinty, Chief Sustainability Officer of Johnson Controls in this fascinating conversation with Electric Ladies podcast host Joan Michelson.  Johnson Controls has played a central role managing our workplace environments for over 140 years.
    You’ll hear:
    The impact of covid on buildings and how that has affected carbon management programs. How buildings are managed and equipped to improve their performance and reduce costs, including by integrating various systems that were previously isolated. How the centrality of the workplace in retaining top talent has affected building infrastructures as much as climate commitments have. The impact of the Infrastructure Investment Act and Inflation Reduction Act Plus, insightful career advice …. “At the end of the day, what matters is relationships. And if you have a choice to produce a good, even if not immaculate PowerPoint or presentation, whatever it is…take a risk of walking it around to a couple of people and say, ‘I'd really love your feedback on this.’ Take the time and maybe get out of your comfort zone to build those relationships. The other thing (is)… amplify… Make it a point of saying, ‘Sue just said X, Sue, I actually thought that was pretty interesting. Could you say a few more words about that?’… I think we can help our colleagues come into the game if we reinforce the foot they have put forward and we open the door for them to be able to express themselves more fully.” Katie McGinty on Electric Ladies podcast
    You’ll also want to listen to:
    Lauren Salz, CEO of Sealed, on how heat pumps reduce energy costs and emissions of buildings. Pamela Conrad, CEO of Climate Positive Designs, landscape architect and professor at Harvard Sarah Golden, VP of Energy at Greenbiz, on geothermal energy as clean, renewable power. Heather Boushey, Member of the National Council of Economic Advisors in the White House and Chief Economist of the Invest in America Cabinet Elizabeth Thompson, VP of the U.S. Green Building Council on whether “green” buildings are safe. (Note: This was recorded under the previous name of the show, Green Connections Radio.) Subscribe to our newsletter to receive our podcasts, blog, events and special coaching offers..
    Thanks for subscribing on Apple Podcasts or iHeartRadio and leaving us a review!
    Follow us on Twitter @joanmichelson

    • 43 min
    Advanced Technology Improving Transportation – Michele Mueller, Michigan DOT

    Advanced Technology Improving Transportation – Michele Mueller, Michigan DOT

    “We start to look at the advantages of the technology, and we start to really focus in on where can we go forward? What are the things we're doing and how do we get there collectively so that it is the industry, and the infrastructure side actually coming together and making those choices and implementing these safety features or implementing these (technologies)… There's no one right solution…It's collaboration and it will always have to be.” Michele Mueller on Electric Ladies Podcast
    There’s a reason automakers are calling themselves “mobility” companies today, not just automakers. It’s because technology is such a dominant piece of the vehicle and transportation sector writ large. How do these technologies change our daily routines?
    Listen to this fascinating interview on Electric Ladies Podcast with Michele Mueller, Manager of Connected, Automated and Electrification at the Michigan Department of Transportation, in the heart of the auto sector.
    You’ll hear:
    How new technologies are transforming vehicles, not just electrifying them, and turning them into more than transportation. How the Michigan DOT is staying in touch with communities across the state, to ensure they meet their needs, including underserved populations. How the Michigan DOT is collaborating with the auto industry, including automakers, suppliers, entrepreneurs and regulators to balance all interests but putting the traveling public first. How the Michigan DOT is innovating and testing new technologies, including updating their infrastructure with the new federal funding (Infrastructure Investment Act, Inflation Reduction Act) Plus, insightful career advice “One is, I would say do something you enjoy doing. Find your passion. I found my passion and even on a bad day, it's a good day, right? I get up in the morning, I get excited to do and to achieve what I've set forward. I think the other thing is, don't expect to change the world tomorrow, right? It takes time. It's taken me a very long time. It still takes me every day to look at things. Things aren't going to change overnight, and some things may require a little more energy and a little more pushing and challenging of yourself and others to actually get to achieve that.”
    Michele Mueller on Electric Ladies podcast
     
    You’ll also want to listen to: (some might be recorded under our previous name, Green Connections Radio)
    Tiya Gordon, Cofounder and COO, itsElectric urban EV charging systems Linda Zhang, Chief Engineer, Ford F160 Lightning EV Suzy Deering, Chief Marketing Officer of Ford – on bringing change to a legacy industry as an outsider. Genevieve Cullen, President, Electric Drive Transportation Assn. – on financial benefits for buying EVs in the new legislation, and EVs coming to market soon Kristen Siemen, Chief Sustainability Officer of General Motors Neha Palmer, Founder/CEO of TeraWatt Infrastructure on charging for EV trucks Subscribe to our newsletter to receive our podcasts, blog, events and special coaching offers..
    Thanks for subscribing on Apple Podcasts or iHeartRadio and leaving us a review!
    Follow us on Twitter @joanmichelson

    • 1 hr 2 min