MODERN ATHENAS

Modern Athenas

We discuss how regular women become Athenas by working hard, persevering through the challenges in their lives and contributing to a better world.

  1. 09/26/2017

    MODERN ATHENAS Episode 30: More than a Game, A Sisterhood / The Bridge Ladies

    This episode is the first of a series that focus on women that contribute to our personal toolkit: ways to navigate life’s challenges, tips on how to find those people who you can lean on and guide you, inspiration to persevere through challenges, how to be brave, courageous, and never quit. In The Bridge Ladies, Betsy Lerner brings us into her mother's bridge group, a group of women who have been playing bridge together every week for fifty-five years. The women have crossed through the decades together, watching each other's children be born, grow up, and have families of their own. Now, as the women move into the next phase of their lives, they are confronting the deaths of their spouses, their own mortality, and what the fifty five years of weekly bridge games mean to each of them. INDEX 0:00 New Series of Episodes 2:56 Intro to The Bridge Ladies, Debby’s Personal Story 6:10 Demographics 10:20 The Pot Roast Friendship 14:25 The Bridge Club - Logistics 19:06 A Mother’s Critique 22:27 Jackie’s Lunch 25:55 Choosing a Husband 33:47 Maintaining Family Traditions 41:16 Reflecting on Death 46:00 Maybe It is Just Bridge After All 51:55 Final Thoughts and Next Epsiode Visit www.modernathenas.com for links to all episodes. Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play or YouTube. Send us feedback or leave a review! Thanks for listening. Follow us on Twitter/Facebook @modernathenas Follow us on Instagram @themodernathenaspodcast Thanks for listening and sharing in the conversation.

  2. 09/19/2017

    MODERN ATHENAS Episode 29: Vera Atkins, the Real Ms. Moneypenny / Spymistress & Secret Agent

    In this podcast, we will be discussing the book Spymistress: The True Story of the Greatest Female Secret Agent of World War II, by William Stevenson. We meet Vera Atkins, a British spy. Vera’s work has never been given the same spotlight as that of other spies or resistance fighters who were part of the war effort. Perhaps that is because she was a woman in a man’s world, or perhaps it is due to a controversy that surrounds her involving the collapse of one of the networks of spies in France. Either way, what there is no controversy about is that she was one of the most important Allied spies and that she was indirectly and directly responsible for the training and success of many of the resistance fighters in German-occupied France. On a more humorous side note, it is also believed that Vera is the basis for the Miss Moneypenny character in Ian Flemming’s James Bond novels. INDEX 0:00 Intro and Background of the Book 1:41 F-Section and the Controversy 7:10 The Controversy 14:16 It Takes a Special Breed 18:08 Connections 22:00 Biuro Szyfrow (Cipher Bureau) 30:19 Battle of Taranto 32:35 Adapting to Your Environment 36:02 Making Decisions 40:42 Courage 43:27 Final Thoughts and Next Episode Visit www.modernathenas.com for links to all episodes. Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play or YouTube. Send us feedback or leave a review! Thanks for listening. Follow us on Twitter/Facebook @modernathenas Follow us on Instagram @themodernathenaspodcast Thanks for listening and sharing in the conversation!

    MODERN ATHENAS Episode 29: Vera Atkins, the Real Ms. Moneypenny / Spymistress & Secret Agent
  3. 09/05/2017

    MODERN ATHENAS Episode 27: Powerbrokers in Israel & the Palestinian Territories / The Friendship of Ruth and Raymonda

    In this podcast, we will be discussing the book An Improbable Friendship, by Anthony David. Friendships can happen in the most unlikely of places, in the most unlikely of times. Like romance, it is hard to predict who our friends will be, and even harder to ignore forces that make a friendship blossom. Such is the case of Ruth Dayan, an Israeli Jew, and Raymonda Tawil, a Palestinian Christian. If you asked either of the women if they thought when they first met after the Six Days War in 1967 that they would be lifelong friends, both would laugh and then make a dig at the other’s culture and politics, while professing their admiration for each other. That is their friendship—born out of conflict and forged through decades of turmoil and heartbreak, the two women have a deeply rooted respect and love for each other that transcends borders, religion, and nationalism. Each of them a power broker in a male-dominated society, their intertwined stories are ones of strength and determination. These Modern Athenas demonstrate that no matter a woman’s identity, we all want to create meaning and purpose for ourselves and in our world. INDEX 0:00 Intro and Background of the Book 1:17 Overview of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict 3:18 Ruth Dayan 8:!5 Raymonda Tawil 13:40 1967: Their Paths Cross for the First Time 18:52 April 1973: Kamal Nasser 21:39 1974: Ruth Travels the World on Behalf of Maskit and the World Craft Council 23:25 The Tree Planting in the Peace Forest of Neve Shalom 26:59 The Two-Staters 28:36 Secret Backchannel 34:37 Rabine is Assasinated 40:04 Ruth Meets Arafat: 1999 41:45 Raymonda’s Power 43:15 The Jordanian Funeral 44:37 The End of Arafat 46:38 The Walls 48:27 The Book 51:05 Outro and Next Episode Visit www.modernathenas.com for links to all episodes. Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play or YouTube. Send us feedback or leave a review! Thanks for listening. Follow us on Twitter/Facebook @modernathenas Follow us on Instagram @themodernathenaspodcast Thanks for listening and sharing in the conversation.

    MODERN ATHENAS Episode 27:  Powerbrokers in Israel & the Palestinian Territories / The Friendship of Ruth and Raymonda
  4. 08/29/2017

    MODERN ATHENAS Episode 26: Educating Esme / Navigating Life as a First Year Teacher

    Esme Raji Codell's book, Educating Esme, is about her first year teaching fifth grade in a rough and tumble area of Chicago. Esme takes the reader along during the summer before her teaching career starts, as she accepts a position in a new public school. Esme has the tireless energy of all young, new teachers and a deep-rooted belief that no matter what, it is the students that matter. As you listen to her classroom tales, you can’t help but draw parallels between Esme and her classroom, and new leaders and their teams in the workplace. The lessons are the same, and the results are predictable: leaders succeed when they own everything about their job and their team, and the team succeeds when the leader is engaged and the team is invested in the mission. INDEX 0:00 Intro and Background of the Book 1:54 Why Did They Hire Me? 6:32 The Fairy Tale Festival Proposal 10:54 The Late Night Calls 18:37 Reframing and Finding Creative Solutions 33:13 Inventors 37:12 Greek Gods 39:50 Cajun Christmas 42:36 Read Aloud Time 45:03 We Aren’t Here to be Liked 48:43 Teacher’s Meetings 52:46 When the Team Doesn’t Perform 56:02 Storytelling Festival 1:01:31 How Do I Know I Am Doing It Right? 1:03:06 Outro and Next Episode Visit www.modernathenas.com for links to all episodes. Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play or YouTube. Send us feedback or leave a review! Thanks for listening. Follow us on Twitter/Facebook @modernathenas Follow us on Instagram @themodernathenaspodcast Thanks for listening and sharing in the conversation.

    MODERN ATHENAS Episode 26: Educating Esme / Navigating Life as a First Year Teacher
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We discuss how regular women become Athenas by working hard, persevering through the challenges in their lives and contributing to a better world.