Electric Ladies Podcast Joan Michelson

“For me, the key to my career was being clear on what my mission is….I feel so enormously fortunate that I found a president to be able to work for who shares that goal….So I think the lesson in that is either be the leader that you want to believe in, or find that leader and attach yourself to them and see what amazing things you can do together. But, for me, it's been about being clear on what it is that I wanted to achieve.” Heather Boushey on Electric Ladies Podcast
In 2023 we’ve had dozens of extraordinary women at the top of their game on Electric Ladies Podcast (like all 400+ of our episodes!). From C-level corporate executives to top government officials, entrepreneurs, artists, journalists and scientists, they are all paving their own way – and new paths for women – to build a career by making a difference and making money. In each episode, I ask them for career advice for midcareer women who want to do the same. In this series, listeners requested we air episodes with just their advice.
In this episode in the series, listen to career gems from five extraordinary women from government, the arts, science and business, using their unique talents to drive a clean, green economy in which women have economic parity (the Electric Ladies Podcast mission).
This episode brings you advice from:
·       Heather Boushey, Ph.D., Member of the White House Council of Economic Advisors and Chief Economist of the Invest in America Cabinet at the White House
·       Daniella Ortega, award-winning documentary filmmaker and codirector, writer, and coproducer of “Carbon: The Unauthorized Biography” and Development and Investment Manager – Documentary at Screen Australia
·       Melissa Lott, Ph.D., Director of Research at the Center on Global Energy Policy, at Columbia University and the lead scientist on the ground-breaking PBS documentary “Chasing Carbon Zero.”
·       Jean Case, CEO Of the Case Foundation and former SVP of AOL, and ground-breaking philanthropist and investor focused on purpose-focused, diverse entities
·       Jill Tidman, Executive Director of The Redford Center (founded by actor/filmmaker Robert Redford and his late son James Redford), advancing environmental solutions through storytelling.
Read Joan’s Forbes articles here too – which also include career advice, as well as ways to stay abreast of the clean, green economy.
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“Companies are not just being more strategic about corporate social impact, but are taking on the role of activists themselves. Consumers and employees now expect companies to be vocal and to protect the rights of our people and our planet. CEOs are the voices of companies and can no longer remain neutral and silent as our world grapples with serious challenges.” Susan McPherson, McPherson Memo
 Company leaders are in a quandary. They want their organizations to be seen as good corporate citizens but they don’t know how to deal with the complicated, emotionally-charged and overlapping crises we are all facing today. The barbaric attack on innocent Israelis by Hamas on October 7th and the massive military response by Israel on Gaza alone – on top of the war in Ukraine and attacks on democracy from American influentials and climate change – are paralyzing many private sector leaders. What should they do?
 Listen to Susan McPherson, CEO of McPherson Strategies and highly-regarded veteran communications leader, explain how leaders should/could manage this fraught time in this candid and powerful conversation with Electric Ladies Podcast host Joan Michelson.
You’ll hear:
What a good corporate citizen really is. What “green hushing” is and where it’s coming from – and how it’s not anti-ESG. How to respond to complicated geopolitical crises How to be an authentic leader and who are some role models for that. Plus, insightful career advice, such as…. “it's doing an internal audit of yourself and learning what your superpowers are, and then being able to show up in the world, offering support to others. And I guarantee you, the support will come back. It may not be the next day, it may not be the next week, but over the arc of your career and connecting is hard….(and) Lead with kindness, lead with compassion, listen more than you speak.” Susan McPherson on Electric Ladies podcast
 
Read Joan’s Forbes articles here.
You’ll also want to listen to:
·       Isabelle Grosmaitre, Goodness & Co. – on the tipping point business is at today and how good corporate leaders and boards can deal with it.
·       Heather Boushey, Member of the White House Council of Economic Advisors, on the economy and leadership
·       Natalie Jaresko, former finance minister of Ukraine, on the power of ESG in geopolitics, good business and climate change
Michele Wucker, thought leaders and author of “You Are What You Risk: The New Art & Science to Navigating an Uncertain World.” ·       Sandrine Dixson-Decléve, Co-president of the Club of Rome (global leaders) and Ambassador to the Climate
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“The first lesson was do not pretend somebody here know that that was the one when I was trying to dress up like a business woman. But the second one was, which was a really hard one for me, was to understand that we communicate, we have different communication styles, which is, it seems very easy and simple, like everybody communicates somehow, and we are different. But the thing was that if you understand that you have in your team, you have at least four different p four different styles of communication” Maggie Bienaiszewska on Women Automotive Network’s Breaking Barriers Podcast
 
Are you losing good talent? Are you having communication problems? Malgorzata (Maggie) Bienaiszewska, an auto sector entrepreneur in Poland, explained to me how she transformed her leadership style from, what she calls “Tyrant to Leader,” when I guest hosted the Women Automotive Network’s “Breaking Barriers” podcast recently. She shared some of the 14 leadership lessons she learned the hard way, lessons she wrote about as co-author of the book, "Leader (not) Ideal. 14 Lessons of Effective Leadership.” (English is not her first language.)
Listen to this candid interview with Maggie replayed here on Electric Ladies Podcast with permission from Women Automotive Network. I’ve had the privilege of hosting their podcast and their Summits before and always meet remarkable women transforming the economy.
You’ll hear:
How Maggie discovered that her leadership style wasn’t working – even in a male-dominated industry. How Maggie learned to change her style and how to do it. What some of her 14 lessons are for “effective” leadership, and why she does not try for the “ideal.” Her keys to good communication with your team and/or clients. Plus, insightful career advice “There are three values in my company...It's something that we believe in, we live according to it. And these are not just words. I'll just give you example in a sec, but ‘humankind,’ ‘respect’ and ‘good reputation.’ These are the three values they stem out from the fact who I was and how different it was in the past..” Maggie Bienaiszewska on Women Automotive Network’s Breaking Barriers Podcast
 
You’ll also want to listen to: 
Kristen Siemen, Chief Sustainability Officer, General Motors Telva McGruder, Executive Director of Global Body Manufacturing Engineering, General Motors (then-Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer) 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 Subscribe to our newsletter to receive our podcasts, blog, events and special coaching offers..
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“We are at a tipping point when businesses need to reinvent themselves for a better future. In fact, I believe that they need to reinvent the model and even demonstrate the contribution to society. I believe. in fact, that only companies with a positive impact will thrive. Why? Because they will be chosen by people, by employees, as you said, by investors, by partners, by clients. This is what is happening right now. And the question is not anymore about the why, the question has become about the how,” Isabelle Grosmaitre on Electric Ladies Podcast.
Businesses today across the globe are being pulled in many, many directions. Employees, suppliers, regulators, investors, communities, and customers are making demands that sometimes conflict and are speaking with their dollars and their time. Being perceived as a good corporate citizen and leader is more important and more complicated than ever, as is being a board member.
Listen to Isabelle Grosmaitre, Founder/CEO of Goodness & Co. on Electric Ladies Podcast with host Joan Michelson explain how executives and boards can frame these issues successfully. Goodness & Co is a management consulting firm based in Paris, France. I had the privilege of having Isabelle on a panel of mine at the huge ChangeNow Summit in Paris a few months ago. (Note: This was recorded before the barbaric attack on Israel by Hamas on October 7, 2023 and the subsequent regional war involving Gaza.)
You’ll hear:
Why she thinks this moment is a critical tipping point for businesses and leadership. How conscious leadership is becoming a movement at the top of global corporations. How business models need to change to include their impact on society writ large, as well as financial prosperity. What the “new era of governance” is that she sees we need, why and how to get there. Plus, insightful career advice, such as…. “One is, that you need to listen to your inner voice. Sometimes it may feel super scary, that's the reality a lot of times. But the reality is that the only way to thrive is to listen to your inner voice. The second thing is, that it's okay to be ambitious. I think it's one of the critical values that leadership needs is to be ambitious, because we need to really reinvent the way we do business. So, this will not happen without ambitious leaders. I believe that, in fact have the courage to…think big, to be a super bold and willing to change the world…the courage to act.” Isabelle Grosmaitre on Electric Ladies podcast
Read Joan’s Forbes articles here.
You’ll also want to listen to:
·       Sandrine Dixson-Decléve, Co-president of the Club of Rome (global leaders) and Ambassador to the Climate
·       Heather Boushey, Member of the White House Council of Economic Advisors
Michele Wucker, thought leaders and author of “You Are What You Risk: The New Art & Science to Navigating an Uncertain World.” ·       Anne Kelly, VP of Government Relations at Ceres, on why businesses support the Inflation Reduction Act etc.
·       Birta Hegadottir, then head of Business Iceland, on how they are operationalizing the circular economy across the country.
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Thanks for subscribing on Apple Podcasts or iHeartRadio and leaving us a review!
Follow us on Twitter @joanmichelson   and @electricgalspod

“What surprised me was actually how profound, how deep I managed to have this relationship with carbon. Like, because in the end, I found, through the writing and embodying carbon for so long, I found the connections, the  entanglement of carbon across so many aspects of all our lives so illuminating, so surprising. Sometimes I just felt so moved by the wonder of it all, and I still do. Just thinking about it now makes me think, God, it's so wondrous.” Daniella Ortega on Electric Ladies Podcast
If you were making a film about carbon, what would it be like? On Electric Ladies Podcast today you’ll hear from a woman who actually did that. She’s science filmmaker Daniella Ortega, who is co-director of a new, extraordinary documentary called “Carbon: An Unauthorized Biography.” They use a number of super-creative theatrical devices to tell the story, including personifying carbon and using 3D animation.
Listen to Daniella Ortega explain on Electric Ladies Podcast in this inspiring conversation with host Joan Michelson, how she came up with the idea and how she and her production team chose how to tell the story of the one element in the universe that is in everything, including us – yet that we are also trying to reduce.  
You’ll hear:
Why they made carbon and woman and how they secured one of the top actresses of the moment to voice “her.” How Daniella came up with the idea and how that was filtered throughout the film. How to communicate climate messages in stories without being preachy or awkward. How she developed an emotional connection to carbon in the process of learning more about it making the film Plus, insightful career advice …. “What I've come to learn about what it is to be a creative person with ambition and wanting to make an impact … I think finding the gaps of where you sit. You have some skills, that's great, but where are the gaps? What do you feel can empower you or make you feel or give you those skills that you need to fill those gaps? And then look to other people or ways in which ways to fill them… (Also) don't be isolated. Connect, connect, connect with those around you, and…don't give your power away, keep your power and try to build on it.” Daniella Ortega on Electric Ladies podcast
Read my articles in Forbes about how we talk about the weather, and about developing a new narrative for the climate effort.
You’ll also want to listen to (some may have been recorded under our previous name, Green Connections Radio):
Jill Tidman, Executive Director, The Redford Center, founded by actor, filmmaker, producer, Robert Reford and his late son James, which produces and underwrites documentaries about the planet. Sandra Bargman & Chantal Bilodeau, “The Climate Cabaret” – using music and storytelling to talk about the climate crisis. Deborah Rutter, President, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts – on managing creative people. Ann Friedman, Creator and CEO, Planet Word Museum – on her new museum about the magic of language. Tracy Edwards, Executive Producer of the documentary “Maiden” about her experience developing and Captaining the first all-female crew to run the Whitbread Round the World Yachting Race. Dayna Reggero, Executive Producer of The Climate Listening Project, short films about community climate activists around the U.S. Subscribe to our newsletter to receive our podcasts, blog, events and special coaching offers..
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Follow us on Twitter @joanmichelson

War & The Hidden Power of ESG - Natalie Jaresko, fmr Finance Minister of Ukraine
 
“The global business community must understand that nurturing, upholding and protecting freedom and democracy is part of their ESG responsibility. It's not only in their best interest, but also in, in those of their increasingly noisy and numerous stakeholders…Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine started, not all chief executives have had the courage to take actions which would be consistent with their ESG policies,” Natalie Jaresko in the Financial Times.
 
How might ESG systems support peace and prosperity and disincentivize the brutality we see in the news from the barbaric attack on civilians in Israel and the continuing atrocities in Ukraine by Russia’s unprovoked war? Natalie Jaresko, the former finance minister of Ukraine explained how to Electric Ladies Podcast host Joan Michelson in this riveting interview.
 
Natalie helps us step back a moment and think about how what’s at the core of ESG systems might help drive a lasting peace. It’s also vital that we continue to pressure lawmakers to approve aid to Ukraine immediately, as well as to Israel. 
You’ll hear:
How ESG can be a tool for democracy, as well as climate and social goals. How globalization allows Russia’s dark money to be a hidden influence on Western policies and institutions. What you can do to support Ukraine, today. Plus, insightful career advice. And much more!
“I think today there are more ways to make a difference while making money than there ever have been before you don't need to remain or stay in public policy in the traditional kind of government think tank, uh, world. Now companies are establishing entire branches, departments, foundations to make a difference.” Natalie Jaresko on Electric Ladies podcast
 
Read Joan’s Forbes articles here.
You’ll also want to listen to:
·       Sandrine Dixson-Decléve, Co-president of the Club of Rome (global leaders) and Ambassador to the Climate
·       Heather Boushey, Member of the White House Council of Economic Advisors
Michele Wucker, thought leaders and author of “You Are What You Risk: The New Art & Science to Navigating an Uncertain World.” ·       Gillian Tett, Financial Times, from COP26, about what the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ) and its $130 trillion in commitments means for a net zero economy.
·       Kathryn Pavlovsky, Deloitte Energy, Resources & Industrials, on the energy transformation and ESG
·       Kristen Sullivan, Deloitte Sustainability & Supply Chain practice, on companies “doing” ESG, and the supply chain.
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   and @electricgalspod