Electric Ladies Podcast

Joan Michelson
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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.

  1. 5D AGO

    How Climate Modeling Affects Everything – Maria Caffrey, Principal Scientist, UK's National Physical Laboratory

    "(Climate modelling)…it's being used in things like insurance companies. It's being used by companies for their ESG assessments. So, when you get your insurance premium at the end of the year, there is some kind of climate model that has said something about the risk of your house to flood. It has said something about your risk to fire. And so that might be driving up your insurance premium…And so it's being involved in your lives in many different ways. The food you consume, those grocery bills, there's prices behind it that are being driven by people using climate models saying something about the supply chain." Maria Caffrey on Electric Ladies Podcast Climate modelling is the foundation of a lot of planning and equations that so much of our economy and policy is based on. So, how does it work and how reliable is it? How can they tell? Listen to Maria Caffrey, Principal Scientist at the UK's National Physical Laboratory in this fascinating conversation with Electric Ladies Podcast host Joan Michelson. You'll hear about: ●        How climate modelling actually works, and who uses it and why. ●        How climate modelling measures risk and how reliable it really is – especially at a time of geological and weather patterns never seen before. ●        What the economic and social impact is of how climate modelling is used today. ●        Plus, career advice, such as:   Read Joan's Forbes articles here. You'll also like: ·       Predicting Climate Impacts In Neighborhoods – with Jessica Filante Farrington, AT&T's Director of Global Sustainability ·       The Politics of Climate & Energy – with Congresswoman Chrissy Houlahan, Co-Chair, Bipartisan Climate Solutions Caucus ·       AI and Climate Solutions – with Stephanie Hare, Ph.D., Researcher, Author of "Technology Is Not Neutral" and BBC Broadcaster ·       Climate Policy & the Economy – with Gina McCarthy, White House National Climate Advisor, Biden Administration, and former EPA Administrator under President Obama   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

    36 min

  2. OCT 29

    Car Rentals Reinvented & Sustainable – with Page Motes, Chief Compliance & Sustainability Officer, Hertz

    "Regardless of what's happening with kind of the ESG backlash conversation here, especially in the US, our other jurisdictions are coming hard and fast on regulatory…It doesn't matter what's happening in the broader ESG backlash …The other piece is, our corporate customers that have their own set of goals and expectations have absolutely not led up on us on wanting to see us continue to progress and move forward and drive change and help them drive change, because that is their expectation of us as a large scale supplier." Page Motes on Electric Ladies Podcast   If you're thinking of renting a car on your next trip either for business or the holidays, you may think differently about which company to rent from and why after listening to this episode. As many companies that want to be environmentally sound and climate resilient twist due to a potential ESG backlash, Hertz is pushing full speed ahead on their commitments. Why? How? Listen to Page Motes, Chief Compliance & Sustainability Officer at Hertz explain in this fascinating conversation with Electric Ladies Podcast host Joan Michelson.   You'll hear about: ●        How Hertz is expanding its fleet of EVs – and why demand for them is growing. ●        What corporate sustainability reporting and compliance look like in this day of ESG pushback and A.I., especially in an industry being reinvented while they drive. ●        Where the risks and opportunities are today in this industry at the intersection of the automotive and travel sectors. ●        Plus, career advice, such as:   "I think a lot of times people in their mid-career have a very specific idea of this ladder that they have and this path specific to either the next job they want or if they want to be in an impact job. That impact job looks like X. And what I have learned is that there are lots of different types of jobs that make a direct difference, and there's a lot of different types of jobs that can drive impact. And so kind of the first thing is open the aperture and have lots of conversations with a lot of different kinds of groups. …Shadow, (ask) do you need help with that project? Experience what it is for a little bit, get a taste of it. Maybe you won't like it. Maybe you will love it, and then plant seeds early." Page Motes on Electric Ladies Podcast   Read Joan's Forbes articles here.   You'll also like: ·       Business Leaders Bridging The Gap – Women business leaders from The Earth Day Women's Summit on the unique role of business in addressing the climate crisis. ·       Leveraging AI For Sustainability – with Mandi McReynolds, Chief Sustainability Officer at Workiva, software company ·       How GM Is Going All Electric – with General Motors Chief Sustainability Officer Kristen Siemen. ·       Reducing IT's Carbon Footprint – with HPE Chief Sustainability Officer Monica Batchelder. ·       How Businesses Unlock Value With Sustainability – with Kristen Sullivan, Audit Partner and head of Deloitte's Sustainability practice   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

  3. OCT 20

    Women's Trillions Drive New Economic Values – Silvia Bastante de Unverhau, LGT Private Bankers International

    "An estimated $124tn is expected to change hands (globally) under the so-called 'great wealth transfer', with women set to inherit nearly 70% of that amount. Combined with rising educational attainment, stronger diversity and inclusion efforts, and ongoing progress in closing the gender pay gap, this moment signals a transformative rise in global female affluence… What does it mean to be wealthy in this world? What are the type of behaviors? How do we put into practice the values that we have?" Silvia Bastante de Unverhau on Electric Ladies Podcast You might not have heard about "the great wealth transfer" but it promises to change, well, everything. As part of my research for a book I'm writing about it, I had an in-depth conversation with Silvia Bastante de Unverhau about their new research about the impact of this transfer and how women use their wealth differently. Listen to Silvia Bastante de Unverhau of LGT Private Bankers International on this important phenomenon – happening under the radar– in this enlightening conversation with Electric Ladies Podcast host Joan Michelson.   You'll hear about: ●        What "the great wealth transfer" is and how it works. ●        How women and men see "wealth" differently – as do Gen Z'rs and Millennials, who are also inheriting this largess. ●        How wealthy women are investing, spending and donating aligned with environment-social-governance values around the globe. ●        Plus, career advice, such as:   "Create your wealth in a space where you can already have impact….(W)e all spend so much time working, so it's much better if it's aligned to what you actually care for. And then the other piece of advice that I would give is that I think there's always a way of balancing between the need to make an income because we all have that need, with the impact. And very importantly…mid-career women are precisely in this inflection point where I think prioritizing and even thinking very consciously about this could be helpful…The value of your worth does not lie in your net worth." Silvia Bastante de Unverhau on Electric Ladies Podcast Read Joan's Forbes articles here. You'll also like: ·       Climate Philanthropy – with Heather Grady, Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors ·       Corporate Philanthropy At America's Largest Bottler – with Ann Canela, Head of Corporate Giving at Niagara Water and Niagara Cares, It's Philanthropic Arm ·       Women Are Inheriting Trillions. This Is A Seismic Shift – Joan's Forbes article, including Silvia Bastante ·       How Women's Trillions Might Affect Elections – Joan's Forbes article ·       New Venture Capital Models For Women and CleanTech – with Cecile Blilious, Veteran Venture Capital investor and Co-Founder, Venture ESG   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

    1h 4m

  4. OCT 14

    America's Largest Bottler On Plastic – Ann Canela, Head of Niagara Cares, the Philanthropic Arm of Niagara Water

    "We were the first to lightweight our bottles. So, if you think about a typical bottle of soda, it's about 27 grams of plastic. Our bottles, this year, I think they're coming in at 6.6 grams. So it's incredibly lightweight. I always say, you know, it's a Niagara bottle if it crinkles…We've created label-less bottles so they're easier to recycle. …And, we're now running lines that are in entirely recycled content. So we are very committed to creating bottles that that do not harm the planet, and also that allow for the most circular of products while we also think about what the bottle of the future might look like." Ann Canela on Electric Ladies Podcast The International Bottled Water Association reported recently that 16.4 billion gallons of bottled water were sold in the United States in 2024.That's a 2.9% increase over 2023 – not to mention all the other bottled drinks we consume. Drinking water is good for you. But there's the plastic to deal with. What responsibility does the bottling company take for all that plastic and their role in society? Listen to Ann Canela, Head of Niagara Cares and Director of Corporate Giving at Niagara Water in this fascinating conversation with Electric Ladies Podcast host Joan Michelson. You'll hear about: ●        How bottled water gets to your local market, ●        How Niagara Water dramatically reduced the plastic content of its bottles and is taking steps to improve recycling. ●        Where corporate philanthropy is focused at this tumultuous moment when so many government grants were abruptly cancelled. ●        Plus, career advice, such as:   "I think the best thing you can do is define you first….what your values are at this time, and have been for probably since you were a child. And some definition to what your purpose is in the world….The second one I think is.…I would just encourage, especially midcareer women to think, 'what if the things that were right for you, you knew they were right for you because they were easy, not hard?' Because they came to you in a way that felt aligned versus you're scrapping and fighting for them.…Hard work is a core of success, but it's not the only way to get there.…So what if we considered things that came to us and were at our feet as the right path for us to go down?" Ann Canela on Electric Ladies Podcast   Read Joan's Forbes articles here.   You'll also like: ·       Helping Communities Recycle More: Keefe Harrison, President of The Recycling Partnership ·       America Recycles Day: Emily Tipaldo, U.S. Plastics Pact ·       Solutions to Our Waste Problem: Melissa Modica, Waste Harmonics ·       Reducing the Carbon Footprint of Movies & Television Productions: Emellie O'Brien, President of Earth Angel – who is taking a lot more than plastic bottles out of movie productions. ·       Business Leaders Bridging The Gap – Women business leaders from The Earth Day Women's Summit on the unique role of business in addressing the climate crisis.   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

    56 min

  5. OCT 7

    Leveraging AI For Sustainability – with Mandi McReynolds, Chief Sustainability Officer at Workiva

    "What we're seeing is, as the new carbon economy moves forward – and this is critical to businesses to operate in the future, in the next five, 10 years – it's colliding with the digital transformation and financial transformation. And so, I think one of the essential things our customers are asking is. 'how do we bring together the Chief Sustainability Officer, the CIO and the CFO and the new market, digital and carbon economy as we go forward?' Because you need all three lenses to make a holistic decision for both the growth and resiliency of your company." Mandi McReynolds on Electric Ladies Podcast Artificial Intelligence, A.I., is transforming sustainability work, from data collection to analysis to reporting. It's a tool to help assess risks and see opportunities, but humans bring the superpower. How? Listen to Mandi McReynolds, Chief Sustainability Officer at Workiva in this fascinating conversation with Electric Ladies Podcast host Joan Michelson.   You'll hear about: ●        How Workiva is leveraging A.I. to serve its clients across the board – from assessing materiality, to financial reporting and sustainability reporting, ●        How to use A.I. to minimize boring work and free up people to be more strategic and creative – in a few unique ways. ●        How to ensure the integrity of the data you're accessing with A.I. – and how to reduce the risk of your data being contaminated by A.I. hallucinations, etc. ●        Plus, career advice, such as:  "Your job isn't to know the answer. Your job is to ask all the right questions of where the business is going and think about your lens is adding value because you're going to ask a different question….Don't be afraid….(Align) with people who could see the possibility of (your) experience. And… take that stretch job and just remember you're in the room to ask different questions, and that's perfectly fine. So, take the stretch and then lean into your experience that allows you to have a different lens and a different perspective." Mandi McReynolds on Electric Ladies Podcast   Read Joan's Forbes articles here. You'll also like: ·       Business Leaders Bridging The Gap – Women business leaders from The Earth Day Women's Summit on the unique role of business in addressing the climate crisis. ·       The Power Of Buildings – with Katie McGinty, VP and Chief Sustainability and External Affairs Officer at Johnson Controls. ·       How GM Is Going All Electric – with General Motors Chief Sustainability Officer Kristen Siemen. ·       Reducing IT's Carbon Footprint – with HPE Chief Sustainability Officer Monica Batchelder. ·       How Businesses Unlock Value With Sustainability – with Kristen Sullivan, Audit Partner and head of Deloitte's Sustainability practice   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

    33 min

  6. SEP 30

    Carbon Accounting 101 – with Alyssa Zucker, Senior Industry Principal in Carbon at Workiva

    "Essentially what carbon accounting is doing is it's using a mathematical equation to come up with a standardized unit of measure that we call a carbon dioxide equivalent of how you can, um, measure and track all of the different greenhouse gases that your business emits through various activities. There's actually seven distinct greenhouse gases that are included…So what carbon accounting is doing is it's using it's using math to take those different greenhouse gases and normalize them into a standard unit of measure, which is carbon dioxide equivalent… (to measure) its warming ability of the planet.  Alyssa Zucker on Electric Ladies Podcast One of the main things nearly every company measures and tracks today is carbon emissions. It's tangible. and every company emits some CO2. But how do you measure and track it?    Listen to Alyssa Zucker, Senior Industry Principal in Carbon at Workiva – aka The Carbon Lady – in this fascinating conversation with Electric Ladies Podcast host Joan Michelson.   You'll hear about: ●        What carbon accounting actually is measuring and tracking, how and why it matters. ●        What the Greenhouse Gas Protocol is, the "scopes" you hear people talk about and how they work. ●        How renewable energy, the grid and other nuances of electricity delivery are measured for carbon. ●        Plus, career advice, such as:   "I would say at that point in your career, you've probably honed your niche, right? You've become the technical expert, you've done the work kind of going narrow and deep. I think at that point in your career, it's actually a really good opportunity to broaden and focus on going a little wider….So thinking about leveraging your domain expertise and applying it cross team, cross corporation to have a broader impact is really effective, and will also obviously give you more transferrable skills and how you communicate and work with other domains and teams and learn a little bit more about their world." Alyssa Zucker on Electric Ladies Podcast   Read Joan's Forbes articles here.   You'll also like: ·       Carbon Credits 101: with Lucy Hargreaves at Patch (now at Build Canada) ·       How to Get To Carbon Zero, with Melissa Lott, Ph.D. at Columbia University Center for Global Energy Policy featured in the "Chasing Carbon Zero" documentary. ·       A Biography of Carbon: with documentary filmmaker, writer and producer, Danielle Ortega of the Australian Film Commission on her extraordinary film "Carbon: An Unauthorized Biography ·       Using Captured Carbon To Make Energy: with Bjork Kristjansdottir, of Carbon Recycling International   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

    50 min

  7. SEP 22

    Hotel Rooms Affect Your Health & The Planet – JoAnna Abrams, Founder/CEO of MindClick

    "We did do a study where we shared the story of the careful thought that went into products that were better for people and the planet … Then we administered the standard guest satisfaction survey, and what we found, Joan, was 150% increase in satisfaction, loyalty numbers… Why?...They equated it to service. They said, a hotel that goes out of its way to choose products that are better for me and the planet is a hotel that I have confidence is going to take better care of me while I'm there." JoAnna Abrams on Electric Ladies Podcast As conference season begins and then the holidays, a lot of us are traveling. The American Hotel and Lodging Assn. (AHLA) says 56% of American adults stay in hotels per year, and 77% of business travellers do. What's the impact on our health – and the planet of being in those hotel rooms?  Listen to JoAnna Abrams, Founder/CEO of MindClick in this fascinating conversation with Electric Ladies Podcast host Joan Michelson. MindClick is a supply chain product intelligence company specializing in the hotel industry. They tell us if furniture, carpets, beds, etc. in hotels have toxic chemicals, were made with renewable materials, if hotels use clean energy, etc. You'll hear about: ●        How MindClick measures the impact of the furnishings in hotels on our health and the planet. ●        How corporate travel buyers decide which hotels their executives and employees need to stay in when they travel – and how MindClick intelligence helps keep their teams safe & sustainable. ●        How consumers can find information on hotels verifiably adhere to ESG-related standards. ●        Plus, career advice, such as:  "First of all, don't give up on that, wanting to make a difference.  I remember early in my career saying that that's something I wanted to do, and the response was, no, you don't. You just want to make money. The truth is, you can find opportunities to make a difference and make money. The key is, being very clear in communicating that out to your network, and you'll be pleasantly surprised at how many people actually share that same sentiment. We all want to feel good about the work that we're doing, and by being open about that you'll find that people will be open in return and refer you to those that are on that path." JoAnna Abrams on Electric Ladies Podcast Read Joan's Forbes articles here. You'll also like: ·       Japan's Expo Embraces Sustainability & Clean Energy – Yvonne Burton, Burton Consulting gives a tour of the Osaka Expo's many sustainability features and exhibits ·       Recycled Steel Goes Mainstream – Tabitha Stone, G.M. of Energy Solutions at Nucor Steel Corporation ·       Green Cement Is Changing How We Build – Marci Jenks, Eco Material Technologies ·       Sustainable Business Is Good Business – Tensie Whelan, Director, the NYU Stern Center for Sustainable Business   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

    53 min

  8. SEP 16

    New Venture Capital Models For Women & CleanTech – Cecile Blilious, Veteran Venture Investor, Venture ESG, European Women in VC

    "I like to think about ESG not only as a risk management tool, but also as an opportunity. I think the, the flip side of risk is opportunity. So if we think that a diverse team is what will bring more innovation, more ideas, more, let's say different ways of looking at needs and products, then this is an opportunity….What about if we think about the way that people consume, what is the carbon footprint that we have?.... And how do you reduce it? Or maybe build technology that helps reduce your impact on the planet, or helps you reduce the amount of AI or cloud usage that you use? So I, I think that looking at ESG as a risk and, and as an opportunity tool is actually very good." Cecile Blilious on Electric Ladies Podcast   In 2025 so far, 2.3% of venture capital funding went to companies founded by women, 2.3%. So that means 97.7% of the funding went to men. The percents have been in the same range for decades. Seriously. Think of all the innovations that are not getting funded due to this ridiculous bias. What can we do about it? Listen to Cecile Blilious of Venture ESG and European Women in VC explain new financing models that could work to fund more innovative businesses, especially those founded by women – in this enlightening conversation with Electric Ladies Podcast host Joan Michelson.   You'll hear about: ●        What venture capital really is and how it works. How male and female VCs differ. ●        Insights into ESG investing that address both the risks and the opportunities – reframing both ●        New financing models we need and that they might look like. ●        Plus, career advice, such as:   "I think being clear about your values is very important. Where would you work and where wouldn't you?... Let's focus on one or two that are the most important things that are like showstoppers... Then in mid-career, what I see happen many times with women is that women don't apply to jobs…but if you don't apply, you're not even considered. So my advice would be, look at the next job that you'd like to have in your career path, and if you think that you're 50% qualified for it, apply because you are grow into the role" Cecile Blilious on Electric Ladies Podcast   Read Joan's Forbes articles here.   You'll also like: ·       Unlocking Capital For Women And Climate Solutions – Women Leaders In Finance And Investment, The Earth Day Women's Summit ·       The SEC Climate Risk Disclosure Rules – Tara Giunta, Global Co-Chair of ESG & Sustainable Finance Practice at Paul Hastings law firm ·       Climate as a Geopolitical Security Emergency, with Svitlana Krakovska, Ph.D. and Mirian Villela, head of Earth Charter, a UN-founded organization and the Center for Education for Sustainable Development. ·       The Hidden Power of ESG – with Natalie Jaresko, Managing Director, EY Parthenon, former Finance Minister of Ukraine 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

    1h 6m
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About

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.

Information

  • Creator
    Joan Michelson
  • Years Active
    2016 - 2025
  • Episodes
    496
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Green Connections Media LLC
  • Show Website
    Electric Ladies Podcast

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