Under the Sisterhood

Elizabeth Elfenbein
  • 5.0 (6)
  • Education
  • Updated Weekly

Under the Sisterhood podcast is one of our key storysharing platforms, celebrating the journeys of women as leaders, changemakers, and advocates in women’s health, mental wellness, and overall well-being. Host Elizabeth Elfenbein engages with women aged 18 to 100+ in intimate conversations, uncovering their experiences and wisdom while highlighting their impact on creating a healthier, more inclusive world. These stories not only honor women’s resilience and leadership but also foster meaningful dialogue around mental health, empowerment, and innovative solutions that help close the gender health gap and inspire change. Seasons & Special Editions: Season 1: Being a Woman in Today’s WorldSeason 2: Women’s March of VoicesSeason 3: Women Making the World HealthierSpecial Editions: Under the Hood Vlogs, Women Investing in Women’s Health, Women Making HistorySeason 4: Women’s March for Mental WellnessThe Under the Sisterhood podcast is a tribute to the strength and impact of women leading the way in fostering change. With podcast producer Matt Butler and music by Ayla Schafer, Elizabeth Elfenbein creates a space where women are seen, heard, and celebrated, driving deeper connections and inspiring action through the power of storysharing.

  1. Advancing Women's and Children's Health Around the World with Dr. Vandana Arcot

    Jun 4

    Advancing Women's and Children's Health Around the World with Dr. Vandana Arcot

    Today we’re marching for change with Dr. Vandana Arcot, a mother, daughter, sister, Physician, Philanthropist, Global Public Health Leader, and Founder of KOMSELJ, a non-profit consultancy focused on advancing women’s and children’s health and empowerment around the world.  For over 17 years, Vandana has partnered with international organizations like the United Nations and UNICEF to strengthen reproductive health, nutrition, HIV care, WASH, and girls’ education across 13+ countries in Southeast Asia, Africa, South America, and North America. Combining her medical background with her philanthropic leadership, she now educates organizations and donors on how to create meaningful change while honoring the communities they serve. About KOMSELJ KOMSELJ is dedicated to transforming communities by delivering innovative, sustainable, and inclusive solutions that drive meaningful impact.  Our mission is to empower individuals and groups through collaborative initiatives that strengthen local economies, promote equitable access to resources, and celebrate cultural heritage. We strive to create resilient, interconnected communities by leveraging technology, fostering partnerships, and prioritizing environmental stewardship. By embracing diversity and nurturing shared values, KOMSELJ aims to build a future where every community thrives, balancing progress with the preservation of traditions and the well-being of its people. If you haven’t already, please give us a quick review and rating on Apple podcasts and Spotify and don’t forget you can follow us FaceBook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.

    46 min
  2. The Myth of Silent Endurance | A Conversation with Kayla Branstetter

    May 29

    The Myth of Silent Endurance | A Conversation with Kayla Branstetter

    Today we’re marching for change with Kayla Branstetter a mother, daughter, sister, author and an English Instructor at Crowder College, where she teaches literature, creative nonfiction, and composition. She is a published writer with work appearing in more than forty journals worldwide and the author of a creative nonfiction book. A TEDx speaker and educator, her work centers on women’s health, narrative medicine, reproductive trauma, and the cultural expectations placed on women’s bodies and resilience. She is currently completing a Doctorate of Education in Healthcare with research focused on narrative medicine in women’s healthcare. Her forthcoming book, Don’t Be an Athena, examines reproductive health, medical gaslighting, and the myth of silent endurance through storytelling, research, and at times, dark humor. Don’t Be an Athena is a book and advocacy platform that uses creative nonfiction, research, and lived experience to examine women’s reproductive health, infertility, medical gaslighting, and trauma. It challenges the cultural myth that women should “power through” pain without complaint, offering a more compassionate, narrative-driven model for healthcare and self-worth. The project supports education, dialogue, and systemic change around women’s bodies and voices. If you haven’t already, please give us a quick review and rating on Apple podcasts and Spotify and don’t forget you can follow us FaceBook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.

    39 min

  3. May 21

    Marching for Humanity, Health, and Hope | A Conversation with Kayla Laserson

    Today we’re marching for change with Kayla F. Laserson, a mother, daughter, sister, and global health leader whose work has helped shape how the world understands, tracks, and responds to disease. Kayla is currently a Principal Officer of Surveillance and Epidemiology at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, where she leads efforts to design forward-looking, integrated surveillance systems across global health—building the infrastructure needed to better detect, respond to, and ultimately prevent disease at scale. With more than 25 years of leadership across institutions like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Kayla has worked across the U.S., India, Kenya, and beyond—guiding global strategies in infectious disease control, immunization, and pandemic preparedness. She has overseen complex, multi-country initiatives, supported governments in strengthening health systems, and helped translate scientific evidence into policy and action. Her work sits at the intersection of science, systems, and collaboration—bringing together data, partnerships, and real-world implementation to improve health outcomes globally. If you haven’t already, please give us a quick review and rating on Apple podcasts and Spotify and don’t forget you can follow us FaceBook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.

    37 min
  4. Jamila Glean | Leadership, Equity, Dreams & Transformational Change

    May 14

    Jamila Glean | Leadership, Equity, Dreams & Transformational Change

    Today we’re marching for change with Jamila Glean a mother, daughter, sister, executive, attorney, and program management leader whose 15-year career has been rooted in building systems that work for communities, for compliance, and for change.  As Senior Vice President at R.F. Wilkins Consultants, Inc., she oversees project management of compliance and outreach on the historic $20B+ JFK Airport Redevelopment Program, ensuring that the people and processes behind transformative infrastructure reflect the communities they serve. But Jamila's commitment to change does not stop at the boardroom door. She is the founder of JayDreamingg, an intuitive dream work practice where she analyzes the symbols and emotions within dreams to surface the subconscious truths and actionable steps needed to bring real-life dreams to life. Based in New York, she applies the same precision and analytical rigor she brings to multibillion-dollar programs to the deeply personal work of helping people understand themselves from the inside out. If you haven’t already, please give us a quick review and rating on Apple podcasts and Spotify and don’t forget you can follow us FaceBook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.

    23 min
  5. Marching for Service, Love, and Healing | A Scientist’s Journey with Dr. Triparna Sen

    May 7

    Marching for Service, Love, and Healing | A Scientist’s Journey with Dr. Triparna Sen

    Today, we are Marching for Change with Dr. Triparna Sen, a scientist, leader, mentor, and global advocate, a daughter, a woman in science, and a force in translational cancer research whose work is redefining how we understand and treat lung cancer. Dr. Sen is a tenured Professor and Max Morehouse Chair in Cancer Research in the Division of Medical Oncology at The Ohio State University, where she also serves as Associate Director of Research and Director of the Lung Cancer Preclinical Therapeutic Platform. A scientist at the intersection of discovery and clinical impact, she has built a globally recognized research program focused on the biology of lung cancer, therapeutic resistance, and the identification of actionable vulnerabilities that can be rapidly translated into better outcomes for patients. Her work has transformed the field of small cell lung cancer. Dr. Sen was among the first to establish DNA damage response pathways as critical therapeutic targets in this disease, demonstrating that their inhibition not only suppresses tumor growth but also activates antitumor immunity through innate immune signaling. She has also led pioneering efforts to uncover how non small cell lung cancer evolves into small cell lung cancer under treatment pressure, a major clinical challenge, laying the foundation for new therapeutic strategies. Her discoveries have directly informed multiple clinical trials and biomarker driven approaches, shaping how we think about combination therapies and precision medicine in lung cancer. With more than 80 high impact publications and sustained funding from NIH NCI, Department of Defense, Lung Cancer Research Foundation, and IASLC, Dr. Sen is a leading voice in translational oncology. She serves as a Board Member of IASLC and has held key leadership roles across major international conferences, including conference co chair and program committee member across multiple global meetings. Beyond the lab and clinic, Dr. Sen is deeply committed to mentorship, building teams, and creating pathways for the next generation of scientists and physician leaders. She is a passionate advocate for equity and opportunity in STEM, using her platform to elevate and support women and underrepresented groups in science. Born and raised in India, Dr. Sen brings a global perspective to everything she does. She speaks English, Hindi, and Bengali, and carries with her the cultural depth and resilience that continue to shape her journey. Outside of science, she is a trained classical dancer and finds balance and strength through yoga, embodying both discipline and creativity in every aspect of her life. This is not just a career. It is a mission to transform cancer care, to push boundaries, and to create lasting change. Listen to Dr. Sen’s inspiring story. If you haven’t already, please give us a quick review and rating on Apple podcasts and Spotify and don’t forget you can follow us FaceBook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.

    37 min
  6. Dr. Rachel Elfenbein: The Hidden Economy, Women, Labor, and the Cost of Care

    Apr 30

    Dr. Rachel Elfenbein: The Hidden Economy, Women, Labor, and the Cost of Care

    Today we’re marching for change with Dr Rachel Elfenbein a mother, daughter, sister, women’s advocate and a sociologist, writer, researcher, educator, organizational capacity builder, policy advocate, and community organizer. She currently serves as the executive director of the Pennsylvania Alliance for Retired Americans, the retiree arm of the AFL-CIO, which advocates for retirement security for all workers in the U.S. Rachel led successful resident-based organizing and advocacy for affordable housing policies and programs in Washington State, including the establishment of the first community land trust for permanently affordable homes for working-class people in eastern Washington, Common Roots Housing Trust.  Rachel holds a Ph.D. in Sociology from Simon Fraser University, where she was elected departmental steward and later chair of the Teaching Support Staff Union. Her doctoral dissertation was published by University of Texas Press as the book, Engendering Revolution: Women, Unpaid Labor, and Maternalism in Bolivarian Venezuela. Rachel was a Fulbright Scholar to Venezuela and was awarded the Latin American Studies Association’s 2018 Helen Safa Award for research featured in Engendering Revolution.  Prior to completing her Ph.D., she ran participatory education, research, and organization-building programs around public health and human rights issues with workers, unions, and community organizations in southern Africa. Rachel also served in the U.S. Peace Corps in South Africa, where she led the foundation a children’s rights organization, Childline Mpumalanga. If you haven’t already, please give us a quick review and rating on Apple podcasts and Spotify and don’t forget you can follow us FaceBook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.

    36 min
  7. Sue Rizzello On Turning Survival Into Change

    Apr 24

    Sue Rizzello On Turning Survival Into Change

    Today we’re marching for change with Sue Rizzello a daughter, wife, women’s advocate and the Founder and MD of Remedy Marketing, a B2B agency celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2026. With more than 35 years in communications and marketing, much of it in the technology sector, she is known for speaking directly and honestly, no matter the audience, and for helping businesses use proof through case studies and thought leadership to build credibility, authority and growth. A late stage ovarian cancer survivor, Sue is also a committed ovarian cancer campaigner. She has challenged policymakers at parliamentary group sessions over the UK’s poor diagnosis record and has spoken publicly on the UK talc class action lawsuit, the latest in a number of cases around the world. Having grown up with artist parents, Sue brings a creative, questioning mindset to everything she does. She is also a jewelry designer, budding silversmith and keen maker. Her perspective combines commercial credibility, female leadership and a refusal to stay quiet when something needs saying. If you haven’t already, please give us a quick review and rating on Apple podcasts and Spotify and don’t forget you can follow us FaceBook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.

    31 min
  8. Nina van Schaick: Marching for Safer, More Dignified Birth

    Apr 17

    Nina van Schaick: Marching for Safer, More Dignified Birth

    Today, we're marching for change with Nina van Schaick, a mother, daughter, sister, and midwife, a born “fixer” and now entrepreneur whose purpose was forged over 14 years on the frontlines of birth. She witnessed, again and again, how preventable trauma impacts women and felt that gap personally as both clinician and patient. That moment of reckoning became her inflection point.  Guided by a deep belief that women deserve evidence‑based protection in their most vulnerable moments, Nina channelled her frustration with the lack of translation of evidence into practice around how we care for the perineum in labour. Today, she serves as the COO and Co‑Founder of PeriPear, bringing her clinical fluency, strategic clarity, and lived experience to a mission rooted in dignity, safety, and women’s bodies being fully seen.  If you haven’t already, please give us a quick review and rating on Apple podcasts and Spotify and don’t forget you can follow us FaceBook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.

    41 min
See All (221)

Trailer

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
6 Ratings

About

Under the Sisterhood podcast is one of our key storysharing platforms, celebrating the journeys of women as leaders, changemakers, and advocates in women’s health, mental wellness, and overall well-being. Host Elizabeth Elfenbein engages with women aged 18 to 100+ in intimate conversations, uncovering their experiences and wisdom while highlighting their impact on creating a healthier, more inclusive world. These stories not only honor women’s resilience and leadership but also foster meaningful dialogue around mental health, empowerment, and innovative solutions that help close the gender health gap and inspire change. Seasons & Special Editions: Season 1: Being a Woman in Today’s WorldSeason 2: Women’s March of VoicesSeason 3: Women Making the World HealthierSpecial Editions: Under the Hood Vlogs, Women Investing in Women’s Health, Women Making HistorySeason 4: Women’s March for Mental WellnessThe Under the Sisterhood podcast is a tribute to the strength and impact of women leading the way in fostering change. With podcast producer Matt Butler and music by Ayla Schafer, Elizabeth Elfenbein creates a space where women are seen, heard, and celebrated, driving deeper connections and inspiring action through the power of storysharing.

Information

  • Creator
    Elizabeth Elfenbein
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    221
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 © 2022 Under the Sisterhood LLC
  • Show Website
    Under the Sisterhood