Rana Nawas has spent her professional life standing up for women’s rights in the workplace in Dubai. As SVP of Capital Markets for GE, Rana pushed for better maternity leave policy and advocated for women at her company. As President of the Ellevate Dubai chapter, Rana creates opportunities for professional women to develop their careers and support one another. Rana’s next endeavor is her podcast, “When Women Win,” which highlights formidable women of the past and present. On this episode of the Ellevate Podcast, we talk to Rana about changing workplace policy and culture, how she manages her busy schedule, and what inspired her path to championing women.

Kate Edwards is the Co-Founder and COO of Heartbeat, a marketing platform that connects brands to real women through real women. Kate saw that women hold immense power when it comes to promoting the brands they love. She thought, why not capitalize on the authentic promotion these women are already putting out there? In this episode, Kate talks about what it took to go from an idea to a thriving company that provides side hustle opportunities to thousands of women.

This week, we sat down with broadcaster, speaker, writer, and educator, Natali Morris to discuss managing your personal finances. When Natali left CBS, she set out to build her family’s wealth by growing the resources they already had. In the process, she became highly knowledgeable in the realm of personal finance, so much so that women and men around the world seek out her insights.

Lorraine Hariton’s illustrious career has stretched into every sector - public, private, and now, as SVP of Global Partnerships for the New York Academy of Sciences, nonprofit. What all of her experiences hold in common is STEM. Lorraine started working in computers in the 1970’s, and her knowledge of technology opened many doors for her. Now she wants to open those doors for future generations of women. In this episode, Lorraine talks about how we must champion women and girls in tech, as this is where the fate of our future lies.

Jodi Flynn knows very well that Type-A people are a “special breed.” That’s because she works as a career coach for Type-A women...and if her additional list of titles (speaker, author, podcaster) doesn’t already give it away, Jodi is Type-A, too. While a Type-A woman’s desire for perfection can lead her on a journey to the top, Jodi points out that it can also hamper her efforts to get there through unnecessary self-doubt and burnout. In this episode, Jodi walks us through the rewards and challenges of holding oneself to the highest standard, and she outlines helpful practices that all women can adopt to let go of unrealistic expectations of what we can accomplish. In doing so, she believes we’ll find that we are actually able to accomplish more.

When we think of someone who seems to be “doing it all,” Melanie Curtis no doubt comes to mind. Melanie is an entrepreneur, author, speaker, and life coach with a dedicated Facebook following. She has also jumped out of a plane over 10,000 times. When asked how she manages it all, Melanie reassured us that the state of her apartment would reveal her humanness. In this episode, Melanie Curtis chats about making her imperfections known, overcoming fears, and what it’s like to throw yourself out of planes, helicopters, and the occasional hot air balloon.

Neha Gandhi is Chief Operating Officer and Editor in Chief at Girlboss—a versatile role one could only have at a startup. With her love of storytelling as her guide, Neha charted a path to professional fulfillment that is all her own. As she honed her skills at publications like Harper’s BAZAAR, Seventeen, and Refinery29, Neha realized she was destined for more than publishing alone. Neha has since become a force in both the editorial and operational realms. In this podcast, Neha shares her insights on how to create a work culture that churns out innovative solutions, the universal value of storytelling, and the future landscape of media.

Letitia James is the epitome of a female role model. As Public Advocate for the City of New York and the first woman of color to hold citywide office in NYC, Letitia James is all about breaking down barriers and giving a voice to those who have been “locked out of the sunshine of opportunity.” In an episode guaranteed to inspire, Kristy and Letitia sit down to discuss Letitia’s career path, how she stays connected to her community (it may involve DoubleDutch), the feminization of poverty, and the need for more women to take up positions in public office.

As psychotherapist, writer, wellness & executive coach, Megan Bruneau is a leading voice in the health and wellness community. She has pursued her passion to help others to no end, even if it meant taking an unconventional approach. After graduating from a prestigious counseling psychology Masters program, Megan couldn’t seem to land a job and rather than letting her situation get the best of her, she chose to pursue the thing in her life that brought her joy: yoga. In this episode, Megan traces her winding path from a yoga mat cleaner to successful entrepreneur and discusses the importance of therapy and using one’s privilege to help others.

Eva Moskowitz, Founder and CEO of Success Academy Charter Schools, has been passionate about education from the time she was young. Growing up in NYC, she was aware of the effect a family’s zip code had on a child’s destiny. With her passion for educating grades K through 12 and her service as a chairwoman of NYC Council’s Education Committee, she opened the Academy to close the achievement gap for children in low income neighborhoods. In this episode, Eva discusses how Success Academy is reversing the achievement gap, why we need to more women at the top and why it’s important for parents to have autonomy over where their kids go to school. 

Not many companies have a single individual as their Chief People and Legal Officer; however, AppNexus is setting a trend and changing the game with diversity in tech. After 4 years as their General Counsel, Nithya Das now serves as the Chief People and Legal Officer at AppNexus. This hybrid role allows her to help drive diversity and inclusion while working closely with both the legal and people teams. In this episode Nithya discusses how she transitioned from working at a firm to working at AppNexus, the importance of corporate culture and why she’s not afraid of people saying, “No.” 

Taylor Bradford has always been curious about being her own boss, so she bought her first rental property at 24 years old. As a multi-passionate entrepreneur, she’s had the opportunity to pursue various endeavors from the fitness world to the oil and gas industry to blogging. Her brain is constantly thinking of ways to move forward and collaborate. In this week’s episode, Taylor talks about finding an entrepreneurial spirit at a young age, changing her career path and wanting to be the first female owner of an NFL team.

Andrea Ormeno, Women’s Business Center Director at the Queens Economic Development Center (QEDC), is no stranger to the hard work of an entrepreneur. As an immigrant and the youngest director in the history of QEDC, she understands the immense work it takes for small business owners to succeed. However, she is dedicated to breaking down the barriers. Growing up in an entrepreneurial family in Ecuador, she is passionate about providing immigrant business owners with the resources they need when starting their businesses in America. In this week’s episode, Andrea discusses her experience working for QEDC and her passion for getting women entrepreneurs the tools they need. She also gives some incredible pro-tips and advice for small business owners. 

From the time Environmental Artist Anne DeCarbuccia was young, she’s been passionate about nature. Growing up on the island of Corsica, she always been surrounded by and interested in the beauty around her. Her love of nature coupled with her passion for art has led her to an illustrious career bringing awareness to the effects that we have on our planet. In this episode, Anne discusses her evolution as an artist, the power we have as consumers, and her exhibition One Planet One Future. You can see Anne’s work at her permanent gallery exhibitions in New York and Milan.

Diana Burley has extensive expertise in cyber security. As Executive Director and Chair at the Institute for Information Infrastructure Protection (I3P) and professor at George Washington University she is passionate about ensuring the confidentiality, integrity and availability that reside on our systems. In this week’s episode, Diana discusses being a woman of color in the tech field, gives us advice on how to go into our work with confidence and encourages women that it’s never too late to start a career in tech. Whether your’e 12 or 65, tech needs diverse backgrounds, and it’s important for those voices to be heard. 

Women are often discouraged from pursuing their dreams due to the many views society has on women’s roles. If you’re like Andie Kramer, you were discouraged from pursuing your dreams a very young age. Andie, an activist, artist and one of the 50 Most Influential Women Lawyers in America named by the National Law Journal, was told at 13 years old that being a “lady lawyer” would be a big mistake. Nevertheless, she persisted. In this episode, Andie shares advice on how to confront gender bias in the workplace and discusses what organizations can do to be more inclusive and help women succeed. She also discusses how we can all be more socially conscious, not just in our careers, but our daily lives.

Idelisse Malavé and Joanne Sandler want you to know that their age and gender do not define them. With their humorous podcast Two Old Bitches, they set out to celebrate amazing women over 50 and dispel the myths about aging. In this episode, Idelisse and Joanne discuss the importance of intersectional feminism, why it’s great to enjoy and embrace being a woman at every age, and the ways women can stand up for themselves in the face of adversity.

Have you heard of the story where your daughter or young girl in your life is a “badass robot engineer?” Well look no further because Mara Lecocq, Founder and Co-Creator of Secret Code, has the solution. After years of working in tech and noticing the lack of representation for young girls in the industry, she decided to take action and create the customizable story that puts all girls at the forefront. In this episode, Mara discusses her tech journey, the importance of equal representations for girls of all races and how she started her successful side hustle. Her journey has led her all over the world inspiring her work and mission to bring tech to girls everywhere.

Anyone who's moved from corporate law to entrepreneurship knows it is both a challenging and exciting venture – just ask Sara Holtz. After years in corporate law, she decided to put her marketing and business mind to use and inspire younger on women how to succeed in their careers. She started the podcast “Advice to My Younger Me” as a way to tackle the grueling questions and concerns that young business women have. In this week’s podcast, Sara discusses her non-linear career path, the importance of acknowledging your strengths and passions and figuring out how happiness can translate to success.