BPA in my soup? Mmmm goodness! A conversation with MomsRising’s Joan Blades – show 42

Joan Blades is the President and Co-founder of MomsRising.org, a five-year-old organization that champions core motherhood and family issues. A million members strong, MomsRising works to support policies that help with family economic security like health care, paid maternity, family and sick leave, fair pay, early learning, and flexible work. One of the big issues that MomsRising takes on in a big way is toxins in our homes. In my interview with her, we talk about BPA in our canned goods (and ultimately in our blood stream) and flame retardants in our furniture (another toxic fabrication from the Big 3 chemical companies).

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Washington DC Says Women are Essential in the Green Economy

Straight out of Washington DC, here are the remarks attributed to Lawrence J. Gumbiner, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs.

“Women and youth are essential agents of change in society, and we believe they are particularly important in the context of the green economy. There are a number of ways in which educational opportunities, technical training, access to finance, and land and resource rights can enhance women’s roles in a green economy.” Tell us more Mr. Gumbiner. What exactly do you have in mind?

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Are You Strong Enough To Be Vulnerable? with Birute Regine – show 40

“The key to personal and social transformation is to see our vulnerabilities in a different light,” says the author of Iron Butterflies, Birute Regine. It takes “profound openness” she says to be strong enough to be vulnerable. Don’t you love that? Strong enough to be vulnerable.

“Soft is the new hard,” Birute playfully puts it. Her mission is to transform the meaning of vulnerability. “Our vulnerabilities will be our spiritual guides. They will show us and lead us to new strengths.” I couldn’t agree with her more.

In my own personal life, it took me years of peeling off the layers of ego to be vulnerable enough to be truly human. Vulnerability has nothing to do with weakness. In fact, it takes a strong, courageous woman to let her hair down, and her defenses, and be open to what’s present in any given moment. That is a leadership quality I want to practice more, to master. I believe this very quality is key to a peaceful and prosperous world. What other “soft” qualities do you think are needed?

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Women Fast-forwarding the Green Economy with Kathleen Rogers – show 39

“It is essential that our most talented and driven women come together to fast forward the green economy,” says Kathleen Rogers, President of Earth Day Network, the organization that is widely viewed as the birth of the modern environmental movement with over 22,000 partners in 192 countries. “We think that women will look at it differently, build it differently, and at the very least, should have a major seat at the table in a major way around the world.” But the fact is we don’t. Women hold less than 20% of the top tier position across the board in corporations and in the political arena. “We are conspicuously absent from the power broker positions,” says Rogers.

The Earth Day Network, under Rogers leadership, has launched a campaign to change all of that. Their WAGE (Women and the Green Economy) campaign’s purpose is to accelerate and provide the new thinking and creative power for a global post-carbon economy by engaging women business, government and NGO leaders. Its goal is to create a policy agenda for Rio+20 and relevant generate national initiatives that will promote the green economy, secure educational and job training opportunities for women and channel green investment to benefit women.

“The idea behind WAGE is as we create a global green economy,” says Rogers, “women need to be at the table.” Kathleen Rogers certainly is. Are you? Listen to this podcast now. It’s a rally call to all women everywhere to turn up the volume of our leadership right in the very communities we live. The time is now. Let’s seize it.

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The Psychological Barriers to Green with Simran Sethi – show 38

How do you get people to care about green? Hint: It’s not talking about the polar bear, rising sea levels or carbon emissions. According to Simran Sethi, it’s about meeting people where they are and reframing these issues within the context of issues they care about. So instead of “organics” being an environmental issue, reframe it as a public health issue so that “everyone can understand it,” she says.

Simran is right in the middle of co-authoring a book about the psychological barriers to environmental engagement and I was fortunate enough to pull her away from her computer to talk to me about this important subject. Weighing in on this topic in her book are public figures such as Robert Redford and Newt Gingrich, along with a number of behavioral psychologists have helped her uncover why widespread information has not resulted in widespread engagement. If you think this topic is juicy, just wait until you hear Simran speak about it.

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Cultivating Women’s Leadership with Bioneers co-founder, Nina Simons – show 37

Nina Simons is one of those rare teachers who encourages and emboldens at the same time that she inspires curiosity about the topics of service, gender, and leading from the heart. She speaks here about the importance of collaboration between women (and between men and women) as we all strive to reinvent a model of leadership that can help steward the current changes taking place on our planet. “Liberate your own capacity,” she suggests “and get out of your own way!”

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Creating a Sisterhood of Change Makers – Show 35

She’s an avid social entrepreneur. She has helped train and mentor thousands of girls worldwide. She has started an organization that is the only global organization that is run by girls, for girls. She has advised political leaders and corporate executives, co-authored a book and has been featured in many more. She has received national awards for her achievements from the Coca-Cola Company, Nestles Corporation, Taco Bell Foundation, Glamour Magazine, the U.S. Secretary of Education, and the President of United States.

And she’s only 19 years old.

Sejal Hathi is a change maker, and she believes that “as girls work together, they can solve some of the world’s intractable problems”. She calls it “the potential of the sisterhood of change makers”. Need some juice to get your social venture off the ground? Listen to this podcast and hear how Sejal, and her two friends at the ages of 15-16 years old, started an organization with no special resources, connections or capital and turned it into the only global organization that is run by girls, for girls. May 2011 be the year for you to make the impact you were born to make.

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We Were Made For These Times – show 24

This show is different from any other show I have produced so far. What you are about to hear are words of Clarissa Pinkola Estés’ “You Were Made For This”. A powerful poem spoken by 22 powerful women leaders from diverse cultures, ages and backgrounds. Each of them in their own unique way have dedicated their lives and labors to changing, healing and nourishing the world for the benefit of all.

This show takes place at the Ocamora Retreat Center in New Mexico. For one rich, glorious week, all 22 of us were in the caldron of community made possible by two extraordinary women leaders, Nina Simons and Toby Herzlich for their Cultivating Women’s Leadership Program. This is where this podcast was born. May the words and wisdom of these women bless you as they have blessed me. Warning: You might want to get a tissue before you play this.

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