Shows
2024-12-3158 min2024-11-0253 minThe Boss Ladies PodcastEp. 67 - Leveraging Data & Tech to Revolutionize Campaigns and Building a Diverse Talent Pipeline in Progressive Politics with Mare Ahmed, Operations Director at Bluebonnet DataIn our latest episode, we sit down with Mare Ahmed, the Operations Director at Bluebonnet Data, a non-profit focused on leveraging data and technology to support progressive political campaigns and organizations. Mare discusses her initial exposure to and fascination with political science and her previous experience as the Special Projects Director at the New Hampshire Democratic Party.
We then highlight the origins of Bluebonnet Data as a student-led mission and how the Bluebonnet Fellowship bridges the gap between young-tech driven people with the desire to make a meaningful impact and the need for data support on campaigns...
2024-09-3047 minThe Boss Ladies PodcastEp. 66: The Psychological Significance of Built Environments, Designing Global Museum Exhibitions, & Climate-Focused Material Innovations with Elizabeth Bridges In this episode, Manasi and Sualeha sit down with Elizabeth Bridges, a designer currently leading Brand and Creative Strategy at Brimstone, a startup creating carbon-negative cement for cities, and a visiting professor at the Pratt Institute School of Design, where she has developed and adapted courses focused on impact and sustainability. Most recently, Elizabeth has served as the Co-Founder of OurCarbon, the Director of Design at the Bioforcetech Corporation, and the Co-Founder & Creative Director of Sum Studio.We open the episode by discussing Elizabeth’s graduate research at the Pratt Institute, focused on the psychological significance of the bu...
2024-09-211h 03The Boss Ladies PodcastEp. 65: Accelerating Scientist-Led Entrepreneurship, Navigating TTOs, & Charting the First Wave of Enterprise AI with Devika Thapar, Co-Founder at WilbeWelcome back to the Boss Ladies Podcast! In this week’s episode, Manasi and Sualeha sit down with Devika Thapar. Devika is the co-founder of Wilbe, the first full-stack venture firm where scientists can access entrepreneurship & career resources, advocacy, venture funding, and lab space all in one place. Devika has been commercializing frontier innovations for the past decade across India, the UK, and the US.
We kick off the episode by discussing the start of Devika’s career in strategy management at Accenture India, and her eventual transition to CitizenM, a Dutch hotel startup, where she developed thei...
2024-09-0653 minThe Boss Ladies PodcastEp. 64: Inventing Visual Moonbounce Technology, Studying the Dissolution of Consciousness through a Cosmic Perspective, and Decoding Simulated Extraterrestrial Messages with Daniela de PaulisIn this episode, we sit down with Daniela de Paulis, an award-winning media artist and radio operator whose artistic practice is informed by space in its wildest meaning. We open the episode by discussing Daniela’s experience at the Dwingeloo radio telescope in the Netherlands and how she fostered interdisciplinary collaboration as the founder of Art Activities at Dwingeloo.
We then dive further into Daniela’s work on OPTICKS, a project which sends visual data to the moon and back in the form of radio signals. For OPTICKS, Daniela explains how she developed an innovative application of Moon...
2024-08-311h 07The Boss Ladies PodcastEp. 63: Designing Digital Ecosystems for Personal Finance, Weaving Identity-Based Symbolism Into Art, & Empathetic AI with Kim Ryu at Microsoft AIIn the latest episode of The Boss Ladies Podcast, Manasi and Sualeha sit down with Kim Ryu, a Product Designer at Microsoft AI, working on designing consumer-facing AI. Previously, Kim has served as a Product Designer at Inflection AI, acquired by Microsoft AI, Product Design Manager with a focus on Investing and Family verticals at CashApp, and senior product design roles at Intuit and Robinhood. Kim is also a painter, illustrator, and editorial artist who has worked with the NYT, The New Yorker, NPR, The Washington Post, NBC, and The Atlantic.
We kick off the episode by discus...
2024-08-231h 02The Boss Ladies PodcastEp. 62: Bringing Diverse Voices To AI Reporting, Working At Journalism’s Biggest Defunct Media Startup, and Freelance Journalism From WSJ to Nat Geo with Jackie SnowIn this episode, Manasi and Sualeha sit down with Jackie Snow, a freelance journalist with words, photos, and videos published by The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and National Geographic. Previously, Jackie has also served as an Associate Video Producer at Fast Company, an Associate Director of Artificial Intelligence at MIT Tech Review, and an AI Business Reporter at the Messenger.
We kick off the episode by discussing Jackie’s overarching views on journalism through the vast multitude of styles and projects she’s worked on; diving into a deeper discussion of her early articles as an intern...
2024-08-1652 minThe Boss Ladies PodcastEp. 61: Breaking Down Traditional Corporate Philanthropy Models & Building the First Sustainability-Centered Rewards Marketplace with Eunice Jung at FutureIn the latest episode of The Boss Ladies Podcast, Manasi and Sualeha sit down with Eunice Jung, Head of Partnerships at Future. Future is a payment platform that pays you to go green—giving you 5% cash back or more and rewards on everyday green purchases through partnerships with brands that simplify a green lifestyle. At Future, Eunice developed a pipeline for Future’s ecosystem partners, from D2C brands to B2B relationships, & built the first sustainability-centered rewards marketplace from 0 to 100+ strong Future partners and 50,000+ low carbon, sustainable businesses across America in less than a year.
We k...
2024-04-2351 minThe Boss Ladies PodcastEp. 60: Quantifying Nonhuman Charisma, Slow Journalism, and Nat Geo's Out of Eden Project with Andrea ValeIn this episode, Manasi and Sualeha sit down with Andrea Vale, a scientific expedition videographer and photographer and current staff writer at Freethink. Andrea has served as an ocean exploration filmmaker for organizations like the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Oxford Anthroposea Expedition and has worked in remote, off-the-grid locations across the world. Previously, Andrea served on National Geographic’s Science and Exploration Team and as a Human Story Specialist on National Geographic’s Out of Eden Project—a 24,000-mile journalistic endeavor to create a global record of human life at the start of a new millennium as told b...
2024-01-201h 03The Boss Ladies PodcastEp. 59: Harnessing Non-Pharmaceutical Solutions & VR to Transform Chronic Pain Treatments with Dr. Beth Darnall, Director of Stanford Pain Relief Innovations LabIn our latest episode, we sit down with Dr. Beth Darnall, Professor at Stanford University School of Medicine under the Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative, and Pain Medicine. We open the episode with how Dr. Darnall’s path through graduate school led to her focus on revolutionizing treatments for chronic pain.
Dr. Darnall breaks down how pain is a consequence of a diseased state of the nervous system itself and how pain should be viewed as a biopsychosocial condition instead of a purely biomedical problem. She expands on how the current landscape of pain treatment utilizes opioids as a...
2023-12-2352 minThe Boss Ladies PodcastEp. 58: Competitive Lifesaving, Vertically Integrated Menstrual Markets, & Redesigning the Tampon For The First Time in 90 Years with Co-Founder of Sequel, Amanda CalabreseIn this episode, Manasi and Sualeha sit down with Amanda Calabrese, Co-Founder and CMO at Sequel, which recently received FDA clearance for it’s re-engineered performance-oriented tampon. Sequel’s FDA clearance marks the first time the tampon has been majorly redesigned since it’s invention nearly a century ago.
We kick off the episode by diving into Amanda’s journey through surfing, teaching surfing, and competing in the United States National Lifesaving Team in championships across the world. By starting up her own surf business, Amanda discusses how building a surfing business provided her with transferable skills that spu...
2023-12-0954 minThe Boss Ladies PodcastEp. 57: Re-Inventing Cultivated Meats at a $1B Startup & Technical Self-Mentorship with Rachel Valenzuela, Director of Discovery at UPSIDE FoodsIn our latest episode, Manasi and Sualeha sit down with Rachel Valenzuela—Head of Discovery at Upside Foods, the first company globally to receive FDA approval for cultivated meats from real animal cells—to chat about her journey through chemistry, chemical biology, and genome engineering through the Philippines and the U.S to her current role as a breakthrough scientist studying which cell types can revolutionize our lab-grown meat pipeline.
We begin the episode by diving into Rachel’s PhD research in siRNA efficacy and specificity, which led her to Berkeley’s Innovative Genomics Institute (IGI). Rachel discusse...
2023-11-2750 minThe Boss Ladies PodcastEp. 56: Stepping Inside a Dead Star, Black Hole Exploration, and Experiencing Our Observable Universe, with Kimberly Arcand, Visualization Scientist at NASA's Chandra X-Ray ObservatoryIn this week's episode, Manasi and Sualeha sit down with Kimberly Arcand, a visualization scientist and Emerging Tech Lead for NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory, which has its headquarters at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
We open this episode with Kim's initial start in public health and molecular biology while she was an undergraduate student and her pivot to working for NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory in 1998. Kim expands on the evolution of her role as both the fields of data visualization and astronomy have further advanced over the last two decades.
Specifically, sh...
2023-11-1459 minThe Boss Ladies PodcastEp. 55: Evolution of the EU’s Digital Policies, Transatlantic AI Governance, and Brussels to the Bay with Giulia GenelettiIn this episode, Manasi and Sualeha sit down with Giulia Geneletti, currently studying European Affairs—specifically, Digital Technologies, New Technologies, and Public Policies—at Sciences Po, and previously worked as a Tech Policy Trainee at the European Union Office in San Francisco connecting Brussels to the Bay.
In this episode, we dive deep into how Giulia initially entered the world of European Tech Policy, her initial policy design projects during undergrad, such as with the CNIL (French Data Protection Authority) on personal data protection rights, and many of her observations on how the EU Hub in SF serv...
2023-10-3146 minThe Boss Ladies PodcastEp. 54: Creating Trailers for Netflix, Producing Impactful Entertainment, and The Art of Cinematic Storytelling with Emilie SabathIn this episode, Manasi and Sualeha sit down with Emilie Sabath, a creative director and cinematic storyteller who has built impactful and award-winning entertainment and brand campaigns for clients such as Netflix, Amazon, Intel, Lays, Redbull, and National Geographic.
We open this episode by discussing how Emilie’s background as a Film Education Outreach Coordinator of the True/False Documentary Film Festival shaped her perspective on integrating film as an important aspect in revolutionizing the way that students learn. Emilie also speaks on how her graduate MFA in Film and Multimedia Performance at CalArts impacted the trajectory of...
2023-10-1451 minThe Boss Ladies PodcastEp. 53: Launching The Earth Prize, UNWRA Partnership, and Pioneering Climate Literacy in Education with Angela McCarthy, CEO of The Earth FoundationIn this episode, Manasi and Sualeha sit down with Angela McCarthy, CEO of The Earth Foundation, which strives to foster a self-perpetuating ecosystem that accelerates positive change toward environmental sustainability. The Earth Foundation is home to The Earth Prize, an environmental sustainability competition open to teenage students everywhere where the winning solution is awarded with a $200,000 prize to further their initiative.
We open the episode with Angela deconstructing the process of launching The Earth Prize and the monumental decisions she made as CEO while scaling the organization's impact. She expands upon outreach to schools with wide geographic...
2023-10-0756 minThe Boss Ladies PodcastEp. 52: Advancing Federal Policy in Climate, Clean Energy Demonstration Projects, & Manufacturing with Tanya Das, Senior Associate Director of Energy Innovation at the Bipartisan Policy CenterIn this episode of The Boss Ladies Podcast, Manasi and Sualeha sit down with Tanya Das, who currently serves as the Senior Associate Director of Energy Innovation at the Bipartisan Policy Center and advanced federal policy in climate, clean energy, and manufacturing. Prior to this work, Tanya served as the Chief Of Staff in the Office of Science at the Department of Energy (DOE) and the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.
We kick off this episode by discussing Tanya’s background in Electrical and Computer Engineering, where she also worked at th...
2023-09-3051 minThe Boss Ladies PodcastEp. 51: Catalyzing the Political Power of Young People in Honor of National Voter Registration Day with IGNITEToday on The Boss Ladies Podcast, we're honoring National Voter Registration Day 2023 in collaboration with IGNITE! In this special episode, IGNITE's Legislative Advocacy Manager, Saha Salahi, interviews our co-hosts, Manasi and Sualeha, on their current relationship with political leadership and their initial interest in civic engagement. Manasi and Sualeha share reflections on their experiences with IGNITE over the past year and on the meaning of the phrase "politics is personal". Saha dives into how they each cultivated a focus on issue areas they're passionate about, and Manasi and Sualeha discuss the role of legislation in accessing reproductive healthcare and i...
2023-09-191h 15The Boss Ladies PodcastEp. 50: Revolutionizing Reproductive Care through Futureproof Fertility Clinics with the Co-Founders of Ovom Care: Lynae Brayboy, Felicia von Reden, and Christina HickmanWelcome to the 50th episode of The Boss Ladies Podcast!
In this week's episode, Manasi and Sualeha sit down with the co-founders of Ovom Care; Lynae Brayboy, Ovom’s Chief Medical Officer & IVF Researcher; Felicia Von Reden, Chief Executive Officer & Patient Care Expert; and Christina Hickman, Clinical Embryologist & IVF Consultant. Ovom Care is working to revolutionize reproductive care, starting in Europe, by bringing together world-class fertility specialists with the power of AI and cutting-edge research.
We open the episode by touching on each of the co-founders’ unique experiences in the space of reproductive care. Felicia touc...
2023-09-161h 13The Boss Ladies PodcastEp. 49: Scientific Storytelling, Improv For Nobel Prize Winners, and Redefining Empathetic Leadership with Dr. Christine O’Connell, Executive Director of Riley’s Way FoundationIn the newest episode of The Boss Ladies Podcast, Manasi and Sualeha sit down with Dr. Christine O’Connell, the Executive Director of Riley's Way Foundation, former marine and environmental science professor, and a leading expert in science communication, training thousands of scientists, professionals, and even Nobel Prize winners to communicate with clarity and empathy.
We kick off this episode by discussing Dr. O’Connell’s background in studying the natural sciences and eventually pursuing environmental policy at Green Corps, New York’s City Park Foundation, and the Parks 2001 campaign at Partnerships for Parks. Despite her impact in polic...
2023-09-0951 minThe Boss Ladies PodcastEp. 48: Expanding Access to Sustainable Period Care with Erin Burk, VP of Business Development at AugustIn this week's episode, Manasi and Sualeha sit down with Erin Burk, VP of Business Development at August, a start-up focused on providing sustainable period care. We open the episode by touching on Erin's transition from independent consulting and Big Tech to her experience in redefining periods at a cultural level through her role at August.
We break down August’s commitment to sustainability, impact, and inclusive community in its execution and company operations and discuss how the Inner Cycle community is at the core of its product development. Erin expands on August’s initial direct-to-consumer model and...
2023-08-2946 minThe Boss Ladies PodcastEp. 47: Blueprints For Effective Communication, Self-Mentorship, and Shifting Funding Norms For Female Entrepreneurs with Hitha Palepu, CEO of Roshan Pharmaceuticals & Author of We’re SpeakingIn this episode, Manasi and Sualeha sit down with Hitha Palepu, author of How To Pack & We're Speaking: The Life Lessons of Kamala Harris. as well as the newsletter #5SmartReads curating the best of news, healthcare, and female-centric success stories reaching over 100,000 accounts.
We kick off this episode by discussing Hitha’s original creative outlet, Hitha On The Go, a lifestyle blog focused on travel that amassed thousands of readers and led to the publishing of her first book. Hitha dives into how this platform served as a contrast to corporate life and how the publishing of he...
2023-08-1953 minThe Boss Ladies PodcastEp. 46: Deploying Products For Fair and Free Elections at Facebook, Proactive vs Reactive Democracies, & the Geopolitical Impact of 2024 with Katie Harbath, CEO of Anchor ChangeIn this episode, Manasi and Sualeha sit down with Katie Harbath, a global leader at the intersection of elections, democracy, civic and tech. She is the CEO of Anchor Change, the Senior Advisor at the International Republican Institute, and Fellow at the Bipartisan Policy Center, the Integrity Institute, & the Atlantic Council. Previously, Katie spent ten years as a Public Policy Director at Facebook, where she led a global team responsible for managing elections and deployed civic engagement and election integrity products during major elections for every country around the globe including the US, UK, EU, India, Brazil, Canada, Philippines...
2023-08-1251 minThe Boss Ladies PodcastEp. 45: Driving Product Development in Food and Beverage Through Flavor Chemistry, Sensory, and Consumer Science at Starbucks with Carol KarahadianIn this episode, Manasi and Sualeha sit down with Carol Karahadian, a Sensory and Consumer Science Consultant and previous Director of Product & Process Technology, and Sensory at Starbucks. We open the episode by discussing Carol’s decision to study food science and flavor chemistry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and break down flavor chemistry and sensory science as a field.
We tap into Carol’s experience as the VP of Global Sensory at Firmenich, a Swiss-owned company that specializes in creating flavors and fragrances, and how she developed the skill of analytically assessing taste and smell as sens...
2023-08-051h 00The Boss Ladies PodcastEp. 44: Gamifying Taboo Topics through Radical Board Game Design with Experiential Designer Nashra BalagamwalaIn this episode, Manasi and Sualeha sit down with Nashra Balagamwala an experiential designer originally from Pakistan and a graduate of Harvard University and the Rhode Island School of Design. Previously, she worked at Hasbro before transitioning into designing various board games for social impact.
Among her board games that aim to "edutain" players, includes "Monster Hunt", a game created to educate and protect children from sexual abuse, and "Arranged!" a game that allows players to intimately experience the challenges of arranged marriage faced by South-Asian women. In this episode, Nashra shares her journey...
2023-07-2955 minThe Boss Ladies PodcastEp. 43: Using Decision Science to Influence Global Healthcare Policy Around Hepatitis B & Designing Cost-Effective Interventions Alongside the WHO with Dr. Mehlika ToyIn our latest episode, Manasi and Sualeha interview Dr. Mehlika Toy, an epidemiologist and instructor at Stanford University. In this episode, we start off by discussing the public health burden of Hepatitis B, a viral liver infection, affecting nearly 1 in 30 individuals, or 296 million people worldwide. Mehlika dives deep into her journey from initially pursuing epidemiology to entering the space of decision science and mathematical modeling for public health which was still an emerging field.
While Mehlika’s journey started with her tackling Hepatitis B interventions for migrant groups in the Netherlands given the high prevalence of the di...
2023-07-2154 minThe Boss Ladies PodcastEp. 42: The Future of Work, Collaborative Intelligence, and Doomsday Experiment with Rebecca Hinds, Head of The Work Innovation Lab by AsanaIn this episode, Manasi and Sualeha sit down with Rebecca Hinds, Head of The Work Innovation Lab at Asana and recent Stanford Ph.D. graduate in management science and engineering. We begin this episode by discussing Rebecca's Ph.D. research and how we can define "the future of work" across various industries and time horizons.
Rebecca shares her extensive work in understanding how to optimize for collaborative intelligence in the context of cross-functional teams and in remote and hybrid work environments. We touch on obsessive productivity and how companies can often mistake busyness for productivity and how...
2023-07-0852 minThe Boss Ladies PodcastEp. 41: The Power of Local Politics, Corporate Social Responsibility, & the Tampon Tax with Jocelyn Yow, California's Youngest WOC MayorIn this episode, Manasi and Sualeha sit down with Jocelyn Yow, the Legislative Advocacy Director at IGNITE and Councilmember in the City of Eastvale, California.
Through her current work at IGNITE, Jocelyn develops strong coalitions with various companies and nonprofit organizations across the country to advocate for bills and initiatives on women’s rights and voting rights, such as When We All Vote, PERIOD., Levi's, Anthropologie, and Glossier. Simultaneously, she represents over 70,000 residents in Eastvale to advocate for and sign legislation that addresses the same challenges she faced growing up.
We begin this episode by di...
2023-03-1051 min
The Boss Ladies PodcastEp. 40: IGNITE Norma K. Stone Young Women Run Texas 2023 - From Representation to Influence: Exploring the Power of Media for Social ChangesSualeha tunes in live from Austin, TX at the IGNITE Norma K. Stone Young Women Run Texas 2023 conference. Tune in to hear her moderate From Representation to Influence: Exploring the Power of Media for Social Changes with Emily Flores, Founder of Cripple Media, the first-ever media company where young disabled creatives can shift the lens disabled people are viewed.
Description: Explore the role of media in creating awareness, influencing action, and shifting culture. Founder of Cripple Media Emily Flores will sit down with Sualeha Irshad Co-Founder of The Boss Ladies podcast to discuss the importance of representation...
2023-03-0450 minThe Boss Ladies PodcastEp. 39: The Fourth Industrial Revolution, Innovating In A VUCA World, and Agile Governance With Rebecca KingIn this episode, Manasi and Sualeha sit down with Rebecca King, The Lead of the World Economic Forum's Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (C4IR). With a background in consulting, specifically with a focus on education, Rebecca currently works at the WEF to contextualize the interrelationship between emerging technology and governance models in both a local and global context.
We begin the episode by breaking down the promises and misconceptions of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, superexponential growth, and the power of emerging industries, such as the growing global bioeconomy that is projected to grow to over $30...
2023-02-2558 minThe Boss Ladies PodcastEp. 38: Pitfalls of Finnish Exceptionalism, Anti-Science Beliefs, and Auditory Neuroscience with University of Helsinki Post-Doc Caitlin DawsonIn this episode, we sit down with Caitlin Dawson, a postdoctoral researcher, and instructor for the University of Helsinki's Changing Education International Master's Program. Originally from Ohio, she completed both her Master's Degree and Ph.D. in music psychology internationally before shifting to the faculty of educational sciences at the University of Helsinki.
As the first international program in their faculty with a highly diverse student population, Caitlin explains how a focus on global education and indigenous pedagogies can be ignored in favor of Finnish exceptionalism. We touch on how universal design is defined as eliminating the n...
2023-02-111h 39
The Boss Ladies PodcastEp. 37: How global communities thrive when girls realize their full potential — an episode with Malala Fund AssemblyIn this week's episode, we collaborated with Assembly, a digital newsletter and publication from Malala Fund. Co-founded by activist and Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai, Malala Fund works to create a world where all girls can learn and lead.
We invited three Assembly readers from across the world to spotlight their perspectives on the economic benefits of girls’ education, alongside the types of investments they wish to see to allow young women from their communities to thrive. Anisha Roy Bhatia (India) highlights the need for safety of young women in academic spaces and barriers to female participation in the fo...
2023-01-261h 28
The Boss Ladies PodcastEp. 36: SXSW 2022 Live Podcast Stage — Gen Z on the Power of Authentic VoicesManasi and Sualeha tune in live from Austin, TX at the SXSW 2022 Live Podcast Stage! Tune in to hear their first in-person episode, Gen Z on the Power of Authentic Voices.
Description: With a rise in novel perspectives and values in policy, tech, and impact, society is beginning to take on a new definition of innovation. By using these perspectives, we constantly develop frameworks to serve diverse groups and bring out authentic voices. But how can we leverage our ever-evolving culture to continue driving innovation forwards? Attend this live episode with the co-hosts of The Boss Ladies...
2023-01-221h 03The Boss Ladies PodcastEp. 35: The Social Cost of Carbon, De-Risking Global Investments With the UNCDF, and Effective Altruism with Angela ZhongIn this episode, Manasi and Sualeha sit down with Angela Zhong, a student studying Economics and Environmental Policy at Harvard and a recent Partnerships, Policy, and Communications Intern at the UN Capital Development Fund.
We start by discussing Angela's thoughts on the social cost of carbon, which is the economic damage of each ton of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere. Despite the social cost of carbon being estimated by the federal government to be $5 per ton when recent research shows it is likely around $185, Angela shares how these changing valuations affect the priority placed on carbon...
2022-12-3156 minThe Boss Ladies PodcastEp. 34: Engineering Orbital Missions, Designing the First Spacesuit For Women, and Crowdfunding with Sabrina Thompson, CEO of GIRL IN SPACE CLUBIn this episode, Manasi and Sualeha sit down with Sabrina Thompson, Aerospace Engineer at NASA and CEO & Founder of GIRL IN SPACE CLUB where she’s brought together a group of women who span fashion design, product development, and space travel to develop a prototype for a women’s space travel suit.
We discuss how Sabrina’s fascination with complex systems found in spacecraft led her to pursue her twelve-year-long career at NASA and her passion for art and fashion growing up. As human spaceflight has progressed to be more inclusive of women (the current corps of NASA a...
2022-12-2459 minThe Boss Ladies PodcastEp. 33: The Female Web3 Ecosystem, Circular Fashion, & Journalism for Luxury Brands with Maria Popova, Co-Founder of Shiny, Everyday Goddesses, & WRDRBIn this episode, Manasi and Sualeha sit down with Maria Popova, CEO & Founder of Shiny, a metaverse ecosystem that helps other businesses and individuals navigate web3 and Everyday Goddesses, a 2,222 generative collection aimed at growing female influence in the NFT space.
We also discuss Maria’s early career background in journalism, media, and high-end fashion as the former head of production at Savior Flair, and her experience successfully leading partnerships with luxury brands.
While women only make up ~15% of crypto users and 16% of NFT sales, Maria illuminates solutions for widening the increasing female participation in th...
2022-12-181h 12The Boss Ladies PodcastEp. 32: Democratizing Prosthetics for Amputees in Vietnam with Ella Trinh, Co-Founder of Vulcan AugmeticsIn this episode, Manasi and Sualeha sit down with Ella Trinh, Co-founder & COO of Vulcan Augmetics, a startup that develops affordable, high-functioning prosthetics to reach unserved amputees in Vietnam. We discuss transferable skills Ella adopted from her first venture in fashion e-commerce and the attitudes that led her to successfully adapt to the healthtech and robotics industries when founding Vulcan. Ella also breaks down the market gap for low-cost prosthetics in developing nations and why there continues to be an annual 3-4% increase of amputees in Vietnam. We end the episode by discussing the future of prosthetics and how...
2022-11-111h 03The Boss Ladies PodcastEp. 31: What Reproductive Longevity Will Unlock For Human Aging with Dr. Jennifer Garrison, Co-Founder & Director of the Global Consortium for Reproductive Longevity & EqualityManasi and Sualeha sit down with Dr. Jennifer Garrison, Assistant Professor at UCSF and the Buck Institute of Research on Aging, as well as the Director of the Global Consortium for Reproductive Longevity & Equality, to discuss how reproductive longevity will actually help our species live longer. We break down this emerging field and its impact on aging, gender equality, productivity, and the global economy. We also discuss the microenvironment of the ovaries, key hormonal feedback loops between the brain and reproductive organs, IVF and egg freezing as bandaid solutions for reproductive longevity, and how Dr. Garrison's moonshot visions at...
2022-11-051h 05The Boss Ladies PodcastEp. 30: The Future of Fusion Energy With Helion Energy Nuclear Materials Scientist Claire SaundersIn this episode, Manasi and Sualeha sit down with Claire Saunders, a nuclear materials scientist at Helion Energy and Materials Science Ph.D. graduate from CalTech. We cover the significance of harnessing fusion energy for a clean energy future and how Helion is working to progress this mission in the fusion energy space. In this episode, we also discuss materials science applications in fusion energy, Ph.D research in comparison to work in industry, and Claire’s thought process behind pursuing various opportunities in her own journey.
Learn More:
https://www.helionenergy.com/
2022-09-1745 minThe Boss Ladies PodcastEp. 29: Investing in Incarcerated Communities through STEM Education with Alex SchieberIn this episode, Sualeha sits down solo with Alex Schieber, UCSD Ph.D. Candidate for Biological Studies and West Coast Leader at Nucleate, an organization that aims to catalyze the formation of life science ventures by helping scientists translate their work into real-world applications.
In this conversation, we discuss how Alex's own educational journey led her to develop interdisciplinary educational programs at intersections with art in order to make science more interactive, engaging, and accessible to the general public. We also delve into her experience working with a local jail to develop a STEM education program for i...
2022-09-1051 minThe Boss Ladies PodcastEp. 28: Unlocking The Underutilized Political Power of Young Women with Sara Guillermo, CEO of IGNITEIn this episode, Manasi and Sualeha sit down with Sara Guillermo, CEO of IGNITE, the nation’s largest young women’s political leadership organization that works to address the lack of women in elected office by building a pipeline of next-generation leaders who are poised to flex their political power. In our conversation, we break down the root causes of why women are underrepresented in elected positions, and how IGNITE is working to both eliminate these barriers and support the same communities that they work with. In this episode, we discuss how valuable lived experience is for decision-making in poli...
2022-08-2754 minThe Boss Ladies PodcastEp. 27: “Periods should end a sentence, not a girl’s education” with Oscar-Award Winning Producer Melissa BertonIn this episode, Manasi and Sualeha sit down with Melissa Berton, executive director of The Pad Project and 2019 Oscar Award Winner for Best Documentary Short as the producer of ”Period. End of Sentence”. In our conversation, we discuss how Melissa’s experience as a high school English teacher and collaboration with her students to establish The Pad Project, a global non-profit tackling menstrual equity, influenced the film’s focus on how menstruation can limit women's education and prosperity in India. In this episode, we discuss how solving menstrual equity can not only eliminate cultural stigmas and increase access to necessar...
2022-08-2054 minThe Boss Ladies PodcastEp. 26: Designing the Future of Everything with Nonfiction Industrial Designer Phnam BagleyIn this episode, Manasi and Sualeha sit down with Phnam Bagley, an industrial designer, futurist, and co-founder at Nonfiction, an industrial design firm that turns science fiction into reality for a better future. Previously, her work has spanned creating cutting-edge hardware and experiences in Wearables, Healthcare and Wellness, Education, Robotics, Transportation, and Aerospace. In this conversation, we discuss design's relationship with human behavior, the value of material properties in the process of industrial design, and regenerative design for sustainability. We close the episode by touching on emotionally evocative product storytelling and philosophies that enable living a non-linear life filled...
2022-08-0654 min
The Boss Ladies PodcastEp. 25: Developing A Female-First Social And Learning Platform With Julian Guthrie, CEO of AlphyIn this episode, Manasi and Sualeha sit down with Julian Guthrie, NYT Best-Selling Author of Alpha Girls and CEO of Alphy, a new tech platform to advance women. In our conversation, Julian shares how her career as a journalist and author enabled her to share empathetic and diverse storytelling, and showed her the need to redesign social media platforms to better serve and support women. In this episode, we break down the intention behind Alphy’s empowering features alongside the innovative language classification model and core values that drive Alphy’s overarching mission.
Learn More:
http...
2022-07-1651 minThe Boss Ladies PodcastEp. 24: Growth Oriented Decision Making at NASA and Forward-Thinking Mindset With Dr. Camille Wardrop AlleyneIn this episode, Manasi and Sualeha sit down with Dr. Camille Wardrop Alleyne, a seasoned aerospace engineer whose 25-year career at NASA has spanned a variety of projects from systems engineering for the Orion Crew modules to leading public-private partnerships for NASA’s lunar commercialization efforts. In our conversation, Dr. Camille highlights how her desire for constant growth drove how she chose to navigate her career and the valuable role that relationships played throughout her journey. In this episode, we discuss an academic perspective on educational leadership, how STEM drives development and innovation in rising economies, and the importance of...
2022-07-0953 minThe Boss Ladies PodcastEp. 23: Building a Data Driven Analytics Platform for Gender Equality and Social Inclusion with Jessica Menon, CEO of EquilloIn this episode, Manasi and Sualeha sit down with Jessica Menon, CEO of Equilo, a groundbreaking platform that harnesses big data and analytics to provide decision-makers with highly effective gender equality and social inclusion analysis tools. Jessica breaks down the power of understanding people's personal incentives when it comes to changing their knowledge and beliefs, along with the importance of conducting gender equality and social inclusion analysis in the earliest stages of policymaking. We close the episode with insights on how data and informed decision-making can challenge simplified narratives around gender inequity and on establishing action-oriented values as a...
2022-07-0253 minThe Boss Ladies PodcastEp. 22: Exploring The Value Of Intentional Design in Educational Change with Becky Lee, Director at IDEOIn this episode, Manasi and Sualeha sit down with Becky Lee, a Director at IDEO and part of the Design for Learning team, where she designs joyful and inclusive projects focused on equitable access to enhance the education space. She has worked with schools, NGOs, and companies alike to craft programs and opportunities to improve access to quality education, and has taught globally in communities spanning from Brazil to Thailand. In this episode, we discuss how Becky is able to design each project she works on intentionally while understanding the needs, beliefs, and values that limit access to education...
2022-06-2548 minThe Boss Ladies PodcastEp. 21: Challenging Societal Norms through Songwriting with Avanti NagralIn this episode, Manasi and Sualeha chat with Avanti Nagral, a singer-songwriter, and the first dual degree student at Harvard University and Berklee College of Music. Avanti’s coming-of-age empowerment pop draws inspiration from her background in Indian Classical, Broadway, and Gospel music and intersects with her passion for social impact which has amassed her a community of over 500k+. In this episode, we discuss Avanti's creative process in writing songs that change the narrative of societal norms, her perspective on the intersection of culture and music, and how her content takes a community-first approach while creating dialogue and opp...
2022-06-1830 minThe Boss Ladies PodcastEp. 20: Building The Future of Education with Social Entrepreneur and Futurist Raya BidshahriIn this episode, Manasi and Sualeha sit down with Raya Bidshahri, founder and CEO of School of Humanity, an innovative online high school that trains learners how to solve real-world problems through its skill-based curriculum. Previously, she has been a founding member of numerous organizations such as Awecademy, SciFestDubai, and Intelligent Optimism and has been featured on the BBC’s list of Top 100 Most Influential and Inspiring Women for being a global thought leader in education. In this episode, we discuss Raya’s journey as an EdTech entrepreneur from her college years in Boston, to her eventual return to Dubai...
2022-06-111h 27The Boss Ladies PodcastEp. 19: Developing Gender Inclusive Technologies, Bias in AI Language Models, and Digital Inclusion with Genevieve SmithIn this episode, Manasi and Sualeha sit down with Genevieve Smith, Associate Director of the Center for Equity, Gender & Leadership at the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business. With a background in International Development, Genevieve shares her experience in addressing women's needs throughout the entire design and engineering processes of technologies and approaches to effectively make progress to close the digital divide. In this episode, we also discussed factors that contribute to bias in AI systems, how business leaders can take actionable steps to mitigate gender inequity, and a breakdown of gender lens investing.
2022-06-0552 minThe Boss Ladies PodcastEp. 18: Innovative Communities And The Power Of Incubators With Valerie FoxIn this episode, Manasi and Sualeha sit down with Valerie Fox, the past co-founder and Executive Director of the DMZ at Ryerson University, ranked the #1 university business incubator in North America and #3 in the World. Currently, she is the Chief Innovation Consultant of The Pivotal Point, working with large organizations, corporations, and universities to bring communities of diverse skills and ambitions together to collaborate, create and transition to a world of transparency and shared resources. In this episode, we discussed Valerie’s start at IBM, her views on the power of incubators, and her experiences as the Creative Director fo...
2022-05-1341 minThe Boss Ladies PodcastEp. 17: Creative Problem Solving For Healthcare Equity With Pooja ChandrashekarIn this episode, Manasi and Sualeha sit down with Pooja Chandreshaker, an MD/MBA student at Harvard's Medical and Business Schools, who is recognized by Forbes 30 Under 30 in the healthcare sector for using data analytics to improve the quality of care. Pooja is working in the intersection of engineering and medicine to understand the complex social needs and intersectional health issues that marginalized groups face to develop competent solutions in these fields. Pooja is also the Founder and CEO of ProjectCSGIRLS, an international nonprofit dedicated to teaching middle school girls how to use technology for social good, which has r...
2022-04-2247 minThe Boss Ladies PodcastEp. 16: Conveying Stories through Music Production, Trends, and Culture with Sara ShankarIn this episode of the Boss Ladies Podcast, Manasi and Sualeha sit down with Sara Shankar, a music producer, songwriter, entrepreneur, and all-around industry creative studying at NYU’s Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music and Stern School of Business. Throughout the conversation, Sara talks about her personal values as a songwriter and a producer, her creative process for writing song lyrics and working with large record labels, and her desire to infuse her work with culture and meaning.
2022-04-031h 07The Boss Ladies PodcastEp. 15: Designing Need Based Products And Creating Space For Women Of Color With Sowmya PelluruIn this episode of the Boss Ladies podcast, Manasi and Sualeha sit down with Sowmya Pelluru. Sowmya is the CEO of manakii, a socially conscious, sustainable women’s underwear company serving the need for underwear as a product in women's shelters. In this episode, Sowmya covers the process of designing need-based products that are both functional and comfortable for consumers. In explaining how women's underwear is a necessity and a right rather than a luxury, she shows how brands can embody and integrate inclusivity. Give this episode a listen to hear more of Sowmya's transparency and challenges in her jo...
2022-03-161h 06The Boss Ladies PodcastEp. 14: Cultivating Innovative Environments & Designing For Accessibility With Anna BairdIn this episode, Manasi and Sualeha chat with Anna Baird, Head of Culture & Innovation in the Customer Success team at Google, and kick-off by breaking down the foundations of Google's innovative culture. We touch on how accessibility and inclusion can be integrated into every level of a workplace from the hiring process to designing and deploying tools like Google's Search Engine. Throughout the conversation, we discuss what it looks like to celebrate failure and transition into a post-pandemic society that offers more room to display the imperfections that make us human.
2022-03-081h 04The Boss Ladies PodcastEp. 13: Fostering Courage And Empowering Intersectional Communities With Judith MartinezIn this episode, Manasi and Sualeha are back with Judith Martinez, the CEO of InHerShoes, a nonprofit creating a community of women and girls to foster courage. In this episode with Judith, we sat down to talk about her wide range of life experiences and takeaways from working with global leaders such as former White House Chief of Staff Leon Panetta, social impact organizations such as Ashoka, media agencies for good such as GOOD Worldwide, to brands and celebrities such as Rare Beauty and Selena Gomez.
2022-02-2850 min
The Boss Ladies PodcastEp. 12: Shaping The Future Of Female Entrepreneurship And Scaling Ideas With Ravina AnandWelcome back to the Boss Ladies Podcast! In this episode, we are back with Ravina Anand, the co-founder of FLIK, a startup focused on providing a platform for connection, mentorship, and support for driven women at all stages of their careers and companies. In this episode with Ravina, we sat down to talk about her journey in female entrepreneurship, founding a company, and her views on effective mentorship.
2022-02-1229 min
The Boss Ladies PodcastSeason 2 Trailer: The Next Chapter Of Boss LadiesWelcome back to the Boss Ladies Podcast! Manasi and Sualeha are back to reflect on the past season of the Boss Ladies Podcast, and talk about some exciting episodes we have planned!
Email: bossladiespod@gmail.com
2021-12-1806 minThe Boss Ladies PodcastEp. 11: Friendships, Life Experiments, And Failures With Ananya JainWelcome back to the Boss Ladies Podcast! In this episode, we are back with Ananya Jain, the founder of teamfullcircle.org, a startup focused on being a support system for Gen Z that empowers them to share life experiences and help each other through tough life circumstances. FullCircle has created an app that allows people to share their life stories, and improve their mental health through games. In this episode, we sat down with Ananya to talk about certain mindsets that have helped her, friendship, and moving past her biggest failures!
2021-07-1234 minThe Boss Ladies PodcastEp. 10: Human-Centric Impact And Finding Your Voice With Aditi BhargavaIn this week's episode, we are back to chat with Aditi Bhargava, a senior UX researcher at Google, an aspiring angel investor, and a stand-up comedian?! Regardless of what she is working on, Aditi is constantly working to make information more accessible to people, whether that be through UX design, funding and working with startups, or comedy. In this episode, we sit down with Aditi to discuss how she forged her own path within tech, mindsets for human-centric impact, and the importance of finding your voice early on.
2021-07-1048 minThe Boss Ladies PodcastEp. 9: Perspective And The Importance of Interdisciplinary Innovation With Roshni ThawaniWelcome back! In this week's episode, we talk to UI/UX researcher and IBM Design Research Intern, Roshni Thawani, who has had a wide range of experiences; from majoring in criminology and pivoting to User Experience. Throughout her work, she has focused on people, and driving the next wave of innovation to be people-centric, and has had some insane experiences from creating a path for herself to teaching at schools across India. In this episode, we sit down with Roshni to discuss the importance of perspective throughout her work, and how the next generation of innovation requires interdisciplinary thinking.
2021-07-0544 minThe Boss Ladies PodcastEp. 8: Reflecting On The Past Year At The Knowledge Society (TKS)In this week's episode, we sit down to have a conversation about our past year at The Knowledge Society, a human accelerator for teenagers around the world. From our biggest takeaways to the mindset shifts we've had, we've reflected on what we learned the most from a life-changing year of experiences.
2021-06-2232 minThe Boss Ladies PodcastEp. 7: Bridging Academia and Entrepreneurship with Incoming MIT Ph.D. Student Breanna LamIn this week's episode, we sit down to talk to incoming MIT Ph.D. Student Breanna Lam, who is working to demystify the Ph.D. process. From writing a book to building a personal brand, despite being immersed in academia, Breanna has been very vocal throughout her journey of personal growth while working in a research-oriented setting. In this episode, Breanna breaks down what most people get wrong about the Ph.D. process, her decision in choosing to pursue this journey, and how we must bridge the gap between academia and entrepreneurship in order to see the next wave...
2021-06-0733 minThe Boss Ladies PodcastEp. 6: Defending the Right to Girls' Education with Activist Pashtana DurraniIn this week's episode, we sit down to talk to human rights activist Pashtana Durrani, the founder of LEARN Afghanistan and an Education Champion through the Malala Fund. Despite growing up amongst conflict in Afghanistan amidst expectations of her role in society, Pashtana was able to pursue her education with the support of her family, and create LEARN Afghanistan, an organization promoting girls' digital literacy through home-based community schools. In this episode, Pashtana talks about her background growing up in Afghanistan, and how she was able to defy expectations and norms in order to do make an impact in...
2021-05-3142 minThe Boss Ladies PodcastEp. 5: Design Thinking, FemTech, and Creativity with Joanna Peña-BickleyIn this week's episode, Manasi, Sualeha, and Orna sit down to talk to Joanna Peña-Bickley who is the Head of Research and Design of Alexa Devices at Amazon and the Executive Chair of DesignedByUs.org. Joanna's inspirational leadership and activism have advanced the inclusion of women on US currency, the S.T.E.A.M.D. education movement, design, and digital literacy for women and girls globally. In this episode, Joanna breaks down the importance of design in every aspect of society, tackling the biggest problems in the world through creativity, and the next generation of female-led innovation. ...
2021-04-1952 minThe Boss Ladies PodcastEp. 4: Why You Need To Stop Saying Sorry So OftenIn this episode of the Boss Ladies Podcast, Manasi, Sualeha, and Orna sit down to chat about over-apologizing. We break down the problems associated with over-apologizing, which can undermine women in all aspects; from personal relationships to the workplace. Give this episode a listen to understand how detrimental over-apologizing can be, and learn how to train yourself to stop apologizing in unnecessary situations!
2021-04-1213 minThe Boss Ladies PodcastEp. 3: What We Learned From Solving Gender Inequality On A Global ScaleWelcome back to the Boss Ladies Podcast! In this episode, Manasi, Sualeha, and Orna sit down to discuss our experience working with the UN to solve the digital divide on a global scale. We reflect on our individual experiences researching and talking to women in developing countries, understanding scalability, and also how our perspective shifted over the past month.
2021-03-2935 minThe Boss Ladies PodcastEp. 2: Honoring Women In Power, Female Representation, and the Importance of MentorshipIn this episode of the Boss Ladies Podcast, Manasi, Sualeha, and Orna are back to discuss the power that women hold in society and break down the importance of female representation in honor of Women's History Month, while also talking about mentorship and the importance of having women in your life to inspire you!
2021-03-2521 minThe Boss Ladies PodcastEp. 1: Embracing Boss Mentality with Noel HurstWelcome back to the Boss Ladies Podcast! In this episode, Manasi, Sualeha, and Orna sit down with TKS Director Noel Hurst to discuss what boss mentality means to use and how we can embrace it in order to impact our everyday lives. In this episode, Noel provides valuable advice on how to constantly embody this mindset and how to be authentically yourself in any situation!
2021-03-1737 minThe Boss Ladies PodcastEp. 0: Welcome to The Boss Ladies PodcastWelcome to the Boss Ladies Podcast! In this episode, Manasi, Orna, and Sualeha sit down to introduce ourselves, break down what the Boss Ladies community is, and layout our intentions for this podcast.
2021-03-0809 min