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Vital Voices Global Partnership

The Vital Voices Podcast highlights women leaders and change-makers from around the world. Hosted by Vital Voices President and CEO, Alyse Nelson, the Vital Voices Podcast provides a space for extraordinary women to be heard.
 
To learn more about Vital Voices, visit www.VitalVoices.org.
Follow us on Twitter (@VitalVoices), Instagram (@VitalVoices) and like us on Facebook (facebook.com/VitalVoices)! You can also donate to Vital Voices by texting VITAL to 41444.

Vital Voices Podcast

A conversation in honor of International Women's Day between Vital Voices CEO and co-Founder Alyse Nelson and Nika Kovač, the founding director of the 8th of March Research Institute, a movement-building organization that uses storytelling and advocacy to confront gender and economic inequalities across Slovenia.

A Conversation with Nika Kovač & Alyse Nelson | International Women’s Day 2025

Welcome to the Vital Voices Live Podcast, a podcast dedicated to celebrating the game-changers, the rule-breakers, and the fearless women shaping our world! 

In front of a live studio audience in the Vital Voices Headquarters in Washington DC, this episode is guest hosted by Norah O'Donnell in conversation with Sara Blakely, an entrepreneur, innovator, and champion for women everywhere. She took a simple idea, a pair of scissors, and sheer determination to build Spanx, revolutionizing the fashion industry and becoming one of the most successful self-made women in the world. But she didn’t stop there—she’s using her platform to empower female entrepreneurs, invest in women-led businesses, and prove that lifting others up is the ultimate power move.

She’s bold, she’s brilliant, and on this episode, she shares her incredible journey.

Vital Voices Live: A Conversation with Sara Blakely with Guest Host Norah O'Donnell

In this episode of Vital Voices Live, Dina Powell McCormick — former Deputy National Security Advisor and Vice Chair at BDT & MSD Partners — joins us to talk about her new book, Who Believed in You?, co-authored with Senator David McCormick. Drawing from her personal journey and insights from leaders like Satya Nadella, Tory Burch, and Condoleezza Rice, Dina explores how transformational mentorship shapes leadership, builds confidence, and drives long-term success. 

She shares lessons from her work launching mentorship initiatives like Goldman Sachs’ 10,000 Women and offers practical advice for creating deeper, more meaningful mentoring relationships. 

Tune in for an inspiring conversation about the people who lift us up — and how we can do the same for others.

Vital Voices Live: A Conversation with Dina Powell McCormick with Guest Host Betsy Fischer Martin

In this special episode of the Vital Voices Live Podcast, supermodel, entrepreneur and philanthropist Karlie Kloss joins Kode With Klossy CEO Osi Imeokparia to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Kode With Klossy—a decade of empowering young women and gender-expansive youth in tech. Together, they reflect on the early days of the initiative, how mentorship has shaped their leadership journeys, and why investing in women and girls is key to building a more inclusive and innovative future. Tune in for an inspiring conversation about vision, impact, and what’s next for this groundbreaking movement.

Vital Voices Live: A Conversation with Karlie Kloss and Osi Imeokparia

In honor of International Day for Biological Diversity, this episode features a powerful conversation between Vital Voices President & CEO Alyse Nelson and Mary Robinson — Ireland’s first female President, former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and lifelong advocate for climate justice, gender equality, and ethical leadership. 

Mary reflects on her groundbreaking political career, her deep commitment to human rights, and how climate became her life’s defining mission. She also shares insights from MRS ROBINSON, a new documentary that tells the story of her trailblazing leadership and the urgent need for women-led climate action.

A Conversation with Mary Robinson & Alyse Nelson | International Biodiversity Day 2025

In this powerful episode of the Vital Voices Podcast, actor and activist Nazanin Boniadi joins Alyse Nelson, President & CEO of Vital Voices, for a candid conversation on courage, advocacy, and the fight for human rights in Iran and beyond.

Nazanin shares her journey from Hollywood to human rights activism, the personal cost of raising her voice, and the ongoing struggle for freedom in Iran — especially for women and girls. She reflects on the power of global solidarity, the role of storytelling in activism, and why silence is not an option.

Tune in for an inspiring conversation about the people who lift us up — and how we can do the same for others.

Vital Voices Live: A conversation with Nazanin Boniadi

In honor of World Environment Day, Vital Voices CEO Alyse Nelson sits down with Wanjira Mathai — renowned Kenyan environmentalist and Managing Director for Africa at the World Resources Institute.

Daughter of the late Wangari Maathai, the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize, Wanjira carries forward a legacy of people-powered climate action. In this powerful conversation, she reflects on her mother’s impact, the urgency of women-led environmental solutions, and how restoring our planet means reimagining leadership.

A Conversation with Wanjira Mathai & Alyse Nelson | World Environment Day 2025

After discovering deepfake pornography featuring her image online, Breeze Liu faced a harrowing journey that exposed the deep failures of our legal and tech systems. But instead of staying silent, she took action. 

In this powerful episode, Breeze joins Vital Voices CEO Alyse Nelson to share how she turned trauma into purpose—founding Alecto AI to help others detect and remove non-consensual content.

Now a Vital Voices Global Fellow and a driving force behind the bipartisan Take It Down Act, Breeze is reshaping the digital landscape to protect survivors. This conversation is a call to action for tech accountability—and a testament to the power of survivor-led change.

A Conversation with Breeze Liu & Alyse Nelson | Fighting Back Against Deepfake Pornography

In celebration of Global Wellness Day, our CEO Alyse Nelson sits down with Victoria Zitrin — artist, entrepreneur, advocate, and Co-Chair of the Vital Voices Bay Area Council. 

Victoria is the founder of Ventura Vie, a public charity rooted in wellness, creativity, and empowerment. From mentorships to live events and the V Boutique in San Francisco, Ventura Vie creates space for healing and connection through art, fashion, and nature. Her impact is felt across the Vital Voices community — including at our headquarters, where our wellness room bears the Ventura Vie name. 

This episode is a reminder that wellness isn’t a luxury — it’s a foundation for leadership, resilience, and meaningful change.

A Conversation with Victoria Zitrin & Alyse Nelson | Global Wellness Day

In this powerful episode of Vital Voices Live, acclaimed actress, activist, and storyteller Sophia Bush sits down with Jen Klein—author, advocate, and longtime champion for women’s rights—for a bold and deeply personal conversation about advocacy, authenticity, and the courage to lean into hard conversations.

Together, they explore what it means to lead with purpose, stay grounded in your values, and stand up for what you believe in—even when it’s difficult. From navigating the spotlight to showing up for meaningful change, this episode is a compelling reminder that true impact begins with knowing who you are—and having the courage to act on it.

Vital Voices Live with Sophia Bush and Jen Klein

Listen in as Vital Voices partnered with sister organization, Running Start, to host a live book party for BBC journalist Mishal Husain.
 
Mishal's new book The Skills: From First Job to Dream Job—What Every Woman Needs to Know, and her leadership lessons are the topic of this conversation, led by Running Start fellow, and Washington, D.C.'s youngest-ever elected public official, Allyson Carpenter.
 
 
 
To learn more about Vital Voices, visit www.vitalvoices.org
 
Invest in women, improve the world.
 
 
 
Production Credits:
 
Producer: Christi Owiye
 
Writer: Lizzie Kubo Kirschenbaum
 
Assistant Producer: Ryland N. Staples
 
Host: Alyse Nelson
 
 
 
Music Credit:
 
On My Way Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

The Skills: A Conversation with BBC Journalist Mishal Husain and Allyson Carpenter

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