Forged in Fire: LGBTQ+ Leadership

May 07 2024
Forged in Fire: LGBTQ+ Leadership Podcast artwork

Meet LGBTQ+ superheroes! Explore the nexus of LGBTQ+ identity and leadership development through interviews with leaders in business, government, academia, advocacy, entertainment and more! We'll dive into crucible moments in LGBTQ+ lives, such as stigmatization, coming out, or transition. Understand how leaders transformed what we often view as negative experiences into moments that accelerated their growth into leadership superheroes.

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And Now For Something Completely Different with Jude Harris

May 07 2024 51 mins  
No spoilers, but the path to authenticity and her gender identity taken by Executive Director of Film and Television for Hearst Magazines Jude Harris, is not one you might expect. She's using her uniqueness and perspective to help tell queer stories in a difficult market and paving the way for trans and queer executives to follow her trail. Along the way, there were a lot of diffic

Why Do So Many Starfish Need Saving? with Joanne Carroll

Apr 23 2024 36 mins  
In a life of many acts, Joanne Carroll knew she was one of the little girls from an early age, but didn't share it with the world until her late 50's. Once out, she discovered a passion for helping others; she was the one throwing starfish that had washed ashore back into the sea. It was a later realization that something must be wrong for so many starfish (trans people) to keep tu

Show Me the Data! with Luke Fletcher and Shaun Pichler

Apr 09 2024 52 mins  
When asked to explain the benefits and the challenges of LGBTQ+ leadership, we're often stuck relying on anecdotes because data gathering is difficult in a world where we often remain hidden. Dr. Luke Fletcher and Dr. Shaun Pichler, authors of the new journal article Songs of the Self: The Importance of Authentic Leadership and Core Self Evaluations for LGBT Managers, join us for a

Defining the American Dream with Queen Victoria Ortega

Mar 26 2024 48 mins  
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Delivering On Day 1 with Safi Mojidi

Mar 12 2024 51 mins  
Athlete. Teammate. Friend. Mentor. Cybersecurity Expert. Workforce Developer. Dr. Safi Mojidi has excelled in a huge variety of roles. He is a community leader creating a future where cybersecurity is sound, respect of privacy is inherent, and technology is leveraged equitably for all. Importantly, he's using his experiences and challenges as a black man of trans experience to buil

Creating Space For Everyone with Dr. A.C. Fowlkes

Feb 13 2024 46 mins  
As someone with multiple minority statuses, Dr. A.C. Fowlkes, puts the onus on himself to create space for other individuals with multiple minority status. Having broken through a lot of glass ceilings, he's had a number of different times where he just wanted to throw in the towel. But understanding that if he didn't do something, people in the future, perhaps even his own child,

Totally, Eminently Qualified with Eric Fanning

Jan 30 2024 49 mins  
Totally, eminently qualified was how Senator John McCain describe our guest, Eric Fanning, during his confirmation to be Secretary of the Army. In a career that weaves in and out of senior roles in government and industry, currently as CEO of the Aerospace Industries Association, Fanning was often the first gay person to occupy those heights. Yet that rarely comes up publicly, the

Kick It Open and Hold the Door with Amanda Simpson

Jan 16 2024 49 mins  
Engineer, test pilot, public servant, and CEO only begins to describe Amanda Simpson's career and leadership flight path. She's flown over 60 different types of aircraft, but the most perilous takeoff may have been the one to finding her authentic self. Amanda's journey is filled with moments where she kicked open doors for other transgender people to follow her and was simultaneou

Season One Recap with The Team

Nov 14 2023 45 mins  
Featuring returning guest Blake Dremann as our host for this episode, the Forged in Fire team looks back at our first season. There we so many insightful guests, amazing storytellers, and heroes on the show this season. Learn what surprised us, what we learned about making a podcast, and what our light-bulb moments were! We also ask for your feedback as we look to make Season 2 eve

In It To Win It with Vic Basile

Oct 31 2023 43 mins  
As the first Executive Director of the Human Rights Campaign Fund, Vic Basile led a significant coalescence of the LGBTQ+ rights lobbying community during the AIDS crisis and fought prejudice and bigotry on Capitol Hill. In his new memoir, Bending Toward Justice: A Memoir of Two Decades of LGBT Leadership and the Founding of the Human Rights Campaign​, he tells the story of those