Be Gutsy > Audio Inspiration
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Sure, there are plenty of places to read about exceptional women. But we rarely get to hear them talk about themselves in their own words —without interruption —until now. In this new series — Women For Hire presents Wildly Wise, Witty, and Wondrous Voices —you'll hear first hand from leaders with varied backgrounds who share their experiences and expertise mixed with a healthy dose of fun and laughter too.
- Dare to be inspired by these accomplished voices.
- Celebrate women by sharing a link to this page with your colleagues and friends.
- Visit often as we add a fresh voices weekly.
FEATURED PROFILES:
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LISTEN: Diane Sawyer on what makes her tick, her theory on hiring and mentoring, a lack of sleep on Sunday nights, the books on her desk, and why she's particularly fond of staplers. Good Morning America anchor Diane Sawyer is arguably the hardest working person in network news. She's been around the globe in recent weeks and months—North Korea, Syria and Iran—and spent time closer to Washington, DC, to chat with all 16 female senators and in Camden, New Jersey, to give a voice to good people struggling against the odds in poverty. We love her form of socially-responsible journalism because it resonates with our mission of helping women to achieve their best. |
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LISTEN: Cecile Richards on risk-taking, the unfair ways women measure themselves, the challenges of being a demanding boss and mother, missing her own mom, and why she douses everything with hot pepper flakes. The daughter of the late Texas governor Ann Richards, Cecile Richards is as outspoken, eloquent, and inspirational as her mom. She's president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America and is a leader in national progressive politics working on behalf of reproductive freedom and social justice. |
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LISTEN: Gayle King on her favorite hiring policy, her technology highs and lows, why she doesn't have problems taking orders from all levels, and why she says things can always get better. As America's most famous First Friend, Gayle King is as smart, fun, and engaging as her partner-in-crime Oprah Winfrey. When she's not busy working as editor-at-large for O, The Oprah Magazine or hosting a satellite radio program on XM, King can be found doing any number of cool things from road-tripping across the country in search of the best pizza to inspiring young girls in South Africa. |
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LISTEN: Liz Rosenberg on lessons learned from Madonna, being fired and job-hopping, advice for women looking to advance, and why she can't live without Diet Coke. Liz Rosenberg is publicist and protector to some of the biggest and best names in music. Madonna, Cher, Michael Buble, Josh Groban, and Stevie Nicks are just a handful of the superstars who rely on her counsel and confidence to help guide their careers. She's one smart cookie who has thrived in a youth-obsessed industry because of her balls and brilliance. |
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LISTEN: Alexandra Pelosi on the moment she and her four siblings knew their mother, Nancy Pelosi, was a trailblazer. Documentary filmmaker Alexandra Pelosi is the daughter of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, the first woman to hold this position. While covering the 2000 presidential election for NBC, Pelosi used a camcorder to document the campaign of George W. Bush and turned the footage into Journeys with George, which earned her six Emmy nominations. She's a married mom who enjoys a tight bond with her own mother and she's not shy about sharing the lessons she's learned. |
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LISTEN: Robin Roberts on being a black woman in sports broadcasting, finding her Zen place, playing as hard as she works, and sitting alongside Diane Sawyer every morning. Good Morning America co-anchor Robin Roberts is truly at the top of her game. She has succeeded in the competitive worlds of media, television, sports and news. She went from being a sports anchor and reporter at a local station in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, to winning three Emmys for her work on ESPN and sharing the anchor duties on ABC with Diane Sawyer. |
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LISTEN: Soledad O'Brien on being asked to change her name for a job, taking responsibility for her career, pen marks on her favorite armchairs and Soledad O’Brien has been a CNN anchor since 2003 when she jumped ship from NBC News. She’s covered every major breaking news event and has won many distinctions for doing so. A Harvard graduate (along with all five of her siblings), O’Brien lives in New York with her husband and four children. |
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LISTEN: Cynthia McFadden on learning, growing and having a good time at work, sage advice from the late Katharine Hepburn, and some of the most rewarding stories she's reported on at ABC News. ABC News anchor Cynthia McFadden has reported on such wide ranging issues as children’s lives in America to women gangs in Los Angeles to the legal cases of OJ Simpson, Kobe Bryant, Laci Peterson, and Martha Stewart. McFadden, a lawyer and the executor of the estate of Katharine Hepburn, lives in New York with her son Spencer Graham McFadden Hoge, who was named after Spencer Tracy. |
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LISTEN: Liz Smith on wanting to be the first to know, her love of gossip and news, getting fired time and again, and the Maltese Falcon on her desk. Gossip columnist Liz Smith always has the skinny on celebrities, and she confesses that she likes to know it all. Her career spans over the past seven decades, beginning as a typist and reporter before breaking into media as a news producer for Mike Wallace at CBS Radio. She's written for everything from Cosmopolitan to Sports Illustrated before signing on as a syndicated columnist for the New York Post—sharing gossip that many New Yorkers couldn’t live without. |
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LISTEN: Bobbi Brown on balancing work and family, building a multi-million dollar cosmetics company, and getting turned down for a job as a makeup artist at Marshall Fields (they now carry her products). Known for her natural and flattering looking cosmetics, Bobbi Brown burst onto the makeup scene in the early 90's where she debuted her first line of lipsticks at Bergdorf Goodman in New York City. Estee Lauder bought the company in 1995 paving the way for success. She has written three books: Bobbi Brown Beauty, Bobbi Brown Teenage Beauty, and Bobbi Brown Beauty Evolution, and is the exclusive beauty editor on The Today Show. She lives in New Jersey with her husband and three sons. |
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LISTEN: Dara Torres on training for the Olympic Games at age 40, being a new mom, and loving her life. Beginning her swimming career at Westlake High School in North Hollywood, CA, Dara Torres set CIF records that remain to this day. She is the first American swimmer to compete in four Olympic games, soon to be five. She has won nine medals, including four golds. Torres has worked as a reporter for NBC, ESPN, and Fox and modeled for Sports Illustrated— the swimsuit issue, of course. |
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LISTEN: Ivanka Trump on the best advice she received from her parents, her jet-setting lifestyle, the blessed BlackBerry™, and what she really does for fun. The 26-year-old business woman and former model is most notorious for her powerful last name—and her parents Ivana and Donald Trump, but she can definitely hold her own. She attended Ivy League University of Pennsylvania for her last two years of college and graduated magna cum laude with a degree in economics. Trump is currently the Vice President of Real Estate Development at the Trump Organization and sits next to her father in the board room of his reality television show, The Apprentice. |
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LISTEN: Joy Browne on her work for NASA, being sexually harassed by more than one boss, her admiration for Martha Stewart's business savvy, and how she's implemented movie reviews into her program. Dr. Joy Browne has worn a lot of hats in her day: engineer on the space program, archeological digger in the south of France, and most currently a radio talk show psychologist and movie critic. She is a frequent guest on shows such as The Early Show, Oprah Winfrey, and Larry King Live. She also organizes a camp for children and families living with HIV and AIDS for the Herbert G. Birch Summer Project. |
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LISTEN: Katharine Mcphee on taking charge of her own album, her success after American Idol, and the future for women today. Katharine McPhee cites her mother, a vocal teacher, and Broadway musicals Chicago and Les Miserables as early sources of inspiration to become a singer. By performing Whitney Houston's "Run To You" for American Idol judges Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul, McPhee made it to Hollywood and launched her singing career. She is currently on tour with American Idols Live and recording her first album. |
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LISTEN: Lis Rohm on staying in the game, the biggest workplace no-no for a woman, and the importance of girlfriends. Born in Dusseldorf, Germany, to a German father and American mother, Lis Rohm was raised in New York City. The actress spent four years as Assistant District Attorney Serena Southerlyn on NBC's Law and Order. She studied writing and European History at Sarah Lawrence in New York. |
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LISTEN: Victoria Gotti on career advice from her father, seeing her book in the window at Barnes and Noble, and driving in circles to clear her head. Victoria Gotti was born into a life of crime; her father was the legendary John Gotti- mob boss of the Gambino Crime Family in New York. Despite her name, she was able to rise above it and find her own (lawful) success. She has produced several best selling books including The Senator's Daughter, I'll Be Watching You, and Superstar. She also starred in her own reality show titled "Growing Up Gotti," with her three sons. |
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LISTEN: Carly Fiorina on the biggest mistake of her career, the surprising place she found the best professional advice, and how she realized she’s not afraid of anything. |
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LISTEN: Nora Ephron on getting fired and why she’s a big believer in changing your life every so often. |
LISTEN: Cindi Lieve on her mildly pathological habits, what determines who gets to the top, and why now is the absolute best time to be a woman. |