Five years ago, Laurie McGraw launched Inspiring Women on International Women's Day — her own birthday — with a simple belief: when women lead, we build a more just and equitable society. What followed was hundreds of conversations with some of the most remarkable women in leadership, healthcare, tech, business, and beyond.
This episode is different. There's no single guest. Instead, Laurie steps back and reflects on the conversations that have shaped her most — and the lessons that have stayed with her long after the recording stopped.
From Chelsea Clinton's conviction that those with power and voice have a responsibility to remove bias for those without it, to Kara Swisher's unshakeable self-belief in the face of being told she was "too confident." From Carla Harris drawing a sharp line between mentors and sponsors — and why the difference could define your career — to Dr. Jenny Schneider rejecting work-life balance entirely in favour of ruthless prioritization. From Missy Krasner reframing failure as the fuel that drives the next big thing, to four-time Olympian Joetta Clark Diggs picking up her cleats again at 62 and breaking national records, living proof that your why will always outlast your how.
This is five years of hard-won wisdom distilled into one conversation. And it is for every woman — and every person — who has ever wondered what it really takes to lead.
Topics Covered:
- Chelsea Clinton on using platform and power to remove bias for others
- How Chelsea manages an extraordinary portfolio of work
- Kara Swisher's early mentor and the generosity of sharing the room
- Why the best leaders never stop being students
- Kara Swisher being told she was "too confident" — and her response
- Carla Harris on the critical difference between mentors and sponsors
- Why imposter syndrome is just a distraction — and how to set it aside
- Carla Harris on senior women's responsibility to build the bench
- Missy Krasner on AI as healthcare's third watershed moment
- Why once you nail the fundamentals, nobody cares that you're a woman
- Dr. Jenny Schneider on ruthless prioritization over work-life balance
- The power of an intentional pause before the next big thing
- Why great leaders actively seek out dissenting voices
- Joetta Clark Diggs on leadership as a "we, not a me"
- Breaking national records at 62 — and why staying power has no expiration date
- Cara Munnis on what happens when strategy meets obsessive detail
- The hardest leadership skill — learning to delegate what you do best
- Five years of Inspiring Women and what comes next