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Scientista
The Scientista Podcast spotlights women (and allies!) reshaping business, politics, and culture.
Hosted by behavioral scientist Dr. Sweta Chakraborty and former Assistant Secretary of State Monica Medina, this show brings you candid conversations with changemakers and thought leaders from around the world.
Subscribe for behind-the-scenes stories of how some of today’s most inspiring leaders have faced challenges, made tough calls, and turned vision into real-world impact.
Episodes
37 episodes
Emmy Award–Winning Meteorologist Amber Sullins on the Art of Science Communication
How do you explain science when people stop believing in facts? Amber Sullins, chief meteorologist at ABC15 Phoenix and a five-time Emmy Award winner, joins Dr. Sweta Chakraborty and Monica Medina to talk about the changing climate of communica...
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29:16
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CNN's Juliette Kayyem on the Case for Being “Less Bad” in a World of Constant Crisis
National security isn’t just about borders and threats—it’s about how we prepare, respond, and rebuild. CNN analyst and Harvard professor Juliette Kayyem joins Monica Medina and Dr. Sweta Chakraborty to talk about women in crisis leadership, wh...
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28:05
Jean Oelwang: How Great Leaders Make Others Shine
What do Nelson Mandela, Desmond Tutu, and Mary Robinson have in common? According to Jean Oelwang, the founding CEO of Virgin Unite, it’s not charisma or power—it’s humility. In this episode, Jean shares stories from decades spent alongside the...
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32:57
Jigar Shah: The Clean Energy Industry Needs Its Own “Got Milk?” Campaign
Clean energy is winning on technology—but losing the story. Jigar Shah tells Sweta Chakraborty and Monica Medina why solar, wind, and EVs need the swagger (and budget) of a “Got Milk?” campaign. From plug-in hybrids to nuclear power, he explain...
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42:54
Jennifer Morris: Leading the World’s Largest Environmental Organization
Jennifer Morris, CEO of The Nature Conservancy, joins the Scientista Podcast to share her journey from women’s development projects in Namibia to leading thousands of employees across 80 countries. She discusses how TNC is reimagining ...
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40:15
Leading Kamala Harris’ Presidential Campaign: Lessons from Campaign Manager Julie Chávez Rodriguez
What does it take to manage a presidential campaign? In this episode of the Scientista Podcast, we sit down with Julie Chávez Rodriguez, who served as campaign manager for Vice President Kamala Harris.Julie takes us inside one of the mos...
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34:18
Billie Eilish’s Mom, Maggie Baird, Is Feeding People and Fighting for the Planet
You may know her as Billie Eilish’s mom, but Maggie Baird is also an activist, storyteller, and founder of Support + Feed, a nonprofit tackling hunger, equity, and climate change with plant-based meals. What began as a living room idea during C...
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40:03
Lindsay Levin: How TED Countdown Uses Storytelling to Grow the Climate Movement
Lindsay Levin, Co-Founder of TED Countdown, joins Monica Medina to reflect on how the initiative has grown into a global platform reaching millions. Levin shares how TED Countdown is flipping the climate script — spotlighting solutions, buildin...
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39:21
Helen Mountford: Yes, We’re Still Talking About Gender
“Are we still talking about gender?” Yes—because it’s not solved. Climate leader Helen Mountford sits down with Dr. Sweta Chakraborty and Monica Medina to reveal how women are driving bold climate solutions around the world, why organizations p...
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32:30
Dana R. Fisher: Ignoring Local Organizing Weakens the Climate Movement
Climate shocks are coming — faster, harder, and more often. American University’s Dana R. Fisher explains why the climate movement can’t afford to ignore local organizing, and how community power can drive national change. From disruptive prote...
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38:46
Bernadette Woods Placky: Why Weather Forecasters May Be Our Best Climate Communicators
In this episode of the Scientista Podcast, meteorologist and Climate Central’s VP for Engagement Bernadette Woods Placky explains why local weather forecasters may be the most trusted—and underutilized—climate communicators we h...
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35:59
Best Of: Gina McCarthy on The EPA, the White House, and Public Health
We’re bringing back one of our most popular episodes with Gina McCarthy—former EPA Administrator and the first-ever White House National Climate Advisor.From her early days in local public health to shaping national climate policy at the...
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29:42
Dr. Raj Panjabi: Why Preemptive Health Is the Future and What We Lose If We Stop Investing
What if we could prevent disease before it starts? Dr. Raj Panjabi—former White House Senior Director for Global Health Security—explains how biotech, AI, and early intervention can revolutionize healthcare. But with science under attack and pu...
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42:21
Ruth Marcus: Why I Left The Washington Post After Bezos Blocked My Column
After four decades at The Washington Post, Ruth Marcus made a decision few journalists ever face: she resigned after her column — critical of Jeff Bezos’s editorial policy — was blocked from publication.In this episode, Ruth ope...
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26:04
Best Of: Katharine Hayhoe on Climate Communication That Works
As we welcome new listeners to the Scientista Podcast, we’re highlighting some of our most popular conversations from the archive.In this timely episode, climate scientist and bestselling author Katharine Hayhoe shares what it rea...
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21:02
Leticia Carvalho: Meet the Woman Fighting to Regulate Deep Sea Mining
The deep sea is one of Earth’s last frontiers—and the battle over who gets to mine it is heating up. This week on the Scientista Podcast, host Monica Medina sits down with Leticia Carvalho, Secretary-General of the International Seabed...
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41:27
Bill Nye The Science Guy: “Defense Wins Games, Diversity Wins Wars”
Bill Nye the Science Guy joins the Scientista Podcast for a wide-ranging and candid conversation about making science accessible, the role of humor in advocacy, and what it takes to keep going when the world feels upside down. Co-hosts Dr. Swet...
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45:32
Ashish Jha: What Happens When Women Are Left Out of Public Health
Dr. Ashish Jha, Dean of the Brown School of Public Health and former White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator, joins the Scientista Podcast to talk about what happens when women are left out of health research and policymaking—and why fixing t...
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38:01
Kathi Vidal: Who Gets to Invent and Why It Matters
Kathi Vidal has spent her career at the heart of American innovation — first as an engineer, then as Director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. But as she explains in this episode, the system that fuels invention and economic growth is f...
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41:09
Jane Lubchenco: The Ocean Is Too Important to Ignore
Former NOAA Administrator Dr. Jane Lubchenco joins the Scientista Podcast to talk about her lifelong love of the ocean, what’s threatening its future—and why she still has hope. From marine protected areas to blue carbon, she shares ho...
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37:05
Sylvia Earle: A Lifetime Underwater and the Fight to Save the Sea
Her Deepness: Sylvia Earle on a Lifetime Underwater and the Fight to Save the SeaIn this special World Oceans Day episode of the Scientista Podcast, we dive deep with legendary oceanographer Dr. Sylvia Earle. Fro...
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45:51
Elizabeth Gray: Birdwatching Is for Everyone
What do pigeons, volcanoes, and climate change have in common? For Dr. Elizabeth Gray, they’ve all been part of her unlikely journey from bird nerd to CEO of the National Audubon Society.In this episode of the Scientista Podcast...
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24:54
Dr. Nikki Romanik: RFK Jr., Vaccine Misinformation, and the Consequences for Public Health
As Robert F. Kennedy Jr. reverses his stance on COVID-19 vaccines for children and pregnant women, the stakes of vaccine misinformation have never felt higher. In this episode of the Scientista Podcast, we sit down with Dr. Nikki Roman...
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50:26
Sally Ann Ranney: How a Tree Taught Me Everything
Conservation leader Sally Ann Ranney joins the Scientista Podcast to share the surprising story that started it all—napping inside a tree as a child—and how that deep connection to nature led her to spearhead a bold international campaign: a 10...
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27:09
Whitney W. Strauss: Why Healthy Kids Need Healthy Communities
Dr. Whitney Strauss, Executive Director, AdvoCare Foundation; Philanthropist, Food Systems Expert, and Author, joins us to talk about food systems, health equity, and what it takes to drive real change. From the fight for healthier food access ...
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21:29