The Broad Experience

It's far more common than it used to be to see women in roles such as rabbi or priest. But these hard-won jobs aren't without their frustrations as well as their triumphs. In this show we meet three women. One went straight to her calling from college, the other two are career-changers. We talk about how women are viewed by the congregation, what you can get away with when you preach, and how getting ahead can still be tougher for women - even within denominations where women are accepted as leaders. Appearance came up much more than I expected during these interviews. These women have to manage their image just as carefully as any corporate executive.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Scan the business section of any bookstore and you'll see reams of books written by men, far fewer by women. In this show we talk about women as writers and readers of business books. Is it imposter syndrome, fear, or lack of time that stops women from putting fingers to keyboard? Is 'Lean In' a business book or a self-help book? And why are female authors less likely to embrace a publicity blitz when their book is published? My guest is Alison Jones, host of the Extraordinary Business Book Club podcast.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

"When you see the countries that have been run by women, they’re not necessarily the Anglo-Saxon countries." In this extra episode we're back with Avivah Wittenberg-Cox. She's fresh from 30 years of living in France, and a keen observer of how gender plays out all over the world. "Anglo-Saxon cultures do not like, embrace, or value femininity," she says. Ouch.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This time we're talking about couplehood and careers. My first guest is shocked that her mentees' boyfriends refuse to marry them until they - the men - are the main breadwinner. My second guest isn't surprised at all. In this episode we talk about who supports whom in heterosexual and same-sex couples, and what that support looks like. We discuss how dual-career couples can maintain partnerships where each person gets what they want and need. And we get tips on using team-building techniques to good effect at home. With Diane Reichenberger and Avivah Wittenberg-Cox.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Most women and quite a few men have at least one female doctor. A lot of those doctors are burning out faster than their male colleagues. In this show we talk about why. We discuss burnout and lack of empathy in a profession that on the surface seems to be all about it; how women judge one another’s success, and how they can help eachother. My guests are family doctor Robin Devine and maternal fetal medicine specialist Heather Anaya.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We could be entering a new era for women at work. Women aren't whispering about bullying or harassment any more, and we're speaking up about equal pay more often. Everything feels different than it did just a few months ago, and a lot of us are excited about the future. Could this be the year more women see equality at work, and will men support that evolution (or revolution?) Two guests on different continents talk about their hopes and fears for the year ahead. Anne Libby is a longtime management expert and observer of workplace dynamics. Nastaran Tavakoli-Far co-hosts The Gender Knot podcast from London. Send feedback to ashley@thebroadexperience.com.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This time, a short show in which I'm the interviewee. Sara Holtz of the Advice to My Younger Me podcast talks with me about how I came to start The Broad Experience, what goes into making it and why production tends to be seat-of-the-pants. For more on the life of an independent podcaster, check out TheBroadExperience.com for a photo of my recording studio, AKA my clothes closet.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Just recorded a new teaser to mark the show's five-year anniversary. Pass it along and help TBE land more listeners!  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Sexual harassment at work used to be something everyone knew about but no one talked about. Now everyone is talking about it. Scores of women are publicly naming prominent men as harassers. Many of those men have lost their jobs. But what does the reckoning mean for women in the workplace, and the power dynamic between the sexes? This show features two guests, Laura Linnaeus from the US and Linda Betts from Australia. Each has a different idea of what #MeToo and the current climate will do for women's careers.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

For many women, looking after after ourselves in the midst of work and family life can feel like a stretch. In this show we meet two women who ignored what their bodies were telling them before switching tack and putting themselves first. I made this show because listeners wanted an episode on self-care - but only if it felt real.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

A lot of women have trouble saying no to requests at work and in the rest of life. We don't want to let people down, and many of us enjoy helping others. But too many women are withering under the weight of tasks and favors they've taken on because they couldn't bring themselves to say no. In this show I talk to psychiatrist and author Nanette Gartrell about how to set boundaries with bosses and colleagues without damaging your relationships.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Before the revelations about Harvey Weinstein, Bill O'Reilly, Roger Ailes and Donald Trump, Jennifer BerdhahI and I sat down to talk about sexual harassment. Jennifer is a professor at the University of British Columbia who studies harassment and power in organizations. In this show we look at what motivates sexual harassment, why anti-harassment trainings don't work, and what we can do about all of it.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Plenty of us work remotely in one way or another, known to clients or collaborators by name only. In this show we meet a woman who, in her profession, is often assumed to be a man. We talk about how she deals with that, and her distaste for female titles - especially 'Ms.'And I talk to a man and woman who swapped names and identities for a week at the office. The results were revealing.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Finding a weight-loss DVD in your mailbox, wondering why you didn't get that promotion, or just being told you need to lose weight 'for your health' - these are some of the things today's guests have experienced in the workplace. All three are or have been overweight, and each has felt judged for it while on the job. They are not alone. In this show, we look at how much being overweight affects a woman's career.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Remember rejection letters? Some of us do, but they're a lot less common in today's hiring world. In this show we look at how and why the hiring process is getting longer, not to mention more frustrating and less polite. Two recent job seekers discuss their experiences and Allison Hemming of The Hired Guns brings some perspective.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this show I talk to science writer Florence Williams, author of The Nature Fix, about how spending time outside can help lower our stress levels and allow us to gain perspective on daily problems. Most of us live and work in urban environments, spending hours a day in front of a screen. Nothing could be less natural. In this show we talk about how spending time outdoors can improve our lives in multiple ways, and how women benefit even more than men.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this show we reunite with Tess Vigeland, one of the guests on my most popular show to date - episode 75, Redefining Success. Within a few years Tess quit a longtime job as a national radio host, wrote a book, got divorced and set off to travel the world. She had always been fueled by ambition, and lots of it. She also valued herself mostly through her job. We talk about how her attitude to ambition, success and office politics has changed in the 18 months she's been on the road.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

America is politically divided, and women with different views are not talking to eachother. In this show we hear from two conservative women about their lives and views on politics, feminism, and being an out conservative in a liberal workplace. And we meet a lifelong liberal who's set on getting both groups of women to enter politics for the good of democracy.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Lauren Tucker was like a lot of other women who've been working in corporate life for years - itching to go out on her own. So she did. But things didn't turn out the way she expected. In this show we talk about dashed hopes, reinvention in a new place, why diversity in the ad business still sucks, and caring for your parents when everything around you is falling apart.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Authenticity is a buzzword that crops up a lot these days. We're all meant to 'be ourselves' at work. But how realistic a goal is that for women, really? In this show I speak to Sylvia Ann Hewlett, author of the book Executive Presence. Sylvia says women have to find the right balance of being themselves and having the perfect combination of gravitas, communication skills and appearance to get to the top. Lauren Tucker is pretty much there. Still, she says meshing her forthright personality with the workplace is no picnic, even at her level. And why should she even have to try?  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.