Episodes

In the 11th episode of season two of the Better Understanding podcast, Sally Helgesen, a renowned expert on women’s leadership, shares insights on how the landscape for women leaders has changed since the 1990 publication of her seminal book, The Female Advantage: Women’s Ways of Leadership. She and host Susan MacKenty Brady discuss leadership challenges in new normal of the peri-pandemic world and how leaders need to be curious and imaginative as they work to build inclusive relationships, team...

Amy Purdy is a 3-time Paralympic medalist and trailblazer in Paralympic Snowboarding, a New York Times best-selling author, and the host of a critically-acclaimed podcast about resilience called “Bouncing Forward.” She and host Susan MacKenty Brady discuss her remarkable journey, grit, and courage that has propelled her to success in every aspect of her multifaceted career.

Masih Alinejad, the Iranian-born activist, journalist, and author, shares her extraordinary story of advocating for women’s rights, freedom, and political change in Iran—at great personal risk.

In the fifth episode of season two of the Better Understanding podcast, guest Natalie Martinez, CEO of Strong Women, Strong Girls, a non-profit organization that champions the next generation of female leaders through innovative, multi-generational mentoring programs, shares how she defines courage, the strategies she draws on to thrive in leadership, and the importance of helping girls to build confidence from a young age and encouraging them to lean into their greatness.

In the fourth episode of season two of the Better Understanding podcast, guest Lt. Gen. Leslie Smith, the 66th Inspector General of the U.S. Army, explains why it's critical for leaders to build trust within their team. Trust, he says, is the bedrock of any organization and is key to success. How to build that trust? Lt. Gen. Smith emphasizes that embracing one's authenticity, listening, and investing in people cultivates an environment where people are comfortable taking risks and sharing new i...

In the third episode of season two of the Better Understanding podcast, guest Molly Fletcher, renowned speaker, author, and former sports agent, reflects on how she built her muscles of courage from a young age and shares with host Susan MacKenty Brady tips on how to manage demands placed on us to avoid burnout.

In the second episode of season two of the Better Understanding podcast, host Susan MacKenty Brady and Carla Harris, Senior Client Advisor at Morgan Stanley, discuss Carla’s new book, Lead to Win: How to Be a Powerful, Impactful, Influential Leader in any Environment, and her “pearls” of intentional leadership—qualities, including authenticity and inclusivity, that leaders must cultivate to maximize their impact.

In the first episode of season 2 of the Better Understanding podcast, Arrive and Thrive authors Lynn Perry Wooten and Janet Foutty reunite with Susan MacKenty Brady to discuss how their best-selling book and its 7 Impactful Practices have emerged as a timeless framework for women leaders on their leadership journey.