Carry As You Climb

Have you ever taken a job that changed how you saw the world? For Kathleen Clyde, it was her first job out of college. Working at a nonprofit fighting homelessness, she saw how one elected official's decision could make or break an entire program. That’s when she realized where the real power was and decided she wanted to help make those decisions. In this episode of Carry As You Climb, Nan Whaley sits down with her longtime friend and Ohio Democratic Party Chair, Kathleen Clyde, to talk about

What happens when you spend years opening doors for other women, and then find yourself being asked to walk through one? Regina Romero wasn’t planning to become mayor of Tucson. She had spent years organizing women, building community power, and serving on the city council. But when the opportunity came, the people around her kept asking her to step up. In this episode of Carry As You Climb, Nan Whaley sits down with her friend and fellow mayor Regina Romero, the first woman and first Latina e

What happens when a leader stops accepting “because we’ve always done it that way” as an answer? Eileen Higgins didn’t take a conventional path to becoming mayor of Miami. She spent two decades in the private sector, served in the Peace Corps and as a U.S. diplomat, and represented Miami-Dade County before becoming Miami's first woman elected mayor. In this episode of Carry As You Climb, Nan Whaley sits down with Eileen at the U.S. Conference of Mayors to talk about bringing an engineer’s inst

How do you know when you can have more impact by stepping into something bigger? Lauren McLean never planned to live in Boise, let alone become its mayor. But throughout a career spanning conservation, philanthropy, and public service, one question kept pushing her toward the next chapter: Where can I have more impact? In this episode of Carry As You Climb, Nan Whaley sits down with fellow mayor to talk about following that question all the way to Boise City Hall, and what Lauren has learned s

What do you do when the next hard thing is something you never imagined yourself doing? Rose Lounsbury never planned to run for office. But after getting more involved in her community and growing frustrated with her representation at the Statehouse, she looked for someone who might challenge the incumbent. Someone turned the question back on her: “Do you wanna run?” Rose pulled petitions the next day. In this episode of Carry As You Climb, Nan Whaley talks with her longtime friend about what

What changes when you stop waiting to feel like a leader…and start communicating like one? Before becoming Mayor of Alexandria, Alyia Gaskins thought the job would largely be about running effective meetings. Less than two years in, she sees it differently: the mayor is the city’s chief communicator. That realization has shaped how she leads through everything from severe weather to federal workforce disruption. Alyia now posts a short video for residents every day, often without perfect light