Episodes

What does it take to face hard things without looking away? When Nan Whaley relaunched Carry As You Climb in October 2025, Amy was her first guest. The two longtime friends sat down in Cincinnati to talk about the experiences that shaped Amy’s leadership, from a difficult childhood in Youngstown to guiding Ohio through the early days of COVID-19. Now, a year later, we're revisiting that conversation following a controversial campaign ad featuring Amy's estranged mother questioning her account ...

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...

What if the thing holding you back isn’t a lack of experience…but trying to do too much alone? Dr. Frances Strickland has spent decades around campaigns, classrooms, public service, and political movements without ever seeking elected office herself. A former First Lady of Ohio, educational psychologist, educator, and author, she has spent a lifetime watching how women build influence, navigate resistance, and keep moving when progress takes longer than expected. In this episode of Carry As Yo...

What if your opportunity arrives at the exact moment you feel least prepared to take it? When Kate Gallego considered running for mayor of Phoenix, she was pregnant, navigating a highly public divorce, and watching deeply personal details of her life become national news. From within that experience, it felt as though everyone was watching… and judging. Her friends saw something different. They told her this was her window, reminded her why she was the right person for the job, and built the s...

What do you do when the thing you want to build doesn’t exist yet…and no one is offering you a blueprint? For Ro Nita and Donnica Hawes-Saunders, the answer has often been the same: build it yourself. This week on Carry As You Climb, Nan Whaley sits down in Dayton with a mother-daughter pair whose careers span broadcasting, business, public affairs, the arts, law, government, and now podcasting. Ro Nita and Donnica have each built organizations in spaces where access was limited, and the path ...

Can you step into power without losing the values that got you there? When Roxanne Qualls was elected as Mayor of Cincinnati, she had already spent years as an activist pushing institutions to change. Elected office required something different: not abandoning those convictions, but learning how to turn them into progress. In this episode of Carry As You Climb, Roxanne joins Nan Whaley to talk about the shift from advocate to decision-maker, the unexpected moments that taught her what public l...

What happens when the organization you need does not exist…and you realize you may have to build it yourself? This week on Carry As You Climb, Nan Whaley sits down with Abbey Clements, Executive Director and Co-Founder of Teachers Unify to End Gun Violence. After surviving the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting with her second-grade students, Abbey spent years searching for her place in the gun violence prevention movement. Eventually, she stopped waiting for someone else to build an educat...

Know your why. Then let it carry you through the rooms that were never built with you in mind. Nan Whaley sits down with Ohio State Representative Desiree Tims at Nan’s dining room table in Dayton for a conversation about purpose, public service, and what it means to keep showing up when democracy itself feels fragile. Desiree traces her path from West Dayton public schools to Xavier University, where she realized that some of her better-resourced classmates had been prepared in ways she had n...

Stop waiting for the perfect words, the perfect training, or the perfect moment. Betsy Hodges says the work starts where you are. Nan Whaley sits down with her longtime friend Betsy Hodges, former Mayor of Minneapolis, writer, and one of the country's most candid voices on racial equity, for a conversation about race, responsibility, and what it means to keep choosing action over avoidance. Betsy makes the case that the goal is not to become a perfect ally or wait until we “know enough.” It is...

Once called “the most dangerous person in the world.” Randi Weingarten says she'd rather be known as both a fighter and a problem-solver. Host Nan Whaley sits down with Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, for a conversation about labor, leadership, and the challenges facing working people today. From her experience working in a GM rubber plant during the oil crisis to her role leading one of the nation’s largest unions, Weingarten reflects on how economic upheav...

Julie Chávez Rodriguez ran two presidential campaigns in a single cycle, and says she has no plans to write a book about either one. Host Nan Whaley sits down with Julie Chávez Rodriguez, former campaign manager for the 2024 Biden-Harris and Harris campaigns. The two reflect on leading through uncertainty, keeping teams grounded during rapid change, and why widening the doorway for future leaders matters just as much as winning elections. Julie also shares how her grandmother, labor organizer ...

Not all women's leadership advice is created equal, and Angel Beets isn't afraid to say so. Nan Whaley talks with Angel Beets, CEO of Gilman Partners, about leadership presence, executive search, mentorship, and the subtle ways women are evaluated differently at work. Drawing from her experience rising from marketing director to CEO within the same organization, and now helping companies hire and develop executives, Angel offers a candid, practical look at what actually helps leaders grow beyo...

What happens to a community when no one's left watching? Host Nan Whaley sits down with veteran Ohio journalist Ellen Belcher for a conversation about the collapse of local journalism, the shrinking role of editorial boards, and what communities lose when accountability reporting disappears. After more than three decades helping shape public conversation in Ohio, Belcher reflects on the changing media landscape, the decline of civic trust, and why local news still matters deeply to democracy. ...

What does it look like to build power while also living a full, real life? In this episode, Nan sits down with newly appointed Ohio State Representative Ashley Bryant Bailey (District 26) for a candid conversation about what it really looks like to serve as a young Black Democratic woman in Ohio’s legislature. Bailey shares how her early career at Procter & Gamble helped shape her leadership style, and how that foundation now shows up not only in her work as an elected official, but in her com...

Mary Anne Sharkey spent her career asking tough questions…even when the answers came with consequences. Host Nan Whaley sits down with longtime Ohio political journalist Mary Anne Sharkey to reflect on a career spanning decades of reporting, leadership, and change in the media industry. A Dayton native and University of Dayton graduate, Sharkey began at the Dayton Journal Herald while still in college, covering courts and cops before becoming the paper’s sole Statehouse reporter, and eventuall...

Liz Brown has never separated her leadership from her life. Host Nan Whaley sits down with Liz Brown, a former Columbus City Councilmember and current President & CEO of YWCA Columbus, to talk about what it means to lead with both conviction and care. From running for office while pregnant to advancing policies that support working families, Liz has built a career rooted in advocacy, equity, and community impact. Now in nonprofit leadership, she continues to drive change for women and families...

Host Nan Whaley sits down with Rita Danish, CEO of Signal Ohio, a nonprofit network of local newsrooms she built from the ground up over three years. Before leading one of the fastest-growing nonprofit news organizations in the country, Rita spent three decades in public service and law, holding some of Ohio’s most influential legal and civic roles, including: Chief Legal Counsel, Ohio Department of Commerce Judge, Franklin County Domestic and Juvenile Court Section Chief for Civil Rights und...

Note: Episode reposted due to a hosting sync issue and number / Nan Whaley reconnects with longtime friend and fundraising powerhouse Alexandra Acker-Lyons. Al, a dedicated political consultant with over two decades of experience, shares insights on her journey into politics, mentorship, and her passion for supporting women candidates and issues. They discuss the evolution of women in political leadership, the challenges of campaign finance, and the importance of mentorship. Al also shares her v...

Nan Whaley welcomes Cincinnati entrepreneur Rachel DesRochers for a conversation about gratitude, grit, and building businesses that give back. From launching Power to Pursue and Grateful Grahams to founding the Incubator Kitchen Collective – now supporting more than 200 food startups – Rachel shares how a lifelong gratitude practice shaped her leadership and entrepreneurial journey as a changemaker. Together, they explore the power of human connection, community support, and what it truly means...