In 2003, a deadly heat wave hit Paris, causing the death of over 15,000 people. It was one of the first weather events where scientists could use data to show climate change was to blame. Since that time, we've seen an increasing number of deadly natural disasters, from Hurricane Katrina to Hurricane Harvey, to the 2018 California wildfires, all ir…

On Aug. 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina tore into the Gulf Coast with gusting winds of 175 miles per hour – and a storm surge of 26 feet. Lisa Dyson, who had spent her childhood summers near New Orleans, had just earned her PhD from MIT when the news broke. After witnessing the devastation, she was motivated to dedicate her scientific career to working…

Menopause is having a moment on social media -- and it's about damn time. We talk to the hugely popular Dr. Mary Claire Haver, a board-certified OB-GYN and nutritionist, about the lack of adequate care and attention for older women's health needs. And we ask Haver, founder of the Galveston Diet and ThePauseLife.com, about her surprising rise to Tik…

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It's been two years since the Taliban took back control of Afghanistan. We talk to women -- some who fled, some who stayed back -- about what life is like now. Many of the women expressed frustration that the media often portrays them as victims when they see themselves as fighters. While the Taliban seeks to erase them from public life, we want to…

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Did you know that crickets are considered a "perfect" protein -- and that eating insects could help save the planet? We talk to Claire Simons of 3 Cricketeers, a Minneapolis cricket farm that supplies edible insects to restaurants, food companies and consumers. While there is still an "ick factor," Claire says more people are interested in trying c…

Crack open a can with us and listen while we share the story of Jacquie Berglund, who sarted Finnegans back in 2000 as the first beer company in the world – that we know about – to donate 100 percent of its profits to charity. We love women entrepreneurs who give back, and she is a great example of how one person can make an incredible difference i…

The little girl who grew up in the public housing projects of New York City becomes an urban farmer, helping establish community gardens around the city and founding Rise & Root farm for the BIPOC community in Hudson Valley. Listen to the remarkable tale of Karen Washington, who fans and food activists now refer to as "Mama K." We share the poignan…

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Come with us to Winslow Farm in Massachusetts, where owner Debra White runs a tranquil animal sanctuary that also happens to double as a place of healing for people, too. Hear Debra's inspiring story, starting from when her father was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease when she was a young child and she needed to be his hands and voice. Today, visi…

Jessica Schreiber is fascinated by trash. And in New York City, where she runs a fashion recycling startup, there is plenty of it. In 2016, Schreiber left the agency to launch Fabscrap, a nonprofit that heads directly to the city’s world-famous fashion industry to pick up and resell textile cast-offs — yards of cotton, strips of wool, pieces of lux…

We feature the story of BioNTech's Kati Kariko, who may just win the Nobel Prize for her heroic effects despite years of setbacks. The podcast includes the song "Hit Me With Your Best Shot," written by Eddie Schwartz, published by Round Hill Music and performed by Pat Benatar.

To our listeners: The migrant crisis is once again in the news with Vice President Kamala Harris's first foreign trip in office to Guatemala and Mexico. We originally released this podcast in March 2019 but we’ll share it again today. Kate Curran's School the World provides much-needed schoolhouses for children in Central America. Podcast descripti…

We sit down with three female founders who are running AI startups -- and they tell us exactly what it's like to be a woman in artificial intelligence. "Nobody took us seriously, not a single person," says Davar Ardalan, founder of IVOW, who has been rejected by investors 350 times. "It's incredibly demeaning." At a time when billions of dollars ar…

Horse lover Lynn Hummer was horrified to learn that that thousands of unwanted horses, including healthy trail horses and former racehorses, are sent each year to auction houses, where “kill buyers” purchase them. In 2005, she went online to buy a pregnant pony -- saving the animal from the slaughter house -- and experienced firsthand the magic of …

Named "Best Audio Feature" by the Newswomen's Club of New York! Listen to the 30-second trailer for 100 Years of Power, then check out Episodes 1, 2 and 3. From the judges: "This incredibly well-produced series shed new light on the history of the suffrage movement while tying it powerfully to the present day and how far we still have to go. The ho…

In the conclusion to our 3-part series, we question: Is the future really female? As we head into a fierce presidential election, in a nation roiled by a pandemic and protests over police brutality, we look at the role women are playing as candidates and voters. Our guests include Kelly Dittmar of the Center for American Women and Politics; Joanna …

We spend this episode looking at what happened after women got the vote. If you missed Part 1, check it out -- we looked at the long years leading up to 1920. But in Part 2, we take you on a journey through history, from the Roaring Twenties through the Great Depression, through the Civil Rights Era, to Women's Lib in the '60s and '70s, all the way…

72 years. That's how long it took for women to win the right to vote, after suffragists first rallied at the 1848 Seneca Falls Convention. The battle was long, heart-felt, and sometimes bitter -- with a surprising split over race issues after the Civil War ended. The 19th Amendment was finally ratified on August 18, 1920, in the wake of the Spanish…

100 years ago this August, women finally won the right to vote . Coming soon, The Story Exchange will explore the bruising battle for suffrage, the women who took up the fight, the women who are still fighting. These are the stories that history often forgets. We haven't. In the 3-part-series "100 Years of Power," we'll take a how the 19th Amendmen…

Here's one good use for plastic: Medical devices. At UMass-Lowell, plastics engineer Erin Keaney decided to re-imagine the artificial limb after learning that much of the world’s amputees couldn’t afford high-cost prosthetics. In this inspiring podcast, listen to how 29-year-old Keaney has developed a patented prosthetic that is changing amputees' …

Dianne Berkun Menaker was once a music teacher at a prestigious school in Brooklyn when she noticed something: children's choruses were almost entirely white. That didn't sit right with her. She set about creating a chorus that better represented the community -- and in the process, created a Grammy-winning choir that sings alongside musical greats…

If you are worried about toxic chemicals in food, then this is the podcast for you. We head to Davis, California, to speak with Pam Marrone, the founder of natural pest control company Marrone Bio Innovations. She helps farmers use alternatives to harsh chemicals -- it's a rapidly growing sector called "biologicals." Pam is an entomologist by train…

Our thanks to the Newswomen's Club of New York for honoring us with a Front Page award for this podcast on Norine Hill of Mother Nation. Native women face disproportionately high rates of sexual violence, domestic abuse — even murder. The Justice Department estimates that 1 in 3 Native women will be raped. Part of the problem is that tribes are res…

Once upon a time, Sherri Franklin was a successful (but uninspired) hairstylist in San Francisco To find purpose in life, she began volunteering at the SPCA...and an old dog named Heidi captured her heart. Today, Franklin runs Muttville, a $4 million social enterprise that specializes in rescuing senior dogs. Research shows that old dogs over 7 are…

There is so much trauma in the world today, and children in particular are grappling with stress and anxiety produced by everything from school shootings and natural disasters, to domestic violence and terrorist attacks. Steffanie Lorig came up with a suprisingly simple way to help kids cope: An activity book created by artists that's filled with c…

We hear plenty of talk about "build the wall." We hear much less about why caravans of migrants are leaving Central America to come to the United States. In this podcast, we talk to Kate Curran of School the World, a Boston-based social entrepreneur who is going to the heart of the crisis and trying to make life better for families in Guatemala and…

We talk to Kristy Allen, a beekeeper who turned her love and concern for honeybees into the thriving Minneapolis business The Beez Kneez. She maintains hives, sells honey, and teaches intensive beekeeping classes to the tune of $200,000 a year, all while maintaining environmentally sustainable practices. Allen is an advocate for honeybees, whose nu…

After a stint in the U.S., molecular biologist Rana Dajani returned to Jordan and noticed children didn't read for pleasure. "It's not a habit," she says. The literacy rate is high -- everybody knows how to read and write -- but nobody was opening a book for the simple joy of it. And that's problem, says Dajani, who studied the science behind it an…

Celeste Mergens was shocked when she learned that girls at a Kenya orphanage were forced to stay in their rooms and sit on cardboard when they had their periods. So she created Days for Girls, a nonprofit that provides reusable sanitary products and health education to girls and women worldwide. Mergens' organization has gotten a recent boost from …

Native women face disproportionately high rates of sexual violence, domestic abuse -- even murder. The Justice Department estimates that 1 in 3 Native women will be raped. Part of the problem is that tribes are restricted in their ability to prosecute, so abusers and predators are attracted to these unprotected women. In Seattle, Norine Hill, who i…

In Part 3 of the episode series "All in the Family", three local Greater Lafayette area storytellers talk about personal family experiences.Av Greater Lafayette Story Exchange

In Part 2 of the episode series "All in the Family", three local Greater Lafayette area storytellers talk about personal family experiences.Av Greater Lafayette Story Exchange

In Part 1 of the episode series "All in the Family", four local Greater Lafayette area storytellers talk about personal family experiences.Av Greater Lafayette Story Exchange

The average student graduates with $37,000 in debt. Kelly Peeler of NextGenVest has developed a text-based platform to educate Generation Z on the perils of student loans, before they become saddled by a crushing amount of debt.

Jennifer Bolstad is trying to prevent Rockaway Beach in Queens, N.Y., from sinking into the Atlantic Ocean. She's a landscape architect whose firm, Local Office Landscape and Urban Design, helps coastal communities cope with rising sea levels.

Most abortion care in the U.S. is provided by independently owned clinics, not big health centers like Planned Parenthood. Amy Hagstrom Miller of Whole Woman’s Health is on a mission to make abortions safe and stigma-free. The journey has taken her to the Supreme Court.

A girl’s self-confidence peaks when she’s 9 years old. Ret. Lieutenant Colonal Dianna Flett is using her military training to run leadership workshops, dubbed Girl Smarts, for girls in 4th and 5th grades.

The women behind U Konserve and My Sister's Closet are doing their part to minimize waste and protect the environment.

Angie Lozano started Angie's House to give people in need a place to lay their head at night — and reminded us all that just one person can make a real difference.