Welcome back to The Women in the Arena Podcast! Today’s episode is special for so many reasons — it marks our very first book club edition, featuring a conversation with Lena Andrews, author of Valiant Women. In this powerful book, Lena brings to life the incredible and often overlooked stories of American women who served during World War II, highlighting their courage, resilience, and critical roles in the war effort.

Over the past month, a group of our listeners read along, and thanks to Lena’s generosity, many of you received donated copies of Valiant Women and submitted thoughtful questions that helped shape today’s conversation.

Lena came to our community through a former guest — a perfect example of the authentic connections being built here at Iron Butterfly Media. With her background as an intelligence analyst, paired with her research and storytelling of women veterans, Lena’s work reflects everything we stand for. She’s a passionate writer doing the essential work of preserving these stories — work that feels more important now than ever.

A huge thank you to everyone who followed along as this episode came together. I had so much fun collaborating with Lena — I could have easily spent hours more talking with her about her research process and the inspiration behind this book. She is truly a remarkable woman. We hope this is just the first of many book club episodes, creating even more ways to connect, engage, and grow this incredible community.

As always, be sure to like, follow, and subscribe on your favorite podcast platforms and social media so you don’t miss what’s coming next!