Minda Harts grew up working the counter at a Dairy Queen to help cover her family's utility bills, and she climbed her way to the corporate career she'd always dreamed of. But being one of the only Black women in the room wore her down in small ways that piled up over ten years, until she found herself sitting in a parking lot, crying, and neglecting her health despite having "made it." On this episode of She Pivots, Minda talks about the breaking point that led her to start a blog just to get her thoughts out–a blog that grew into the bestselling book The Memo, three more books, a film in festivals, and a teaching career at NYU. Recorded live in front of a room full of women media-builders at The Riveter's Gathering summit in Washington D.C., this conversation traces how Minda went from dimming her own light to building the trust-focused career she never had. As she put it: "I jumped out of the window of corporate America, and women caught me."

Chapters:

00:00 Welcome to She Pivots

00:26 The Gathering: Women Supporting Women

01:03 Minda Harts: Trust Catalyst and Author

01:54 Introduction to She Pivots

03:36 Who is Minda?

05:25 Yasminda to Minda

06:54 The Journey to Corporate America

14:07 The Breaking Point

20:15 The Monday Memo: A Blog to Book to Film

23:41 What's Your Empire?

28:30 Reflections on Minda's Journey

29:43 Podcast Credits

You can keep up with Minda at mindaharts.com and on Instagram @mindaharts.

Be sure to subscribe so you never miss a pivot story, leave us a rating (it really helps!), and share this episode with a woman in your life who you think needs a little inspiration.

She Pivots is a podcast created by host Emily Tisch Sussman to highlight influential women voices, share stories of bold career moves, and inspire women with interviews about career reinvention and how personal pivots can redefine professional success.

Join our Substack community! Subscribe here for exclusive content and to connect with other pivoters: shepivots.substack.com

Learn more about the inspiring women in our pivoter community by following us on instagram @ShePivotsThePodcast, and check out our website shepivotspod.com for resources and updates.

She Pivots is proud to be an iHeart podcast.

Support the show: https://www.shepivotsthepodcast.com/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Emily Calandrelli (more widely known as Space Gal) grew up in Morgantown, West Virginia, with no scientists or engineers in her orbit. She chose engineering for the paycheck, discovered a love of science communication along the way, and eventually became the first woman in the country to solo-host a national science show. On this episode of She Pivots, Emily talks about pitching adult science shows for a decade only to hear that networks didn't think their male-dominated audiences would relate to a female host; pivoting to create Emily's Wonder Lab (the Netflix show that made her a household name to millions of parents and kids); and turning the show's cancellation into two bestselling books and a thriving YouTube channel. She also opens up about announcing her second pregnancy via a weather balloon at the edge of space, fighting for a federal law after being humiliated by TSA over breast milk ice packs, and why she's finally letting herself scale back with baby number three.

Chapters:

00:00 Welcome to She Pivots

01:44 Emily Calandrelli: The Space Gal

03:16 Navigating Academic Challenges

05:16 The Power of Progress Over Perfection

18:18 The Unexpected Path to TV Hosting

25:11 Breaking Barriers in Science TV

32:21 Balancing Career and Motherhood

33:55 The Cancellation of Emily's Wonder Lab

35:52 Balancing The Work

40:33 Parenting as a Scientific Experiment

45:28 Low Point to Launch

48:35 Closing Thoughts

49:37 Podcast Credits

Keep up with Emily on Instagram @thespacegal, on YouTube @EmilysScienceLab, and on her website at www.thespacegal.com

Be sure to subscribe so you never miss a pivot story, leave us a rating (it really helps!), and share this episode with a woman in your life who you think needs a little inspiration.

She Pivots is a podcast created by host Emily Tisch Sussman to highlight influential women voices, share stories of bold career moves, and inspire women with interviews about career reinvention and how personal pivots can redefine professional success.

Join our Substack community! Subscribe here for exclusive content and to connect with other pivoters: shepivots.substack.com

Learn more about the inspiring women in our pivoter community by following us on instagram @ShePivotsThePodcast, and check out our website shepivotspod.com for resources and updates.

She Pivots is proud to be an iHeart podcast.

Support the show: https://www.shepivotsthepodcast.com/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For over two decades, Keli Lee ran talent and casting at ABC and Disney, shaping shows like Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal, and Modern Family while building the industry’s first program designed to get overlooked actors in front of the right people, helping launch the careers of Lupita Nyong’o, Chadwick Boseman, and Pedro Pascal. She created Disney’s first international studio from scratch, all while crisscrossing time zones between London, Australia, and LA for four years straight. And then her heart stopped, leading to eight days in the ICU that changed everything. On this episode of She Pivots, Keli talks about the night Viola Davis made history, the toll of nonstop work, how her father’s illness sent her looking into her own family history, and how that journey became the foundation for her brand Kurioscity, built to help others live with more intention.

Chapters:

00:00 Welcome to She Pivots

00:28 Guest Introduction: Keli Lee

04:28 From South Korea to All Over the USA

10:08 New York City: If You Can Make It Here...

12:39 Getting Into Casting

18:17 Disney and Diverse Representation

27:26 The Toll: A Near-Death Experience

33:13 Pivoting to Women's Soccer Ownership

35:47 The Art of Identifying the Undervalued

39:37 Do You Think You'll Pivot Again?

40:49 Closing Thoughts and Show Information

You can Follow Keli on Instagram @kelilee7 and you can scheck out her substack for Kurioscity at https://kelilee.substack.com/

Be sure to subscribe so you never miss a pivot story, leave us a rating (it really helps!), and share this episode with a woman in your life who you think needs a little inspiration.

She Pivots is a podcast created by host Emily Tisch Sussman to highlight influential women voices, share stories of bold career moves, and inspire women with interviews about career reinvention and how personal pivots can redefine professional success.

Join our Substack community! Subscribe here for exclusive content and to connect with other pivoters: shepivots.substack.com

Learn more about the inspiring women in our pivoter community by following us on instagram @ShePivotsThePodcast, and check out our website shepivotspod.com for resources and updates.

She Pivots is proud to be an iHeart podcast.

Support the show: https://www.shepivotsthepodcast.com/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.