HerStories

Send us Fan Mail Brooke Flanagan, Executive Director of Chicago's Steppenwolf Theater joins Maria to tell her story and discuss theater and the arts as modes of storytelling and change. 

Send us Fan Mail Register for Launchpad today! Andrea Zopp describes herself simply as an introvert who likes to read, but over her storied career, Andrea has worn a lot of hats in high places. From professionalizing the State's Attorney Office, becoming the first person of color to report to the CEO in the history of Sears as a company, Serving as CEO of the Chicago Urban League, running for...

Send us Fan Mail Register for Launchpad today!  Laura Stein isn't just an executive. She's an avid skier, former competitive tennis player, ski-racer, and rugby player. After studying at Dartmouth and Harvard, between sport and speaking some five languages, Laura found the time to become the first woman senior executive at H.J. Heinz, work on the pandemic response at Clorox, and become E...

Send us Fan Mail Kathy Bolhous, a child of nine in small-town Indiana, used to dig up dandelions for a penny apiece to buy candy at a local store. Today, she is Chairman and CEO of Charter Next Generation, a leading provider of specialty films and sustainable material science solutions that impacts lives from within grocery store shelves, hospitals, and homes. In this episode, Kathy joins Maria to...

Send us Fan Mail Chicago Sky Co-Owner and Operating Chairman Nadia Rawlinson joins Maria Doughty to talk people strategy, falling in love in Egypt, architecting your life, doing a $30B deal via Slack, choosing to start a family in your 40s, WNBA All-Star 2026, and the future for Chicago Sky. 

Send us Fan Mail If you've been watching recent coverage on the U.S. economy on just about any major TV network, you'll have seen Diane Swonk offering her take on inflation during the war with Iran. In this episode, KPMG's Chief Economist shares her thoughts on the current U.S. economic situation and takes us through a life filled with both trials and opportunities: from a latchkey...

Send us Fan Mail Melissa Washington shares her journey from a promising young girl in a single-parent household to Senior Vice President of Government Affairs at ComEd. Melissa talks mindset, mentorship, and seeking experiences rather than jobs as key pathways to success.

Send us Fan Mail Barbra Bukovac, Vice Chair, Consumer Markets and Mid-Central Region, PWC, talks about never burning bridges, sharing your goals to climb the corporate ladder, and using your brand to help others.

Send us Fan Mail Mary Smith's detractors told her that she didn't "look like" your typical President of the American Bar Association, but she proved them wrong in a stunning upset.  Hailing from the south side of Chicago, Mary Smith shares the story of her remarkable career.

Send us Fan Mail Starting her life in soviet Kiev, Lifeway Foods CEO Julie Smolyansky's mother opened Chicago's first Eastern European deli on Devon where she introduced the city to Nutella. Meanwhile, Julie's father first began making kefir in the family basement. Julie joins The Chicago Network President and CEO Maria Doughty to tell how she brought the family business to new heig...

Send us Fan Mail A self-professed geek, Dr. Jennifer Holmgren was a part of the team that produced a ground-breaking non-petroleum based fuel that allowed a fighter jet to break the sound barrier. As CEO of LanzaTech, Jennifer leads the organization in producing clothing, fuel, and even food from recycled carbon.

Send us Fan Mail Sol Flores, CEO, Knight Impact Partners, joins Maria Doughty to discuss her Puerto Rican roots, founding La Casa Norte, an organization dedicated to helping families escape homelessness, and her journey to serving as Deputy Governor for Health and Human Services for the State of Illinois.

Send us Fan Mail From a small town in Greece, Vicky Kalogera escaped poverty through education, becoming a leading member of the LIGO Collaboration that observed gravitational waves in 2015, and a leading theorist in the study of gravitational waves: “A new way to study the universe for centuries to come.” Today, Vicky is a Daniel I. Linzer Distinguished University Professor, Department of Physics...

Send us Fan Mail In Lima Peru, a young woman by the name of Sara Sirotzky responded to an ad seeking to hire an individual who spoke some English. Little did Sara know that this opportunity would take her and her young son almost four thousand miles away to Chicago, where she would build a legendary career culminating in serving as Managing Director of the Chicago office of Marsh McLennan, the wor...

Send us Fan Mail American Institute of Architects (AIA) Gold Medal winner, founding member and former first President of Chicago Women in Architecture (CWA) Carol Ross Barney joins Maria to discuss her life story, designing the Chicago Riverwalk, joining the peace corps, and the lack of peanut butter in Düsseldorf.

Send us Fan Mail When a young Janet Foutty considered her future, she imagined herself in the arts: music, or theater; she certainly never anticipated that she'd one day become Executive Chair of the Board of Deloitte US, or Chair and CEO of Deloitte Consulting LLP. In this episode, Janet recounts the journey that led to her tremendously successful career.

Send us Fan Mail Roseanna Ander joins Maria to discuss how her background led to her work today in reducing gun violence and advancing justice as Founding Executive Director of The University of Chicago Crime Lab and Education Lab.

Send us Fan Mail The daughter of immigrant parents who fled pogroms to reach the U.S., lifelong advocate and activist Hedy Ratner shares her life story and describes her work in civil rights, anti-war, and gender equity movements.

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Maria speaks with Dr. Stephanie Pace Marshall, Founding President & President Emerita of the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy. Stephanie talks education, students with special needs, and her personal philosophy.

Send us Fan Mail Gloria Castillo, Former Director: Together We Rise, Chicago Community Trust joins us this week, discussing overcoming generations of gender bias, growing up in Wrigleyville, and working towards a more diverse and equitable future.

Send us Fan Mail CEO of America's largest charity, Feeding America, Claire Babineaux-Fontenot shares what it's like to grow up in small-town Louisianna with over 100 siblings, how Feeding America provided 6.5 billion meals during the pandemic, and how a dollar can turn into ten meals.

Send us Fan Mail Personal finance expert and author Terry Savage joins us this week to let us in on some little-known top personal finance tips. Terry also discusses buying a seat on the options exchange, becoming a TV and Radio personality, becoming the first woman to sit on McDonald's board of directors, and her secret vice as a financial expert.

Send us Fan Mail Tina Tchen joins us to discuss her career, her work as  Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy and Impact Officer for the The Barack Obama Foundation, what it was like to campaign for Barack Obama's 2008 presidential election campaign, and gives us an insight into growing up as a child of first-generation immigrant parents.

Send us Fan Mail From a young age, the importance of education was impressed upon Suzet McKinney. Taking this lesson to heart, Suzet has built a wildly successful career across multiple fields. As if becoming one of the United States' foremost leaders in  bioterrorism  and disaster preparedness and response,  Executive Director of the Illinois Medical District, and leading  Chicago’s response...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode,  Gray Matter Founder and CEO Sheila Talton takes us on a journey from fighting against racial injustice in her youth as a Black Panther, building a career in the face of racial and gender prejudice, to becoming the sole founder and  CEO of Gray Matter Analytics.