The WECAN Podcast

The Power of Women in Business: Wendy Appelbaum is a force of nature, a titan of South African business, a dedicated philanthropist, and a fierce advocate for women’s empowerment. We are honoured to be refeaturing her for WECAN today as part of our Summer Recap Series. From co-founding the Women’s Investment Portfolio (Wiphold), the first all-woman-run company to list on the stock exchange, to fig...

Our next role model this month of August is a powerful mentor who first featured 2 years ago: From A Map To Your Soul to the power of "Femifesting", WECAN is joined by the brilliant Dr Jennifer Freed to bridge the gap between the cosmic and the clinical, blending psychological insight with astrological wisdom to help individuals decode their "Cosmic DNA" and unpack what stands in the way of true s...

In today's inspiring WECAN/SHECAN interview of our Recap-Series, learn how to own the room and public speaking tips with acclaimed writer, comedian, and podcast host Viv Groskop. She discusses the power of public speaking, overcoming self-doubt, and how women can give themselves permission to step into the spotlight. Discover Viv’s journey from journalism and Russian Vogue to stand-up comedy and p...

Kate Mosse CBE is putting women back in the story through her remarkable work! This August WECAN is celebrating former Role Models who we have been hugely inspired by through the years, for our Summer Recap Series. During this inspiring interview with the award-winning author, journalist, and feminist icon, Kate Mosse CBE (2022), we discuss her remarkable career, her advocacy for women's visibilit...

Whitney's Story Launches Our RECAP AUGUST @ WECAN, to remember all the amazing advice, guidance and inspiration from our earlier mentors: Ever dreamed of achieving world flower domination while balancing a high-powered career in fashion? In this inspiring interview, Whitney Hawkings, CEO and Founder of FLOWERBX discusses her incredible journey from working nearly 20 years alongside designer Tom Fo...

Today's episode of WECAN with the mother-daughter duo, Marta and Corrina of the Marta Eliza Miller Foundation, is all about resilience in motion, a powerhouse of talent, and compassion. We learn what it takes to stand tall, be strong, and dream big, and about their nonprofit organisation, founded in 2020 when Marta was only 13, supporting scoliosis awareness. What does it mean to pursue your bigge...

It is "Young Leaders" week here at WECAN, and in today's episode, I’m thrilled to feature a dear family member: Luca Ortona, championing for student voices worldwide. Luca is a 20-year old, Italian-American student at the prestigious Bocconi University, and the founder of Agora International. Driven by a passion for diplomacy and authentic storytelling, he created Agora a year ago to provide a pla...

In today's heartfelt episode of WECAN, Stephanie sits down with the extraordinary Tracey Thomas, founder of Good Mess Media, to deep dive into the real business of Podcasting and the Good Mess Media philosophy: prioritising genuine storytelling over traditional, numbers-driven models. Good Mess Media is a New York–based production company, creatively rooted in Tribeca. They create premium podcasts...

Do you ever wish to break down the complexities of mental health into actionable, everyday, practical tools to manage stress? Today, on WECAN, we are so honoured to talk to the brilliant Dr. Rachel Goldman, a Top 100 Mental Health Influencer and a Top 40 CBT Influencer of 2025 and 2026, Clinical Psychologist, NYU Professor, and Author of When Life Happens: The Mindset Shift You Need to Manage Stre...

In today's episode, Stephanie sits down with Dr. Jennifer Grandis, physician-scientist and distinguished professor at UC San Francisco, to discuss her vital new book, Harsh Medicine: Why Women Can't Get Ahead in Science and Healthcare. Jennifer Grandis, MD is an otolaryngologist and associate vice chancellor for clinical and translational research at UCSF, combining hard data with personal narrati...

Belonging First, one of the most important aspects of everyday life, no matter in which environment we find ourselves: home, work, college, school, or between friends. We all want to feel that we belong, but what happens when belonging is missing? In today's episode, Andrea Carter, a global neuroscience-based consultant and expert in workplace cultural transformation and founder of Belonging First...

In today's episode of WECAN, Stephanie sits down with Tom Joseph, founder and treasurer of Wilson's Fountain and America's Main Street Party during retirement—NOT a Third Party! As a social activist, innovator, producer and true visionary, Tom is using his expertise to rebuild the foundation of our democracy through a new method for nominating members of Congress. But what does it take to actually...

What does the future of democracy look like? Imagine if we didn't have to wait until the next election cycle to make our voices heard! The future of political reform and AI is here! Ramon Perez is the visionary founder of the Digital Democracy Project, a mobile voting app & online accountability system bridging the gap between citizens and Congress through mobile technology and AI. The current...

Is the two-party system broken? In today's episode, we sit down with the 22-year-old Chauncy Wadsworth, a recent Haverford College graduate and senior election analyst at America’s Main Street Party, to reimagine the future of voting and democracy. Chauncy is working at the intersection of technology and democracy to tackle the growing crisis of political polarisation. From leveraging FEC loophole...

How do you supercharge your failures and turn it into a story of success? In today's episode, we sit down with the incredible Boaz Gilad, a powerhouse leader, performance coach, and speaker, to learn about his life story and how WECAN supercharge success after failure. From serving as a paratrooper in the Israeli army to navigating the painful collapse of his public company and total bankruptcy, B...

In today's episode, we uncover women's sports coaching challenges with Kathy Taylor, a Retired Collegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coach & Former IWLCA President. Katchy opens up about the evolving landscape of modern sports coaching and gender-based challenges. Named the head coach of Colgate women's lacrosse program in June 2019, during her tenure in Hamilton, she led the development of eight All-Pa...

Myrsini Aristidou, an award-winning filmmaker from Cyprus, whose debut feature film, Hold Onto Me, is capturing hearts worldwide. Her film recently won the Audience Award in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition at the Sundance Film Festival. Myrsini shares her beautiful journey from studying painting to discovering a fierce passion for the collaborative, magical world of filmmaking. What does it...

Sue brings extraordinary stories to life on the world’s greatest stages, showing us exactly how she turned her childhood love for the stage and the theatre into a phenomenal career, bringing Broadway to the world. From her early days as a passionate theatre kid to producing massive Broadway hits like Moulin Rouge!, The Outsiders, and the highly anticipated upcoming production of Prince’s Purple Ra...

I want to honour and celebrate Shannon Watts today, our WECAN Role model and truly inspiring mentor who wrote “Fired Up: How to Turn Your Spark Into a Flame and Come Alive at Any Age” -get the book, it’s a real guide to starting new ventures. She founded Moms Demand Action. She now mentors people, writes an insightful and well-written Substack, “Playing with Fire, her latest one, explains how stay...

In today's episode of WECAN, Stephanie sits down with Dr. Markos Kounalakis, award-winning foreign affairs columnist, Stanford University visiting professor, Hoover Institution fellow, author of "Freedom Isn't The Price of World Order", and the first-ever Second Gentleman of California to talk about Geopolitics, AI and of course his story and how he got top where he is today. Born into a working-c...

Losing a child and surviving child loss is one of life's saddest, most devastating realities a parent can endure. In this deeply moving episode, Stephanie from WECAN sits down with Danielle Crittenden, author and journalist, to discuss her raw and profound journey of losing a child, grief, and her memoir, "Dispatches from Grief: A Mother's Journey Through the Unthinkable." In 2024, Danielle’s life...

Today on WECAN, Stephanie sits down with Anne-Marie Zanzal to explore the complex, often isolating journey of women transitioning their sexual identities later in life. What happens when the life you built no longer fits who you are? For ordained minister, grief counsellor, and coming out coach Anne-Marie, coming out at age 52 after a 27-year marriage and four children, was a complete spiritual an...

In today's WECAN interview, Stephanie sits down with Angelica Fuentes, to unpack a masterclass on how to build resilience, start over in your 60s, and live with radical reinvention. Angelica is a Mexican-American businesswoman, impact investor, and one of Latin America’s most influential advocates for gender equality. After a legendary 40-year corporate career leading major enterprises across 17 c...

In this deeply soulful episode, Stephanie sits down with Melody Godfred Poet, Author, Speaker, and Self-Love Advocate, to explore what it truly means to love ourselves and find our purpose. She is an oracle who uses poetry as her medium and shares her journey from high-powered litigation attorney to bestselling author, revealing how motherhood and twins became the catalyst for a profound awakening...

Engagement. Performance. Retention. In this episode of WECAN, I have the absolute pleasure of welcoming Ian Watts, the founder of Employee Success Company. Ian is such a deeply human-centred leader who teaches companies exactly how to put people first and become experts in company culture. What a beautiful mission in life! If you are curious to know how to build the best company culture and scale...