WomenHeard

The  Matrix Awards  is NYWICI's flagship event recognizing rising talent in the communications industry. In this episode, you'll hear from some of our scholarship honorees on their incredible accomplishments so far and what they're most looking forward to next! Sarah Ng, three-time NYWICI Scholarship recipient, interviewed this year's recipients on the red carpet.

The  Matrix Awards by NYWICI  serves as our opportunity to recognize exceptional leaders in the communications industry. This year’s theme is The Butterfly Effect: Women Who Transform the World and Inspire the Future! Sarah Ng, three-time NYWICI Scholarship recipient, interviewed award-winners on the red carpet of this star-studded event.  Listen to this episode for insights from emcee Sheinelle J...

In this special interview, we hear from 2021 Matrix honoree Marisa Thalberg who's presenting Ashley Miles as an honoree at the  2026 Matrix Awards ! The Matrix Awards is a prestigious event honoring and celebrating the accomplishments of women in communications and the arts, starting with its inaugural honoree, Gloria Steinem. WomenHeard host Georgia Galanoudis chats with them about their frie...

Join us for this special episode honoring the legacy of Beverly Wettenstein: an award-winning journalist, author and women’s advocate! Creative production leader and NYWICI podcast committee member Leisel Kober interviewed a range of speakers, panelists, and leaders at this March event, whose work has influenced sports, hospitality, and media.  You'll hear insights from a Paula Ngon, PR &...

"Don't forget the other women. Don't forget to be an advocate, a champion, a kind voice when feedback is needed." In this episode, WomenHeard host Julie Hochheiser Ilkovich speaks with Emily K. Graham at Omnicom, a global marketing and sales company with over 100K employees! She oversees thoughtful systems and empathetic strategies to ensure the employee experience is one that we...

"There's so much content and so many opportunities for storytelling. If one thing doesn't work, we'll try again, pivot to the next thing, or expand!"  In this episode, WomenHeard host Georgia Galanoudis speaks with PR powerhouse Paula Ngon. Paula established her communications expertise in a wide range of well-known brands: People, Vanity Fair, GQ and GQ Sports, as well as Th...

"If you're young [in your career] and something is of interest to you, take the chance and just do it because you never know."  In this episode, WomenHeard host Julie Hochheiser Ilkovich interviews Caitlin Girouard at PayPal, a fintech company revolutionizing online payments and commerce infrastructure. Caitlin started out with strong interests in politics and law, transferring her s...

"As you rise in your own career, you look around and you realize you have this incredibly powerful network, and you want to make sure that you keep it close.” In this episode, WomenHeard: Changemakers host Georgia Galanoudis speaks with Alia Lamborghini - a senior leader in digital advertising and revenue strategy. She invites us to learn more about the world of DSP (demand-side platform) as...

“The speed at which information is traveling has changed. That also means the speed at which myths and disinformation is traveling, and how it’s shared and amplified especially with AI and search engines, is really a whole new factor for consideration.” In this episode, WomenHeard host Julie Hochheiser Ilkovich interviews public relations powerhouse Sam Wolf. Her “strategic sparkle” has woven her...

"Bring people onto your team that might have skill sets that you don't have, that complement the overall team. Bring them along with you. Don't be intimidated by their talents." In this episode, Womenheard: Changemakers host Georgia Galanoudis speaks with Beth Feldman, the incoming 2026 President of NYWICI! As a leading network television communications professional, she's la...

NYWICI’s Trailblazer Awards is a celebration of the next generation of industry leaders in communications, marketing, advertising, and public relations. Sarah Ng, Digital Content Producer at The New York Post and three-time NYWICI Scholarship recipient, took to the red carpet to interview the four honorees. Listen to this episode for insights from Jessica Ling, Executive Vice President, Global Adv...

"I think you're a great leader when you make other leaders."  In this episode, Womenheard: Changemakers host Georgia Galanoudis speaks with Elizabeth Donovan, a visionary media executive at global agency and technology firm Acxiom/IPG. As a SVP, Head of Retail and Commerce Networks, she spearheads strategy, tech innovation, revenue acceleration and strategy across retail, hospitality...

“In most mainstream news, women’s stories are not prioritized. They’re not centered. Women are often covered as an afterthought, as a sidebar to the main event, as if women are not an integral part of the story.” In this episode, WomenHeard host Julie Hochheiser Ilkovich interviews Francesca Donner, the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of  The Persistent . Dedicated to amplifying women’s voices and sto...

"We're really in a moment of people having to reinvent, redefine, rediscover themselves. Our world changes so dramatically that I think it's helpful for us all to remember that there's no deadline and it isn't over. We'll keep finding things inside of us."  In this episode, WomenHeard host Julie Hochheiser Ilkovich interviews Bellamy Young, a 2025 Matrix Honoree and film, TV,  and  Broadway actres...

Advice for young writers and communicators: “Care about storytelling, care about voice, care about the opinions that you are honing and developing as a person in the world.” In this episode, Womenheard: Changemakers host Georgia Galanoudis speaks with Lucy Kaylin, 2025 Matrix Honoree and Editorial Director at the world's largest lifestyle publisher, Hearst Magazines. Prior, Lucy served as exec...

"The areas where I think it can be really helpful for communicators to think about are business fluency and thinking about communicators being a business partner. Aligning what they're doing right now, and the decisions they need to make, with a business strategy that has the mission of the company front and center: the North Star."  In this episode, Womenheard: Changemakers host Geo...

"What it truly means to be at the top of your game - that really is not perfection. At the top of your game is when you're contributing and when you're feeling like you're adding value. Part of that is also sharing everything. Part of it is being vulnerable...we're all on this journey together and I think that's part of the culture I want my own daughter to grow up in: und...

The Matrix Awards by NYWICI serves as our opportunity to recognize exceptional leaders in the communications industry. This year’s theme is Leading Luminaries! The 2025 Matrix honorees are lighting the path of success and influencing the future. The light within our honorees showcases their unwavering spirit of human resilience and the power of perseverance.  Sarah Ng, Digital Content Producer at...

"I find that most often I take the risk and not only do I grow, I learn. I'm furthering not only my career and whatever it is I'm taking the risk in, but when I fail I've also learned something. And you only learn the most valuable lessons, unfortunately, when you fail."  In this special event recording, you'll hear behind-the-scenes info and career lessons from fashion d...

"That 'people piece' has value. There's a value to having empathy in a corporate environment, in an organizational environment." In this episode, WomenHeard host Julie Hochheiser Ilkovich interviews Francesca Larson, founder and CEO of creative and technology agency Studio Mosaic. She got her storytelling start as a NYWICI Scholarship Recipient, which she credits with launchi...

"Money should be working  for  you." It's never too late to level up! In this special event recording sponsored by Yahoo!, you'll learn from Judy Herbst, financial expert and the Executive Director of  Savvy Ladies . This nonprofit is dedicated to providing free financial education and resources to women, empowering them to achieve financial independence. Moderated by Jackie Hyla...

"As part of a daily practice, I think about earning trust and earning reliability in the eyes of those that I work with — and work for. It's about what I advocate for and the behaviors that I model."  In this episode, Womenheard: Changemakers host Georgia Galanoudis speaks with Tracy-Ann Lim, a  NYWICI Trailblazer Honoree  in the 2024 inaugural class and a powerful storytelling strat...

“That’s why people came to work for me – because they were going to learn and they were going to grow. That, to me, is the whole beauty of work. If you’re just going to go somewhere and be a cog in the wheel, then you can do that anywhere. You know, if you’re an intelligent, creative person, that’s going to get old really fast.” In this episode, Womenheard: Changemakers host Georgia Galanoudis rec...

It's a special episode of WomenHeard with guest host  Linda Descano ! A former president of NYWICI, Linda is the Global Chief Integration & Marketing Officer at  Havas Red . In this conversation, she sits down with a panel of experts to discuss the  2024 Global Women in PR Annual Index , the only in-depth global research study of women working in the PR and communications industries. Linda...

"The big lesson for life is no matter how prepared you are, life will throw you curveballs - and actually, those are sometimes the most wonderful and serendipitous stories that you will ever get a chance to create." In this episode, WomenHeard host Julie Hochheiser Ilkovich interviews Pilar Guzmán, Editorial Director at  Oprah Daily  - the eponymous media and membership community from Hearst Magaz...