The Broad Experience

In this show we reunite with Tess Vigeland, one of the guests on my most popular show to date - episode 75, Redefining Success. Within a few years Tess quit a longtime job as a national radio host, wrote a book, got divorced and set off to travel the world. She had always been fueled by ambition, and lots of it. She also valued herself mostly through her job. We talk about how her attitude to ambition, success and office politics has changed in the 18 months she's been on the road.

America is politically divided, and women with different views are not talking to eachother. In this show we hear from two conservative women about their lives and views on politics, feminism, and being an out conservative in a liberal workplace. And we meet a lifelong liberal who's set on getting both groups of women to enter politics for the good of democracy.

Lauren Tucker was like a lot of other women who've been working in corporate life for years - itching to go out on her own. So she did. But things didn't turn out the way she expected. In this show we talk about dashed hopes, reinvention in a new place, why diversity in the ad business still sucks, and caring for your parents when everything around you is falling apart.

Authenticity is a buzzword that crops up a lot these days. We're all meant to 'be ourselves' at work. But how realistic a goal is that for women, really? In this show I speak to Sylvia Ann Hewlett, author of the book Executive Presence. Sylvia says women have to find the right balance of being themselves and having the perfect combination of gravitas, communication skills and appearance to get to the top. Lauren Tucker is pretty much there. Still, she says meshing her forthright personality with the workplace is no picnic, even at her level. And why should she even have to try?

A few years ago I found out the most popular job for women in America is the same as it was in the 1950s - administrative assistant, or secretary. I was shocked. How could this be, in an era where women are more educated than men? Why are so many of us still working to support other people - mostly men - rather than pursuing something for ourselves? I set out to tackle those questions in this show, and take a look at the assistant role as it exists now. Typing and dictation are out, while managing executives' lives and company projects are in. But traditional aspects of the job remain. This is a role women still flock to, and are sought for, while men are largely absent.

Brooke Lark was raised to think having a career was selfish and motherhood was sacred. She had four children by the age of 29 and never expected to work outside the home. But as she began to have more contact with the outside world, the certainties of her religion began to crumble. At 35 she was faced with a whole new prospect - not only working, but being the main breadwinner for her family. In this show we hear Brooke's story of being raised Mormon, losing her religion and joining a workplace she had no idea how to navigate.

Patricia Jones was born and raised in Utah, a state with a conservative bent and one of the highest wage gaps in the US. 60% of the population is Mormon, but belonging to a conservative faith never stopped Pat from having a family and a career, first running a business, then as a politician. In her latest role she's on a mission to raise the status of women at work in Utah. And that means persuading a lot of pale males it's a good idea.

Women have a problem valuing themselves, both setting prices and believing they're truly worth something in the marketplace. A lot of us charge too little for our work. Sometimes we don't charge at all. It's a complicated, multi-layered issue, and part of the reason women earn less than men. As someone who squirms whenever I have to talk about how much I'm worth, I knew I had to tackle the topic on the podcast. Guests are Adrienne Graham and Kathy Caprino.

The boundaries between work and home are fraying all the time. We spend work time doing personal stuff, and time at home working. We talk about our personal lives at work too, and vice versa. But some of us aren't comfortable sharing much about our home lives with colleagues - we like our boundaries. Yet not sharing can put us at odds with a world where everyone's connected on social media. My first guest guards her privacy, but wonders if she's hurting her career by being circumspect. My second guest has a different take on openness at work.

For years Sallie Krawcheck was one of the few famous women on Wall Street. She earned millions of dollars, had a huge office, and the use of a private jet. A few years ago, all that changed when she made the switch to entrepreneurship. In this interview we talk about the relationship between her gender and her firing from Citibank, why she won't shut up about diversity, stodgy company cultures, and handling sexism at work.