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Firestarters with Shannon Watts

Firestarters is a podcast filled with inspiring interviews of women living audacious lives and encouraging others to do the same. shannonwatts.substack.com shannonwatts.substack.com

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All Episodes

30:45

Lauren Harper and Dr. Anthony Douglas on Illinois'...

Firestarters with Shannon Watts ·

2026/04/09

lauren harper is the legislative director for the Illinois Alliance to Prevent Gun Violence and grassroots organizer dedicated to tackling the root causes of gun violence in Illinois. Dr. Anthony Douglas II, MD MPH, is a surgical resident at the University of Chicago and the founder of the nation’s first Surgical Advocacy Fellowship. In this conversation, we discussed what brought them both into the gun violence prevention advocacy and policy space, why grassroots activism is so important especially

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26:43

Nourbese Flint on reimagining reproductive justice...

Firestarters with Shannon Watts ·

2026/04/02

Nourbese Flint is the President of All* Above All and All* In Action Fund, leading All* Above All’s work to achieve abortion justice and build the political power of voters of color. Prior to coming to All* Above All, she was the Senior Director of Black Engagement at Planned Parenthood Federation of America, where she worked on the strategic partnership to strengthen Planned Parenthood’s relationships within existing racial justice, reproductive justice, Black serving and civil rights

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31:01

Amy Diehl, PhD, on the insidious misogyny in the...

Firestarters with Shannon Watts ·

2026/03/30

Amy Diehl, Ph.D. is an award-winning IT leader and Chief Information Officer at Wilson College, as well as a leading gender equity researcher. She is the author of Glass Walls: Shattering the Six Gender Bias Barriers Still Holding Women Back at Work and a sought-after speaker, consultant, and expert witness. Driven by a commitment to advancing gender equality, she helps organizations dismantle systemic barriers so women can advance and workplaces can thrive.In this conversation, we discussed how

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30:26

Jenn Sherman wants to make Gen Xers stronger...

Firestarters with Shannon Watts ·

2026/03/24

Jenn Sherman is my favorite Peloton star trainer who was the very first cycling instructor hired at Peloton Interactive. She’s also the founder of The Back Nine Era, and her goal is to redefine life after 50 by training for longevity, health, and strength. In this conversation, we discussed how Jenn became a Peloton trainer in her 40s and how it’s never too late to make a pivot in your life, how imposter syndrome still rears its ugly head no matter what you’ve accomplished, why community is an

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33:03

Confronting gender equality myths with Stefanie...

Firestarters with Shannon Watts ·

2026/03/20

Stefanie O'Connell is an award-winning journalist covering money, power, and ambition whose work has been published in Slate, Bloomberg, Newsweek, USA Today, Glamour UK, Business Insider, and CNBC.com. She wrote, hosted, and co-produced Real Simple magazine’s Webby Award–winning podcast Money Confidential and publishes the Too Ambitious newsletter. She’s also the author of the upcoming book, The Ambition Penalty: How Corporate Culture Tells Women to Step Up―and Then Pushes Them Down. In this

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26:17

How to help Dr. Annie Andrews beat Lindsay Graham in...

Firestarters with Shannon Watts ·

2026/03/18

Dr. Annie Andrews has spent her career as a pediatrician fighting for children and families, and now she is taking that fight to the Senate. She is a mom and Democrat running to unseat Lindsey Graham in South Carolina. After nearly two decades in children’s hospitals, Annie saw how Washington’s failures reach all the way into her hospital room every day. Kids shot in their own neighborhoods, parents forced to ration medication, families unable to find mental health care. So she got involved in

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28:06

How Pink Zones help women thrive throughout life with...

Firestarters with Shannon Watts ·

2026/03/17

Dr. Heidi Lescanec has been a licensed naturopathic doctor in British Columbia for over 25 years, a trained anthropologist, and founder of The Pink Zones—a global and grassroots search for the places, people, and practices where women are thriving through midlife and beyond. She also focuses on hormone and digestive health and culinary nutrition. In her previous work, she saw the transformative power of traditional styles of healing that addressed the health of the whole person, body, and mind, and

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24:44

Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton wants to “give the...

Firestarters with Shannon Watts ·

2026/03/11

Juliana Stratton is the Lt. Governor of Illinois and a candidate for the U.S. Senate. Juliana is also a mom, a caregiver, a Chicago South Sider, and a fighter for the people of Illinois. Alongside Governor JB Pritzker, she’s spent the last decade working to make life more affordable and expand opportunities for the middle class, and now she’s ready to bring that blueprint to Washington.In this conversation, we discussed Juliana’s political journey and why she decided to run for Senate, why it’s

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27:11

Navigating divorce with Oona Metz

Firestarters with Shannon Watts ·

2026/02/26

Oona Metz is a Boston-based psychotherapist with over 30 years of experience supporting women through the emotional, psychological, and identity shifts of divorce. She is also a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker, a Certified Group Psychotherapist, and her practice is focused on individual adults and group therapy. She specializes in working with women+ who are in transition. She is also the author of Unhitched: The Essential Divorce Guide For Women, about how women can navigate the

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29:16

Dr. Maria Sophocles on sexual health in midlife and...

Firestarters with Shannon Watts ·

2026/02/09

Dr. Maria Sophocles is a board-certified OB/GYN and a Menopause Society Certified Practitioner. She is a nationally recognized thought leader in menopause and female sexual function, and a frequent panelist and speaker for women’s health advocacy, investment, and policy. She is also the author of The Bedroom Gap: Rewrite the Rules and Roles of Sex in Mid Life (available on February 10th), which offers a roadmap for midlife women, couples, clinicians and anyone wanting to understand – and change –

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24:53

Live with Shannon Watts

Firestarters with Shannon Watts ·

2026/02/04

Thank you Marcus Flowers, Lisa Schreiber NBC-HWC, Author, Maximilian Hardy, dcdiversity, Caroline Pompizzi, and many others for tuning into my live video with Daniel Biss! Join me for my next live video in the app. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit shannonwatts.substack.com/subscribe

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26:21

Jennifer Wallace on why "mattering" is the key to a...

Firestarters with Shannon Watts ·

2026/01/26

Jennifer Wallace is an award-winning journalist and bestselling author who explores the power of mattering in everyday life. Her first book, Never Enough: When Achievement Culture Becomes Toxic — And What We Can Do About It, was a New York Times Bestseller, an Amazon Best Book of the Year, and a Next Big Idea selection. Her forthcoming book Mattering: The Secret to a Life of Deep Connection and Purpose, will be published on January 27th. Jennifer is also the founder of The Mattering Institute, whose

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31:31

Mikala Jamison on navigating wellness culture

Firestarters with Shannon Watts ·

2026/01/20

Mikala Jamison is an award-winning journalist, the creator of the bestselling Body Type newsletter, and a health and culture writer for outlets like The Atlantic and The Washington Post. She has worked as a certified group fitness instructor and trained as a competitive powerlifter, and also created the body-image focused live storytelling show, The Body Show. In this conversation, we discussed her experience with a binge eating disorder, the power of strength training, and how to get help for the

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28:12

How to have meaningful conversations online

Firestarters with Shannon Watts ·

2025/11/26

Malynda Hale is a multi-hyphenate content creator, award-winning actress, and singer based in Los Angeles who uses her voice and platform to drive meaningful conversations around activism, justice, and human rights through digital media and storytelling. During our conversation, Malynda and I discuss her spiritual journey, how activism and faith can go hand in hand, and how she handles the blowback she gets for attempting nuance online. Malynda also tells us about The New Evangelicals, her new

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27:59

Why grief is a "sneaky b***h"

Firestarters with Shannon Watts ·

2025/11/24

Society often telegraphs that there is just one way to experience grief, but widow, cancer survivor, and author Lisa Keefauver wants us to know that grief can and should be allowed to be experienced in multiple ways. During our conversation, Lisa shared some of the insights from her book, “Grief is a Sneaky B***h: An Uncensored Guide to Navigating Loss,” including something she refers to as “the grief time warp,” how to handle “grief thieves,” and how to break the isolation often felt by grievers in

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33:10

The barriers making women feel like they don't belong...

Firestarters with Shannon Watts ·

2025/11/19

We’ve been talking about imposter syndrome, specifically in the workplace, this week. I was grateful to talk with Dr. Amy Diehl and Leanne Dzubinski, the co-authors of “Glass Walls: Shattering the Six Gender Bias Barriers Still Holding Women Back at Work.” Together, they share with us the six gender bias barriers and how they are affecting women every single day across all industries, as well as how these systems, built for and by men, are holding women back.After watching the replay, be sure to

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36:39

How to dismantle male supremacy with Soraya Chemaly

Firestarters with Shannon Watts ·

2025/11/11

Soraya Chemaly is an award-winning writer, activist, and director known for her influential work on feminism, gender justice, and women’s rights. She is the author of the critically acclaimed book Rage Becomes Her: The Power of Women’s Anger (2018), which explores how women are socialized to suppress anger and the transformative potential of channeling that emotion constructively. Her work in examining issues ranging from gender-based violence and online harassment to media representation and

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28:25

Democratic Whip Katherine Clark on the dire...

Firestarters with Shannon Watts ·

2025/11/04

Katherine Clark, the highest-ranking woman in Congress, has made supporting American families a cornerstone of her congressional career. From championing policies like universal childcare to supporting paid family leave to providing affordable healthcare, Democratic Whip Clark is dedicated to creating policy that will ease the financial burdens and daily challenges facing people across the country. In this conversation, we talk about the suffering caused by the six-week Republican government

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26:48

Lorissa Rinehart says we should look to America’s...

Firestarters with Shannon Watts ·

2025/11/03

In her new biography, Lorissa Rinehart delivers the first-ever detailed account of the life of Jeannette Rankin, the first American woman to serve in Congress. “Winning the Earthquake: How Jeannette Rankin Defied All Odds to Become the First Woman in Congress” shows how Rankin’s determination, moral conviction, and savvy ultimately resulted in a cultural and political seismic shift in the US.Connect with Lorissa: Buy the Book | Substack | Website | InstagramFor women ready to stop living on

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21:07

Jessica Mackler of EMILYs List wants you to get out...

Firestarters with Shannon Watts ·

2025/11/01

I had the great opportunity to chat with Jessica Mackler, president of EMILYs List. EMILY’s List has been working for 40 years to elect Democratic, pro-choice women up and down the ballot all over the country. They’ve elected more than 1,800 women in the time that they’ve been doing this work. These elections are more important than ever. Tune in to learn how YOU can get involved in getting more women into office.Connect with EMILYs List: Instagram | Important LinksFor women ready to stop living on

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