x

75% of people globally want unbiased news (Pew Research) but are concerned they're not getting that.

Get balanced coverage with Symby. See how stories are covered across diverse outlets and spot when one side covers a story the other skips.

PODCAST

Smart Women, Smart Power

CSIS | Center for Strategic and International Studies

CSIS Smart Women, Smart Power is a speaker series on women in international business and global affairs. The weekly podcast features leading women from the corporate, government, and national security worlds discussing top international issues. This podcast series is made possible with support from Citigroup.

government & organizations non-profit

All Episodes

33:30

Humans in Low Orbit: A Conversation with Astronaut...

Smart Women, Smart Power ·

2025/10/31

Dr. Peggy Whitson holds the record for the longest cumulative time in space by an American astronaut and any woman astronaut in the world. In this episode, guest host Emily Harding, Vice President of the CSIS Defense and Security Department, sits down with Dr. Whitson, Vice President of Human Spaceflight at Axiom Space and former NASA astronaut, about health breakthroughs in space, the future of human spaceflight, and her record-setting journey in low orbit.

en-us

32:21

An Icelandic Perspective Inside NATO

Smart Women, Smart Power ·

2025/06/25

Iceland has no standing military—so how did Brynja Huld Óskarsdóttir, an Icelandic civilian, find herself working for NATO in Afghanistan and now holding a key role at the NATO Parliamentary Assembly? Host Kathleen McInnis sits down with Brynja to explore her unique journey and meaningful contributions to the Alliance.

en-us

27:38

Inside Modern Defense Tech

Smart Women, Smart Power ·

2025/06/11

Vannevar Labs at its core has a bold mission: bring the best technology American innovation can offer into close partnership with the U.S. government to equip public servants with the tools they need to keep the country safe. Host Dr. Kathleen McInnis sits down with Erin Biggers, Vice President of Mission at Vannevar Labs, for a conversation on how she went from service in the Air Force to playing a pivotal role in scaling the impact and operations of a new modern defense tech company.

en-us

36:11

Beyond the Spin: Truth, Media, and Democracy

Smart Women, Smart Power ·

2024/12/11

Nina Jankowicz knows what it’s like to be attacked for defending the truth, and she is now on a mission to increase the cost of lies that undermine our democracy. On this episode, Dr. Kathleen McInnis dives into Nina’s past, from leaving government, suing Fox News, and ultimately using the sum of her experiences to inspire the creation of the American Sunlight Project.

en-us

23:26

Take a Chance on Mentorship

Smart Women, Smart Power ·

2024/09/04

An off-chance encounter as an intern transformed Funmi’s life several years later when someone she networked with early in her career thought of her down the line and offered her a job. Funmi Oludaiye, Managing Director (Global Head of Engineering) at Goldman Sachs, discusses how she advanced her career in STEM through hard work, mentorship, and relationship building.

en-us

37:01

What Does Infant Formula Have to do with National...

Smart Women, Smart Power ·

2024/07/24

In 2020, Laura Modi launched Bobbie, the first U.S.-based manufactured organic formula company. Laura joins Dr. Kathleen McInnis and Lauren Bedula, the Managing Director at Beacon Global Strategies, for a discussion on how her company was defined during a national infant formula shortage, including what she learned about the infant formula industry, and how symbolic it is to everything broken in our society for parents.

en-us

28:44

Beating Putin’s Playbook

Smart Women, Smart Power ·

2024/07/12

We’re entering a new era of warfare – where disinformation, countering disinformation, and hybrid threats are at the forefront – threats that the North Atlantic Treaty Alliance (NATO) is not taking lightly. Marie-Doha Besancenot, Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy, NATO, joins to discuss the different ways NATO is prioritizing this space.

en-us

28:25

The Future of NATO is Female

Smart Women, Smart Power ·

2024/07/10

Why should the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) care about gender? What are women, and women’s networks, doing to advance democracy – and how should a military alliance think about the strategic utility of programs like Women, Peace and Security? And what does this mean for the NATO Summit?Irene Fellin, the NATO Secretary General’s Special Representative for Women, Peace and Security, joins Dr. Kathleen McInnis, Senior Fellow, International Security Program and Director, Smart Women,

en-us

24:18

The Role of UNICEF USA in the World

Smart Women, Smart Power ·

2024/06/26

Michele Walsh, Executive Vice President and Chief Philanthropy Officer, UNICEF USA, has prioritized the value of giving more decision-making power to those closest to the communities impacted while at UNICEF USA. On this episode, Michele joins Dr. Kathleen McInnis, Senior Fellow, International Security Program and Director, Smart Women, Smart Power Initiative, for a discussion on how she led after Russia invaded Ukraine, including the barriers UNICEF USA anticipated from stakeholders, and the values

en-us

30:30

Humanizing Refugee Resettlement

Smart Women, Smart Power ·

2024/06/13

On this episode, Heather Higginbottom, Head of Research Policy & Insights for Corporate Responsibility at JPMorgan Chase, joined Dr. Kathleen McInnis to discuss how she has anchored her work in humanizing the process behind refugee resettlement – from implementing special immigrant visas for Afghans while working at the U.S. Department of State to working with the Australian government resettling refugees on the islands of Naura and Manus. Heather has held senior positions at the highest levels of

en-us

24:57

The Murky World of Deepfakes

Smart Women, Smart Power ·

2024/05/15

In her aptly named scientific study, “As Good as A Coin Toss,” Horizon Fellow Di Cooke joins Dr. Kathleen McInnis to walk through the murky world of deepfakes and the countermeasures that should be prioritized to mitigate the dangers posed by weaponized synthetic media.

en-us

27:38

Lessons from Myanmar

Smart Women, Smart Power ·

2024/05/01

What does it actually mean when we say, “democracy is on the line?” Nisha Anand, the CEO of Dream.org, would know – she was arrested for passing out pro-democracy leaflets in Myanmar in 1998. To help us unpack the state of democracy today, and what we can learn from Myanmar and other places, Nisha discusses her path from her 1998 arrest to seeking more bi-partisanship today.

en-us

32:11

Navigating the Seas with Admiral Lisa Franchetti,...

Smart Women, Smart Power ·

2024/04/24

Admiral Franchetti sits down with Dr. Kathleen McInnis, Director of the Smart Women, Smart Power Initiative, for a discussion on the U.S. Navy’s priorities as they operate far forward, around the world and around the clock, from seabed to space, in cyberspace, and in the information environment to promote our nation’s prosperity and security, deter aggression, and provide options to our nation’s leaders. Additionally, the pair will discuss Admiral Franchetti’s approach to mentorship, recruitment,

en-us

28:28

The Political Pressure Behind Scotland on the Ballot

Smart Women, Smart Power ·

2024/04/10

In 2014, the United Kingdom almost came undone. Advocates for Scottish independence were finally granted a referendum, and the future of Scotland’s political arrangements was in the hands of the Scottish people. On this episode of Smart Women, Smart Power, Dame Louise Richardson, the president of the Carnegie Corporation of New York, discusses freedom of speech, political pressure, leadership in academia, and the challenges of navigating complex debates and crises with host Dr. Kathleen McInnis.

en-us

28:33

Building Trust in Nuclear Diplomacy

Smart Women, Smart Power ·

2024/04/03

Nuclear strategy remains a priority for the United States. In this episode, host Dr. Kathleen McInnis speaks with CSIS Senior Adviser (Non-resident) to the Project on Nuclear Issues and former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear and Missile Defense Policy, Elaine Bunn. Elaine's experience and perspective shed light on the complexities involved in nuclear policy and defense strategy.

en-us

30:29

The Government Clock is Ti(c)kTok-ing

Smart Women, Smart Power ·

2024/03/22

Host Kathleen McInnis spoke with Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11) about her whirlwind past couple of weeks. The pair discussed her recent trip to the Munich Security Conference, including the moment she found out about the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, and her sponsorship of the recently passed House legislation aimed at protecting Americans from TikTok’s national security threats.

en-us

23:14

The Weaponization of the Dollar

Smart Women, Smart Power ·

2024/03/20

For decades the U.S. Treasury Department has used the American dollar as a weapon to shape U.S. policy. However, in an era of rising authoritarian actors set out to undermine democracies, can the United States, and its currency, survive the latest threats? With over a decade of firsthand reporting, Senior Washington Correspondent for Bloomberg News Saleha Mohsin joins Kathleen McInnis to talk about her new book Paper Soldiers: How the Weaponization of the Dollar Changed the World Order.

en-us

32:39

Welcome to the U.S., EU Ambassador Neliupšienė!

Smart Women, Smart Power ·

2024/03/13

On this episode of Smart Women, Smart Power, host Kathleen McInnis sat down with the new Ambassador of the European Union to the United States Jovita Neliupšienė. The pair discussed the war in Ukraine, including Ukraine's membership to the EU, plus her role in Lithuania facing economic coercion from China, and much more.

en-us

0:18

We’re on a Winter Break!

Smart Women, Smart Power ·

2024/02/21

The Smart Women, Smart Power podcast is taking a winter break to refresh and recharge. We’ll be back in March!

en-us

21:32

All About Defense Acquisition

Smart Women, Smart Power ·

2024/02/14

Host Kathleen McInnis sat down with Melissa A. Johnson, an Acquisition Executive in the U.S. Special Operations Command, for a briefer on the process behind acquisition, technology, and logistics in the Special Operations Forces. Additionally, Melissa highlighted her role in setting up the Air Force’s Advanced Battle Management System.

en-us

229 results

Similar Podcasts

The Michigan DNR"s Wildtalk Podcast

Michigan Department of Natural...

Bilbo Hiria irratia

Mises Institute

Jua Haki Zako

RFI Kiswahili

Finding Arizona Podcast

Jose Acevedo