WomenHeard

"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 Georgia Galanoudis speaks with Diane Sc...

"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: understanding that she does not have t...

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 The New York Post and three-time NYW...

"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 designer Rebecca Minkoff! As the auth...

"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 launching her career and her sense of self...

"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 Hyland, NYWICI member and Associate Director...

"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 strategist. As the Chief Media Officer at J...

“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 reconnected with Lesley Jane Seymour, f...

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 is joined by three powerhouse executives...

"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 Magazines and Oprah Winfrey! Pilar oversee...

“I’ve always been a person who has strong opinions. But having an opinion is not always the same as making a decision… I try to balance gut instinct with data.” 

In this episode, Womenheard: Changemakers host Georgia Galanoudis speaks with Leah Meranus, CEO, North America of dentsu X - a global media agency within dentsu, known for its unique ability to defy convention to deliver meaningful outcomes for leading brands. She leads ov...

"You have to master the art of seeing things unseen. Whether you're looking at trends, whether you're looking at data - the data, the trends - tell a story." In this episode, WomenHeard host Julie Hochheiser Ilkovich sits down with Brandi Boatner, incoming 2025 President of New York Women in Communications! Brandi has been recognized and named by PR News as a Changemaker and one of the Top Women in PR. She also received an Honorabl...

"Whatever the context is, whatever the setting that we're operating in - ultimately, as leaders, we are in the business of building relationships." In this episode, WomenHeard: Changemakers host Georgia Galanoudis speaks with Jill Cress, Chief Marketing & Experience Officer at H&R Block - a leader in tax preparation services. A 2024 Matrix Awards honoree, Jill's extensive brand experience also includes PayPal, National Geog...

"You know, nobody's working on their Plan A... I'm in the middle of the alphabet somewhere - but most people are on Plan B, Plan C, Plan D - particularly when you get to my age. So, I think that's healthy for people to realize. Your first act doesn't have to be your only act.”  

In this episode, WomenHeard host Julie Hochheiser Ilkovich speaks with Liz Georges, Senior Director of Climate Communications at WWF. The World Wildlife Fu...

"Am I going to be uncomfortable and leave here with nothing? Or am I going to be uncomfortable and make a connection?" In this specially recorded conversation from NYWICI's Communications Career Conference at Spotify Headquarters, you'll hear a fireside chat with two inspiring leaders: Tammy Tibbetts, Co-Founder and CEO of She’s the First, a global nonprofit advancing girls' education and leadership opportunities, and Dana Canedy, ...

"Your career is not a yellow-brick road. It's not going to begin one place and end neatly someplace else." 

In this episode, WomenHeard host Julie Hochheiser Ilkovich speaks with Asha Curran, CEO of GivingTuesday - a global giving network that embodies radical generosity. What started as a hashtag in 2012 following Black Friday's shopping surge (#GivingTuesday) has become a powerful network of local leaders in over 80 countries! T...

"Every day is an opportunity to learn something, to challenge yourself. It doesn't end - especially in a business like ours." In this episode, WomenHeard: Changemakers host Georgia Galanoudis speaks with Daisy Expósito-Ulla, 2018 inductee of the Advertising Hall of Fame by the American Advertising Federation (AAF) and CEO of d exposito & partners. A former Matrix Awards winner, she supports several scholarships in...

"There's a huge percentage of the population that's not thinking about their potential." In this episode, WomenHeard host Julie Hochheiser Ilkovich speaks with Erin Loos Cutraro in a pivotal presidential election year. As the Founder and CEO of She Should Run, Erin leads this national, nonpartisan nonprofit seeking to drastically increase the number of women considering a run for public office. After teaching midd...

“From Day 1, my experience in life is [that] you fight. You’re resilient. No matter what life hands to you, you take it and you make lemonade out of it.” In this episode, WomenHeard: Changemakers host Georgia Galanoudis speaks with Zain Habboo, Chief Marketing & Mobilization Officer at International Rescue Committee – one of the world’s largest emergency relief organizations.

The ability to build your own path is one of the gre...