Forged in Fire: LGBTQ+ Leadership
Meet LGBTQ+ superheroes! Explore the nexus of LGBTQ+ identity and leadership development through interviews with leaders in business, government, academia, advocacy, entertainment and more! We'll dive into crucible moments in LGBTQ+ lives, such as stigmatization, coming out, or transition. Understand how leaders transformed what we often view as negative experiences into moments that accelerated their growth into leadership superheroes.
Episodes
April 23, 2024 • 36 mins
In a life of many acts, Joanne Carroll knew she was one of the little girls from an early age, but didn't share it with the world until her late 50's. Once out, she discovered a passion for helping others; she was the one throwing starfish that had washed ashore back into the sea. It was a later realization that something must be wrong for so many starfish (trans people) to keep turning up in distress that pushed her advocacy work ...
Mark as Played
April 9, 2024 • 52 mins
When asked to explain the benefits and the challenges of LGBTQ+ leadership, we're often stuck relying on anecdotes because data gathering is difficult in a world where we often remain hidden. Dr. Luke Fletcher and Dr. Shaun Pichler, authors of the new journal article Songs of the Self: The Importance of Authentic Leadership and Core Self Evaluations for LGBT Managers, join us for a discussion about developing the academic underpinn...
Mark as Played
March 26, 2024 • 48 mins
For Transgender Day of Visibility, Queen Victoria Ortega explains how transgender people are contouring the American Dream into a more expansive and inclusive dream. Keys to her work are empowerment, community connections, skill development, and a sense of service. We explore how she set shame aside at an early age and used her family's penchant for critical thinking to become a celebrated multi-talented leader in her Los Angeles c...
Mark as Played
March 12, 2024 • 51 mins
Athlete. Teammate. Friend. Mentor. Cybersecurity Expert. Workforce Developer. Dr. Safi Mojidi has excelled in a huge variety of roles. He is a community leader creating a future where cybersecurity is sound, respect of privacy is inherent, and technology is leveraged equitably for all. Importantly, he's using his experiences and challenges as a black man of trans experience to build the talented, technologically savvy, workforce of...
Mark as Played
February 13, 2024 • 46 mins
As someone with multiple minority statuses, Dr. A.C. Fowlkes, puts the onus on himself to create space for other individuals with multiple minority status. Having broken through a lot of glass ceilings, he's had a number of different times where he just wanted to throw in the towel. But understanding that if he didn't do something, people in the future, perhaps even his own child, would face the same barriers he's kept fighting to ...
Mark as Played
January 30, 2024 • 49 mins
Totally, eminently qualified was how Senator John McCain describe our guest, Eric Fanning, during his confirmation to be Secretary of the Army. In a career that weaves in and out of senior roles in government and industry, currently as CEO of the Aerospace Industries Association, Fanning was often the first gay person to occupy those heights. Yet that rarely comes up publicly, the focus is on his qualifications. Still, his sexual o...
Mark as Played
January 16, 2024 • 49 mins
Engineer, test pilot, public servant, and CEO only begins to describe Amanda Simpson's career and leadership flight path. She's flown over 60 different types of aircraft, but the most perilous takeoff may have been the one to finding her authentic self. Amanda's journey is filled with moments where she kicked open doors for other transgender people to follow her and was simultaneously recognized for her many professional accomplish...
Mark as Played
November 14, 2023 • 45 mins
Featuring returning guest Blake Dremann as our host for this episode, the Forged in Fire team looks back at our first season. There we so many insightful guests, amazing storytellers, and heroes on the show this season. Learn what surprised us, what we learned about making a podcast, and what our light-bulb moments were! We also ask for your feedback as we look to make Season 2 even better than the first.
Mark as Played
October 31, 2023 • 43 mins
As the first Executive Director of the Human Rights Campaign Fund, Vic Basile led a significant coalescence of the LGBTQ+ rights lobbying community during the AIDS crisis and fought prejudice and bigotry on Capitol Hill. In his new memoir, Bending Toward Justice: A Memoir of Two Decades of LGBT Leadership and the Founding of the Human Rights Campaign, he tells the story of those challenging years and sets the stage for the continu...
Mark as Played
October 17, 2023 • 58 mins
In a storied career across many fields, Jamison Green has impacted countless lives, particularly those of transgender men. His 2004 memoir, Becoming a Visible Man, became the publisher's bestselling book of all time and was updated to a second edition in 2019. Jamison has successfully led nonprofit organizations, changed anti-discrimination laws, reformed insurance exclusions and diagnostic protocols, and published articles and boo...
Mark as Played
October 3, 2023 • 52 mins
Colorado's first transgender state legislator, Brianna Titone, is now in her third term. Recently, in a moment that blended her leadership and personal journey, Brianna's authenticity and the power of her representation shown through in a moment where she dared some house colleagues to look at her as they advocated for anti-LGBTQ+ laws. Her presence, and her ability to listen, build bridges, and get results, has led her to be the f...
Mark as Played
September 20, 2023 • 48 mins
Storytelling is an art and Ron Oden has mastered the craft in a way that draws you in. Ron was the first gay African American to be elected Mayor of an American city when he won in Palm Springs in 2003. He has many identities: professor, administrator, pastor, public servant. There's no doubt service to others is a theme in everything he does. You might not expect a story about an enormous chicken to be in the midst of a grand swee...
Mark as Played
September 5, 2023 • 49 mins
She's not yet on a Starfleet recruiting poster, but Leah Lauderback's journey to the stars has not been without hardship either. As the first out LGBTQ+ person to achieve the three-star rank of Lieutenant General and having been instrumental in the stand-up of the United States Space Force, Leah has boldly led teams into new frontiers and shattered barriers everywhere she's been. Getting there wasn't easy as she had to hide a major...
Mark as Played
August 22, 2023 • 62 mins
Before becoming a Senator in Aruba, Miguel Mansur considered himself a citizen of the world. Leaving the island at 14, and living in multiple countries, it felt like an escape from homophobia and stigmatization. Yet, he still faced struggles with depression and substance abuse even in more accepting places. Even then, there was still a draw to return home and an economic article he wrote during the COVID pandemic was the spur for a...
Mark as Played
August 8, 2023 • 51 mins
In his new book, The Souls of Queer Folk: How Understanding LGBTQ+ Culture Can Transform Your Leadership Practice, Dr. Joel A Davis Brown uncovers the cultural values and leadership dimensions of the queer community. He also examines what we can all learn from LGBTQ+ leadership wisdom and how to avoid critical missteps. Sound a lot like what we're all about on this show? It is! Join us as we explore how Joel developed into the lead...
Mark as Played
July 18, 2023 • 58 mins
When invited on our show, Kai and Jackal, hosts of Stealth: a Transmasculine Podcast, both asked "Are you sure you have the right people?" We can assure you we do! Kai and Jackal discuss what they've learned from interviewing transgender men who transitioned more than twenty years ago and the implications of doing so in a time where trans people did not have the visibility they do in the 2020s. We also share the wisdom they've glea...
Mark as Played
July 4, 2023 • 55 mins
Non-Commissioned Officers are the heart of the United States military. Their skill, leadership, and ability to seize the initiative is what creates such a dynamic force. Master Sergeant Sabrina Bruce (Space Force), Technical Sergeant Alexandria Holder (Air Force), and Sergeant Zaneford Alvarez (Army), are shining examples that junior service members can aspire to take after and they just happen to be transgender. They serve and exc...
Mark as Played
June 27, 2023 • 61 mins
Everyone has a story. Danica Roem's advice, "Don't let other people define your story for you." Her book, Burn the Page, talks about setting fire to the stories that don't define you in a way that we believe lights the way to a brighter future. Danica's journey, and the hurdles she overcame along the way to become the first openly transgender state legislator in the United States, put her in a place where she was primed to tear do...
Mark as Played
June 13, 2023 • 50 mins
From the family dinner table to his current role as Executive Director of the National Center for Transgender Equality, no topic has been taboo for Rodrigo Heng-Lehtinen. When he emerged from the fog that separated him from others by coming out as trans, one of the first challenges was telling his family, including his mother, a long-time Republican Congresswoman. His ability to not make assumptions about what's in a person's heart...
Mark as Played
May 30, 2023 • 66 mins
In our most wide-ranging interview yet, we speak with Jennifer Brown, a DEI thought leader, author, and entrepreneur who explores the boundaries of where we can go to ensure everyone has the opportunity to succeed. Classically trained in performance, she harnessed the courage it took to perform on stage and dance in the fire of the spotlight and cultivated that into standing for others and creating cultures of inclusion. She's ...
Mark as Played
Popular Podcasts
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations.
Anna Sale explores the big questions and hard choices that are often left out of polite conversation.
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people.
A straightforward look at the day's top news in 20 minutes. Powered by ABC News. Hosted by Brad Mielke.