The Call with Erica Williams Simon
Do you want to step up and do something epic? Follow your dreams, take action, change the world? In The Call, former political strategist Erica Williams Simon hosts intimate conversations with women who have answered their own call. What are the costs and challenges of taking the leap, of living your politics, of being unapologetic? How do you go from wishful thinking to real impact? What is the journey really like? Tune in, get inspired.
Episodes
September 18, 2018 • 49 mins
The last episode of Season 3 features Erica in conversation with the wonderful writer and Tony Award-winning performer Sarah Jones, recorded live in front of an audience. Sarah talks to Erica about the journey to create her own lane for herself and all of the lessons that she’s learned along the way and her new show,“Sell/Buy/Date.”
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September 11, 2018 • 54 mins
This week Erica Williams Simon talks with Jameela Jamil. The star of 'The Good Place' is an activist against hate speech toward women, particularly where bodies and weight are concerned, and they spend the episode talking about body image, success and fear.
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September 4, 2018 • 48 mins
This week, host Erica Williams Simon chats with Rebecca Cokley, Director of the Disability Justice Initiative at the Center for American Progress. They talk disability policy, fighting for justice for all, raising woke children and balancing motherhood with a demanding career.
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August 28, 2018 • 58 mins
This week, host Erica Williams Simon sits down with writer and activist Glennon Doyle. Together they talk about the balancing act of sharing your true self without tipping into depreciation, and striving for your best without focusing on perfection.
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August 14, 2018 • 40 mins
In this episode, host Erica Williams Simon sits down with Orange is the New Black star Dascha Polanco. They talk about representation, the hustle and only moving forward.
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August 7, 2018 • 60 mins
The Call is back with another fantastic, utterly beguiling, awe-inspiring guest: blogger and fashion entrepreneur Gabi Gregg. Gabi and Erica talk about failure, fashion and creating your own career path.
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July 31, 2018 • 38 mins
This week's guest is writer and editor Samhita Mukhopadhyay. After stints at Feministing and Mic and writing her book, she took over the Executive Editor role at Teen Vogue. In this episode she talks about her path to Teen Vogue and offers up some serious career advice.
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July 24, 2018 • 47 mins
Janet Mock is a New York Times best-selling author as well as a writer, producer and director on FX's Pose. In this episode of The Call, Janet and Erica talk about the importance of telling your own individual story. They cover Janet's path from print journalism to TV; fear -- and what can happen when you overcome it.
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July 17, 2018 • 40 mins
Clemantine Wamariya is a storyteller and writer. She first burst onto the scene with an appearance on the Oprah Show in 2006, where she was reunited with her family after the Rwandan genocide. In her new memoir, "The Girl Who Smiled Beads," she dives into reclaiming the narrative around her identity, her love of stories and Afro-centrism.
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July 10, 2018 • 61 mins
In this episode of The Call, I talk to Franchesca Ramsey (aka Chescaleigh), about activism, hustling and not being so hard on yourself. She also chats about her new book, Well, That Escalated Quickly: Memoirs and Mistakes of an Accidental Activist. Also we premiere a new segment, Ask E, where listeners call in with their life and career questions.
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July 3, 2018 • 5 mins
Allow me to play the role of the waiter who is here to serve you an exciting appetizer — The Call is almost BACK!!! Episode One airs Tuesday, July 10 but this teaser offers up a few bon mots from upcoming guests like Franchesca Ramsey, Gabi Fresh and Janet Mock.
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January 9, 2018 • 57 mins
Angela Yee, co-host of the nationally syndicated, wildly popular radio show, The Breakfast Club, is the final guest of The Call's Season 2. In this episode, Yee talks about what she's learned about negotiation, how she refused to be the "female sidekick" on-air in a male dominated industry, using your platform for good, pushing past sexism, and how to be respected for your work.
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January 2, 2018 • 49 mins
In this episode of The Call, Tarana Burke, founder of the #MeToo organization, tells the real story behind the movement in an effort to bring the focus back to its original intent: healing. She also talks about the danger of the hashtag, why she feels she and the movement have been misrepresented in the media, and her powerful words for survivors today.
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December 26, 2017 • 49 mins
In this episode of The Call, I sit down with Melina Matsoukas, director of HBO's Insecure and "Thanksgiving," the Emmy Award-winning episode of Master of None, not to mention director of Beyoncé's "Formation" and Rihanna's "We Found Love." We talk about her career path, how her politics influence her work, and the bold, badass thing she said when she first met Beyoncé.
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December 19, 2017 • 52 mins
Adrienne Maree Brown is the author of a book I recommend so often I might as well put it in my email signature: Emergent Strategy: Shaping Change, Changing Worlds. She's a Detroit-based writer, activist, facilitator, poet, and avid sci-fi fan. In this episode, we nerd out; We talk about what birds can teach us about social movements, the value of personal pleasure, why Beyoncé is absolutely everything, and how to survive the end of...
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December 12, 2017 • 39 mins
This week I sat down with Amanda Nguyen, activist, future astronaut and founder of Rise, a national civil rights nonprofit that helps survivors of sexual assault. After being raped in college, Amanda discovered just how few rights victims of sexual assault actually had within the criminal justice system. Thanks to Amanda and the work of many others, the Sexual Assault Survivors’ Rights Act was unanimously passed in Congress in 2016...
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December 5, 2017 • 35 mins
On this week's episode of The Call, Erica sits down with Nina Jacobson, the powerhouse Hollywood executive and producer responsible for The Hunger Games to Princess Diaries to American Crime Story: The People v. OJ Simpson. As one of a handful of female heads of studios, she's changing the way that the industry responds to and engages with women in power. This week, we talk about how she seeks to tell iconic stories that tackle ge...
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November 28, 2017 • 60 mins
In this episode of The Call, Erica Williams Simon speaks with award-winning radio show host Krista Tippett about the difference between religion and spirituality, why we should all be kinder to ourselves and what she would say to Donald Trump if she had the chance.
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November 14, 2017 • 48 mins
Despite garnering attention for organizing a city-wide protest to fight Trump's proposed Muslim ban, 17-year-old activist Hebh Jamal isn't interested in being a "famous activist." She thinks the focus on her is a distraction from the issues at hand. So when we sat down to talk for this week's episode on her day off from class, we made sure to talk about the issues that matter to her: diversity in education, what it means to be a fe...
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November 7, 2017 • 49 mins
In this episode of The Call, Erica sits down with Latham Thomas, wellness expert, doula and author of “Own Your Glow: A Soulful Guide to Luminous Living and Crowning the Queen Within." They talk about birthing dreams, how to lean into the louder, less "socially acceptable" parts of ourselves and discuss what would happen if our work lives respected our menstrual cycles. It's a good one. Enjoy.
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