HERsay Podcast

Host Caroline Elliott discusses our June book picks with Barnes & Noble's Terri Rogers. This month's titles include: New Fiction Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus Iona Iverson's Rules for Commuting by Clare Poole Beach Read Birds of California by Kate Catugno Self Improvement/Psychology The High 5 Habit by Mel Robbins Parenting Forever Boy: A Mother's Memoir of Autism by Kate Swenson (Auto)Biography Fly Girl: A Memoir by Ann Hood Children's Picture Book The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn Chapter Book (middle grades) Skandar and the Unicorn Thief by A.F. Steadman Young Adult The Agathas by Kathleen Glasgow and Liz Lawson College Prep The Freshman Survival Handbook by Nora Bradbury-Haehl

For this month’s HERsay Podcast x Barnes & Noble Book Picks episode, Caroline talks with Barnes & Noble’s Vi Everley about May’s selections. Titles include The Helm of Midnight (new fiction), Explorer’s Guide to the Adirondacks (travel), A Radical Guide for Women with ADHD: Embrace Neurodiversity, Live Boldly, and Break Through Barriers (women’s health), Cooking for Wizards, Warriors and Dragons: 125 unofficial recipes inspired by The Witcher, Game of Thrones, The Broken Earth and Other Fantasy Favorites (cooking,) Gold Dust Woman: The Biography of Stevie Nicks (biography), and Dare to Lead (business).

In April, Springtime has arrived, and with warmer weather comes our desire for creativity and a re-focus on physical and mental health. Join Caroline and B&N's Sara LaFaro for this fun and informative discussion our book picks for April. Each month, the HERsay Podcast partners with Barnes & Noble to select books that speak to what's on the minds of women. This month's picks: Remarkably Bright Breatures by Shelby Van Pelt; Mating In Captivity by Esther Perel; The Female Brain by Louann Brizendine; Emily Dickinson's Gardening Life by Marta McDowell; Born A Crime by Trevor Noah (for it's amazing female characters); and The Pepper Thai Cookbook by Pepper Tiegen.

February is an especially great month for hunkering down with a good book. This month we're sharing four titles we think you'll love, as we also celebrate Lunar New Year, Valentine's Day and Black History Month. In today's episode, host Caroline Elliott talks with Barnes & Noble's Clare Hilton about this month's picks: Beasts of a Little Land by Juhea Kim, The Secret History by Donna Tartt, The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman, and Kindred by Octavia Butler.

Happy New Year everyone! We want 2022 to be a year of connection, being our best selves, and doing our part to create a brighter future for generations to come. For this Open Mic New Year message, we asked 17-year-old social activist Lola DeAscentiis to share her vision for how we all can help create the future that her generation wants and needs in the new year and beyond. What's your wish for 2022? What would you most like to see change? Share your voice at hersaypodcast.com or visit us on Instagram at @hersay_podcast.   Lola DeAscentiis is a high school senior in Rochester, NY. She is co-President of the Upstate NY Girl Up Coalition, a division of the UN Women’s international Girl Up Campaign, Communications Director for the New York Youth Climate Leaders, and a member of the leadership team for the Rochester Youth Climate Leaders. In her spare time, she is also an interpreter at the National Susan B. Anthony Museum and House. You can find her on both Twitter and Instagram at @Lola.Deascentiis       Song: Borough by Blue Dot Sessions

The path to pursuing our goals and dreams is rarely a smooth, easy, or linear one. When we know what we want and have the passion, plan, and tools to achieve it, it feels like nothing can stop us.  But when unforeseen challenges and obstacles test our resilience, we need to take a moment to re-calibrate and create a new plan for achieving our goals. For many of us, 2021 has been a year of regaining our footing after the uncertainty of lockdowns, perhaps riddled with stops and starts, and getting back to a new sense of normal in a world that seems to be evolving faster than ever. If this sounds familiar to you, you may be looking to get back on track in 2022 to pursue the goals, passions, and dreams you’ve had to put on hold, maybe even defining new goals to pursue and achieve in the coming year. In this episode of our series She Succeeded (and You Can, Too!), we’re talking with Dr. Dravon James, author of Freedom is Your Birthright and host of the Everyday Peace radio show, who shares tangible steps we can take every day to re-focus, re-ignite our drive, and make our goals and dreams a reality in the new year. Let's do this!   Song: Borough by Blue Dot Sessions

During National Native American Heritage month, the HERsay Podcast is shining a spotlight on a trailblazing woman who, for over 40 years, has been sharing the stories and spirit of Indigenous people in a most unique way - through modern dance. Daystar Rosalie Jones is the founder and Artistic Director of Daystar Contemporary Dance Drama of Indian-America, recognized as the first native modern dance company in the United States. Daystar was born on the Blackfeet Reservation in Montana, and in 2021 is celebrating 41 years of the Daystar Dance Company “Making Spirit Visible”. She is a choreographer, dancer, teacher, author, and winner of the first-ever Lifetime Achievement Award from the Institute of American Indian Arts. Learn more and purchase tickets to the gala performance of Daystar Contemporary Dance-Drama of Indian America’s Stories from Turtle Island in Rochester, NY from December 3-5.   Song: Borough by Blue Dot Sessions

This one is for our book lovers! Each month, the HERsay Podcast partners with Barnes & Noble Booksellers to assemble a list of books we think women will love, informed by what’s happening in our lives and in the world right now. Our lists feature empowered and empowering women characters, women authors sharing unique stories, and books to help us get things done, help us be our best selves, and inspire the happiness we all deserve. In this episode, we’re sharing Caroline’s fun and SPOOKY conversation with Barnes & Noble’s Kasia Zubrzycki about our October selections, featuring spine-tingling fiction, literary fantasy, Halloween crafts, decor, and even trivia to share with kids. Be sure to listen ALL the way to the end to get the clue you need to enter our book giveaway at the end of the month!   Song: Borough by Blue Dot Sessions

In a world filled with influencers today, it would be hard to name one person with more enduring influence and impact on the aspirations of young girls than the Disney Princess. But we, and Disney Animation, have come a long way since the first Disney Princess, Snow White, graced the big screen in 1937 singing “Someday My Prince Will Come” and keeping house for the seven dwarves while they went off to work. Today’s Disney princesses are embarking on their own “hero’s journeys”, saving their kingdoms from destruction, and learning valuable lessons along the way. In this episode in our HERsay Today series, we’re talking with Osnat Shurer, producer of Disney’s Raya and the Last Dragon, released earlier this year, and also of Moana, released in 2016. Osnat shares how Disney’s newest princesses and role models, 18-year-old Raya and 16-year-old Moana, were created and how Osnat herself rose to be the ideal leader for these films.   Song: Borough by Blue Dot Sessions

More than 186,000 residents and staff of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities have passed away during the COVID-19 pandemic, accounting for approximately one-third of all U.S. COVID-related deaths.   As new information, rules, and regulations were filtered into nursing homes beginning in March 2020, staff were tasked with not only the medical treatment of residents but also the emotional and spiritual support of residents and families as sickness and death loomed larger than ever, and in-person contact with loved ones abruptly diminished.   Sister Mary Lou Mitchell became Director of Pastoral Care at St. Ann’s Community, a network of senior care facilities in New York State, back in 2006. In today’s episode, Sister Mary Lou discusses her experience leading the support of residents, families, and staff throughout the pandemic, and helping to create closure and peace for all after the many changes and losses endured throughout that.     Song: Borough by Blue Dot Sessions

And we’re back! But…We’ve made it to the finish line of the COVID-19 pandemic, and while we’re working toward creating a new sense of “normal”, things are definitely not as they were before March 2020. We’re kicking off Season 2 of the HERsay Podcast with the series “So, Now What?” to help us all figure out how best to move forward after the many changes and challenges that the last year and a half brought on for women. Barb Klein is a certified life coach, addiction recovery coach, and author of 111 Invitations: Step Into the Full Richness of Life. In today’s episode, Barb shares her advice for moving forward after career changes, mothering changes, and changes in our own mental health, so that we can reconnect with our own happiness, get unstuck, and step confidently into our next new chapter. An early-bird registration discount is available now for Barb’s next Women’s Renewal Retreat until July 31st.   Song: Borough by Blue Dot Sessions

Sister Grace Miller founded the House of Mercy, a low-barrier shelter serving one of New York's largest homeless populations, over 35 years ago and has been leading its daily operations ever since.   While known as the "Mother Theresa of Rochester", the 86-year-old nun is also proud of her reputation as an outspoken thorn in the side of anyone daring to get in the way of her mission to help "her people" get back on their feet.     Song: Borough by Blue Dot Sessions

Damona Hoffman is one of the country's most visible and sought-after dating experts. She shares advice on air on The Drew Barrymore Show, CNN, NPR, as a journalist in the Los Angeles Times and the Washington Post, and also on her own podcast Dates & Mates with Damona Hoffman. But the road to entrepreneurial success wasn't a straightforward one, or one traveled overnight.   Listen as Damona shares the twists, turns, and other obstacles encountered along her career path, her sage business advice to women entrepreneurs everywhere, and her secret to managing a dream life of devoted mom, wife, and media multi-hyphenate.   Song: Borough by Blue Dot Sessions

Jessica was a University professor in a male-dominated science department when a new professor created a sexually-charged, toxic environment for students and faculty. When Jessica and colleagues filed a complaint, instead of providing support, the University retaliated, derailing the victims' academic and professional careers.  Song: Borough by Blue Dot Sessions

Moms of Black, Brown, Muslim, LGBTQ+, and Autistic Children Tell Us What Their Kids Need and How We Can All Help Each Other To Unite and Thrive In this Mom Allyship special, we’re talking with moms of children who are often victims of “otherness” discrimination: what weighs heaviest on their minds and how other moms can help make the world a safer and more unified place. Guests include Rachel Rosner (2:22), Uzma Jafri (34:02), Zaiba Hasan (59:12), Liz Dyer (1:25:44), and Cheli English-Figaro (1:46:18).

Sue Kirby is the Founder & CEO of Brightstar Community, an organization connecting survivors of trafficking and prostitution with services and housing to help them heal and transition into a new life of independence and sobriety. Sue was inspired to begin her work as a result of her own experience with addiction and abusive relationships. Despite the many challenges of starting from the ground up, in our episode, she is celebrating the opening of Brightstar’s first home for women and shares the inspiring story of how she made it all happen. Song: Borough by Blue Dot Sessions

Maggie Battista is the author of cookbooks Food Gift Love and New Way to Food, and the founder of Boston-based Eat Boutique, a food-gift retail space and online resource for crafty cooks and DIY food fans. A daughter of Honduran immigrants, Maggie discovered that when she shared the personal story of her struggles with food in her second cookbook, her relationship with her fan base and clients deepened, leading to an abundance that has enabled her to feel aligned with her values and to give back to her community. Maggie now uses these principles to guide entrepreneurs toward their own vision for success with We Are Magic Studio. Song: Borough by Blue Dot Sessions

Lisa and Lexi grew up in homes that weren't very different from yours or those of people we all know. Yet it only took a few choices before prostitution became the only way they felt they could survive. How did they get lured into this dangerous, trauma-filled lifestyle? How did their families react? Why did they stay, and what finally made it possible for them to break free? In this interview with host Caroline Elliott, Lisa and Lexi share their first-hand accounts of life as sex workers and their struggle to escape its entrapments and begin a new life. Some strong language and graphic descriptions are included.   Songs: Borough & Gra Hovedvei by Blue Dot Sessions

You are a college student, or you've been one, know of one, or seen one on Netflix. Pre-pandemic, college years were a time when students independently test-drive adult life, organically meet potential boyfriends/girlfriends anywhere they go and figure out their own best practices for finding and maintaining romantic relationships. In this episode of HERsay Today, we talk with a panel of women college students about how the pandemic has impacted dating life today, and our experts share solutions for making the best of dating right now. Guests include relationship expert Beth Sonnenberg, digital matchmaker Julie Spira, dating coach, and "Dates & Mates" podcast host Damona Hoffman.   Song: Borough by Blue Dot Sessions

As President & CEO of the Susan B. Anthony Museum and House, Deborah Hughes has become a leading voice in the fight for gender equity and the empowerment of women to use their right to vote. 2020 was a milestone year for the museum and for Deborah herself. In this episode of Callings, Deborah shares the story of her path to taking on this role at this pivotal time in women’s history and discusses some of her incredible, unexpected experiences during one of the most turbulent years of our time.   Song: Borough by Blue Dot Sessions