Seneca's 100 Women to Hear

Elisabeth Griffith: Author of "Formidable"

26 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The historian’s latest book chronicles American women and the fight for equality, 1920-2020. In it, Griffith looks at the 100 years that have passed...

Rena Greifinger and Alex Idol: Maverick Collective

19 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We won’t have equity for women until we have health equity, say the leaders of this unique nonprofit. Maverick Collective brings together women phil...

Lydia Moland on 19th Century Crusader, Lydia Maria Child

12 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Historian Lydia Moland’s new book resurrects Lydia Maria Child. Now mostly forgotten, Child was one of the 19th century’s most popular authors; sh...

Dr. Sara Gottfried: Author of "Women, Food and Hormones"; Part 2

05 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In a special two-episode series, the New York Times best-selling author, scientist and physician tells why women’s health needs are different from ...

Dr. Sara Gottfried: "Author of Women, Food and Hormones"; Part I

22 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In a special two-episode series, the New York Times best-selling author, scientist and physician tells why women’s health needs are different from m...

Annie Young-Scrivner: CEO of Wella Company

15 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The CEO of Wella Company, a global leader in the $100 billion beauty industry, Annie Young-Scrivner discusses her inspirational American Dream story a...

Joyce DiDonato: Opera Star

08 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Called “perhaps the most potent female singer of her generation,” she is currently getting raves in the role of Virginia Woolf in the Metropolitan...

Stephanie Spangler: Director of Costumes at The Metropolitan Opera

01 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In a typical opera season, she will oversee as many as 4,500 costumes as well as the people who put them on and take them off the Met’s performers. ...

Shauna Blythe Burke & Rebecca Myers: Jewelry Designers Collaborating for a Cause

17 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

New York Jewelry Week is on right now. And if you’re in NYC that’s the perfect venue to see the Plan B Art Project, a traveling exhibit created by...

Edith Wharton: Novelist and Designer

10 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The first woman to win a Pulitzer Prize, Edith Wharton wrote novels like “The Age of Innocence” and “The House of Mirth” that remain popul...

Nikki Giovanni: A Living Legend of Poetry

03 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This week the Poetry Foundation awarded Nikki Giovanni the Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize to recognize her lifetime achievements. Giovanni burst on the liter...

Dr. Jill Hollenbach: On the Trail of COVID-19

27 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Why do some people get Covid—but show no symptoms? That’s one of the mysteries being unraveled by Dr. Jill Hollenbach, immunogeneticist at the Un...

Anna May Wong: Hollywood’s First Asian American Movie Star

20 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

For the first time, an Asian American person will appear on US currency, when a new quarter featuring actress Anna May Wong makes its debut on October...

Margo Jefferson: Pulitzer Prize-Winning Critic, on Ella Fitzgerald

13 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The former New York Times critic, and author of the recent memoir Constructing a Nervous System, talks about the genius of the First Lady of Song, Ell...

Judit Polgar: Chess Grandmaster

06 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Judit Polgar is considered the greatest female chess player of all time—one who’s beaten many of the world's top male players. And on October 8, s...

Virginia Trimble: Astronomer and Ground-Breaker

29 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

An award-winning professor of astronomy and physics at UC Irvine with a long and colorful career, Trimble is also co-editor of The Sky Is for Everyone...

Joanna Scutts: Historian with a Focus on Amazing, Almost-Forgotten Women

22 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Her new book, Hotbed: Bohemian Greenwich Village and the Secret Club That Sparked Modern Feminism, tells about early-20th century women who were deter...

Dr. Ellen Ochoa: First Latina in Space and Former Head of NASA’s Johnson Space Center

15 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

When this former astronaut was growing up, there were few women-in-space role models for her to follow. In this reprise episode, Dr. Ochoa reveals how...

Alice Greenwald: President & CEO of the 9/11 Memorial and Museum

08 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

For 16 years—starting when the site at Ground Zero was just a hole in the ground—Alice Greenwald has worked to make the 9/11 Memorial and Museum a...

Wendy Kopp: Founder of Teach for All and Teach for America

01 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

When she was an undergrad at Princeton, she launched a revolution in education with Teach for America, a way to help children in under-served neighbor...

Meredith Bergmann: Sculptor of Monumental Women

25 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In 2020, a new statue installed in Central Park made instant history. A tribute to three pioneers of women’s suffrage—Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Sojo...

Joy Harjo: Indigenous Poet and Musician

18 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

She recently completed her third term as Poet Laureate of the United States, the first Native American to hold that position. Her poetry helps us make...

Trisha Prabhu: Putting a Stop to Online Bullying

11 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

When she was a young teen, she patented a unique technology that stops online bullying before it starts. This recent Harvard grad and Rhodes Scholar i...

Kristen Visbal: Sculptor of the Fearless Girl Statue

04 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It’s the statue that launched a million selfies. The four-foot high Fearless Girl facing the New York Stock Exchange is a symbol of female courage a...

The Surprising, Unsung Heroes of Women’s Suffrage

28 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Historian Susan Ware tells us about some remarkable heroes we don’t hear enough about: Women of the 19thand 20th centuries who fought for all people...

Lucretia Mott, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and the Women of Seneca Falls

19 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

On July 19 and 20, 1848, the first American women’s rights convention, held in Seneca Falls, New York, launched a movement whose work continues to t...

Carol Sutton Lewis: Founder of Ground Control Parenting

14 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

There is joy in parenting, as well as a lot of hard work. Attorney Carol Sutton Lewis has made a decades-long study of child rearing—and her podcast...

Anna Grassellino: Building the World’s Most Powerful Quantum Computer

07 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

What is the world made of? What are its most fundamental components? Those are the questions Dr. Anna Grassellino is attempting to answer. The Directo...

Anna May Wong: Hollywood's First Asian-American Movie Star

30 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Anna May Wong was a big star in the 1920s and 30s—she almost overshadowed Marlene Dietrich in Shanghai Express. We revisit this episode with Arizona...

Sarah Kate Ellis: President and CEO of GLAAD

23 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It’s Pride Month—a great time to talk to Sarah Kate Ellis, the head of GLAAD, the nonprofit that advocates on behalf of the LGBTQ community. Ellis...

Harriet Tubman: The Underground Railroad's Most Famous Conductor

16 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Born a slave, Harriet Tubman escaped multiple times, went on to shepherd hundreds of other enslaved people to freedom, and gained renown as an aboliti...

Amy Zalman: Futurist

09 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The founder of Prescient, a consultancy that helps Fortune 500 companies and government agencies look ahead and strategize, Amy Zalman reveals why sto...

Claudia Goldin: Expert on Women and the Economy

02 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Yes, we are living through challenging times, but there are silver linings and, as a whole, we are making progress, says Claudia Goldin, acclaimed eco...

Diane Carlson Evans: Creator of the Vietnam Women’s Memorial

26 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

During the Vietnam War, thousands of women served in the US military; many were medical personnel who saved countless lives and endured the worst of c...

Marie Yovanovitch: Former US Ambassador to Ukraine

19 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The author of the best-selling memoir, Lessons from the Edge, Marie Yovanovitch has a unique perspective on the war in Ukraine. She tells why Ukrainia...

M Jackson: Glacier Expert

12 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Glaciers are our “global library,” says glaciologist Dr. M Jackson. They tell us about earth’s past and future. Learn the secrets of...

Anna Jarvis: The Mother of Mother's Day

05 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Anna Jarvis, the founder of Mother’s Day, never had children of her own. We revisit this conversation with  Dr. Katharine Antolini, history...

Katharine Hayhoe: Climate Scientist

28 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We can save the planet, says Katharine Hayhoe—and she tells us exactly how to do that. Earth Month is a great time to revisit this conversation ...

Gilda Barabino: President of the American Association for the Advancement of Science

21 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Everyone benefits when science includes diverse people and perspectives; that's why Dr. Barabino is determined to make the field more inclusive. She l...

Kelly Benoit-Bird: MacArthur-Winning Marine Scientist

14 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Whales, dolphins, squid and a myriad of ocean creatures have so much to tell us about life on this planet and environmental change. Kelly Benoit-Bird,...

Mickalene Thomas: An Art Star Who’s Creating Change

07 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Collected by institutions from MOMA to the Guggenheim and by museums in Boston, Chicago, Tokyo and more, her vibrant work focuses on Black women ...

Christine Ye: Top Winner in the Regeneron Science Search

31 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

At 17, Christine Ye is already making contributions to our understanding of the universe. The Washington State high school student took home the $250,...

Madeleine Albright: First Woman Secretary of State

24 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The first woman appointed US Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright, who died Wednesday, March 23, was a vibrant advocate on the world stage for US in...

Maira Kalman: Artist, Author, Designer

17 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Famous for her wit and inventiveness, she’s written and illustrated dozens of books for both adults and children, won countless awards, collabor...

Alexandra Jones: Archaeologist and Educator

10 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Archaeology “makes history vocal, and it gives voice to people who otherwise have been silenced,” says archaeologist Dr. Alexandra Jones, who focu...

Oksana Markarova: Ukraine’s Ambassador to the US

03 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

At this troubled time, Ambassador Markarova stands out as a strong voice for her country. She reveals why the people of Ukraine will always fight for ...

Dr. Kali Nicole Gross: Showcasing Overlooked Black Women in History

24 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Everyone knows iconic names like Sojourner Truth and Rosa Parks, but Dr. Kali Nicole Gross, a historian at Emory University and author, says there are...

Marian Anderson: Legendary Opera Singer

17 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Hers was a voice you hear once in 100 years, said Arturo Toscanini. Marian Anderson will always be known for her 1939 concert in front of the Lincoln ...

Toni Morrison: Nobel-Winning Novelist

10 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The first African American woman to win the Nobel Prize for Literature, Toni Morrison brought eloquence, complexity and fresh insight to novels about ...

Sojourner Truth: Abolitionist and Women's Advocate

03 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Among the giants of American history, Sojourner Truth stands out. After escaping enslavement, she drew huge crowds as a speaker advocating on behalf...

Tracy Fullerton: Video Games Innovator

27 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Video games can offer us beauty, inspiration and meaning, says Tracy Fullerton, creator of hit games like Walden and The Night Journey and head of the...

Dr. Marcia Rieke: Astronomer on the Webb Space Telescope

20 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

An astronomy professor at the University of Arizona, Dr. Rieke is also a key scientist on the just-launched James Webb Telescope, the most powerful sp...

Jeanne Gang: Architect Extraordinaire

13 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The award-winning architect, who leads Studio Gang architecture and urban design firm, creates amazing buildings that keep the needs of people and the...

Julie Bargmann: Innovative Landscape Architect

16 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

She's been called the Toxic Avenger and Queen of Slag for her designs that remake toxic waste dumps and polluted industrial sites, transforming them ...

Katharine Hayhoe: Climate Scientist

09 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The chief scientist for The Nature Conservancy and professor at Texas Tech offers a message of hope: We can save the planet in the face of climate c...

Abigail Adams: Revolutionary America's Most Influential Woman

02 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The wife of president John Adams, Abigail Adams was outspoken and influential at a time when women were supposed to keep their opinions to themselves....

Roya Rahmani: Former Afghan Ambassador to the U.S.

18 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Until recently, Roya Rahmani served as Afghanistan’s ambassador to the United States, the first woman ever to hold that position. Now, with the Tal...

Diane Carlson Evans: Creator of the Vietnam Women’s Memorial

11 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

During the Vietnam War, thousands of women served in the US military; many were medical personnel who saved countless lives and endured the worst of c...

Sharon Miller: Bank of America’s President of Small Business and Head of Specialty Banking and Lending

04 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

One of the top women in banking,  Bank of America’s Sharon Miller knows that women-owned small businesses are vital to a resurgent, post-pandemic...

Elizabeth Blackwell: America's First Woman Doctor

28 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In 1849, Elizabeth Blackwell became the first woman to graduate from medical school in the U.S. But she was more than a first: She started clinics and...

Dr. Marcia Chatelain: Author of “Franchise: The Golden Arches in Black America”

21 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Since the 1960s, the history of fast-food giant McDonald’s has been interwoven with the lives of Black Americans—sometimes in surprising ways. In ...

Harriet Tubman: The Underground Railroad’s Most Famous Conductor

14 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Born a slave, Harriet Tubman escaped multiple times, went on to shepherd hundreds of other enslaved people to freedom, and gained renown as an aboliti...

Judit Polgar: Chess Grandmaster

07 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

To kick off a new season of Seneca's 100 Women to Hear, we interview the greatest female chess player of all time, Judit Polgar. Her achievements go ...

Bessie Coleman: Queen of the Air Shows

24 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In the 1920s, Bessie Coleman, one of the first Black women to earn a pilot’s license, transfixed audiences with her daredevil flying. We learn about...

Dr. Paula Johnson: Cardiologist, Researcher, President of Wellesley

19 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Besides being the first Black woman to head the prestigious college, Dr. Johnson is also a renowned cardiologist and researcher whose groundbreaking s...

Gayle Tzemach Lemmon: Telling the Untold Stories of Brave Women

17 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Her nonfiction books —including Ashley’s War and The Dressmaker of Khair Khana—top best-seller lists. We revisit this episode with Gayle Tzemach...

Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha: Hero of the Flint Water Crisis

12 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Thousands of children in Flint, Michigan were exposed to dangerous levels of lead in the city’s drinking water—but the world didn’t pay attentio...

Zainab Salbi: Champion of Women in the Most Dangerous Places

10 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

When Zainab Salbi learned that women were enduring rape and other horrors during the Bosnian War she started a fund—which became the renowned nonpro...

Edith Wharton: Novelist and Designer

05 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The first woman to win a Pulitzer Prize, Edith Wharton wrote novels like The Age of Innocence and The House of Mirth that remain popular today. We...

Dawn Riley: Sailing Legend

03 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A champion for women in sailing, Dawn Riley has made history in the world’s most challenging races. Among her feats: She was the first woman ever t...

Marley Dias: Creator of #1000BlackGirlBooks

29 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Sixteen-year-old Marley Dias likes to call herself “a problem solver,” a role she took on with #1000BlackGirlBooks, the campaign she launched at a...

Rachel Vogelstein on the New Worldwide Women’s Movement

27 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In her book, Awakening, Vogelstein, who has served as director of the Women and Foreign Policy program at the Council on Foreign Relations, tells ...

Dr. Shirley Jackson: President of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

22 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Schools in Washington, DC, were still segregated when Shirley Jackson started her education. We revisit this conversation in which Dr. Jackson tells h...

Lucretia Mott, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and the Women of Seneca Falls

20 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

On July 19 and 20, 1848, the first American women’s rights convention, held in Seneca Falls, New York, launched a movement whose work continues to t...

Wendy Kopp: Founder of Teach for All and Teach for America

15 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

When she was an undergrad at Princeton, she launched a revolution in education with Teach for America, a way to help children in under-served neighbor...

Admiral Michelle Howard: The Navy's Four-Star Groundbreaker

13 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Among her many firsts: She was the first woman to become a four-star admiral in the US Navy, and the first African-American woman to command a ship. W...

Marin Alsop: Trailblazing Orchestra Conductor

08 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The only woman to lead a major American orchestra, Marin Alsop steps down this summer as conductor of the Baltimore Symphony. She’s leaving on a hig...

Lorraine Hariton, President and CEO of Catalyst

06 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The last 18 months have been tough on everyone, especially women in the workforce. But the pandemic has also given us an unprecedented opportunity to ...

Kristalina Georgieva: Head of the International Monetary Fund

01 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Kristalina Georgieva is the second woman, after Christine Lagarde, to hold the job of Managing Director of the powerful IMF. We revisit this fascinat...

Charitie Ropati: Champion for the Rights of Native Americans

29 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Although she’s only 20, Alaska native Charitie Ropati has already made herself a voice to be heard. She’s developed public school curriculums that...

Julia Gillard: First Woman Prime Minister of Australia

24 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Born in Wales to parents who never finished their schooling, Julia Gillard grew up with a desire to make a difference. We revisit this episode in whic...

Tamika Catchings: Basketball Hall of Famer

22 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

She overcame a hearing disability, a speech impediment, and being taunted as a child—and rose to become one of basketball’s greatest players as a ...

Traci Kato-Kiriyama: Bringing People Together Through Art

17 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The Los Angeles-based artist, writer, director and activist has had performances across the US, and she’s turned LA’s Little Tokyo into a cultura...

Rawan Khalfallah: Creating the “Superwomen" of Libya

15 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Libya is a tough place to be a woman. That's why activist Rawan Khalfallah, along with her colleagues at Together We Build It, are finding creative wa...

Dr. Dava Newman: Leading Innovative Minds at the MIT Media Lab

10 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The MIT Media Lab is world-renowned for its cutting edge innovations—and come July 1, Dr. Dava Newman will be its director. She’s already won accl...

Babe Didrikson Zaharias: One of the 20th Century’s Greatest Athletes

08 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Track and field, golf, baseball…name a sport and Babe Didrikson Zaharias excelled at it. At the 1932 Olympics, she set records in the hurdles and ja...

Nikki Giovanni: A Living Legend of Poetry

03 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Ever since she burst on the literary scene in 1968 with her first book of poetry, Black Feeling Black Talk, Nikki Giovanni has been writing in every ...

Nancy Reagan: A Uniquely Influential First Lady

01 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

She was admired, criticized and vastly underestimated. and if it hadn't been for Nancy Reagan, Ronald Reagan might never have gained the White House--...

Amelia Earhart: Aviator for the Ages

27 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

She was the first woman—and second person—to fly solo across the Atlantic. Beside setting numerous flying records, Earhart was also an unapologeti...

Marie Curie: Nobel-Winning Scientist

25 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Many a young scientist has been inspired by Marie Curie, renowned for her work with radium and radioactivity and the first person to win two Nobel Pr...

Dr. Charity Dean: The Woman Who Warned America About Covid

20 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In early 2020, Dr. Charity Dean, the number 2 person in the California Department of Public Health, saw that a catastrophe was on its way. Learn why ...

Nellie Bly: The 19th Century’s Star Reporter

18 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

She practically invented undercover reporting with her expose of a women’s insane asylum. And that was just one of Bly’s pioneering feats, as we l...

Maya Ajmera, President & CEO, Society for Science

13 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

It’s science fair season, and the Society for Science runs the biggest science fairs around. The Society’s president and CEO, Maya Ajmera, is a fo...

Dr. Ellen Ochoa: First Latina in Space and Former Head of NASA’s Johnson Space Center

11 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

When Ellen Ochoa was growing up, there were no women astronauts to model herself after. But her excellence in math and science got her a job at NASA, ...

Christy Turlington Burns, founder of Every Mother Counts

06 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

For Mother's Day, we revisit Christy Turlington Burns, founder of the global nonprofit, Every Mother Counts. The former supermodel has dedicated the ...

Anna May Wong: Hollywood's First Asian American Movie Star

04 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Anna May Wong was a big star in the 1920s and 30s—she almost overshadowed Marlene Dietrich in Shanghai Express. Arizona State University professor ...

Anna Jarvis: The Mother of Mother’s Day

29 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Anna Jarvis, the founder of Mother’s Day, never had children of her own. But as Dr. Katharine Antolini, history professor at West Virginia Wesleyan...

Amanda Nguyen: A Voice for Everyone’s Rights

27 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In February, Amanda Nguyen helped ignite the crusade to combat violence against Asian Americans. But her activism goes back farther; in 2016 she pers...

Edwina Dunn: Founder, The Female Lead

22 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A pioneer in Big Data, former CEO of global data science company dunnhumby and chair of Starcount, she has been honored with Britain’s OBE. The nonp...

Dr. Judith Rodin: A Woman of Many Firsts

20 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

She was the first woman to lead an Ivy League college, as president of the University of Pennsylvania, and the first woman to be president of the pres...