Electric Ladies Podcast

"You see corporate procurement of clean energy, predominantly renewable energy, but there's fleet investments, there are efficiency improvements in buildings and on campuses underway….but it was a little different than what we'd seen in recent years. It wasn't just solar and wind. There was an interest in 24/7 reliable clean energy in particular by the tech industries, which won't surprise you, but things like nuclear, geothermal, other integrated technologies like solar and storage…So that's kind of an interesting set of dynamics because it's really diversifying the players in the corporate for procurement space" Lisa Jacobson on Electric Ladies Podcast
With the war Trump started in Iran causing gas prices to soar, we wanted to understand where the energy sector really is today, despite economic and geopolitical pressures. Luckily, the new 2026 Energy Factbook just came out with the answers.
Listen to Lisa Jacobson, President of the Business Council for Sustainable Energy (BCSE) talk about the findings in the new energy report they did with Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) again in this fascinating discussion with Electric Ladies host Joan Michelson. 
You'll hear about:
How AI is affecting energy markets and sources -- beyond just data centers.
How the energy supply chain is at risk, not just the energy sources themselves.
How reliable the grid is today and what's being done to strengthen it, including increasing transmission, efficiency, and resiliency in the face of $800 billion in climate events last year.
Why she said AI is "inertia breaking" in a good way, forcing breakthroughs that are long overdue.
Plus, insightful career advice, such as…
"Reach out, reach out, reach out…We're an expanding sector and so much new innovation, new technology, new focus on us…it's a good time to be in the energy sector …So I think a lot of it's still relationships and putting yourself out there. I think that is key. And certainly I would say to anybody who's listening, don't hesitate to reach out to me.… (and) Be generous with your time." Lisa Jacobson on Electric Ladies Podcast
Read Joan's Forbes article about this new report here and more of her articles here too.
You'll also like:
Nuclear Energy is Growing Fast - with Maria Korsnick, CEO of the Nuclear Energy Institute
The Politics of Progress on Climate and Energy - with Congresswoman Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania, Co-Chair of the Bipartisan Climate Solutions Caucus and Air Force veteran
Energy Efficiency Saves Money - with Paula Glover, CEO of the Alliance to Save Energy
Critical Minerals 101 - with Abby Wulf, Critical Minerals expert and former head of Critical Minerals in the U.S. Dept. of Energy
Why Geothermal is the Next Big Thing - with Marit Brommer, Ph.D., head of the International Geothermal Association
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"If there are people who are willing to talk to you about it, the first thing you got to do is listen….I grew up in a very rural area and it's very conservative also. And when I go home, I don't talk about climate change. I do talk about what's going on with hunting season. 'Oh, there's no deer this year. Why do you think that is? Tell me about the rain'….It is again about that pivoting and you have to understand what's important to the people you're talking to… I might say, 'I just upgraded my mom's generator. It's great because with all the outages we're having out here, now she can get electricity and I know your husband's been sick, that could be something that could be really beneficial for you.' I do not mention climate change…I am putting out ideas that are going to save somebody's life, I'm responding to the situation of the people that I'm speaking with."
Allison Agsten on Electric Ladies Podcast
How do we keep people safe and sound in the face of ferocious weather, wildfires and floods, especially when they wince at the words "climate change"? Make it real for their world. How?
Listen to Allison Agsten, Director of the Center for Climate Journalism and Communications at the University of Southern California in this fascinating conversation with Electric Ladies Podcast host Joan Michelson. She also curates art at the intersection of art and climate at the Wrigley Marine Science Center.
 
You'll hear about:
How to keep people safe with adaptation strategies without talking about climate change.
How art and climate intersect and how it helps people stay safe.
How to combat disinformation and misinformation…and so much more
Plus, career advice, such as:
"When I talk to women who are at some point in their careers and they're thinking of joining our sustainability communicator cohort, they always say to me, I just don't know if my skills are translatable. Yeah, they are. I can help you think about the language…It's scary because I've done it myself. I've made a number of career pivots, but to me, even scarier is not taking that chance and having the opportunity to feel really good about the work you do every day….I sleep well at night because I know that I used the skills that I have to do the thing that I think is most important." Allison Agsten on Electric Ladies Podcast
Subscribe to our newsletter here -- and Read Joan's Forbes articles here.
You'll also like:
How to Talk About Climate in a Polarized Culture - with Katharine Hayhoe, Ph.D., Climate Scientist, Professor at Texas Tech University and Chief Scientist at The Nature Conservancy
Seek First to Understand - with Jennifer Hough, Advisor, TEDx Speaker, Author
How Do We Talk About Climate? - with Jill Tidman, Executive Director of The Redford Center, nonprofit producing environmental documentaries and media
What's a Tech Humanist? - with Kate O'Neill, Speaker, Tech Humanist, Author
The Politics of Climate & Energy – with Congresswoman Chrissy Houlahan, Co-Chair, Bipartisan Climate Solutions Caucus
How Climate Modelling Affects Everything – Maria Caffrey, Ph.D., Principal Scientist, UK's National Physical Laboratory
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"What I knew about Carbon Credits having watched them for many years is that they're not always what they seem...So, Calyx Global was founded in 2021 to help companies navigate the space, to really understand….(i)t's a promise that somebody has reduced methane in that landfill or planted some trees thousands of miles away. So that's what Calyx Global is, we're a Carbon Credit Ratings Agency. But really what we're doing is, for every one of these assets, helping buyers understand what's underneath that, what the quality of that asset is.  Donna Lee on Electric Ladies Podcast
 You've probably heard the words "carbon credits" banted about. But what are they exactly and how do they work?  
Listen to Donna Lee, CEO & Cofounder of Calyx Global (and former climate policy negotiator at the UN and U.S. State Dept.) in this fascinating conversation with Electric Ladies Podcast host Joan Michelson.
You'll hear about:
●        What carbon credits are, how they're measured and verified, because they are not all equal.
●        Where policies and regulations provide stability (or uncertainty)
●        Why companies buy and trade carbon credits – the business case.
●        Plus, career advice, such as:
"One is, follow your passion always. If you are passionate about making a difference, find a job where you make a difference. Don't settle for less and you will succeed more if you feel really strongly and you love what you're doing…The other thing, just being sort of a woman in late career and only maybe in some ways only finding my footing now as a co-founder is, don't underestimate your abilities….What's more important, competence or confidence? It is both in equal measure. Women always underestimate their abilities, right? Men always overestimate and women always underestimate. And so women double down on competence…You can be authentic and confident and don't undersell yourself… Lean in on the things that come naturally to you." Donna Lee on Electric Ladies Podcast
Subscribe to our newsletter and Join the waitlist for our new Membership Group here and read Joan's Forbes articles here.
You'll also like:
·      Carbon Accounting 101: with Alyssa Zucker, Senior Industry Principal in Carbon at Workiva – aka The Carbon Lady
·       Carbon Credits 101: with Lucy Hargreaves at Patch (now at Build Canada)
·       How to Get To Carbon Zero, with Melissa Lott, Ph.D. at Columbia University Center for Global Energy Policy featured in the "Chasing Carbon Zero" documentary.
·       A Biography of Carbon: with documentary filmmaker, writer and producer, Danielle Ortega of the Australian Film Commission on her extraordinary film "Carbon: An Unauthorized Biography
·       Using Captured Carbon To Make Energy: with Bjork Kristjansdottir, of Carbon Recycling International
Subscribe to our newsletter to receive our podcasts, blog, events and special coaching offers.
Thanks for subscribing on Apple Podcasts or iHeartRadio and leaving us a review!
Follow us on Twitter @joanmichelson

"Number one reason that people get denied and they didn't read the eligibility criteria. So yeah, very, very important …If you don't have the qualifications or something for something, you partner with somebody who does and you guys go after it together.… If you don't know something, that gives you a reason to call the vendor and start that conversation and get that personal relationship with them.…Relationships, relationships, relationships. It really is the key to grants. It's really not about what you write, it's about who you're speaking to ahead of time." Megan Pater on Electric Ladies Podcast
Nonprofits and mission focused small businesses are facing historic funding threats at the moment due mostly to massive cuts in federal funding under the Trump administration and Republican-led Congress and related political pressures. The good news is that this crisis is also an opportunity for these nonprofits and mission-focused businesses to think differently about how they fund their operations and their goals. How?
Listen to Megan Pater, CEO/Founder of Fund Nation and ECE Solutions on how to find and secure grants in this enlightening conversation with Electric Ladies Podcast host Joan Michelson. She also happens to be a member of the Native American Osage Nation.
You'll hear about:
●        How you don't have to be a nonprofit -- even if the grant criteria requires one.
●        How relationships, partnerships and creative strategic thinking are key.
●        The magic of Megan's database to help small businesses and nonprofits secure grants
●        Plus, career advice, such as:
"Relationships. If you are seeking to move even laterally in your career, just making some type of change, you need to know what you're getting into, speak to somebody who's been there, reach out for help.… There's so many programs that are government-funded or city- or county-funded that you can enter into and they will raise you up…There's no reason for you not to feel supported.…But there's so many resources out there that are free and available that we already pay for with our taxes, and if you're not utilizing them, you are hurting yourself….We've already paid for them when we pay our taxes and people don't utilize them enough."
Megan Pater on Electric Ladies Podcast
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Read Joan's Forbes articles here.
 You'll also like:
·       Creative Leverage for Good -- Kate Williams, CEO of 1% for the Planet
·       You Can Make A Difference Where You Are -- Laur Hesse Fisher, MIT's Environmental Solutions Initiative
·       Scaling Women Climate Entrepreneurs -- Zainab Salbi, Daughters for Earth
·       Connecting With Curiosity -- with Jennifer Hough, Author, TEDx Speaker, Advisor
·       Corporate Philanthropy At America's Largest Bottler – with Ann Canela, Head of Corporate Giving at Niagara Water and Niagara Cares, It's Philanthropic Arm
·       New Venture Capital Models For Women and CleanTech – with Cecile Blilious, Veteran Venture Capital investor and Co-Founder, Venture ESG
 
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Thanks for subscribing on Apple Podcasts or iHeartRadio and leaving us a review!
Follow us on Twitter @joanmichelson

"Healthcare Without Harm is more of an advocacy organization that works with clinicians and other healthcare workers to reduce the environmental impact of healthcare and pollution as well as climate impacts. And then Practice Greenhealth advises hospitals on how to get there and they do this awards process…(which is) about having people aware of all these different metrics that impact your operational sustainability…(and) raise awareness among the people who are running the hospital and leadership about how they're using water, food waste, where they're buying their food from, their waste hauling costs and the type of waste they're throwing away, their…carbon emissions…and guides."
Dr. Anna Goldman on Electric Ladies Podcast
"The climate crisis poses a critical threat to health systems and populations globally with projections of 14.5 million preventable deaths and 1.1 trillion in healthcare costs by 2050," the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine said. How can hospitals care for patients and staff  24/7 every day while also reducing its own carbon footprint and stay safe in extreme weather events?
Listen to Dr. Katherine Gergen-Barnett and Dr. Anna Goldman of Boston Medical Center in this fascinating conversation with Electric Ladies Podcast host Joan Michelson.
You'll hear about:
●        Their creative initiatives and systems to reduce food waste, feed patients and staff better, and reduce energy and water consumption, CO2 emissions, and waste.
●        How state policies directly affect hospitals and communities and can support systems change, even regardless of federal policies.
●        What Practice Greenhealth is and how it's helping BMC and other medical centers manage their unique challenges and reduce their environmental impact and costs.
●        Plus, career advice, such as:
"You can do it all, but you don't have to do it all at once.…Enjoy each chapter. There are parts where I've absolutely receded based on what matters most. Recently when my father was ill and dying, I needed to step away from some of my career pulls to say, this is what matters to me….Try as best as you can not to be fear-driven. I think we are so driven by fear that we're never going to be enough, that we aren't going to contribute enough….(Y)ou actually are enough just as you are, right? Take this day, do what you can. Impact the people around you.…Become partners in your career with unlikely people, people who don't think like you, people who aren't doing the same career as you. You'll get a lot more joy out of, I think, your career because of the cross-pollination."
Dr. Katherine Gergen-Barnett on Electric Ladies Podcast
 
Subscribe to Joan's Electric Ladies Podcast newsletter here to receive podcasts, career advice, events and articles in your inbox weekly. Read Joan's Forbes articles here.
 
You'll also like:
·       How Hospitals Can Juggle 24/7 Care & Climate Impacts - with Carol Gomes, CEO/COO of Stony Brook University Hospital
·       Using Software & AI to Reduce CO2 & Increase Resilience – with Lydia Walpole & Chris Bradshaw of Bentley Systems
·       Leveraging AI for Sustainability – with Mandi McReynolds, VP of External Affairs & Chief Sustainability Office at Workiva
·       Music, Public Health & Climate Action – with Emma O'Brien, Ph.D., Global Scrub Choir
·       Connecting With Curiosity – with Jennifer Hough, Author, TEDx Speaker, Advisor to Leaders
·       Artificial Intelligence and the Climate: Stephanie Hare, Ph.D, author of "Technology is Not Neutral" and BBC Broadcaster
·       Why Our Lives Depend on Women on Boards – with Corinne Post, Ph.D., Lee High University (now at Villanova)
 
Subscribe to our newsletter to receive our podcasts, blog, events and special coaching offers.
Thanks for subscribing on Apple Podcasts or iHeartRadio and leaving us a review!
Follow us on Twitter @joanmichelson