She Pivots

Female Quotient founder Shelley Zalis grew up assuming she'd be a stay-at-home mom, just like her own mother. Then a job interview she thought was at an ad agency turned out to be for market research—and she took the job anyway. That accident launched a career that put her decades ahead of her industry, dragging market research onto the internet before most people had email and building a company she'd eventually sell for $80 million. On this episode of She Pivots, Shelley shares the 2 a.m. idea she had while feeding her newborn, the boardroom moment where every man in the room got picked for her own project, and why she turned down money from her family when she needed it. She also shares how inviting five girlfriends to walk the floor at the Consumer Electronics Show sparked The Female Quotient, now a community of 8.5 million professionals with lounges from Davos to the Super Bowl.   Keep up with Shelley on Instagram @shelleyzalis and see what the Female Quotient is doing at @femalequotient, and on their website www.thefemalequotient.com    Be sure to subscribe so you never miss a pivot story, leave us a rating (it really helps!), and share this episode with a woman in your life who you think needs a little inspiration.   She Pivots is a podcast created by host Emily Tisch Sussman to highlight influential women voices, share stories of bold career moves, and inspire women with interviews about career reinvention and how personal pivots can redefine professional success.   Join our Substack community! Subscribe here for exclusive content and to connect with other pivoters: shepivots.substack.com   Learn more about the inspiring women in our pivoter community by following us on instagram @ShePivotsThePodcast, and check out our website shepivotspod.com for resources and updates.    She Pivots is proud to be an iheart podcast.Support the show: https://www.shepivotsthepodcast.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Andrea Virgin didn't set out to become a civil engineer or the leader of a major arts nonprofit. But after the 2008 recession hit her dance company, she traded her pointe shoes for a hard hat and built a new career in engineering—only to face devastating loss when her husband TJ died when their daughter was 4 months old. In this episode of She Pivots, Andrea shares how she rebuilt her life (twice), the surprising boardroom idea that grew into her current mission, her role Chair and CEO of The Center for Arts and Innovation in Boca Raton, and why creativity is necessary at all stages of life.   Chapters: 00:00 Welcome to She Pivots 02:22 Childhood Memories and Early Dance Training 06:50 Cultural Influences and Family Dynamics 07:37 Balancing Dance and Engineering Studies 14:29 The 2008 Recession's Impact on the Arts 17:54 Pivoting to Civil Engineering 19:38 The Personal: Dating and Relationships 23:51 The Fateful Plane Crash 31:25 Navigating Grief and New Beginnings 37:03 Personal and Professional Growth 43:56 The Birth of a Creative Vision 52:01 Lessons from Andrea's Journey 57:39 Closing Thoughts 58:33 Podcast Production Credits   Keep up with Andrea’s work at The Center at thecenterforartsandinnovation.org    Be sure to subscribe so you never miss a pivot story, leave us a rating (it really helps!), and share this episode with a woman in your life who you think needs a little inspiration.   She Pivots is a podcast created by host Emily Tisch Sussman to highlight influential women voices, share stories of bold career moves, and inspire women with interviews about career reinvention and how personal pivots can redefine professional success.   Join our Substack community! Subscribe here for exclusive content and to connect with other pivoters: shepivots.substack.com   Learn more about the inspiring women in our pivoter community by following us on instagram @ShePivotsThePodcast, and check out our website shepivotspod.com for resources and updates.    She Pivots is proud to be an iheart podcast.Support the show: https://www.shepivotsthepodcast.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

At seventeen, Chelsie Hill was a competitive dancer with her sights set on a career as a professional performer, until a car accident with a drunk driver left her paralyzed and changed everything overnight. Her first question to the doctor wasn't about walking again; it was whether she could still dance. On this episode of She Pivots, Chelsie talks about rebuilding her identity after the accident, the moment she decided to stop waiting for permission to chase her dream, and how she turned her own search for community into the Rollettes, a wheelchair dance team that's grown into one of the largest networks for women and girls with disabilities in the world. From performing in Kelly Clarkson's "Invincible" video to dancing at the opening ceremony of the Paris Paralympics, Chelsie shares how dance became the thing that carried her through the injury, marriage, motherhood, and building a space made for women like her from the ground up.   Chapters: 00:00 Welcome to She Pivots 00:46 Guest Intro: Chelsie Hill 08:48 The Fateful Car Accident 13:54 Adapting to a New Reality 25:06 The Birth of the Rollettes 31:34 Navigating Dance in LA 37:30 Meeting Her Husband 39:10 Navigating Pregnancy With a Spinal Cord Injury 45:00 Building a Community of Disabled Moms 46:36 The Rolettes Experience 47:27 Reflecting on Chelsie's Journey 48:18 Podcast Production Credits You can follow Chelsie on Instagram @chelsiehill, and the Rollettes at @rollettes_la.  Check them out at their website www.rollettesdance.com.   Happy National Dance Day, and Happy Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Month!   Be sure to subscribe so you never miss a pivot story, leave us a rating (it really helps!), and share this episode with a woman in your life who you think needs a little inspiration.   She Pivots is a podcast created by host Emily Tisch Sussman to highlight influential women voices, share stories of bold career moves, and inspire women with interviews about career reinvention and how personal pivots can redefine professional success.   Join our Substack community! Subscribe here for exclusive content and to connect with other pivoters: shepivots.substack.com   Learn more about the inspiring women in our pivoter community by following us on instagram @ShePivotsThePodcast, and check out our website shepivotspod.com for resources and updates.    She Pivots is proud to be an iHeart podcast.Support the show: https://www.shepivotsthepodcast.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mandana Dayani grew up in Tehran during the Iran-Iraq war, in a Persian Jewish family that had been trying to flee since the 1979 revolution. She couldn't play in the park across the street, sirens were routine, and she had a gun pointed at her more than once before she was five. In 1987, her family escaped on a one-day visa, signing away their home and everything they owned to start over in New York with no English and little money. On this episode of She Pivots, Mandana takes us from that five-year-old holding her mother's hand through a career that took her from Rachel Zoe to running Prince Harry and Meghan's media company, scaling major brands across fashion, media, and tech, and co-founding one of the country's biggest nonpartisan voting organizations. She also opens up about the video she made after October 7th about her own childhood, which has now been watched more than fifty million times.   Chapters: 00:00 Welcome to She Pivots 00:28 Guest Intro: Mandana Dayani 02:02 Who is Mandana? 02:51 A Childhood in War-Torn Iran 04:31 Growing Up As A Religious Refugee 14:18 From Lawyer to Fashion Brand Builder 19:27 Leaving Rachel Zoe 21:57 The Birth of I'm A Voter 30:26 Archewell 33:06 The October 7th Viral Video 38:55 Low Point to Launch 40:33 Reflecting on Mandana's Journey 42:00 Podcast Credits Learn more about what Mandana is up to on Instagram @mandanadayani or on her website www.mandanadayani.com    Subscribe to her Substack All Of It at mandanadayani.substack.com   Be sure to subscribe so you never miss a pivot story, leave us a rating (it really helps!), and share this episode with a woman in your life who you think needs a little inspiration.   She Pivots is a podcast created by host Emily Tisch Sussman to highlight influential women voices, share stories of bold career moves, and inspire women with interviews about career reinvention and how personal pivots can redefine professional success.   Join our Substack community! Subscribe here for exclusive content and to connect with other pivoters: shepivots.substack.com   Learn more about the inspiring women in our pivoter community by following us on instagram @ShePivotsThePodcast, and check out our website shepivotspod.com for resources and updates.    She Pivots is proud to be an iHeart podcast.Support the show: https://www.shepivotsthepodcast.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In light of Gloria Steinem's passing this week, we are re-releasing our episode with her from earlier this year with a new intro reflecting on Gloria's life and legacy. This episode was recorded in February 2026, and originally released on Gloria's 92nd birthday. It honors her impact on our culture and on the lives of every individual she spent her life fighting for.   Gloria dedicated her life's work to bringing people together across generations, identities, and movements to imagine a better future for everyone. In this special episode, Emily talks to Gloria about what inspired her activism, her early travels in India, her belief that change happens in inclusive circles and through storytelling, and the legacy she hopes to leave.   Learn more about Gloria's life and Legacy at gloriasfoundation.org, and consider donating to support the incredible work they do. Chapters: 00:00 Personal Intro: Remembering Gloria Steinem 01:46 Gloria Steinem: A Feminist Legend 04:56 Gloria's Early Life 08:30 Gloria's Abortion and Her Fellowship in India 10:32 Early Career and the Playboy Bunny Exposé 14:49 The Birth of a Feminist Journalist 17:12 The Rise of a Feminist Leader 25:01 Feminism and Intersectionality 26:53 Gloria's Pivot Into Marriage 29:27 The Future of Democracy 35:14 Gloria's Home as an Hub for Activism 38:16 The Importance of Each Individual 42:05 Do You Think You'll Pivot Again? 44:47 Reflecting on Gloria Steinem's Life and Legacy 46:19 Production Credits Gloria’s Substack: https://gloriasfoundation.substack.com/  Gloria’s Instagram: @GloriaSteinem    Be sure to subscribe so you never miss a pivot story, leave us a rating (it really helps!), and share this episode with a woman in your life who you think needs a little inspiration.   She Pivots was created by host Emily Tisch Sussman to highlight women’s voices, share stories of bold career moves, and inspire women with inspirational narratives of how personal pivots can redefine professional success.   Join our Substack community! Subscribe here for exclusive content and to connect with other pivoters: https://shepivots.substack.com/   Learn more about the inspiring women in our pivoter community by following us on instagram @ShePivotsThePodcast, and check out our website www.shepivotspod.com for resources and updates.    She Pivots is proud to be an iHeart podcast.  Support the show: https://www.shepivotsthepodcast.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.