Mika Straight Up: Recent Episodes
Mika Brzezinski
Mika Straight Up, an unfiltered and compelling listen, will have you captivated, impacted and coming back for more. Mika Straight Up is a limited weekly podcast series providing straightforward and honest insight. Just like she does every day on Morning Joe, Mika will be speaking with the rule-makers and rule-breakers from all genres, bringing you unpredictable and engaging conversations.
In this week's special episode of Mika Straight Up, Mika sits down with Lidia Fonseca, Executive Vice President and Chief Digital and Technology Officer at Pfizer. She credits her success to her remarkable mother and poorly produced American TV shows from the 1970s! With women representing just 34% of the workforce in science, technology, engineering, and math, closing this gender gap in STEM is a statistic Lidia is passionately working to change.
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Mika welcomes Deborah Streeter and Jeanette Kaplun of The Bank of America Institute for Women's Entrepreneurship at Cornell University to discuss the importance of mentorship and chat about effective ways for young female entrepreneurs to seek capital for their professional ventures.
Mika participates in Georgetown University’s Women's Forum, where she shares the screen with AirBNB's Global Director Marisa Moret to discuss their professional journeys and also fields questions from the Georgetown students that tuned-in to this special addition of Mika Straight Up.
Mika welcomes body language expert and New York Times best-selling author Janine Driver to the podcast. With people returning to the office following the pandemic and many entering an office work environment for the first time, Mika and Janine discuss how to best utilize our body language to communicate effectively in our professional lives.
Mika is joined by social scientist and best-selling author Arthur Brooks to discuss his new book “From Strength to Strength: Finding Success, Happiness, and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life.” Brooks discusses how he identified the habits of the happiest people, how to adopt them yourself, and how to break the success addiction often responsible for mid-life crises.
Bobbi Brown stops by the pod to discuss body positivity and the unique way she picks her models. Bobbi also gives makeup tips and tells Mika why she decided to launch her own podcast.
Joe and Willie crash the pod to chat about the twists and turns of Morning Joe’s 15 year run, their first impressions of each other, how they’ve grown together, and what the future holds as the show expands to four hours. Mika and Willie also recount a particular Trump tweet on this special episode of Straight Up.
Mika Brzezinksi sits down with two leading voices at the forefront of women’s rights movement. Naheed Farid, Former Member of the Wolesi Jirga and Human Rights, Civil Society and Women’s Affairs Commission Chairperson and Melanne Verveer, the Executive Director, Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security join the pod discuss the Taliban’s return to Afghanistan, the dire human rights crisis, and what the international community can do to support Afghan women at this urgent time.
Following the recording of this episode on February 9, Naheed Farid and Zarifa Ghafari were honored by Hillary Clinton with the Changemaker Award at Forbes' 30/50 Summit on International Women's Day 2022.
Created with support from Bank of America.
Here are a few ways you can support Afghan women at this urgent time:
- Volunteer or donate to help Afghan families in your community. Visit Welcome.US to learn more.
- Support Georgetown's work with Afghan women leaders. (Go to https://onwardforafghanwomen.org/ and contact us if you think you might have a job opportunity or speaking opportunity for an Afghan woman)
- Impact US policy: Reach out to your Congressperson and demand that the US put pressure on the Taliban and do everything it can to protect the people in Afghanistan from violence, starvation, and loss of rights and opportunities—and ensure that Afghan women are consulted in all decisions that affect them.
Mika welcomes brand marketing legend Donny Deutsch to the podcast to discuss how the one place women need to “man up” is when negotiating, reflect on their decades-old friendship and why it is imperative to Know Your Value professionally.
Mika details the ups and downs of her career and how getting fired wasn't a setback but a tremendous opportunity for a reset.
Mika Brzezinski welcomes Create and Cultivate founder and "Work Party" author Jaclyn Johnson to the pod to chat about how she learned to advocate for herself as a young professional. Mika also discusses the balancing act women face as they develop their identity in the workplace.
Mika chats with Forbes 50 over 50 honoree Marla Wynne Ginsburg about hitting rock bottom after losing her career in television and how she pulled off a complete professional reinvention as clothing designer and CEO of the hugely successful MarlaWynne Collection.
Cardiologist and author Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum joins the pod to discuss alarming current health trends and how to maximize your longevity. Mika also welcomes Forbes 50 over 50 honoree and renowned venture capitalist Tracy Chadwell to the podcast to discuss how a longer runway gives women more time for a career reset.
Mika welcomes BeautyBlender CEO Rea Ann Silva to discuss her journey from makeup artist to cosmetics legend and how to identify what is missing in the marketplace.
Mika welcomes acclaimed journalist and best-selling author Katty Kay to the pod to discuss how fixing the confidence gap could solve the gender equity gap, why social media is damaging young girls, and recount Mika's first Morning Joe negotiation.
Mika welcomes Forbes Women Editor Maggie McGrath to the podcast to discuss the 50 over 50 list, the upcoming "Davos for women" event in Abu Dhabi and how women are reinventing themselves professionally at staggering new rates.
Mika welcomes Gillian Galen and Blaise Aguirre, co-authors of the best-selling book "DBT for Dummies," to discuss their book's overnight success and take a deep dive into Dialectical Behavioral Therapy. Mika also shares how DBT has been invaluable on her mental health journey.
Presented by Bank of America.
Mika recounts a harrowing event as a young mother and how she overcame her guilt from the incident. Mika also shares her own journey with mental health and how therapy has been crucial to stability in her life.
Created with support by Bank of America
Mika welcomes "Earn It!" author Daniela Pierre-Bravo to the podcast. Daniela shares her gut-wrenching success story, recounts how a chance interaction with Mika changed her career forever, and details how mentorship shaped her professional journey.
Presented by Bank of America
Mika Brzezinski kicks off "Mika Straight Up" by chatting with First Lady Dr. Jill Biden about why being First lady is harder than she anticipated and the crucial role young women play in the future of American politics. Mika also shares her own career struggles and how they motivated her to take risks to help other women.
Created with support by Bank of America