At six years old, Dr. Maya Shankar fell in love with the violin, and by thirteen, she was studying at Juilliard with legendary violinist Itzhak Perlman. She was on her way to becoming a concert violinist when, at fifteen, a serious hand injury abruptly ended that dream. But what initially felt like a devastating loss would send Maya down an entirely different path, one that would ultimately lead her to the White House. On this episode of She Pivots, Dr. Shankar shares how she went from aspiring concert violinist to cognitive scientist, studying at Yale and Stanford, before building the first behavioral science team in the Obama White House. Today, she explores the science of change through her podcast, A Slight Change of Plans, and her book, The Other Side of Change, helping others understand how life's unexpected turns can reveal parts of ourselves we never knew existed. 

Chapters:

00:00 Welcome to She Pivots

01:40 A Violinist's Journey Begins

12:40 A Rising Violin Star

16:50 The Injury

19:40 Walking Away from Her Violin Dreams

23:32 Maya's Start In Cognitive Science

25:53 Building A White House Behavioral Science Team

33:07 Navigating Change and Identity

36:07 The Why Behind Your What

37:41 Low Point to Launch

43:43 Reflections on Maya's Pivot

44:59 Podcast Production Credits

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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, and a 2026 Signal Award Winner.

Support the show: https://www.shepivotsthepodcast.com/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Breion Winston was a basketball star at Rice until she decided to walk away from her final season to move to Tampa and support her husband, NFL quarterback Jameis Winston. Life as the wife of a professional athlete took her from New Orleans to Cleveland and eventually New York. Along the way, she became a mother of two, launched an activewear line, and carved out her own identity in the bright spotlight of her husband's career. On this episode of She Pivots, Breion talks about finding her footing outside of the NFL, the women who have inspired her, and how a shared love of storytelling led her to an unexpected new chapter as a Broadway producer. Now, she and Emily are co-producing Wanted, a new Broadway musical about two Black sisters who became outlaws in 1893 Texas, that opens on November 8 at the James Earl Jones Theatre.

Use code SHEPIVOTS for a discount on your tickets to Wanted!

Chapters:

00:00 Welcome to She Pivots

01:29 Growing up in Alabama

04:06 An Early Love of Sports

07:18 College Basketball and Leaving Home

12:37 How Breion met Jameis

15:09 Moving to Tampa and the NFL Spotlight

23:17 Building Community in New Cities

27:20 Girls' Trip to Support Women in Sports

30:42 Breion's Love of Musicals

34:35 Co-Producing Wanted: A New Musical

37:59 Connection Through Arts and Sports

40:34 Balancing Life as an NFL Wife

42:51 The Impact of NIL and College Athletics

44:18 Low Point to Launch

46:11 The Role of Faith

49:01 Closing Thoughts and Credits

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.

Some people you’ve known your whole life, but their stories still have the power to surprise you. Lacey Tisch is one of those people for me, a family member whose childhood was deeply intertwined with my own. On this episode of She Pivots, Lacey opens up about a life shaped by medical trauma, a long and complicated struggle with alcohol, and the journey to finally getting sober. We talk about what it looked like when things were at their worst, why sobriety finally stuck after years of trying, and how she went from treatment to co-founding Sage + Sound, a wellness destination on New York’s Upper East Side, in the middle of the pandemic.

Chapters:

00:00 Welcome to She Pivots

01:39 The Car Accident and Its Aftermath

03:17 From Medical Trauma to Sobriety Struggles

09:36 A Heart Attack at 29

12:59 The Impact of Lacey's Family Support

16:33 "No One Can Get Me Sober"

19:46 The Turning Point: Staying Sober

24:25 Strategies for Recovery and Growth

29:06 From Sobriety to Wellness Entrepreneurship

31:45 Low Point to Launch

33:12 Do You Think You'll Pivot Again?

33:58 Reflections on Lacey's Pivot

35:03 Podcast Production Credits

Keep up with Lacey’s work at Sage + Sound on their website www.sage-sound.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.

Kelly Corrigan never set out to become a writer. At 36, she was a nonprofit fundraiser, a mom to two young children, and facing stage three breast cancer when she self-published a book for her dying father. That book, The Middle Place, became a New York Times bestseller and launched a writing career that includes four bestsellers and two popular shows on PBS and in podcasting. On this episode of She Pivots, Kelly shares how life’s most difficult moments reshaped her understanding of what was worth writing about, from a transformative year in Australia to navigating cancer treatment while raising her daughters and caring for her dad. She also talks about the power of telling deeply personal stories and how our response to life’s challenges can help us hold on to wonder, even in the hardest seasons.

Chapters:

00:00 Welcome to She Pivots

00:27 Kelly Corrigan Introduction

02:07 Childhood Memories and Family Dynamics

07:46 The Turning Point in Sydney

10:29 The Power of Caretakers

11:47 The Birth of a Writer

15:16 Kelly's Expectations for Her Life

18:43 Cancer Diagnosis and Writing The Middle Place

23:46 Navigating Motherhood and Treatment

31:26 What's Next After The Middle Place

33:24 The Second Book Deal

34:30 The IVF Dilemma: A Book's Evolution

39:39 The Viral Essay

42:25 Low Point to Launch

45:17 Do You Think You'll Pivot Again?

47:10 Reflections on Kelly's Story

48:30 Podcast Production Credits

Listen to Kelly Corrigan Wonders wherever you get your podcasts, and keep up with what Kelly is up to at kellycorrigan.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.

Zoanne Clack is one of the most influential writers and producers in the television industry, having written and produced more than 400 episodes across Grey’s Anatomy and Station 19. But Zoanne wasn’t always just writing about doctors—she was one. She began her career in emergency medicine, working grueling hours as a physician after training at Emory and serving at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. At 32, completely burnt out and still thinking of her lifelong dream of working in television, Zoanne packed up her life in Atlanta and moved to Los Angeles, a move that changed the course of her life. On this episode of She Pivots, Zoanne shares her experience going through medical school knowing she didn’t love science and joining Grey’s Anatomy in its very early days. She also discusses how she became a leader in what she calls “entertainment education,” using television to tackle public health issues, expand representation, and in some cases, maybe even save lives.

Chapters:

00:00 Welcome to She Pivots

00:28 From ER Doctor to Grey's Anatomy

02:25 Childhood Dreams and Career Expectations

04:45 The Practical Choice: Medical School

08:33 Burnout and the Search for a New Path

16:47 The Turning Point: Moving to Los Angeles

21:31 Finding Her Footing in TV

29:04 Balancing Two Careers: Medicine and Writing

32:30 The Evolution of Grey's Anatomy

38:05 Zoanne's Mom

40:37 The Art of Medical Education Through Media

44:22 Low Point to Launch

47:43 Reflections on Zoanne's Pivot

48:36 Podcast Production Credits

Keep up with Zoanne @zclack on instagram, and learn more about her offerings here.

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.

As a kid, Michaela Hammond had two goals pinned to her bulletin board: play sports and work in sports. She went on to play volleyball at NYU and build the career in sports she had dreamed about, but eventually found herself sobbing at her desk, wondering if she was really where she wanted to be. On this episode of She Pivots, Michaela talks about letting a dream take a new shape, the power of authentic storytelling, and how her experience in sports led her to co-found OffBall, an anti-algorithmic media company exploring the culture, fandom, fashion, and personalities surrounding the games we love. 

Check out what Offball is up to at offball.news

Thanks to YOU She Pivots is a finalist for TWO signal awards! Vote for us at these links to help us bring home gold:

Most Inspirational Podcast

Best Podcast Newsletter

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.

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.