If She Can Make It Here Podcast

Amplify Her Foundation's "If She Can Make It Here" is a new podcast with a lot going for it. First, it's produced by Amplify Her Foundation, a private grant-making foundation that supports women and girls from underserved communities in New York City in becoming "transformative changemakers."

Its mission is achieved through grant-making to community-led organizations, advocacy, building a network of women leaders, and conducting research to address systemic barriers. The foundation prioritizes organizations and programs led by women and/or girls.

Second, its hosts are superb - passionate and articulate. The show is hosted by Marti Speranza Wong, Founder and Executive Director of the Amplify Her® Foundation, and Maia Molina-Schaefer, Senior Director of Strategic Initiatives. Episodes cover topics like care equity, advocating for domestic workers, building inclusive workplace cultures, and the unique spirit of New York in fostering change.

In the show's inaugural episode, the co-hosts sat down with Ai-jen Poo, Co-founder and President of the National Domestic Workers Alliance and Co-founder and Executive Director of Caring Across Generations.

Ai-jen Poo shares what fuels her fight for care equity and the lessons she's learned as she built a movement from grassroots organizing in New York to transformative national policy change. The guest is a renowned speaker, organizer, and voice for women and people in labor movements.

The guest advocated for support systems that should already be in place for citizen needs, such as child care, elder care, and care equity.

I liked what the co-hosts did at the end of the show, which I assume will be their format going forward. They asked Ai-jen Poo, "to complete this sentence. If She Can Make it here, she can…" That's a nice touch for the listeners and helps solidify the key messages of the interview.

If She Can Make It Here celebrates the bold and fearless women leading across New York City. The series will feature changemakers, like Ai-jen Poo (first episode) and Reshma Saujani, who build pathways, shift narratives, and transform systems to advance gender equity.

The show uses intro music effectively, delivers strong sound quality, keeps interviews short and tight, and features co-hosts who work as a team and are listener-focused.

On October 3rd, Amplify Her® Foundation held its Launch Celebration, with New York State Attorney General Letitia James giving opening remarks and Tarana Burke, Founder of the Me Too Movement and a pioneer in driving social change and women's leadership, receiving the foundation's inaugural GlassBreaker award. 

Amplify Her® Foundation also unveiled a comprehensive research report on women's leadership, If She Can Make It Here, and a panel of esteemed women leaders joined an interactive dialogue to dive deep into the report's findings and discuss actionable interventions that empower women and girls in underserved communities.

Amplify Her® Foundation is a private grant-giving foundation that supports women and girls from underserved communities, primarily in New York City, to become changemakers. It provides grants to organizations focused on leadership development, education, and career training, and engages in community building, advocacy, and research to promote systemic change. The foundation prioritizes funding for women and/or girl-led organizations.

Amplify Her® Foundation believes that when women step into positions of influence and decision-making, they bring everyone along with them—creating a ripple effect of positive change. While today there are many barriers that prevent women from thriving, at Amplify Her® Foundation they see a future for New York City where all women are ascendant in their leadership.

Between feature episodes, If She Can Make It Here will spotlight stories from Amplify Her® Foundation's grantee partners, revealing how innovation - from STEM education to entrepreneurship - fuels long-term impact.

Check out If She Can Make It Here. Despite what the current administration will have you believe, there is a wealth of community spirit, working together, entrepreneurial spirit, female empowerment, and grassroots organizing.