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Heidi Sieck and Nicole Haggard: Speaking Truth to Power
Welcome to Smart, Amazing Conversations with Dr. Nancy, a podcast that explores the stories of life and leadership from extraordinary women – and men – who are making a difference and creating a better world. Each episode features powerful conversations filled with personal stories, insights, and actionable advice to inspire you to lead, learn, and make a difference.
Show Notes:
Dr. Nancy welcomes Heidi Sieck and Dr. Nicole Haggard for a powerful compilation on the topic of equality. Sieck shares her insights on the decades-long political strategy to limit reproductive freedom, and its critical role in empowering women to step into leadership. She also weighs in on the importance of local political engagement to protect these rights. Haggard highlights the necessity of intersectionality, comprehensive data, and the inclusion of men in the fight for gender equity. Together, they explore pathways to equality through representation, narrative research, coalition building, and actionable steps to create lasting change. This episode is a call to action and looks at the ways we can support one another, engage politically, and reimagine a future where equality is the foundation for progress.
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About Heidi Sieck:
Heidi Sieck is a civic entrepreneur and co-founder of Vote Pro Choice, where she currently serves as Board Chair. With over 30 years of experience in the reproductive rights ecosystem, Heidi has dedicated her career to advancing gender equity and empowering women in leadership. Her work emphasizes the critical role of reproductive freedom in enabling women to step into leadership opportunities. Under her guidance, Vote Pro Choice prioritizes down-ballot women of color candidates and engages low-propensity voters, newly registered women, and young people. Heidi is committed to fostering organizational leadership that reflects the communities served, championing diversity, equity, and inclusion.
About Dr. Nicole Haggard:
Nicole Haggard, PhD, is a scholar, consultant, and advocate for gender equity and representation. Formerly the director of the Center for the Advancement of Women at Mount Saint Mary’s University, she has been a faculty member in the Film, Media, and Social Justice program since 2015. Co-founder of the Center for Intersectional Media and Entertainment, Dr. Haggard focuses on advancing representation in the entertainment industry. Her work blends data and storytelling to drive cultural change, collaborating with organizations like the Geena Davis Institute and Lyda Hill Philanthropies. She holds a PhD in American Studies with a focus on Women’s Studies and Critical Race Theory.
Timestamp:
[00:04:06] Experience of Real Impact of Reproductive Freedom
How Sieck‘s experience at Planned Parenthood and the Nebraska state legislature led to 30-year fight for more women in leadership and opportunities for what is neeed for health care.
[00:08:41] The Loss of Roe v. Wade
Development of the decades-long, well-funded political strategy that integrated a small radical electorate into the Republican Party and ultimately led to the overturning of Roe v. Wade and the need to engage with local politics today.
[00:16:44] Abortion as a Community Issue
Why access to comprehensive sexual education, birth control, and abortion is not just a women’s issue but a community-wide concern that impacts both men and women and requires collective action.
[00:24:22] Intersectionality in Gender Equity
Haggard’s perspective on the importance of representation and intersectionality of race, gender, skills, and perspectives working together to create comprehensive data to drive gender equity change by speaking truth to power.
[00:32:24] The Cost of Being a Woman
The financial and societal costs women face, from being paid less to pay for things that cost more, even life itself in terms of maternal mortality, and the importance of addressing these disparities.
[00:34:03] Including Men in the Conversation
The necessity of involving men and the next generation in solving gender inequity to create lasting cultural change.