For our final episode, Laurie sits down with Toni Townes-Whitley as she celebrates her one-year anniversary as the CEO of SAIC, a top tier fortune 500 company. Toni is one of only two black women running a fortune 500. How did she evolve her leadership style and skills to rise to the top? Learn with Laurie as she and Toni talk core leadership values and how to put them into practice.   For more episode takeaways and show resources, go to inspiringwomen.show/leadership-lab/.    Stay up to...

We’ve talked a lot about success on this series. But what about failures, near- failures, and the deep crises that every business goes through? You know - those days, weeks, or even months when things just suck. In this episode, Laurie and Ken, with a little help from Homeward Health CEO Jenny Schneider, step up to the mic and share their hard-won stories about what it’s like when things are hard, and how to get them back on track for success.    For more episode takeaways and show...

We’re excited to tell you about a brand new storytelling show – hosted and produced by the amazing Lupita Nyong’o – that we are just loving. It’s called Mind Your Own, and it’s about navigating what it means to belong, all from the African perspective.  Lupita Nyong’o knows what home feels like. But where exactly is it? In Mexico, where she was born? Kenya, where she grew up? Or the States, where she’s spent the past 20 years? Like Lupita, millions of Africans are spread out across the globe...

On today's episode, Glen Tullman, CEO of the health care unicorn Transcarent. He's a serial entrepreneur and leader at the nexus of business, health and technology – and one of Laurie’s most valued mentors. Laurie describes Glen as relentless (in a good way!). He’s relentless in demanding quality from his team, from the products he delivers, and especially in his conviction that through the teams and companies he builds, he can change the world for the better. So sit back, relax and get ready...

On today's episode, Laurie talks purpose-driven businesses with Andy Slavitt. Andy’s been a White House advisor, crisis response leader, health and technology business leader and investor with Town Hall Ventures. He was also the host of Lemonada’s hit podcast In the Bubble. He’s been called the ultimate outsider’s insider. Today, he gives Laurie the insider’s scoop on how to succeed when your company is fueled by a passion to make change for the better. What do passionate leaders have to know...

If you’re a founder, or a leader, or aspiring to be either, you know in your bones that building a business is nothing but a boatload of hard work, more hard work, and then more hard work after that. Of course you need to do other things to succeed, especially as a woman. You have to overprepare. Be the smartest person in the room. Exude persistence, tenaciousness, relentlessness. But if you’ve got all that going on, conventional wisdom tells us that if you put in the labor, you’ll reap the...

On today's episode, we're talking numbers, brass tacks, and bottom line math. Laurie and Lee Shapiro, co-founder and managing partner at 7Wire Ventures, fill your toolbox with all the basic, fundamental numerical facts and figures you need to nail to navigate the venture capital landscape and grow your business.    For more episode takeaways and show resources, go to https://inspiringwomen.show/leadership-lab/.   Stay up to date with us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at...

Meet Julie Yoo, investor and general partner with the famous firm Andreessen Horowitz (aka a16z). She’s an incredibly successful leader in her own right, but she also understands the essential role team and talent play in building a winning business. Julie’s a former founder herself, so the advice she gives to leaders is informed by having been on both sides of the equation: a founder seeking funding, and an investor vetting teams to ensure fit – and impact. On today’s show, Laurie and Julie...

Serial entrepreneur. Professor. Longtime investor. Founder and executive chair of the medical device incubator ExploraMed, which created 10 companies. He has more than 300 patents. He’s even in a band. Josh Makower leads a fascinating life, and in that life, he has seen a pitch deck or two. He sits down with Laurie to uncork the secret sauce that leaders need to know to craft, prepare for and deliver a perfect pitch for funding, scaling, or customer acquisition. So stroll across the quad,...

As soon as she hit Silicon Valley 25 years ago, veteran journalist and entrepreneur Kara Swisher rolled up her sleeves and got to work. She knows, and has taken to task, every tech titan: Jobs, Bezos, Musk, all the Marks (Benioff, Cuban, Zuckerberg), and also Vice President Kamala Harris, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and so many more. How did she get here? In short: through confidence, decisiveness, and being unapologetically herself. Laurie and Kara talk through the personal...

Dr. Cheryl Pegus is a woman of firsts: first chief medical officer at Walgreens, first female chair of the board of directors for the Association of Black Cardiologists, and one of the nation’s most influential healthcare leaders and clinical executives. She’s also a basketball fan, comparing Caitlyn Clark’s journey to the WNBA to the hurdles women business leaders face. To cut the ribbon on The Inspiring Women Leadership Lab, Laurie and Cheryl talk healthcare, hoops and history. Cheryl also...

Welcome to the Inspiring Women Leadership Lab, a masterclass for CEOs, entrepreneurs, and business leaders ready to challenge the status quo. Meet your instructor: Laurie McGraw, a leader at the nexus of healthcare, technology, and business. Each week, Laurie talks with visionary business leaders – trailblazers like Kara Swisher, thought leaders like Andy Slavitt, as well as investors, researchers, startup founders, and CEOs who have beaten the odds to rise to the top – to get practical...