Welcome to Breaking Down Patriarchy. I'm Amy McThee, all the best. Here on this podcast, we are

active advocates of women entering leadership roles, whether that's applying for C-suite positions,

pursuing promotions, or running for elected office. However, while we encourage our listeners

to follow these ambitions, we also have to be honest and tell you,

that path is not easy. Oftentimes, the deck will be stacked against you. We live in a culture

that is accustomed to male leadership, and that sometimes struggles to accept women in charge.

In the private sector, a recent study from the SMP Global confirms that as of 2024,

women occupy only a quarter of senior leadership roles across American corporations.

Meanwhile, in our nation's government, not only is our media more critical of female candidates,

but the public is actually more likely to donate to support a male candidates campaign. Why? Because the

American public still expects men to win and women to lose. And that is to say nothing about

overcoming lifetimes of being taught to be quiet, to be submissive, to make ourselves small.

Yet, nevertheless, we persist. Women all across the country continue to seek

leadership roles, stepping into the fire and fighting to make our world a more equitable place

with governing bodies that actually represent our population, which happens to be 50% female.

So for all those women who have pushed and are continuing to push that needle forward, who are

willing to step into the spotlight and work to correct the wrongs they see in the world,

I am so grateful for you. And I'm grateful to be discussing leadership and taking control of our

own lives today with just such a woman. She is an outspoken anti-bullying advocate, a former congresswoman, and a current CEO. She's a woman who entered Capitol Hill at the height of the pandemic, stepping into an attempted insurrection and presidential impeachment hearings without backing down. And she's also the author of a fantastic new memoir. It's called A Life Made from Scratch, Lessons from a

Controversial Congresswoman, mompreneur, and Unstoppable Political Activist. So please join me in

welcoming to the podcast, former Congresswoman Marie Newman. Welcome, Marie. Hello, thank you

for having me. Marie Newman is a former Congresswoman, non-profit CEO, marketing executive, author of

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