Elevating HER: Mariana van Zeller

The Nikki & Brie Show

SiriusXM Podcasts

Society & Culture

4.9 • 14.9K Ratings

🗓️ 5 March 2026

⏱️ 39 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

We're celebrating women's history all month long on The Nikki & Brie Show! This episode features a true trailblazer, Emmy and Peabody Award-winning investigative journalist Mariana van Zeller. From covering black markets and war zones to sitting face-to-face with cartel members and global scammers, Mariana doesn’t just report the story… she walks straight into it. And she does it with fearlessness, empathy, and an unwavering commitment to truth. In this powerful conversation, Mariana opens up about carving her own path in male-dominated spaces, refusing to take “no” for an answer (even if she needs to knock on a dean's door), and why understanding the why behind crime is more important than judgment. Nikki & Brie dive deep into courage, persistence, motherhood, purpose, and what it truly costs to pursue a calling that changes the world. This is the energy we’re bringing all month long — bold women, real stories, raw truth, and impact that lingers long after the mic turns off. Mariana sets the tone for a series filled with resilience, evolution, and unapologetic power. Press play, these women have something to say!

Transcript

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0:00.0	What up, everyone? Welcome back to the Nikki and Bree show. So this whole month,
0:12.2	the Nikki and Bree show will feature a fearless inspiring woman. And we are kicking off
0:17.2	our Women's History Month series with a woman who doesn't just tell stories,
0:21.4	she walked straight into them. She's an Emmy and Peabody Award-winning investigative journalist
0:26.8	who has spent her career uncovering the hidden worlds most of us will never see. You may know her
0:32.7	from National Geographic and Hulu's trafficked, and now she's diving even deeper with her growing podcast,
0:39.4	The Hidden Third, where she explores the invisible forces shaping our world.
0:44.5	She is fearless, thoughtful, and absolutely redefining what it means to be a woman in journalism.
0:50.4	We are so honored to welcome the incredible Mariana Van Zeller.
0:55.7	Hello.
0:56.5	How are you, Mariana?
0:57.9	Hi, Mariana.
0:59.7	Really good.
1:01.1	Thank you.
1:01.6	Yes.
1:02.2	Thank you for coming on.
1:04.1	So, again, thank you for being on the Nicky and Bree show.
1:06.5	It's such an honor to have you.
1:08.0	And, you know, you have built a career in spaces that historically
1:11.0	haven't been welcoming to women. And this being women's history month, we really wanted to dive
1:17.6	into that. And did you always know you'd carve your own path? I'm more or less. You know,
1:23.2	I decided I wanted to be a journalist when I was 12 years old, so pretty early on. I grew up in
	...

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