Hey, it's NPR's Book of the Day. I'm Andrew Limbaugh. New Year, New You, right? In that spirit,

we wanted to do something different and bring you this episode from the podcast, Wisdom from the Top,

with Guy Raz. It's an interview with NPR Stacey Vanek-Smith about her book, Machiavelli

for women. And don't worry, it's not insuffable dudes talking

about how great the prince is or whatever, but a real examination of women's relationship with

power. Give it a listen. This episode was recorded in 2021. From Luminary Built at Productions

and NPR, its wisdom from the top.

Stories of crisis, failure, turnaround, and triumph from some of the greatest leaders in the world.

I'm Guy Raz, and on the show today, Machiavelli, for women.

For a conquering prince, he says things are really tough.

Everybody's questioning their power, their right to be there,

which makes it an amazing proxy for women in the workplace.

Stacey Vanek-Smith on what the 16th century philosopher can show women in the workplace today.

Thank you. can show women in the workplace today.

Stacey Vanek-Smith has been reporting on business and finance for close to 20 years.

She's the host of The Indicator on Planet Money, and throughout her career, she is reported on everything from oil and Oklahoma to monetary policy in Pune, India. And the more she examined the business

world, the more she kept bumping into some unpleasant truths. 80% of CEOs are men. Women make

80 cents for every dollar a man makes. Women start 40% of the

businesses in the U.S. but get 2% of venture capital. And of course, these trends extend

into the world of politics, law, entertainment, do you name it? So what to do? Well, Stacey

started to think that some of the answers might lie in Niccolo Machiavelli,

the oft-quoted and sometimes misquoted 16th century philosopher of politics, diplomacy, and power.

...