She Pivots

At six years old, Dr. Maya Shankar fell in love with the violin, and by thirteen, she was studying at Juilliard with legendary violinist Itzhak Perlman. She was on her way to becoming a concert violinist when, at fifteen, a serious hand injury abruptly ended that dream. But what initially felt like a devastating loss would send Maya down an entirely different path, one that would ultimately lead her to the White House. On this episode of She Pivots, Dr. Shankar shares how she went from aspiring concert violinist to cognitive scientist, studying at Yale and Stanford, before building the first behavioral science team in the Obama White House. Today, she explores the science of change through her podcast, A Slight Change of Plans, and her book, The Other Side of Change, helping others understand how life's unexpected turns can reveal parts of ourselves we never knew existed.

Breion Winston was a basketball star at Rice until she decided to walk away from her final season to move to Tampa and support her husband, NFL quarterback Jameis Winston. Life as the wife of a professional athlete took her from New Orleans to Cleveland and eventually New York. Along the way, she became a mother of two, launched an activewear line, and carved out her own identity in the bright spotlight of her husband's career. On this episode of She Pivots, Breion talks about finding her footing outside of the NFL, the women who have inspired her, and how a shared love of storytelling led her to an unexpected new chapter as a Broadway producer. Now, she and Emily are co-producing Wanted, a new Broadway musical about two Black sisters who became outlaws in 1893 Texas, that opens on November 8 at the James Earl Jones Theatre.

Some people you’ve known your whole life, but their stories still have the power to surprise you. Lacey Tisch is one of those people for me, a family member whose childhood was deeply intertwined with my own. On this episode of She Pivots, Lacey opens up about a life shaped by medical trauma, a long and complicated struggle with alcohol, and the journey to finally getting sober. We talk about what it looked like when things were at their worst, why sobriety finally stuck after years of trying, and how she went from treatment to co-founding Sage + Sound, a wellness destination on New York’s Upper East Side, in the middle of the pandemic.

Kelly Corrigan never set out to become a writer. At 36, she was a nonprofit fundraiser, a mom to two young children, and facing stage three breast cancer when she self-published a book for her dying father. That book, The Middle Place, became a New York Times bestseller and launched a writing career that includes four bestsellers and two popular shows on PBS and in podcasting. On this episode of She Pivots, Kelly shares how life’s most difficult moments reshaped her understanding of what was worth writing about, from a transformative year in Australia to navigating cancer treatment while raising her daughters and caring for her dad. She also talks about the power of telling deeply personal stories and how our response to life’s challenges can help us hold on to wonder, even in the hardest seasons.

Zoanne Clack is one of the most influential writers and producers in the television industry, having written and produced more than 400 episodes across Grey’s Anatomy and Station 19. But Zoanne wasn’t always just writing about doctors—she was one. She began her career in emergency medicine, working grueling hours as a physician after training at Emory and serving at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. At 32, completely burnt out and still thinking of her lifelong dream of working in television, Zoanne packed up her life in Atlanta and moved to Los Angeles, a move that changed the course of her life. On this episode of She Pivots, Zoanne shares her experience going through medical school knowing she didn’t love science and joining Grey’s Anatomy in its very early days. She also discusses how she became a leader in what she calls “entertainment education,” using television to tackle public health issues, expand representation, and in some cases, maybe even save lives.