The Audacity Tapes™

Episode Summary
What does it really take to create lasting social change?
For more than three decades, Karen Sherman has worked alongside women rebuilding their lives after war, conflict, and crisis in some of the world's most challenging environments. From the former Soviet Union to Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and more, she has witnessed firsthand the extraordinary resilience of women determined to create better futures for themselves, their families, and their communities.
In this episode of The Audacity Tapes, Karen shares why sustainable change begins with local leadership, why economic opportunity is one of the most powerful forces for human dignity, and how her work eventually led her to found Virunga Mountain Spirits, a pioneering craft distillery in Rwanda creating jobs and economic opportunity for women.
Together, we explore the intersection of dignity, economic empowerment, optimism, and moral courage—and why changing one woman's life can ultimately change the world.
In This Episode, We Talk About...
Why women consistently reinvest in their families and communities
The universal challenges women face across cultures, conflicts, and countries
Why sustainable development must be led by local women—not imposed from the outside
The story behind Karen's memoir, Brick by Brick, and why vulnerability became part of her leadership journey
The powerful distinction between giving women voice through education and choice through economic opportunity
How Virunga Mountain Spirits is creating jobs and sustainable economic development in Rwanda
Why optimism is essential for anyone committed to creating lasting social change
The role men play as allies in advancing gender equality
How each of us can begin creating meaningful change—one person at a time
Key Moments
00:00 Introduction
01:06 Karen's journey into global women's rights advocacy
05:08 Why lasting change must be led by local women
07:05 The story behind Brick by Brick
12:11 Education gives women voice. Income gives women choice.
14:06 Building Virunga Mountain Spirits in Rwanda
22:04 Finding your own path to creating change
27:13 Why men are essential allies for gender equality
29:34 Why optimism is the foundation of lasting social change
About Karen Sherman
Karen Sherman is an international women's rights advocate, entrepreneur, author, and speaker with more than three decades of experience partnering with women survivors of war around the world. She is the founder of Virunga Mountain Spirits, a pioneering craft distillery in Rwanda creating economic opportunity for women, and the author of Brick by Brick: Building Hope and Opportunity for Women Survivors Everywhere.
Karen has been featured by the BBC, CNBC Africa, Al Jazeera English, the Council on Foreign Relations, and numerous international media outlets. She also served as executive producer of the National Geographic documentary The Other Side of War: Women's Stories of Survival and Hope.
Connect with Karen Sherman
Bio: https://www.karensherman.org/about
Book - Brick by Brick: https://www.karensherman.org/brick-by-brick
Virunga Mountain Spirits: https://www.karensherman.org/virunga-mountain-spirits
Continue the Conversation
The thinking continues beyond the mic. Explore essays, reflections, and extended conversations on Substack:
https://substack.com/@robbinjorgensen
Connect with Robbin Jorgensen:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/robbinjorgensen/
Supporting Sponsor
As a woman navigating financial decisions — especially when the system wasn’t built with you in mind — having the right partner matters.
For three decades, Godfrey Financial has intentionally centered women in financial decision-making — not as an afterthought, but as leaders.
In a field where women are often expected to sit to the side, Godfrey Financial places women at the head of the table — creating space where women don’t just discuss confidence and agency, but experience it in practice.
Learn more at:https://godfreyfinancial.com
 

Episode Summary
What if hunger isn't fundamentally a food problem?
What if it's a moral one?
In this powerful conversation, former Executive Director of the UN World Food Programme and former U.S. Ambassador to the UN Agencies for Food and Agriculture, Ambassador Ertharin Cousin challenges us to rethink one of the world's most persistent crises.
This episode is not simply about feeding people.
It is about the systems we build, the policies we prioritize, the investments we make, and the values those decisions reveal.
Drawing on decades of global leadership, Ambassador Cousin explains why food security cannot be separated from public health, economic opportunity, climate resilience, education, and human dignity. She shares why ending hunger requires far more than humanitarian aid. It demands long-term systems change, innovative partnerships, local leadership, measurable outcomes, and the political courage to invest differently.
From groundbreaking work in Rwanda to expanding access to nutritious food in underserved communities across the United States, she illustrates how sustainable solutions emerge when governments, businesses, investors, and communities work together rather than in isolation.
Along the way, she offers a compelling vision of leadership rooted in character, integrity, collaboration, and the willingness to listen before acting. Whether discussing global climate negotiations, agricultural policy, or neighborhood food banks, Ambassador Cousin continually returns to one central truth: lasting change begins by recognizing the humanity of the people these systems are meant to serve.
We talk about:
Why hunger is ultimately a systems challenge—not simply a food challenge
The connection between food security, health, climate, and economic development
What Rwanda is teaching the world about sustainable food innovation
Why measuring impact is essential to creating lasting change
How policy, investment, and private capital must work together
Why communities already possess many of the solutions they need
The leadership principles that have guided Ambassador Cousin throughout her career
Practical ways every person can strengthen food security within their own community
Key Moments
1:19 — The childhood that shaped a lifetime of fighting hunger
10:53 — Why recognizing the right to food changed global policy
12:41 — The leadership qualities that matter most
22:06 — Rwanda's innovative solution to child malnutrition
29:56 — America's "grocery deserts" and the hidden reality of food insecurity
34:23 — Why food systems belong at the center of the climate conversation
38:26 — The policy changes needed to transform food security
43:16 — Ambassador Cousin's advice for women who want to create global impact
48:21 — Where every one of us can begin
About Ambassador Ertharin Cousin
Ambassador Ertharin Cousin is Founder and CEO of Food Systems for the Future, an organization dedicated to building healthier, more sustainable, and more equitable food systems around the world.
She previously served as Executive Director of the UN World Food Programme, the world's largest humanitarian organization addressing hunger, where she led emergency food assistance efforts for more than 80 million people annually across more than 75 countries. Earlier, she served as the United States Ambassador to the UN Agencies for Food and Agriculture in Rome.
Named one of TIME's 100 Most Influential People, one of Forbes' World's 100 Most Powerful Women, and one of Foreign Policy's 500 Most Powerful People on the Planet, Ambassador Cousin continues to advise governments, investors, businesses, and international organizations on creating food systems that improve nutrition, strengthen economies, and build long-term resilience.
Connect with Ambassador Ertharin Cousin
Food Systems for the Futurehttps://www.fsfinstitute.net
LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/ertharin-cousin/
 
Continue the Conversation
The thinking continues beyond the mic. Explore essays, reflections, and extended conversations on Substack:
https://substack.com/@robbinjorgensen
Connect with Robbin Jorgensen:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/robbinjorgensen/
Supporting Sponsor
As a woman navigating financial decisions — especially when the system wasn’t built with you in mind — having the right partner matters.
For three decades, Godfrey Financial has intentionally centered women in financial decision-making — not as an afterthought, but as leaders.
In a field where women are often expected to sit to the side, Godfrey Financial places women at the head of the table — creating space where women don’t just discuss confidence and agency, but experience it in practice.
Learn more at:https://godfreyfinancial.com
 

Episode Description
The murder of George Floyd forced millions of Americans to confront questions they had long avoided. While much of the country retreated into outrage, silence, or division, playwrights Marci Duncan and Kerry Sandell made a different choice.
One Black woman. One white woman. Two longtime friends. They sat down and committed to having the conversation.
What began as an honest dialogue about race, motherhood, fear, privilege, identity, and trust became Dissonance—a powerful stage play that has challenged audiences across the country to confront not only what divides us, but what becomes possible when we refuse to let silence have the final word.
In this deeply personal conversation, Marci and Kerry share the real stories behind the play: the conversations they were having with their sons, the assumptions they each had to confront, the trust they had to build, and the emotional cost of telling the truth out loud.
This isn't a conversation about politics.
It's a conversation about moral courage.
About listening before defending.
About speaking with the intention to understand instead of to win.
And about why silence—not disagreement—is often what keeps us divided.
Whether you've seen Dissonance or are hearing its story for the first time, this episode is an invitation to consider what becomes possible when honesty is grounded in relationship, humility, and love.
In This Episode
How George Floyd became the catalyst for a transformative creative partnership
Why two women chose conversation instead of silence
The unseen differences between raising black and white sons in America
What honest friendship requires when difficult truths emerge
How Dissonance was written from real conversations—not imagined ones
Why audiences across the country consistently leave with hope
The role art can play in creating empathy where debate often fails
Key Moments
03:09 — The conversation that became Dissonance
05:00 — The different realities of raising black and white sons in America
11:51 — Building trust before writing a single scene
16:42 — What each woman discovered about herself through honest dialogue
19:36 — Why audiences leave with more hope than division
29:31 — The emotional cost of performing the truth
36:06 — Why every performance ends with a community conversation
40:41 — The one question to ask before having any difficult conversation
45:25 — Their vision for taking Dissonance to the world
About Our Guests
Marci Duncan is an actor, playwright, director, and educator serving as Director of the Acting Program at the University of West Florida. Her work explores identity, truth, and the power of storytelling to create healing and human connection.
Kerry Sandell is an actor, playwright, and communication strategist with degrees in theatre performance and strategic communication. Through performance and education, she helps audiences navigate difficult conversations with honesty, empathy, and courage.
Together, they co-created Dissonance, a nationally acclaimed stage play inspired by the conversations they chose to have in the aftermath of George Floyd's murder. Through live performance and audience dialogue, Dissonance continues to challenge assumptions, deepen understanding, and demonstrate that difficult conversations can become catalysts for connection rather than division.
Connect with Marci Duncan and Kerry Sandell:
https://dissonanceplay.com/
https://dissonanceplay.com/team
Continue the Conversation
The thinking continues beyond the mic. Explore essays, reflections, and extended conversations on Substack:
https://substack.com/@robbinjorgensen
Connect with Robbin Jorgensen:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/robbinjorgensen/
Supporting Sponsor
As a woman navigating financial decisions — especially when the system wasn’t built with you in mind — having the right partner matters.
For three decades, Godfrey Financial has intentionally centered women in financial decision-making — not as an afterthought, but as leaders.
In a field where women are often expected to sit to the side, Godfrey Financial places women at the head of the table — creating space where women don’t just discuss confidence and agency, but experience it in practice.
Learn more at:https://godfreyfinancial.com
 

Episode Summary
What if the biggest barriers to change aren't policies or procedures, but the beliefs we carry without even realizing it?
In this conversation, I sit down with race equity strategist and Harper Slade CEO Nikki Lanier for a thoughtful discussion about leadership, racial equity, and the role each of us plays in creating workplaces where people can truly thrive.
Drawing from her experience as an attorney, former HR executive, Federal Reserve leader, and advisor to organizations across the country, Nikki challenges conventional approaches to DEI by shifting the focus away from compliance and toward the underlying beliefs that shape our decisions, relationships, and organizations.
We explore why courageous conversations matter, why changing systems begins with changing ourselves, and why the future of our organizations depends on our willingness to lead differently.
Whether you're an executive, people leader, entrepreneur, or simply someone committed to building a better future, this conversation offers a perspective that is both thoughtful and deeply human.
In This Episode
Why beliefs—not behaviors—are the true starting point for lasting organizational change
The difference between creating a "safe space" and creating a courageous one
How unconscious assumptions shape workplace culture
What organizations often discover when they take an honest look at racial equity
Why Nikki believes racial equity is not only a moral issue—but an economic one
The importance of leading with grace instead of shame
How women can influence meaningful change both inside organizations and within their own communities
Practical ways leaders can begin creating more equitable workplaces
Key Moments
00:00 – Introduction
1:06 – The experiences that shaped Nikki's passion for racial equity, from her upbringing to law, HR, and economics
6:16 – Why lasting organizational change begins by challenging beliefs, not just changing behaviors
11:50 – Inside the Racial Equity Index and what organizations often discover about workplace experiences they never intended to create
18:38 – Why success in equity work can't be measured by traditional ROI alone
22:48 – The economic case for racial equity and why the next two decades matter more than most leaders realize
30:10 – The RAARE Woman Collective and empowering women to lead courageous conversations beyond the workplace
35:15 – Leading with grace instead of shame: Nikki's philosophy for creating meaningful change
43:00 – The story behind Harper Slade and the legacy that continues to inspire Nikki's work
Connect with Nikki Lanier
Website: https://www.harperslade.com/
Nikki’s personal website:  www.nikkilanier.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-nikki-r-6a106a8/
RAARE Woman Collective:  https://www.raarewomancollective.com/
Federal Reserve of San Francisco Report:  The Economic Gains From Equity
Continue the Conversation
The thinking continues beyond the mic. Explore essays, reflections, and extended conversations on Substack:
https://substack.com/@robbinjorgensen
Connect with Robbin Jorgensen:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/robbinjorgensen/
Supporting Sponsor
As a woman navigating financial decisions — especially when the system wasn’t built with you in mind — having the right partner matters.
For three decades, Godfrey Financial has intentionally centered women in financial decision-making — not as an afterthought, but as leaders.
In a field where women are often expected to sit to the side, Godfrey Financial places women at the head of the table — creating space where women don’t just discuss confidence and agency, but experience it in practice.
Learn more at:https://godfreyfinancial.com