Speaking of Phenomenal | Journalism for Women and Gender-Expansive Voices
Speaking of Phenomenal is an independent podcast covering women and gender-expansive people mainstream media hasn't found yet. Host Amy Boyle, a multimedia journalist and adjunct lecturer in photojournalism and visual storytelling at Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism, reports longform narrative conversations with women and gender-expansive people doing significant work the news cycle has yet to document. The work began in 2018 as the 52 Phenomenal Women Project, a portrait storytelling series that produced 104 reported profiles and was covered by the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Reader and NBC5. The podcast launched in October 2020 as the audio extension of that journalism. Now in its sixth season, with 65 episodes and counting, Speaking of Phenomenal has reached 100 countries and 782 cities. Every person you'll hear has a story the world should know. And they sound like this. www.speakingofphenomenal.com. Support the show via our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/u25038150
Episodes
66 episodes
Soul Portraits: Turning Grief Into Creative Resilience
*** A note before you listen: This conversation includes candid reflection on past pain and trauma. *** Devorah Brinckerhoff spent years showing and selling her wo...
Mental Health, Diplomacy & One Girl Named Comfort | Morgan DeNicola
Morgan DeNicola accompanies U.S. senators into closed-door sessions in foreign embassies around the world. She also lives with borderline personality disorder, depression, and anxiety and she'll tel...
Swimming Lessons: Teaching Children to Be the Heroes of Their Own Story
When Kate Markland overheard strangers discussing "her" story in a market square without being asked, without needing their verdict she understood something about authentic leadership, creat...
From Five Seasons to Fearless | Women's Empowerment is in the Telling
Women's empowerment starts with how we tell stories. After five seasons, host Amy Boyle reveals why the Speaking of Phenomenal podcast is evolving: creative resilience means reimagining format itself. Season 6 opens with impact first, the momen...
Women's Storytelling & Resilience | Building Leadership Legacy
Women's stories shape movements, but only when we know how to listen. In this "Speaking of Phenomenal" podcast, season 5 finale, journalist ...
Non-Linear Careers, Genuine Success | Releasing the Shoulds
Career resilience isn't about following the script, t's about releasing the shoulds. Taylor Elyse Morrison shares how rejecting societal expectations became her breakthrough to authentic success. In ...
Women's Stories Into VC Conviction | Ellen Wilcox on Listening as Leadership
What happens when listening becomes a source of power? Amy Boyle sits down with Ellen Wilcox, head of listening at venture firm
50+ and Unstoppable: Lifelong Learning as Empowerment with Kari Fagin of OLLI
Community changemakers don't always start with activism, they start with curiosity. Kari Fagin, Director of the Osher National Resource Center, shares how 124...
Listening as Leadership | How Tonika Lewis Johnson Maps Equity
Tonika Lewis Johnson teaches that listening as leadership starts with understanding connection. The founder of the Folded Map Project
Unbroken Voices: Mary Schmich, Melissa Harris, and the Legacy of Division Street
In this week’s Speaking of Phenomenal with host Amy Boyle, Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist
Anna Tess: Resilience in Storytelling | Deaf Education Advocacy as Empowerment
In this episode of Speaking of Phenomenal, Dr. Anna Tess shar...
Women’s History Month 2025: Voices That Inspire Change
In Season 5, Episode 5 of the Speaking of Phenomenal podcast, host Amy Boyle celebrates Women’s History Mo...
Midlife Rewiring | Poetry, Purpose & Female Entrepreneurship
Poet and entrepreneur Jacqueline (Jack) Perez, returns to reveal how creative writing rewired her resilience, purpose, and women's empowerment mindset during midlife transformation. From s...
Beyond Headlines: Jillian Melero on Solutions-Focused Journalism
Jillian Melero, journalist and founder of Connect Puerto Rico, joins Amy Boyle
Community Changemakers | How Mentorship Shapes Women's Leadership
Laura Jordan LeClair, program director at Chicago Innovation, believes mentorship and community are the unsung engines of real innovatio...
From Grief to Purpose | Rewriting Your Story With Broadway's Maryam Myika Day
Broadway performer turned producer Maryam Myika Day joins Amy Boyle to share how storytelling became her path through grief, motherhood, and reinvention. F...
Delores Morton on Women's Leadership | Creating Intergenerational Impact
In the season finale of Speaking of Phenomenal, Delores Morton, CEO of Step Up
Authentic Leadership with Emmy Winner Jeanne Sparrow | Women's Empowerment
Emmy-winning host Jeanne Sparrow reveals how female leaders unlock authentic power in Season 4, Episode 11 of Speaking of Phenomenal. Discove...
Beyond Positivity | Building Real Resilience Through Grief
When Amy Boyle lost her mom, her definition of resilience changed forever. In this conversation, she explores authentic resilience through grief and emotional wellness, why true strength means ...
Transnational Adoption & Purpose | Sarah Harris on Finding Her Why
Sarah Harris, a transnational adoptee, midlife mother, and founder of Mak...
Self-Awareness & Resilience | Tina Greenbaum's Framework for High Performers
Emotional intelligence and resilience are non-negotiable for women leaders navigating complex relationships and high-pressure decisions. In this episode, Tina Greenbaum , a seasoned perfo...
Switching Careers: The Curiosity That Changed Everything | Carolina Baldin
Career transitions aren't about abandoning your skills, they're about honoring your curiosity. When Carolina Baldin left a successful law practice in Brazil for a reporter's...
Purpose Over Pressure: Dana Hirt's Guide to Confident Parenting
Parent coach Dana Hirt on intentional parenting rooted in self-awareness and resilience. Discover how modeling values, prioritizing self-care, and avoiding the comparison trap empower women to ...
