Smart Women, Smart Power

Mishal Husain is known as one of Britain’s best interviewers who commands the attention of powerhouse figures. SWSP guest host, Emily Harding, sat down with Mishal to unpack her approach to high-stakes interviews and to explore major geopolitical trends that have emerged in 2025, from artificial intelligence to the shift in global leadership.

Dr. Peggy Whitson holds the record for the longest cumulative time in space by an American astronaut and any woman astronaut in the world. In this episode, guest host Emily Harding, Vice President of the CSIS Defense and Security Department, sits down with Dr. Whitson, Vice President of Human Spaceflight at Axiom Space and former NASA astronaut, about health breakthroughs in space, the future of human spaceflight, and her record-setting journey in low orbit.

Dr. Kathleen McInnis joins Nina Easton, Co-CEO of SellersEaston Media and Co-Founder of Journey to Lead, for a thoughtful discussion reflecting on her time leading SWSP and shaping a research agenda that explores how the United States can apply fresh perspectives to its most pressing security challenges — from strategic competition with China to Russia’s war in Ukraine. We hope you'll stay tuned as we continue to bring you powerful, in-depth conversations with women leaders from around the globe.

When Jennifer Ewbank was chosen to lead the CIA’s digital innovation team, she quickly made the strategic decision to center its digital mission around countering China’s comprehensive national digital strategy — a threat widely underestimated at the time within the U.S. government. On this episode, Host Kathleen McInnis digs into the “why” of this story and dives in deeper on Jennifer’s career in the CIA and State Department.

Iceland has no standing military—so how did Brynja Huld Óskarsdóttir, an Icelandic civilian, find herself working for NATO in Afghanistan and now holding a key role at the NATO Parliamentary Assembly? Host Kathleen McInnis sits down with Brynja to explore her unique journey and meaningful contributions to the Alliance.

Vannevar Labs at its core has a bold mission: bring the best technology American innovation can offer into close partnership with the U.S. government to equip public servants with the tools they need to keep the country safe. Host Dr. Kathleen McInnis sits down with Erin Biggers, Vice President of Mission at Vannevar Labs, for a conversation on how she went from service in the Air Force to playing a pivotal role in scaling the impact and operations of a new modern defense tech company.

In this episode, host Kathleen McInnis speaks with Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and Head of the Center for Civil Liberties, Oleksandra Matviichuk, for a detailed discussion on the devastating Russian war crimes being perpetrated against Ukrainian children.

A newly released documentary, Guerrera, tells the stories of trailblazing women who served in U.S. Special Operations in Afghanistan. Dr. Kathleen McInnis sits down with Jessica Yahn, executive producer and U.S. Special Operations veteran, for a conversation about the human-experience surrounding conflict – including stories of sacrifice, unity, and hope.

The Gates Foundation has become synonymous with leading global change on some of the world’s hardest issues – like advancing global health to expanding economic opportunity for the world’s most vulnerable. In this episode, host Dr. Kathleen McInnis sits down with Gargee Ghosh, President of Global Policy & Advocacy at the Gates Foundation, for a conversation about her impactful career and her work driving progress in international development.

The war in Ukraine has demonstrated the importance of resiliency and using the total strength of society to ensure the survival of a state. As a part of the CSIS Conflict in Focus series, Dr. Kathleen McInnis sits down with Lieutenant Colonel Scott Murphy, visiting U.S. Marine Corps military fellow and Iryna Nykorak, Ukrainian Minister of Parliament, and founder of ArmWomenNow, about the importance of resiliency and how to prepare the entirety of society for conflict.

On this episode, host Kathleen McInnis spoke with Pavlina Pavlova, a #ShareTheMicInCyber Fellow at New America and Cybercrime Expert at the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). Pavlina shares insights from her recent research on the weaponization of data, highlighting how data breaches and cyberattacks have a gendered dimension, especially throughout the healthcare system.

Before OpenAI was the household name it is today, the leading artificial intelligence company began as a non-profit organization with an uncertain future. In 2018, Ashley Pilipiszyn had a decision to make: take a risk and be an early employee of a start-up or focus on finishing her PhD. On this episode, Kathleen McInnis and Lauren Bedula explore Ashley’s decision and delve into the growing space race between China and the United States.

Nina Jankowicz knows what it’s like to be attacked for defending the truth, and she is now on a mission to increase the cost of lies that undermine our democracy. On this episode, Dr. Kathleen McInnis dives into Nina’s past, from leaving government, suing Fox News, and ultimately using the sum of her experiences to inspire the creation of the American Sunlight Project.

How can Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) be better utilized to accomplish U.S. strategic objectives? Recently, the Smart Women, Smart Power Initiative released their latest brief: Countering China and Russia: The Hidden Advantages of Women, Peace, and Security. To discuss the findings of the report, Dr. Kathleen McInnis was joined by Dr. Kyleanne Hunter, Director, RAND Women, Peace, and Security Initiative, and Monica S. Herrera, Acting Director for International Humanitarian Policy and Senior Gender Advisor, Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Policy, U.S. Department of Defense.

In this episode, Dr. Kathleen McInnis is joined by Dr. Janine Davidson, who currently serves as president of Metropolitan State University of Denver and the chair of the Defense Policy Board. The pair discusses Dr. Davidson’s years of navigating the bureaucracy within the Pentagon and the lessons she has taken with her to higher education.

As a part of the tenth-anniversary celebration of Smart Women, Smart Power, Dr. Kathleen McInnis hosted a panel discussion that explored women’s leadership during Russia’s illegal war of aggression against Ukraine and how women are leading the charge in both prosecuting the war and planning for peace. The panel featured Amb. Kelley Currie, Nonresident Senior Fellow, Atlantic Council and former Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's Issues; Dr. Kyleanne Hunter, Director, RAND Women, Peace, and Security Initiative and Senior Political Scientist; Ms. Susan Markham, Co-Author, Feminist Foreign Policy in Theory and in Practice and Partner, Smash Strategies; and Ms. Shelly Stoneman, Senior Vice President of Government Affairs, Lockheed Martin.

On October 15, Smart Women, Smart Power celebrated its tenth anniversary! The celebration kicked off with a discussion with HON Kathleen H. Hicks, Deputy Secretary of Defense, who sat down with Beverly Kirk, Director of Washington Programs at Syracuse University. The pair discussed her approach to the world’s simultaneous challenges, including the Russia-Ukraine crisis and China - plus she takes a lot of questions from the audience.

Suzanne Spaulding, Director of the CSIS Defending Democratic Institutions Project, joins a special crossover episode with the CSIS Smart Women, Smart Power podcast to discuss election security, the role of election officials, and how to fight disinformation as early voting begins across the nation.

Dr. Kathleen McInnis sat down with Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) for a conversation on her new memoir, where she reflects on her time in Congress. Additionally, the pair discusses the current and future U.S. landscape, including what the U.S. should be doing to counter China’s aggressive authoritarian expansionism and more.

An off-chance encounter as an intern transformed Funmi’s life several years later when someone she networked with early in her career thought of her down the line and offered her a job. Funmi Oludaiye, Managing Director (Global Head of Engineering) at Goldman Sachs, discusses how she advanced her career in STEM through hard work, mentorship, and relationship building.