In June 2002, fourteen-year-old Elizabeth Smart was taken from her bedroom at knifepoint and held captive for nine months, enduring abuse that would have broken most people beyond repair. Against extraordinary odds, she survived, and then she decided to step fully into the public eye; not in spite of what happened to her, but because of it. She has testified before Congress, helped author a Department of Justice handbook for kidnapping survivors, and founded the Elizabeth Smart Foundation to dismantle the shame culture that compounds survivors' trauma. In this powerful episode, Elizabeth walks us through the night that changed everything, how she held onto hope during nine months of captivity, what justice looked and felt like after nearly eight years of waiting, and why she believes that being seen is one of the most radical things a survivor can do.

Chapters:

00:00.199 Content Warning

00:10.748 Welcome to She Pivots

01:32.239 Elizabeth Smart's Early Life

07:10.879 The Night Elizabeth was Abducted

12:08.120 Captivity and Torture

17:57.063 Elizabeth’s Will To Survive

20:16.221 A Sign of Hope

22:41.463 Why Elizabeth Didn't Run

26:17.125 The Rescue

28:45.230 The Return Home and Aftermath

35:32.764 Navigating the Justice System

41:01.070 Advocating for Change & Raising Her Children

45:22.942 The Elizabeth Smart Foundation

46:17.746 Low Point to Launch Point

49:26.239 Unasked Questions and Final Thoughts

50:58.725 Closing Remarks and Resources

51:39.187 Podcast Credits

Learn more about Elizabeth’s work at elizabethsmartfoundation.org

If anything in today's episode brought something up for you and you need help, please reach out to someone you trust or visit rainn.org

Be sure to subscribe so you never miss a pivot story, leave us a rating (it really helps!), and share this episode with a woman in your life who you think needs a little inspiration.

She Pivots is a podcast created by host Emily Tisch Sussman to highlight influential women voices, share stories of bold career moves, and inspire women with interviews about career reinvention and how personal pivots can redefine professional success.

Join our Substack community! Subscribe here for exclusive content and to connect with other pivoters: shepivots.substack.com

Learn more about the inspiring women in our pivoter community by following us on instagram @ShePivotsThePodcast, and check out our website shepivotspod.com for resources and updates.

She Pivots is proud to be an iheart podcast.

Support the show: https://www.shepivotsthepodcast.com/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today's guest is someone pretty special to Emily Tisch Sussman—it's her mom, Laurie Tisch. Laurie grew up as the only girl in a big, loud family full of brothers and cousins, navigating public scrutiny while quietly figuring out who she really was. She navigated the complexities to become a woman carved out an identity that was entirely, unmistakably her own.

On this special Mother's Day episode, Laurie sits down with Emily to talk about founding her own philanthropic foundation, becoming a force in New York's arts and education world, and ownership of the New York Giants.

Chapters:

00:00.160 Welcome to She Pivots

00:30.560 Laurie Tisch Guest Introduction

01:46.573 Childhood and Early Life

05:14.523 Finding Her Own Path

09:20.254 Laurie Returns to New York City

13:18.880 Laurie's Entrance to Philanthropy and Culture

17:02.562 The Impact of The Children's Museum

22:17.107 Definitions of Success

24:32.977 The Illumination Fund: A New Chapter

28:54.791 Sports and Family Legacy

34:44.022 Low Point to Launch Point

35:27.726 My Mom's Favorite She Pivots Episodes!

37:00.210 Closing Thoughts and Happy Mother's Day!

37:26.519 Podcast Credits

Check out the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund at thelmtif.org

Be sure to subscribe so you never miss a pivot story, leave us a rating (it really helps!), and share this episode with a woman in your life who you think needs a little inspiration.

She Pivots is a podcast created by host Emily Tisch Sussman to highlight influential women voices, share stories of bold career moves, and inspire women with interviews about career reinvention and how personal pivots can redefine professional success.

Join our Substack community! Subscribe here for exclusive content and to connect with other pivoters: shepivots.substack.com

Support the show: https://www.shepivotsthepodcast.com/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Elmo, Big Bird, and Cookie Monster probably helped raise you, and the woman now leading Sesame Street traces her path there back to one transformative act: adopting her daughter Lily from China. Before joining Sesame Workshop, Sherrie Westin had already built a remarkable career at ABC News and as one of the highest-ranking women in George H.W. Bush's White House. On this episode, Sherrie shares how adopting Lily in 1995 sparked a profound pivot, and how that personal transformation shaped her 26-year journey at the helm of one of the most beloved nonprofits in the world. She opens up about leading the creation of Julia, Sesame Street's first autistic Muppet, securing a landmark $100 million grant to bring early education to refugee children across the globe, and navigating the financial uncertainty that ultimately led to a groundbreaking new deal with Netflix.

Chapters:

00:00.00 Welcome to She Pivots

00:25.836 Guest Introduction: Sherrie Westin

01:58.259 Childhood and Early Life

03:28.160 Communications and the White House

09:44.959 The Transformative Power of Motherhood

12:53.840 From ABC News to Sesame Street

17:56.682 Representation and Global Impact

23:48.774 The Experiment of Sesame Street

25:20.535 The Power of The Arts on Children

27:55.460 Making a Difference To Communities in Need

31:44.265 Financial Challenges and Becoming CEO

36:00.269 What I Learned From Mom

36:53.572 From Low Point to Launch Point

37:20.029 Do You Think You'll Pivot Again?

38:09.920 Children and AI

39:20.765 Closing Thoughts and Credits

Learn more about Sesame workshop’s mission at Sesameworkshop.org

Check out Sherrie’s new book: What I Learned From Mom: 27 Celebrated Individuals on How Mother's Wisdom Shaped Their Lives.

Be sure to subscribe so you never miss a pivot story, leave us a rating (it really helps!), and share this episode with a woman in your life who you think needs a little inspiration.

She Pivots is a podcast created by host Emily Tisch Sussman to highlight influential women voices, share stories of bold career moves, and inspire women with interviews about career reinvention and how personal pivots can redefine professional success.

Join our Substack community! Subscribe here for exclusive content and to connect with other pivoters: shepivots.substack.com

Learn more about the inspiring women in our pivoter community by following us on instagram @ShePivotsThePodcast, and check out our website shepivotspod.com for resources and updates.

She Pivots is proud to be an iheart podcast.

Support the show: https://www.shepivotsthepodcast.com/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.