This week on Working Girl, Rachel sits down with Sheena Meade, CEO of The Clean Slate Initiative, for a powerful conversation about second chances, systemic barriers, and what it really means to move forward after a criminal record.

Sheena shares her own deeply personal experience navigating the justice system, why automated record sealing matters, and how outdated laws continue to impact millions of people long after a sentence ends. Together, they unpack the emotional weight of stigma, the realities women face after incarceration, and why this work is about far more than policy.

They also discuss burnout, empathy, motherhood, community care, and how to stay engaged in a world that often feels overwhelming.

Under Sheena’s leadership, The Clean Slate Initiative has helped pass clean slate legislation in 14 states and Washington, D.C., opening pathways to housing, employment, education, and dignity for millions of Americans.

Award-winning musician, activist, and Rise Above Justice Movement co-founder Gwen Levey joins Working Girl for a deeply honest conversation about survivorship, activism, reproductive justice, LGBTQ+ rights, and the emotional reality of doing this work in today’s political climate.

Gwen shares how the overturning of Roe v. Wade changed the trajectory of her life and music career, what it means to build community online while facing constant backlash, and why rest, self-care, and connection are essential for anyone fighting for change.

We also talk about surviving sexual violence, intersectional feminism, social media censorship, country music, political awakening, and how ordinary people can start getting involved in their communities.

What does climate justice actually look like when it’s happening in your own community?

This week, I’m joined by Ariana Akbari, Executive Director of Climate Justice Texas, an environmental advocacy and conservation education organization based on the petrochemical front lines of Southeast Texas.

We talk about why climate change often feels distant until it becomes personal, the challenges of getting people to care, and why starting the conversation might be the most powerful place to begin.

This one will shift how you think about climate justice and your role in it.

Immigration is one of the most talked about issues in the U.S.

It is also one of the most misunderstood.

In this episode, I sit down with immigration attorney Angelica Jimenez, Esq., Managing Attorney and Founder of the Law Offices of Angelica Jimenez, to break down what the system actually looks like for the people living it every day.

We talk about what “doing it the right way” really means, why immigration is far more complex than paperwork, and how politics directly impacts families trying to stay together.

This conversation is honest, eye-opening, and one I think everyone needs to hear.

Listen now and subscribe.

Housing is more than a place to live. It’s a matter of dignity, safety, and survival.

In this episode of Working Girl, I sit down with Julia Orduña, Southeast Texas Regional Director at Texas Housers, to unpack the realities of the housing crisis, from rising rent and evictions to disaster recovery and policy reform.

But this conversation is also deeply personal. We talk about the emotional toll of housing instability, the lived experiences that shape this work, and why women are often at the center of both the struggle and the solutions.

If you’ve ever wondered how housing injustice actually impacts real people and what it means to do this work on the front lines, this episode will stay with you.

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Working Girl is a podcast about the women doing the work the world depends on and the realities they navigate while doing it.

In this season, we shift beyond the traditional workplace to center the voices of women on the front lines of social change. From housing justice to climate advocacy, from healthcare access to immigration, each episode offers an unfiltered look at what it means to fight for a more just world while carrying the weight of it personally.

Through candid, deeply human conversations, Working Girl explores the intersection of gender, power, and purpose, highlighting not just the challenges but the resilience, strategy, and conviction it takes to keep going.

If you have ever questioned your place in systems that were not built for you or wondered how change actually happens, this is for you.