Forged in Fire: LGBTQ+ Leadership – Details, episodes & analysis

An inspiring conversation with Geoffrey Winder, a dedicated activist who has spent over two decades empowering LGBTQ youth and developing a model of co-leadership. In this episode, Geoffrey shares his journey from high school activism to leading transformative movements within the LGBTQ community. He discusses the importance of queer magic, the evolving identities of LGBTQ youth, and the necessity of building inclusive systems that support future generations. Geoffrey's insights highlight the ongoing need for solidarity and the power of community-driven change and his vision for a more inclusive world offers hope and inspiration for listeners.​

What does leadership development look like to those at the beginning of their journey? We thought we'd understand by talking to Ashton Mota, 19 and Kai Farr, 21 but they've already been on a leadership path for a long time. Ashton and Kai share their inspiring and transformative journeys as advocates and as GenderCool Project Champions. From introducing the President at the White House to navigating the challenges of coming out at a young age, they discuss the pivotal moments that shaped their identities and reflect on the ongoing need for education and acceptance. Join us for an enlightening conversation that underscores the significance of love, support, and the relentless pursuit of self-discovery.

For Transgender Day of Visibility, Queen Victoria Ortega explains how transgender people are contouring the American Dream into a more expansive and inclusive dream. Keys to her work are empowerment, community connections, skill development, and a sense of service. We explore how she set shame aside at an early age and used her family's penchant for critical thinking to become a celebrated multi-talented leader in her Los Angeles community and around the world. Believing in the power of storytelling developed within the community, she leverages her intersectionality to guide organizations and systems toward transformational change that is both meaningful and effective. Don't miss this one!

Athlete. Teammate. Friend. Mentor. Cybersecurity Expert. Workforce Developer. Dr. Safi Mojidi has excelled in a huge variety of roles. He is a community leader creating a future where cybersecurity is sound, respect of privacy is inherent, and technology is leveraged equitably for all. Importantly, he's using his experiences and challenges as a black man of trans experience to build the talented, technologically savvy, workforce of the future. His mentorship and skill-building passion help create a workforce where people from underrepresented communities are ready to deliver value on day 1 across a wide range of technical disciplines.

As someone with multiple minority statuses, Dr. A.C. Fowlkes, puts the onus on himself to create space for other individuals with multiple minority status. Having broken through a lot of glass ceilings, he's had a number of different times where he just wanted to throw in the towel. But understanding that if he didn't do something, people in the future, perhaps even his own child, would face the same barriers he's kept fighting to remove those challenges. Dr. Fowlkes has challenged stereotypes and false beliefs across industries, worked to help many of society's most stigmatized individuals, and is the author of the new book, Transgender Inclusion: All the Things You Want To Ask Your Transgender Coworker But Shouldn't.

Totally, eminently qualified was how Senator John McCain describe our guest, Eric Fanning, during his confirmation to be Secretary of the Army. In a career that weaves in and out of senior roles in government and industry, currently as CEO of the Aerospace Industries Association, Fanning was often the first gay person to occupy those heights. Yet that rarely comes up publicly, the focus is on his qualifications. Still, his sexual orientation played an important role in the way he developed as a leader. Being gay gave him perspective on himself and those he served that helped shape him into a leader of teams capable of incredible things and thriving through change.

Engineer, test pilot, public servant, and CEO only begins to describe Amanda Simpson's career and leadership flight path. She's flown over 60 different types of aircraft, but the most perilous takeoff may have been the one to finding her authentic self. Amanda's journey is filled with moments where she kicked open doors for other transgender people to follow her and was simultaneously recognized for her many professional accomplishments. Amanda's passion is evident in everything she pursues. Her commitment to technical excellence, developing strong teams, and building a trajectory to the future is an inspiration to all leaders.

Featuring returning guest Blake Dremann as our host for this episode, the Forged in Fire team looks back at our first season. There we so many insightful guests, amazing storytellers, and heroes on the show this season. Learn what surprised us, what we learned about making a podcast, and what our light-bulb moments were! We also ask for your feedback as we look to make Season 2 even better than the first.

As the first Executive Director of the Human Rights Campaign Fund, Vic Basile led a significant coalescence of the LGBTQ+ rights lobbying community during the AIDS crisis and fought prejudice and bigotry on Capitol Hill. In his new memoir, Bending Toward Justice: A Memoir of Two Decades of LGBT Leadership and the Founding of the Human Rights Campaign​, he tells the story of those challenging years and sets the stage for the continued growth of the organization into today's Human Rights Campaign. We dive into his lessons learned and how he grew into the roles he needed to fill in order to create an effective organization that addressed both the needs of the LGBTQ+ community and the legal voids that drove those needs.

In a storied career across many fields, Jamison Green has impacted countless lives, particularly those of transgender men. His 2004 memoir, Becoming a Visible Man, became the publisher's bestselling book of all time and was updated to a second edition in 2019. Jamison has successfully led nonprofit organizations, changed anti-discrimination laws, reformed insurance exclusions and diagnostic protocols, and published articles and books on many aspects of transgender health and rights. His indefatigable energy motivates his writing and speaking engagements and spills into his storytelling. The sum of all that work is Jamison delivering hope for a better and more just existence to the lives of so many.