Latest / We Are For Good Podcast - The Podcast for Nonprofits / 97. Shifting our Perspective: How Storytelling Exposes Inequalities, Challenges Systemic Racism and Builds Community For Good - Niven McCall-Mazza

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97. Shifting our Perspective: How Storytelling Exposes Inequalities, Challenges Systemic Racism and Builds Community For Good - Niven McCall-Mazza · We Are For Good Podcast - The Podcast for Nonprofits

• 0:00
  Jonathan McCoy: Welcome back to the weird for good podcast. It's our final day of women of impact week presented by virtuous.
• 0:06
  Jonathan McCoy: We're glad you're here. Hey, I'm john.
• 0:10
  Unknown: And I'm Becky.
• 0:11
  Jonathan McCoy: And this is the we are for good podcast.
• 0:14
  Becky Endicott: nonprofits are faced with more challenges to accomplish their missions and the growing pressure to do more, raise more and be more for the causes that improve our world.
• 0:23
  Jonathan McCoy: We're here to learn with you from some of the best in the industry, bringing the most innovative ideas, inspirational stories, all to create an impact uprising.
• 0:31
  Becky Endicott: So welcome to the good community. We're nonprofit professionals, philanthropist, world changers and rabid fans who are striving to bring a little more goodness into the world.
• 0:42
  Jonathan McCoy: So let's get started.
• 0:44
  Becky Endicott: Welcome, welcome. Hey, Becky, I've got stars in my eyes.
• 0:49
  Jonathan McCoy: We're gonna try to play it cool, though.
• 0:50
  Becky Endicott: Yeah, we're gonna pretend like this is not the biggest deal ever, that we have such a rock star hero on this podcast, I just want to tell everybody to buckle up because I think we are about to have an epic conversation that is going to round out this incredible women of impact week.
• 1:07
  Becky Endicott: And we're talking with one of these women in the world who is doing so much to lift up the good that women are doing and across all sectors. And it's not even women that are even in business. It's women in the way that they're showing up in the world the way that they are linking arms with each other.
• 1:24
  Becky Endicott: And I'm just here for it. So I haven't even started the intro, but I had to emote for just a second because I love it when we meet good humans, and we can just amplify their good work. So it is my great pleasure to introduce Niven McCall-Mazza.
• 1:38
  Becky Endicott: She is the VP of News Platforms at a little place I called theSkimm. Have you ever heard of it? Yes, like millions of people get to subscribe to friends.
• 1:46
  Becky Endicott: Well, I am a subscriber I've probably been a subscriber maybe longer than Julie who's been a subscriber since high school. So she is overseeing the daily Skimm newsletter, the website that subscription app video content operations, and she's been there, I think you're going on your fourth year. And the way that that she has been able to scale innovate and diversify the company's content and products and voice has really made theSkimm a worldwide digital phenomenon. But the thing I love most about her and I love that she has skimmed her bio, because it's she has an incredible things that she has done in her life. But she just talks about the things that she's passionate about female empowerment, advancing the skims mission to make it easier for generations of women to live their smartest lives. She worked at NBC News before this. So she's got that journalism and ethics background, which I love, and I share with you. And then to top it all off, she's on the board of grace farm foods, which uses food to foster good in the world. So thanks for coming. It was a great episode. So good to meet you. Welcome to the we're for good podcast.
• 2:54
  Niven McCall-Mazza: Hi, guys, it is so great to be here. Thank you so much for having me on.
• 2:57
  Niven McCall-Mazza: And you've had some incredible women on the show this week. So really excited to be a part of this. And I've got some you know, big shoes to fell in love up to as as the final guest.
• 3:11
  Becky Endicott: Well, it's gonna be amazing. And I just feel like we're just standing in this really storied moment in time that we want to seize, where women are just doing extraordinary things in this world. And they're finding their voices in ways that they never had before. And I really appreciate that you're creating a platform, and a new cycle to inform and advocate for them. So I'd love to just start with your career journey. And what your background and what led you to not only this, this position, but this purpose and is driven your passion in life. So help us connect the dots.
• 3:44
  Niven McCall-Mazza: Yeah. So I kind of got the bug in college.
• 3:50
  Niven McCall-Mazza: I was a history major. I had done some really cool, this really great study abroad over at Oxford and really kind of focusing on you know, actually European countries during the World Wars. I was also doing some internships in DC, working for a representative Jim Himes of Connecticut and also working for the Library of Congress and had done also a couple of stints kind of odd jobs at the some NBC Olympics, and was trying to really think about how do I mix this, you know, interest that I have of media and history. And this is kind of embarrassing, but I watched. I was home one summer, and I watched the newsroom with Jeff Daniels. And I was like, that's it. I'm going to go into news. And so I got this very low level kind of researcher job at NBC News. Um, really paid my dues and was able to learn quickly and move up in that very fast paced environment that we all kind of consider those that have done it as like a crash course like a college course of what news is having not gone to journalism school, which many had, it was the best training that I ever could have gotten to enter this world of journalism. And, you know, it really kind of is your training ground for what images can you show on air and speaking to firsthand sources, whether it be police or to family members who have just lost a loved one, it's a really, really intense experience, but really taught me a lot about you know, what is safe to what accurate reporting is really all about what you are good to be able to show on air and kind of where those standards come in. And I ended up getting a job at theSkimm to be their first night editor, when they were really looking for someone who understood kind of that journalism, strong background, and have been able to move up with the scam to now be running their news platforms.
• 6:19
  Niven McCall-Mazza: And I'm just really, really excited to be at the scam really excited to be here. And that is a quick skim of my background.
• 6:34
  Becky Endicott: And so humble, too, you know, and I and I love that you just would share the story about the newsroom because I think your source of inspiration can come from anywhere. And little known fact, someone on that show was like I went to high school with Lisa man, who I think is Olivia mon.
• 6:51
  Becky Endicott: Now that is her celebrity name.
• 6:51
  Becky Endicott: But I love that story. And I and I really appreciate, you know, it's hard to be a journalist right now. I mean, journalists have been under fire in the last several years and in the reality is, they are working so hard to inform the public with unbiased facts. And I think that is what is the power of the skim, you know, and what the power of words can do. And I so appreciate the advocacy that you're bringing to the space through just sharing this information. Because there's, there's so much, there's so much noise coming at us all the time, especially now in this digital world. We're all social, we're all on our phones. And it's hard to know where you can find truth. And so I just think that one of these northstars in this sector, is these journalists that are doing the hard work and raging against the storm right now. So I commend
• 7:42
  Niven McCall-Mazza: you. And I think media is not perfect, but I think they as a whole have gotten kind of a bad rap these past couple of years. And, you know, I heard this quote once, and I've shared this with others, but someone was walking in the streets of New York, and someone said to their friend, if I don't keep up with the news, I'm uninformed. If I do, I'm misinformed. And while I find that to be a pretty catchy line, I also strongly strongly disagree with it. Because everyone that I know that works in journalism just takes their job so seriously. And it is our responsibility to try to inform the public as best that we can, you know, there isn't some kind of mass conspiracy to spread information. And I really think that, if anything, it news outlets are not spreading misinformation. So I really want to clarify that. We are talking to, you know, the skim curates a lot of news, but the, you know, NBC and ABC and CNN are really talking to firsthand sources and sharing, you know, as best they can what they're seeing on the ground. So I think it's been tough. I think that some of the criticism is valid in terms of I think, the bubble that media was very obviously in prior to the 2016 election. And I think a lot of media really did have to reflect and think about, what's the path forward? And how are we making sure that we are sharing voices and opinions outside of just the coastal cities. But I think that is very different from spreading misinformation.
• 9:33
  Niven McCall-Mazza: And I think what theSkimm really prides itself on is how much care we put into our fact checking process in our sourcing process, and really making sure that we are providing a non partisan view of what's going on in the world today. And respecting our readers and listeners and subscribers.
• 9:58
  Niven McCall-Mazza: Enough to Let them make a decision about how they want to feel about a policy or an event.
• 10:04
  Niven McCall-Mazza: But that we have given them as much information to allow them to make an informed decision.
• 10:15
  Niven McCall-Mazza: And I think
• 10:15
  Jonathan McCoy: it's such a gift, specifically, because there's so much information coming at us nowadays. And there's so much happening at all times that we're aware of. Yeah, absolutely overload. So I think that the skin was so ahead of its time, and that that you have been doing this for years and built this massive audience as a result of that. But I kind of wanted to pivot because I think that you said something that triggered me up Oh, direction I'd love to go is that we were kind of creeping on Evans amazing Instagram, and she shares these, you know, he she threads her personal stories with this professional calling that I think you just kind of explained with journalism, too, of just being in the middle of that of experiencing what everything 2020 was personally in the years before that, and trying to be on the front lines to try to help interpret that to people and to share realities with that. But a post that stuck out to me that I want to kick to you is just a tribute you did to your dad, that you said, said the man who taught us at the commerce voice in the room can be the strongest. And I think that, you know, we're talking a lot about platform today, because we've all been entrusted knowledge or facts. And it's up to us, what are we going to do with that, in our own personal platforms, and in the platforms of our nonprofits, or whoever's listening to this podcast today, I just wonder if you talk a little bit about that part of your story of how you view that and how you view your personal platform in that way, too.
• 11:41
  Niven McCall-Mazza: Yeah, I first want to just give a shout out to my dad, I've learned so much from him. He works at NBC Olympics. And he is someone who manages a large team and takes management very seriously, I have learned a lot about how to be a good manager from him. And in that same vein of, you know, I think I've also learned from bad managers of, you know, you don't have to be the loudest voice in the room, you don't have to threaten or try to elicit fear to gain respect.
• 12:20
  Niven McCall-Mazza: There are so many other ways of being a good leader. And so I really always try to be an advocate for my team. And I think I learned a lot of that watching my dad growing up over the years and just how much loyalty his team has towards him, knowing that he has their back. And that he kind of has crossed a line of like friend and mentor, and manager. And I just think that's a really important element in work where we spend, you know, so much of our life and so much of our time. And, you know, I think it's the the more that you can make it a a welcoming, you know, environment for people where they can share their experiences, and they can have a voice and you're empowering them, I think is super important. And I think that same thing goes for theSkimm' and kind of why I was so drawn to it as a company is it is a place that wants everyone to have a voice not only internally, I think it's really important that, you know, we have this predominantly female team. And it's so cool to be in a room with so many strong women who are coming with fantastic ideas every day of how we can make an impact. And it's a super mission driven company. And I think that's the thing that ties us all together as we all are working towards this very similar goal of trying to help women. So it's very much internal, but it's also very much external, everything that we are doing is with the goal of empowering women and getting them to really have a voice in their own life, and speak up and make decisions that are good for their wallet or good for their health. And so it definitely feels like a great, a great place to be based on on where I've, you know, my past and I'm very lucky that the scam is a is a place that does really prioritize that.
• 15:06
  Becky Endicott: And I love that you draw from you know what you've learned in these incredible models in your life.
• 15:11
  Becky Endicott: And you know, we've seen that your mom and your dad or have been so instrumental in setting this tone for you. And we talk a lot just about mindsets and how leaders need to come at you know, wherever you are in the sector, it doesn't even have to be a nonprofit but having this abundance mindset having an empathy mindset is really going to help. I would almost say like smooth off The edges of how you're approaching business.
• 15:36
  Becky Endicott: Because I think your dad is spot on. I mean that when you said you don't have to elicit fear, to gain respect, it's like, no one wants to follow a leader that's going to operate in that way. Because in my mind it especially in the nonprofit field, we're working toward good, we're working toward huge missions, we are trying to eradicate the world's largest problems. And we've got to come at it, you know, from a leadership standpoint of pulling together of linking arms, and and seeing the least of us all the way to you know, the CEO. So love that point, something
• 16:11
  Jonathan McCoy: is nividous too humble that she's not going to just bring this up. But I think we need to point this out is that your ability to bring this out and your team and create this safe culture and this place where people thrive, was recognized through gv, which is Google Ventures impact list on an global scale, right this past year. So you're on this top impactor list. So I think she's playing very humble ball with us right here. But she knows how to do that she knows how to bring out this integrity, and meaningful connections within teams. And she's been recognized for it. So just saying that
• 16:45
  Unknown: no shock, they're
• 16:46
  Niven McCall-Mazza: definitely not going to bring that up. And I'll say, I mean, I'm very humbled and very appreciative to have gotten that recognition. I would say, you know, this all started so long before me so much credit goes to Carly Zakin and Danielle Weisberg for creating such an incredible company. And I think it's a company where they really do empower women. And so I have been lucky and fortunate to have benefited from that. And I also think that one of their strengths is also really curating. You know, we we curate information, but we also curate a team that is so incredible.
• 17:32
  Niven McCall-Mazza: And so, you know, a lot of what I may be getting recognized for is really just a reflection of how incredible this team is, and the work they do every single day.
• 17:43
  Becky Endicott: Yeah, and I love the value structures of theSkimm. And when you have those really solid values that everyone can glom on to I mean, every every good thing is going to flow down and from the content to the culture and all of that. So I want to pivot a little bit and just talk about the scam. You know, we may have some listeners who are not familiar with the scam. And I would love for you to give them an overview of how you're empowering and serving. I don't know if it's just millennial women because I'm a Gen Xer and I feel empowered by it. So yeah, give us a little bit of background on it. Yeah,
• 18:14
  Niven McCall-Mazza: so theSkimm is a mission driven digital media company. We are most well known for our flagship product, the daily skimm newsletter, which goes out to 7 million millennial women daily.
• 18:25
  Niven McCall-Mazza: Obviously, it's not just millennial women. But we do have a large millennial woman audience that we speak to. And we also speak to millions of others through our entire product suite, which includes a subscription app, it includes a career podcast, the news podcast, and two other newsletters, one that's focused on money, and one that's focused on recommendations for products and entertainment reads all of that. We started as a newsletter business, Carly and Danielle worked at they were producers at NBC. And they really felt like, you know, the today show and Nightly News just wasn't wasn't speaking to their generation and the audience and people that they speak to all the time. And so they created something themselves that they thought would be a more effective way of governing, forming this generation. And it obviously has worked and it's a verb now. So it
• 19:31
  Becky Endicott: is a verb or
• 19:32
  Jonathan McCoy: a verb.
• 19:37
  Niven McCall-Mazza: And so they've really built this, I'll call it an empire. I will say they they've built this team and this empire in this business.
• 19:45
  Niven McCall-Mazza: And we've gone from trying to help women understand the news in the morning. And really the purpose of that is, you know, how can you have informed conversations throughout the course of the day, if something comes up at work, making sure that you have the background to be able to speak to that in the meeting is super important. If something comes up at the dinner table, making sure that you're having informed conversations with your, you know, personal network, and making sure that extends all the way through now when you vote in either your local elections or presidential elections, whatever that is, you know, we really want to make sure that we've built that foundation. Over the course of however many years that we've we have you as a reader You know that you have the information and feel equipped to make an informed decision at the polls.
• 20:38
  Niven McCall-Mazza: And so I think it's really, you know, it started started there and it's grown into, we've been able to kind of have this impact with news, and how do we have that same impact in so many other areas of life. And we've moved into money in trying to help women make smarter financial decisions, you know, equal pay days this week, and we have seen that women are still making around 82 cents for every dollar that men are making. And that's, you know, even more egregious when you break it down by black women and Hispanic women, and, and Asian women and Native American women. And so it's trying to make sure you know, there's a large part of that that is a complete society problem, that's a huge problem that needs to be solved. But for the part that women do have control over, which is when they go into a negotiation with their boss, or when they are, you know, at the stage of interviewing for a job, how can we equip them in the best way that we can, so that they are getting what they need. So that's, you know, we've got the money element, then we were going into health, and it really launched that kind of in tandem with the needs that we were seeing happening last year, with this pandemic that we are all still living through. And understanding that there's so much of your health that is also incredibly complicated. And so much of this stuff, we just don't learn in school, like how to manage your health insurance, and how to do your taxes, and incu. And all of these things that are so relevant to actually being able to live a smart life.
• 22:27
  Niven McCall-Mazza: But, you know, I'm not going to say anything bad about the type of things that we learn in school, but there does seem to be a real lack of kind of these foundational things that I think are so important in the skim is really trying to make sure that as many women have access to that information.
• 22:50
  Midroll: Hey, friends, women of impact week is presented by virtuous and they just happened to be one of our favorite companies. You know, we believe everyone matters. And we believe the greatest philanthropic movements happen when you see and activate donors at every level. And our friends at virtuous created a fundraising platform to help you do just that. virtuous is the only responsive fundraising platform designed to help nonprofit teams build better donor relationships and increase impact with confidence. Plus, their number one core value is team and family. So this week, we're excited to highlight a few of the phenomenal women in clients within their family.
• 23:24
  Midroll: Hi there, my name is Beth, and I have the pleasure of overseeing the advancement department at Mel Trotter ministries in West Michigan. What that means is our team is in charge of both communication and development for Mel Trotter ministries, and we exist to demonstrate the compassion of Jesus for all those experiencing hunger and homelessness. So as you can imagine, we take our mission very seriously. And as part of that, we made the decision last year to implement virtuous since we've done so our team has been able to not only bring in more funds than ever before, but also really engaged in the donor experience, because this is a very bi directional relationship that we must have with our donors, our community, and others so that we can absolutely help every single person who walks through our door and beyond, we go out and do outreach as well. So purchase has allowed us to focus on our mission, be the people that we were called to be in to really make a difference in so far as those who are hungry, and homeless.
• 24:26
  Becky Endicott: Okay, I just want to give an endorsement of theSkimm because even as you're saying all of this, it, I want to give some context to it.
• 24:31
  Becky Endicott: Because, you know, we talk so much about, you know, having a voice and create what is your voice as, as an organization as a human being when you're on social, or on digital platforms?
• 24:42
  Becky Endicott: What is your voice, and the skim to me, was one of the first media outlets I felt like, seem like a person. They seem like they had a soul. And I and I want to say that it is it takes the fear and the imposter syndrome, out of walking into one of these conversations that you're discussing. It feels like a girlfriend like you're having coffee with your girlfriend and she's telling you what's going on. And I love that you brought up equal pay, because I think you know, as we're discussing women of impact week, I just I was reading an article today about it. And it's just so shocking. And I think people when they hear about equal pay, they're just like, yeah, women are not making enough. But it's not we're not digging into the why of that. And it's like, if you look at like we had had somebody on a couple of weeks ago. When we were talking about the amount of unemployment that happened in December, when I felt the stat was wrong, it was 145,000 women who lost their job in December, or left their job because of, you know, the pressures of taking care of children of needing to be at home during COVID. And that shrinks the pay gap for all of us when these women are leaving the sector, and they're leaving the sector on the lowest end.
• 25:59
  Becky Endicott: And so we've got to figure out a way. And this is why I'm like trying to empower people, we've got to be advocates for them.
• 26:07
  Becky Endicott: When these women come into our workspace, we've got to be kind and gracious about making sure that they have balance, and making sure that, that they have promotional opportunities, and that we're creating pathways for success that we're checking in often, you know, this is a really difficult time right now.
• 26:25
  Becky Endicott: And I just really appreciate how you're lifting that conversation up and finding a way for people to pour into it.
• 26:32
  Niven McCall-Mazza: That December jobs reports that I will say I also thought was wrong. And I we you know, our team as fact checkers, like we dug in there. There were men that lost their jobs in December as well, I do want to be clear about that. But I think what was so astounded that the amount of women that lost their jobs were like double I think how the number of men that lost their jobs, and therefore the net, the net loss came out to I think it was the 145,000 staff that you mentioned. Now I'm sure my my team would fact check me on all those. But the key thing there really comes down to the fact that our society is not equipped to support working moms. And we still as a country don't have a federal federally mandated family leave policy. And there's so much action that needs to be done when it comes to that. And I think this pandemic has shone a spotlight on how we are far from equality. When it comes to protecting women, we could talk about that when it comes to domestic violence, we could talk about that when it comes to you know, women feeling safe walking home from from work, but also, you know, really just are they protected in the workplace? And how are we thinking about having two parents that work? And have we changed our kind of system of work since you know, let's just say the 1940s and the 1950s. And now that we have so many women who are really, you know, leading the charge when it comes to graduation rates and working and being leaders at companies hat, I don't think that our family leave policies have really caught up with that. And that's something that needs to I think, change yesterday, years ago. And, you know, it's just, it's tough to be on zoom and see so many of my incredible work, coworkers juggling trying to teach their kids trying to, you know, engage their kids leading these meetings. I have, I mean, I respected them before, but my respect level now is through the roof. And I just have no idea how, you know, everyone is doing it. And I recognize that I'm in a very different situation without having kids living through this pandemic. And I just can't imagine, you know, the immense amount of additional pressure that it's adding on so many women across the country.
• 29:15
  Niven McCall-Mazza: Well, I
• 29:15
  Jonathan McCoy: think I mean, I love that conversation. Because just like theSkimm, you're leading us toward action toward informed understanding of facts, and how does that drive to what do we need to do. And I think a lot of our listeners are, we're connected to causes or organizations we exist, because we're trying to perpetuate something or eradicate something. And there's such a beautiful, diverse audience that listens to this podcast. And I know that, you know, it's such a deep level, the power of storytelling, and how it can expose inequalities, how it can challenge systemic issues, like racism, and also just build communities as well. And I wonder if you could kind of give us you can either share a story or maybe a great example of how you've seen this partnership of using story to lift a cause, and how we can kind of inspire our nonprofits to to use that to their advantage to really get our messages out.
• 30:09
  Niven McCall-Mazza: Yeah, I think storytelling comes with a lot of responsibility. I think that we have witness to these past couple years that people still really do live in bubbles across the country. And there are times that whatever publication or whatever, nonprofit, whatever it is, that they're experiencing. might be the, I would doubt it's the first time but might be one of the few times that they may really get to see someone of a different community and kind of hear their story. And so, you know, I think we all have a responsibility to really storytellers be thinking about what stories are we sharing? And how are we highlighting, really the power of all of these communities and kind of the leadership and the, what makes them so unique. But also, on the flip side, we have the responsibility to also make sure that we are laying bare the inequalities and inequities that they still face, and are really trying to make everyone aware that we as citizens of the US are responsible ourselves for correcting a lot of these issues. And there's a lot that the government should be doing.
• 31:33
  Niven McCall-Mazza: But there's also a lot that we all should be doing in our personal life, to be anti racist, and to make sure that we are calling out injustice when we see it, in our you know, in our homes, in conversation with our families, in our workplace, making sure that we have diversity in hiring and diversity and making sure we have an inclusive workplace, that we're calling it out. If we see someone say something that's offensive and racist at the post office, let's just say, you know, and I think we are helping everyone to realize that we all have this responsibility, and that we are equipping our audience to let them know like, this is your responsibility. And this is how you can take action.
• 32:22
  Niven McCall-Mazza: These are the resources that you can go to, to learn more, to understand more, to donate your time, or donate your money.
• 32:30
  Niven McCall-Mazza: These are how you have uncomfortable conversations with even your own family members about race. So it's incredibly important. And something that I think theSkimm has really tried to take on as best we can. I think this is such a large scale reckoning that this country needs to have. And I think theSkimm was really trying to make sure that we are equipping our audience in the best way that we can to be very aware and very active in their daily lives, of how to stand up and be anti racist.
• 33:07
  Becky Endicott: Back to you don't have to be the loudest voice in the room to get that point across. And I think that is the real opportunity here.
• 33:13
  Becky Endicott: Because if there's anything that I have felt emboldened by the sheer, it is that we cannot even stay silent. That staying silent, is, is one of the pitfalls of creating this, this environment in this world that we're living in. And it is incumbent upon us to bravely and kindly step out and check people.
• 33:40
  Becky Endicott: We need to amplify our voices we need to dig into our core. And part of that comes with just feeling like you know what's going on being informed knowing where the resources are that can that can completely disarm a conversation immediately. So I wanted like talk a little bit about how you build advocacy within community. Because I think you all do this. So well.
• 34:03
  Becky Endicott: And I we had talked earlier this week with Dr. Tyrone Freeman, as he was sharing the story of madam CJ Walker and one of the groundbreaking African American philanthropist in the early 1900s. And he is is informing us and telling us that philanthropy is not just about giving, it's also about activating, and it's about volunteering, and it's about getting involved in finding a way that you can pour whatever your gift is into something else. The skim does an amazing job of this. So what kind of advice would you give to our nonprofit community about building advocacy within their own spheres,
• 34:36
  Niven McCall-Mazza: I think you hit the nail on the head when it comes to providing resources. I think, you know, everyone has a different capacity for what they can give, whether that be money, whether that be time, whether that be challenging their inner circle, determining whether their inner circle is really, you know, acting in accordance to the way that they want to live their own life. And I think, you know, we try to not assume what our audiences is capable of providing in any given moment, while also recognizing that, you know, this is a journey, and everyone is on a different stage of that journey. And so it's trying to make sure that you are providing everyone no matter what stage they are on a certain level of resources for how they can take action. And I think the other element of it is making sure That you are being authentic. So making sure that you are not asking more of your audience, or more of whoever you are speaking to the donors, constituents, whoever it is, then you are willing to do yourself. And so it's also I think, really putting in the work. And, you know, theSkimm, I think is, is doing that in a great way with a program called Skimm elevate, which is making sure that we are supporting and highlighting BIPOC businesses. And I think a lot of it has to do with how are you behind the scenes being very intentional? And, and making sure that you know, you are putting in the same work that you were asking others to do?
• 36:19
  Niven McCall-Mazza: Because people are smart, they can they're going to read through anything that doesn't come off, as you know, well, why are they asking me when they're not going to do anything themselves. So I think it's important that the message comes off as authentic. You know, it's, it's, it's been a year.
• 36:40
  Niven McCall-Mazza: And I am a half black woman, and it has definitely been a lot to process on a personal level, while also trying on a professional level to make sure that we are, are helping our audience, you know, really understand and, you know, spread the stories of inequity and racism that we're seeing. But on a personal level, I am. I'll say hopeful, I think the the amount of conversations that I've had with people lately, I'm glad at least some of this stuff has risen to the surface. And I think that there was a lot of I don't want to say people were blind, but I think, you know, there was a lot of, Oh, it's, it's not really happening here anymore. You know, and I, I'm hopeful that by addressing these things in a very explicit out their way. You know, even if, even if that only changes 5% of the population, that's a start.
• 37:55
  Niven McCall-Mazza: And so I would just say, you know, keep going, have your conversations with people in Oklahoma, like you have the power to make that change. We've seen that firsthand how much you know, we all have, we all hold that power. And it starts, it's it really does start local.
• 38:18
  Becky Endicott: And if you impact 5%, that 5% can impact I mean, ripple ripple, ripple ripple. And that's what I think you need to start a movement.
• 38:25
  Jonathan McCoy: Some people have a mailing list of seven or 8 million whenever you look at theSkimm and some of this. We all have people that listen to us and look up to us in some way. And so thank you for that.
• 38:34
  Jonathan McCoy: I really appreciate that. So we're rounding out women of impact week. And I'm wondering what's who's a woman that you admire? Who's shaped you into who you are today?
• 38:46
  Niven McCall-Mazza: Well, I'm glad you asked because I, I love my dad, but I want to make sure that my mom gets because yeah, she really is the color kind of a the fire of our family. She is a very, very strong woman, and has always really pushed me to be a feminist to have a voice.
• 39:12
  Niven McCall-Mazza: Okay, I'm having a bad day, what am I going to do about it? You know, she's always looking to turn to for so many things, but she is just this incredible source of strength. And she herself as a, you know, a black woman who grew up in a time where these conversations weren't being had and racism was more explicit, you know, she's gone through a lot. And I think that she is just just it. She's an incredibly radiant, strong woman, and has shown me kind of the path to lead. And I'll say, just to give an example, my mom and my best friend's mom took us to so many I remember just going to so many like women's forums and panels when we were kids.
• 39:59
  Niven McCall-Mazza: And we met one time, Mary Robinson, who was the first female president of Ireland, and I just remember being like, Oh my gosh, I'm going to be president one day.
• 40:13
  Unknown: And
• 40:15
  Niven McCall-Mazza: my best friend and I kind of came out of that and we started this we we started this club in our high school and we had to like, petition to the to the principle that we wanted to start this club and it was called power project of women's essential rights and we wanted to create this small group and It happened to be small, we weren't hoping it would be small. But women in our high school who were really who wanted, you know, really to embrace feminism and the Advancement of Women. And so my point of all this is that it This all started very young, it started with my mom, bringing me to these panels showing me how women can rise. And that I'm, you know, such an invaluable thing to have understood at such a young age that, you know, there's, I can I can do anything, I can be President of Ireland.
• 41:18
  Jonathan McCoy: We have to emigrate first. But
• 41:20
  Becky Endicott: I was just thinking, we need to have mama McCall on the podcast. She's like, come in here and teach us.
• 41:27
  Becky Endicott: How do you I mean, because I sense that you have just so you love yourself. She's taught you to be confident, she's taught you that you are important and unique, and special. And it just shows that if you can start early with empowering a young girl in that way, she can rise to be the VP of news at theSkimm. Holy smokes. I mean, I may be I may be nerdy, but I think that's cooler than the president of Ireland. I'm really curious if we ask all our guests just about a moment of philanthropy that maybe just deeply moved you and stuck with you? Do you have one that is personal to you?
• 42:04
  Niven McCall-Mazza: Yeah. And I think it kind of goes back to, you know, being shaped at a young age. So I, you know, I wasn't really that young, I was a ninth grade. But went on a couple of service projects. So Appalachian service project is what it was called. And it was in partnership with a church in town. And it's this kind of month long, I think experience where you, you are learning how to do kind of building techniques before you go, and you go, and you're helping people in Appalachian, who are less fortunate than you repair their homes. And they really, I mean, it was such an important experience for me of really getting to know people outside of where I lived, and recognizing that. You know, I was very fortunate to grow up in this small town in Connecticut, where I didn't have to worry about having food on my table at dinner, or if it was raining, is there a leak in the ceiling and really just opened my eyes to how privileged I was. And that there is so much work to be done domestically. And I think, you know, a lot of times, I feel like when people, especially I think when I was growing up, maybe this is just my own ignorance. But I think there's a lot of like, Oh, I'm gonna donate to this cause abroad. And you know, there's a lot going on that internationally that the US can be leading the charge. And, and I think all of that is true.
• 43:45
  Niven McCall-Mazza: But there is also a lot to be done in the communities here.
• 43:49
  Niven McCall-Mazza: And so I think it was really eye opening experience for me of, you know, check in my own privilege. And really understanding the level of work that needed to be done in the US. And also, again, kind of the stories that need to be told and how we can help these communities. And what effect we all can have to make change.
• 44:20
  Jonathan McCoy: Thank you for sharing that. Okay, we're kind of coming into the end of our interview, although we don't want this to end. But would you share one good thing we ask all of our guests a piece of advice or something that you could implement today? It's this thermo schem question on our list.
• 44:33
  Becky Endicott: It really is our one skimmed question.
• 44:35
  Jonathan McCoy: What is your one good thing?
• 44:37
  Niven McCall-Mazza: I would say my the one good thing I would recommend is really just asking others how you can help and pausing and listening to their response. I think that we have a tendency to go through our lives, we're all super busy, and kind of understand or think we understand what other people are going through. And I think we are going through a time where we are all dealing with this pandemic, and stress and everything that's being asked of us in very different ways. And we don't know how everyone is dealing with it. And so I think I'm trying to check in and trying to really listen as best we can to what other people are needing is I found to be you know, as as much as we can do something time this is just being an ear to listen and through that, you know, you might find a way to be able to help others.
• 45:41
  Becky Endicott: And that right there is the essence of our dear friend, our new friend here because I mean, I love that you as a journalist, are just encouraging others to just listen and kind of extend their hand and, and move through life in a way that is heartfelt and genuine, because that is how we can up end, you know, generations of hate and derision and those kinds of things. It's it's really about listening and finding a way that you can pour yourself into someone else.
• 46:11
  Becky Endicott: Because I again, I think that has such a cyclical effect, that once you do that, it's just going to keep compounding upon itself. And so and that's something that everybody can do.
• 46:23
  Becky Endicott: how can listeners connect with you with theSkimm, we've already given a massive shout out to your Instagram only go there if you if your heart and your mind are centered, because I made me a little weepy? Because your writing is just so great. And I love the way you humanize yourself. And I can tell who the important people are in your life and the important values that you have. And it's just a wonderful platform. But how could somebody connect with you and theSkimm.
• 46:49
  Niven McCall-Mazza: You can sign up at theskimm.com for any of our newsletters, I highly recommend them they are free.
• 46:57
  Niven McCall-Mazza: The Daily Skimm comes to your inbox every morning. Our other two are weekly newsletters, but I promise that you will get something out of them. You can also connect with us 24/7 on our Instagram, which is @theskimm.
• 47:09
  Niven McCall-Mazza: And I appreciate my own personal Instagram love that you guys have been giving me. I've been trying to share more. So I appreciate that it's not gone unnoticed. But I am@thecurveteur, which who knows why I have that handle, it doesn't really make sense. Yeah.
• 47:36
  Niven McCall-Mazza: I should probably change that.
• 47:36
  Niven McCall-Mazza: But I really appreciate you guys having me on and allowing me to speak to a lot of issues that the scam is trying to do. And I also just want to say how impressed I am that, that you guys have started this podcast and have focused on how to bring it to the world because I know that it's not easy, and the world definitely feels a bit dark right now. So to have a space and to have this time to really be able to speak about how we can affect change in the fact good is such a such a rare thing. So thank you for bringing so much light to your listeners.
• 48:19
  Becky Endicott: You know, as dark as the time is, I feel like everyone's looking for hope and a way that they can pour into bringing our light back.
• 48:25
  Becky Endicott: And so thank you for that. And I want to give a challenge to everybody right now. If you can do one good thing, maybe this is my one good thing. Please forward, theSkimm to an important woman in your life, and an important man in your life. I mean, we've talked so much about this being a platform for women. But we've also discussed this week the importance of male ally ship and to even have the important men in our life. understand the issues that they're facing and how they can pour into it is really going to make this grassroots movement grow even further. So appreciate you love your heart. Thank you for sharing with us hope our paths cross again.
• 49:01
  Jonathan McCoy: This has been amazing. Thank you.
• 49:03
  Niven McCall-Mazza: Thank you both.
• 49:06
  Jonathan McCoy: Thanks so much for listening to today's conversation with Niven. What an amazing way to wrap up women of impact week to dive into all the resources and show notes from this week's episodes visit we're for good comm slash women. I hope you hear it in our voices but we love connecting you with the most innovative people to help you achieve more for your mission than ever before. We'd love for you to come join our good community. It's free and you can think of it as the after party for every episode. It's our own social network you can sign up for today at we're for good calm slash Hello. And one more thing if you love what you heard today, would you mind leaving us a podcast rating and review? It means the world to us and Your support helps more people find our community.
• 49:39
  Jonathan McCoy: Thanks friends. Our production hero has been a skimmer for nearly a decade Julie Confer and our theme song is sunray by Remy Borsboom. Go rock this week do gooders.