Gretchen Carlson on speaking out, fighting for change and the ripple effect of courage

Inside Influence

What does it take to own your voice when everything is on the line - and the entire world is watching?

Today’s Guest

On the podcast today I speak with Gretchen Carlson, New York Times bestselling author, speaker, and internationally recognized trailblazer for women’s rights in the workplace.

In June of 2016, two years before the beginning of the #metoo movement - Gretchen boldly went public with sexual harassment claims against then Fox News Chairman and CEO Roger Ailes, considered to be one of the most powerful men on the planet.

Having spent over 30 years as a journalist. Gretchen was one of the most recognised faces on television - hosting the Saturday edition of The Early Show on CBS News, Fox News’ Fox & Friends and The Real Story with Gretchen Carlson.

Two weeks after the suit was filed, Roger Ailes was fired from Fox in a historic precedent. Laying the foundations for the #metoo movement to come. Gretchen went on to settle her lawsuit and co-found ‘Lift Our Voices’, a nonprofit organization fighting to stop forced arbitration and non-disclosure agreements keeping toxic workplace issues silent.

So what led to that moment? Although the NDA Gretchen had to sign as part of her settlement prevents her from publicly discussing her time at Fox. Her story has since been told as both the movie ‘Bombshell’ starring Nicole Kidman as Gretchen - and the Showtime mini-series ‘The Loudest Voice’ where Gretchen was played by Naomi Watts.

In today’s conversation we talk about what it takes to stand up to power, how to fight for change and the ripple effect of courage - in our workplaces, our families and the world.

Instagram & twitter: @gretchencarlson

You’ll Learn

• How she found the courage to stand up and tell her story - and why “it’s not like walking into a room and flipping on the light switch, even as a strong person.”
• What happened after “One of the darkest days of my life”. The day she was told by her lawyers that she didn’t have a case. All because of a tiny clause in her contract that she (and millions of others) didn’t know existed.
• Why she created ‘Lift Our Voices’ to end forced arbitration and NDA’s. Including how they managed to pass the largest labor law change the USA has seen in 100 years.
• Finally, how it feels to watch her story portrayed on the big screen – not once but twice – while being legally prevented from contributing her own voice.

References and links mentioned

• My new ebook The Influencer Code
• Gretchen’s Non-profit, Lift Our Voices: https://liftourvoices.org

If you liked this episode, you might also enjoy

• Nathan Chan
• Bunker Roy

Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of the Inside Influence Podcast! Please head over to iTunes, subscribe to the show, and leave an honest review. Don’t forget to hop on my website juliemasters.com and download my new ebook The Influencer Code or become an insider by signing up to my newsletter.

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