Podcasting with Power, Purpose & Authenticity

In a podcasting world overflowing with content, authentic voices stand out—and make change.  This powerful session offers an honest conversation on the importance of authentic voices in podcasting.

Moderated by Sarah Burke, founder and Executive Producer of Women in Media Network, this conversation will explore what it really means to build a platform with integrity. It will unpack how to stay grounded in your values, get loud about what matters—be it veganism, the arts, queer identity, or social justice—and create content that reflects the world as it should be. If you’re ready to show up, stand tall, and speak with purpose, this session is for you.

Featured Panelists

Andrea Claire is a globally recognized, Canadian-licensed hairstylist and makeup artist with over 30 years of experience in the fashion, advertising, and television industry. An active force on set from New York to Singapore, her diverse chair has hosted icons including Henry Golding, SEAL, Alanis Morissette, and Margaret Atwood. A veteran of ten seasons of makeover TV and an expert for brands like L’Oréal Paris, Dyson, and Sephora, Andrea’s work has been featured in such titles as ELLE, Bazaar, and Fashion.

In 2025, she launched The FxCK YOU 50s, a fearless podcast challenging the “age gracefully” narrative. As host, Andrea leads raw, filter-free conversations on midlife, health, and visibility—empowering women to stop apologizing and start taking up space.

Fartumo Kusow was born in Somalia but immigrated to Canada in 1991 at the start of Somalia’s civil war. Her novel Tale of a Boon’s Wife, published in 2017, received positive reviews from Harvard Review, Booklist, and This Magazine. Her first novel, Amran, was serialized in October Star, Somalia’s national newspaper, in 1984. She is the creator and host of two podcasts: Break the Silence, Build a Future, dedicated to advocacy and empowering survivors of intimate partner violence, and My Mother: The Person and the Patient. Fartumo lives in Windsor, Ontario, Canada.