Hosted by Catherine McKenna, Canada’s former Minister of Environment and Climate change, founder of Women Leading on Climate and author of a new memoir Run Like a Girl. The Women Leading on Climate podcast features powerhouse women from Canada and across the globe who not only aren’t giving up on climate but are digging in - they know what’s at stake and are pushing action and solutions in a range of different and innovative ways.
Fresh from COP 30 in Brazil, climate leader Catherine Abreu joins host Catherine McKenna to break down what's really happening in global climate negotiations. They explore why women and Indigenous peoples are driving the most effective climate solutions, how to maintain hope when progress feels slow, and why joy isn't just nice to have—it's essential for staying in the fight. A conversation about power, perseverance, and the collective action that's actually moving the needle on climate change.
4 Dec 2025
Ingrid Reumert: Fighting for a clean energy transition
Listen in as Catherine McKenna speaks with Ingrid Reumert, Senior Vice President at Ørsted, about the critical role women play in climate action and the renewable energy transition. They discuss the challenges and opportunities in the energy sector, the importance of business leadership in climate initiatives, and the need for regulatory innovation. Ingrid shares her insights on self-care for climate leaders and the significance of empowering the next generation of women leaders.
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Follow us on Instagram at @womenleadingonclimate
Watch the full interviews on the Women Leading on Climate YouTube channel.
This episode was recorded on Riverside.fm in the Fall 2025.
27 Nov 2025
Sophia Mathur and Laura Clarke: Taking Climate Action to Court
From student activists to senior legal strategists, the climate litigation movement is gaining unprecedented momentum. In this episode, Catherine McKenna speaks with two remarkable women using the law as a powerful tool for climate accountability.
Sophia Mathur, an 18-year-old climate activist from Sudbury, shares her journey from drawing pictures for politicians at age eight to becoming the lead plaintiff in a landmark youth climate lawsuit against the Ontario government. Now starting university, Sophia reflects on how a childhood pinky promise with Catherine sparked years of activism—from launching Canada's first Fridays for Future climate strikes to partnering with Ecojustice to hold the Ford government legally accountable for backtracking on climate commitments.
Laura Clarke, CEO of ClientEarth, on how strategic litigation can accelerate climate action. She discusses ClientEarth's work tackling greenwashing in aviation and fossil fuels, enforcing the polluter pays principle, and supporting the historic International Court of Justice advisory opinion initiated by Pacific Island students. Laura explains how attribution science is strengthening climate cases, why targeting the "enablers" of fossil fuel expansion matters, and how legal precedents—even in cases that don't succeed—are shifting corporate behaviour and government accountability worldwide.
These conversations reveal why litigation has become essential to climate action—and how advocates of all ages are using the law to demand the future we need.
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Follow us on Instagram at @womenleadingonclimate
Watch the full interviews on the Women Leading on Climate YouTube channel.
This episode was recorded on Riverside.fm in the Fall 2025.
20 Nov 2025
Valérie Courtois and Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim: The next generation of Indigenous leadership
In this episode Catherine talks with two powerhouse Indigenous leaders—Valérie Courtois from Canada and Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim from Chad—about why Indigenous-led climate action isn't just important, it's essential.
We dig into Indigenous guardians on the frontlines, how climate finance needs to reach the communities doing the work, and turning wildfire challenges into opportunities. Valerie and Hindu bring the goods on culture, land stewardship, and why women are leading the charge in their communities.
It's all about interconnectedness—nature, climate, knowledge—and why listening to Indigenous voices is key if we want real climate solutions. Urgent, hopeful, and packed with wisdom.
Subscribe to our podcast!
Follow us on Instagram at @womenleadingonclimate
Watch the full interviews on the Women Leading on Climate YouTube channel.
This episode was recorded on Riverside.fm in the Fall 2025.
14 Nov 2025
Gina McCarthy: A Climate Czarina
In this episode Catherine is joined by Gina McCarthy, Former White House "Czarina" & head of America's All In. Gina is tough, funny, and all about delivery!
We dig into how to turn targets into action—build coalitions, speak like a human (health, jobs, fairness), and stay hopeful while acting with a backbone. So many awesome stories from Kigali to the West Wing!
Follow us Instagram at @womenleadingonclimate
Watch this episode on the Women Leading on Climate YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/@womenleadingonclimate).
This episode was recorded on Riverside.fm in August 2025.
6 Nov 2025
COP30 in Brazil: Women of the Global South Take the Lead
This week, we're on the ground in Brazil bringing you the voices that matter most ahead of COP 30.
First, COP CEO Ana Toni shares her bold vision for what these negotiations can—and must—achieve. Then, join Brazilian youth activist Paloma Costa ahead of her journey upriver to Belém, where she’s traveling in solidarity with the Indigenous communities of the Amazon.
Finally, climate and nature policy expert Ilona Szabo breaks down the stakes: what does the global South need from this COP, why Brazil's challenges are unique, and what real outcomes she's demanding from world leaders.
Three women. Three urgent perspectives. One critical moment for the Global South and our planet.
30 Oct 2025
Katharine Hayhoe on how we're not alone, why there's hope, and how we need to talk
Catherine McKenna and Katharine Hayhoe dive into the reality that while the fight against climate change is intensifying, real progress is happening. They explore how we move forward together: by grounding political discourse in shared facts, mobilizing unexpected allies in faith communities, and mastering the art of climate communication that actually lands with people. Katharine and Catherine get candid about the barriers women face—from online hate and misogyny to burnout—and why self-care isn't selfish, it's strategic. But the heart of their message is this: individual voices matter, and when amplified through community solidarity, they become unstoppable. Whether you're a woman in science facing pushback or someone just finding your climate voice, this episode is a reminder that women and girls are leading this movement—and there's a place for you in it.
Recorded in September 2025.
23 Oct 2025
Christiana Figueres on keeping 1.5°C alive
Christiana Figueres, architect of the Paris Agreement, on why 1.5°C is still alive, the “magic” of women’s leadership in negotiations, and what you can do today to make a difference.
22 Oct 2025
Women Leading on Climate podcast: The Trailer
Introducing Women Leading on Climate Podcast—the podcast where host Catherine McKenna sits down with women leaders advancing solutions from negotiation rooms to classrooms, boardrooms, communities, and streets.
The series showcases the voices of women leaders across the climate space, from Indigenous communities in Canada and globally, to legal experts and activists keeping governments and corporations accountable, to policy leaders who are fighting to keep climate on the agenda.
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