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“Think of the most fascinating conversation happening at the table next to you.–that goes somewhere. We’re taking on an issue every year that no one wants to talk about, and this year, it’s The Value Gap. Because it’s not about the glass ceiling–it’s about the foundation.” —Michele Mitchell

The Cocktail Conversations is a chat-genre podcast that will take on a new topic every year about something nobody wants to discuss. After all, the world is filled with tough issues that don’t simply disappear because we’re ignoring them. And for our inaugural season, we’re taking on something no one really wants to talk about: the value gap.

Women are not valued as much as men in the United States, across the board, by any measure. It’s time to take this on—but not just the symptoms—the sources…and the solutions. This last one is what sets us apart from the 850,000 podcasts out there. A conversation—even the most authentic, insightful and entertaining—needs to go somewhere in order to be satisfying. By the end of the season, we will have academic, cultural and policy goals and plans to execute a strategy to reframe the parity issue: it’s not about equality—it’s about equity.

A considered audience of up to 12 participants around the U.S. will come together to speak with an expert featured speaker, moderated by award-winning documentary filmmaker and journalist Michele Mitchell in up to 20 episodes. Held virtually (the 9 to 12-episode “Aperitifs,” which tackles the symptoms) and, COVID-requirements possible, in person (the 4-episode “Big Pour,” delving deep into sources, and the 4-episode “Last Call” which finds solutions) in key locations, recorded, edited and highly produced.

Confirmed participants include Patricia Sellers (International Criminal Court), Nancy Hogshead-Maker (US Olympic gold medalist/Champion Women), David G. Smith (Naval War College), Dr. Caroline Heldman (Representation Project), Trish Costello (Portfolia), Yasmeen Hassan (Equality Now), Lauren C. Anderson (FBI, ret.), Jason Amerine (US Special Forces, ret) and more. Episodes include “What the F*** is the Value Gap?”, “What’s at Stake,” “The Good Guys: There’s a Value Gap?”, “Crazy/Difficult,” Title IX and the billion-dollar intentional gap, access to growth capital, women’s health (wait until you hear the title of that one!), the Placebo Effect and more. And, we’re back many of the crew that brought us awards in television and film in order to create 20-minute and 40-minute episodes, plus “extra” content, exciting beverage pours, and, most importantly, something else.

Our brand is hope: We are not part of the anger industrial complex that has divided us for decades. We’re here to bring honest conversation–not screaming talking heads–into our lives. Real information, transparent intent and a hell of a good time along the way– it’s time for something new and constructive.

“The Value Gap” is an evergreen topic—so why now? We are in an unprecedented crisis, a half-century removed from the social revolution of the women’s movement. As the economy tightens and the pandemic pushes on, there is an urgency to find a better way forward together. And as old systems flail, this is an unprecedented moment in time to actually change the operating procedure. And true, informative conversation just might do it.