The Junior League of Washington (JLW) is continually finding ways to stay on the cutting edge of technology, expand its reach and impact, and create new methods through which to engage and communicate with members. With this in mind, the League launched its podcast JLW: League of Extraordinary Women. JLW members  Shaunte’ Gordon-Harvey, Natalie Stevens, and Barbara Kirwan run and host the show.

In the inaugural episode, JLW Communications and Public Relations Council Director Jessica Poitras shared a quote from Meghan Markel, “Women don’t need to find a voice. They have a voice. And the need to feel empowered to use it. And people need to be encouraged to listen.”  Her hope is that the podcast does just that.

“The goal for the podcast is to have an additional medium to highlight JLW’s work and to keep up with the ever-evolving landscape of media communications. Specifically, this year, we wanted to ‘SHINE’ a light on JLW’s community impact so that external audiences get a better understanding of how truly impactful our organization is,” says Poitras.

The podcast made its debut on September 2nd with new episodes released monthly. This year, each episode takes a deep dive into the League, partners, and work within the community.

“This podcast is a great resource for anyone interested in learning more about the other committees within the League,” says Kirwan. “Each committee is doing amazing work. It can be hard to keep up with it all! As a podcast producer and listener, I’ve discovered so many new events,” she adds.

Episodes so far have included a feature on the Literary Events Planning Committee where the chair and vice chair discussed the committee’s work providing volunteer support and event planning for literacy-related community programs, and chat with the JLW co-chairs of the Bright Beginnings Committee, and an interview with 2024-25 League President Charlyn Stanberry, Esq. in which she shared her story detailing her lifelong commitment to service.

“It has been wonderful to work with the Community Affairs, Education, Impact Councils to hear about their work,” says Poitras of the episodes’ featured committees thus far.

Kirwan notes that she believes the November episode with Stanberry will especially be of interest “for any listeners who are interested in becoming a leader of JLW.”

“We hope this podcast shines a light on the amazing work JLW and our community partners are doing and it inspires those who haven’t joined the League yet to consider becoming a member. We’re having a lot of fun speaking to each group. We hope you’re enjoying the episodes,” adds Kirwan.

JLW: League of Extraordinary Women is streaming on Spotify and is free to access at https://open.spotify.com/search/jlw.

The Junior League of Washington League of Extraordinary Women podcast is streaming on Spotify.