Less Discussions about What the White House Might Think. More Action! | Kersti Kaljulaid

Kersti Kaljulaid became the first female President of Estonia in 2016. She led the country for five years. Trained originally as a biologist, she held various positions in the bankingand public sectors and, in the early 2000s, managed a power plant.She acknowledges the existence of a certain glass ceiling for women in career advancement and leadership ambitions.On the path to overcoming this barrier, the competence, character traits, and even appearance of a woman who ignores societal prejudice are immediately subjected to doubt and criticism. Whenever someone begins to question Kaljulaid along the lines of “Well, she’s a woman — can she really handle such a complex job?”, for more than twenty years she has responded the same way: “I always askwhether one needs a penis to run a power plant. I don’t have the answer to that question. Men don’t either.”Kersti Kaljulaid is a consistent advocate of human rights, the rule of law, freedom of speech, and democracy. She consistently urges people not to remain silent and to speak out openly against rights violations and injustice. Kaljulaid also spoke out following the disqualification of Ukrainian skeleton athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych at the 2026 Olympics. “Honoring the memory of fallen fellow citizens is not politics — it is simply human,” said Kaljulaid, who currently chairs the Estonian National Olympic Committee.Journalist Nataliya Gumenyuk speaks with Kersti Kaljulaid about sport as a tool for authoritarian regimes, the cityof Narva on the border with Russia and shifting local sentiments there, NATO’s actions regarding Estonia, the key to integrating Ukrainian refugees in Estonia, and what could ensure Ukraine’s energy resilience in the future. Do you like our podcast? Support the Public Interest Journalism Lab with a Donationhttps://www.journlab.online/donations