RAW: Real Actuarial Women

For our Season 2 Q2 special topics episode, instead of a single topic, we’re bringing you a 3-part Professional Growth Miniseries!Originally recorded as a panel discussion in partnership with NAWA and Assurant for Women’s History Month, this series features three industry leaders—Alana Shiraishi, Aree Bly, and Ximena Fernandez. They sit down with host Lizzie Eason to pull back the curtain on the hard-earned wisdom that shaped their actuarial careers.Part Three: Presentation. Dive into the "make or break" world of presentation skills for actuaries. Using a "content-as-a-meal" metaphor, our panelists share how to help your audience digest complex data. Learn how to "start with dessert" to hook your audience, use selective proof to maintain credibility, and stay flexible when the conversation shifts unexpectedly.

For our Season 2 Q2 special topics episode, instead of a single topic, we’re bringing you a 3-part Professional Growth Miniseries!Originally recorded as a panel discussion in partnership with NAWA and Assurant for Women’s History Month, this series features three industry leaders—Alana Shiraishi, Aree Bly, and Ximena Fernandez. They sit down with host Lizzie Eason to pull back the curtain on the hard-earned wisdom that shaped their actuarial careers.Part Two: Networking. We're transitioning from how you communicate to who you communicate with. Explore high-ROI networking strategies, break down the critical differences between mentors and sponsors, & learn tactical advice on how introverts can build authentic, non-transactional relationships.

For our Season 2 Q2 special topics episode, instead of a single topic, we’re bringing you a 3-part Professional Growth Miniseries!Originally recorded as a panel discussion in partnership with NAWA and Assurant for Women’s History Month, this series features three industry leaders—Alana Shiraishi, Aree Bly, and Ximena Fernandez. They sit down with host Lizzie Eason to pull back the curtain on the hard-earned wisdom that shaped their actuarial careers.Part One: Communication. We’re diving deep into the habits you must learn and unlearn to lead, how to command a room, and the secret to making sure your voice is heard. Don't miss this masterclass in professional evolution.

In this episode, David Scharf demonstrates true allyship by shining the spotlight on a few key women who provided the confidence and encouragement he needed to transition from a nervous junior analyst to a sought-after industry speaker and past president of the CCA. David also plunges into his career journey and gives advice to other actuaries on how to move from passive support to active, tactical allyship for women in the field.

In our first, quarterly special topics episode, we celebrate NAWA's MentorUp Program by chatting with 3 women who have personally and professionally benefitted from the experience. Whether you’re building your actuarial career or ready to give back, NAWA MentorUp creates powerful connections that help you grow—together.

Sandy McCoy shares how she thrived in her career for many years on a reduced time book of business to prioritize her personal life, as well as tips for keeping humans first in her professional career. A great kickoff to our first episode of Season 2! Listen to the whole episode for discussion topics to integrate Sandy's tips into your own career journey.

The final episode of Season 1! Lizzie recaps our accomplishments from 2025 and gives some teasers for what's to come in Season 2 dropping in 2026.

In this episode, Malika Bender shares her non-linear actuarial journey, reflecting on gender, caregiving, and career tradeoffs while discussing her work at the CAS to further the inclusiveness of the actuarial profession.

Aria Rockwood shares her story working with Women Actuaries of the West and harnessing a powerful group of women to get her dream role as an actuary after spending many years prioritizing her personal life.

In this special episode, we hear from representatives of the 5 impact committees within NAWA. Learn about the mentorship program, upcoming GAINS report, and a myriad of services & resources our group offers to women & ally actuaries!

Alessa Quane tells us about her unique path to becoming a Chief Actuary. She encourages young actuaries to seek sponsorship & pay attention to the learned skills that C-Suite associates have that may be overlooked or taken for granted.

Dalesa Bady discusses the comfort of structure early in her career from actuarial exams and the importance of breaking free and charting your own course as you grow in your career.

Megan Baker tells us about her career journey and how transitioning to a leadership role felt like a way to give back to the profession.

Julia Lessing FIAA talks about how standing out and taking the road less traveled by fueled her incredible career. Check out her podcast "We Are Actuaries" for more content from women actuaries!

Ellen Kleinstuber (FSA, FCA, FSPA, EA, MAAA), founder of Infinity Actuarial Consulting, shares her story about having emotions in the workplace and how sponsors can be critical for your career if you prove them right with high performance.

Alexa Stephens, Chief Actuary for Assurant, tells us about her experience immigrating from Cuba, and how it helped her to become comfortable being uncomfortable; a skill which propelled her career forward.

Jessica Kildow tells us all about how perfectionism leads to burnout. Developing sustainable habits and learning to set boundaries is so important!

Bonus episode exploring what this podcast is, where we're headed as we expand in the future, and who the heck is this Lizzie Eason, ACAS person anyway??

In this episode, we learn about Candace Woods' inspiring journey from a small town and part-time work to becoming a Chief Actuary.

Cory Gusland discusses how women actuaries have inspired and uplifted his career and how he pays it forward as an ally to women actuaries today.

This episode, we hear about the incredible international career journey of Cathy Lyn. Fresh off of her election to the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries Council, she has her campaign speeches at the ready about the importance of diversity, voting, and thinking globally.

Kristen Long talks about being a non-stereotypical actuary. One of my personal favorite quotes from the interview is "You're allowed to be the best at something and say that out loud."

Best-selling author Linley Baker joins us this week to talk about her book: "Don't Be Afraid to do What You Really Want to Do" and her career as an actuary.

Aree Bly from the board of NAWA joins us to discuss how you can create the career that's best for you.