WCS Talks Unplugged
WCS Talks Unplugged is a podcast produced by Women in Cleantech and Sustainability that features honest conversations with women leaders in clean energy, climate innovation, and sustainability. Each episode explores real stories and solutions, from career journeys to technologies and policies driving change. The show offers actionable insights and moments of hope for listeners interested in climate action.
Episodes
Power in Motion: Caroline Tiglao’s Return to Engineering
What happens when a longtime dream leads you back to the field you once left behind?In this episode of WCS Talks Unplugged, host Sara Fuentes speaks with Caroline Tiglao, Co-Founder and CMO of NEUUF, about her unconventional path from structural engineering to global customer experience leadership and ultimately back to technology as a clean mobility founder.Caroline shares how NEUUF is developing
No Magic Formula: The Real Life of a Climate Tech Founder with Nili Persits and Darlene Crane
What does it really take to build a climate tech company while raising a family, navigating fundraising, assembling a team, and learning to lead through uncertainty?In this episode of WCS Talks Unplugged, host Darlene Barrientos Crane speaks with Dr. Nili Persits, founder and CEO of Dottir Labs, about the realities behind the founder journey and why there is no magic formula for making it all work
Cleaner, Safer, Cheaper: Karen Baert on the Future of Ammonia
This special episode of WCS Talks Unplugged is shared as part of a content exchange with Earthlings 2.0, hosted by WCS Founder Lisa Ann Pinkerton. The original episode can be found here: #156: Ammonia: The Compound That Could Power a Cleaner Planet with AmmobiaIn this conversation, Lisa Ann sits down with Karen Baert, Co-Founder and CEO of Ammobia, a Stanford-born climate technology startup reimag
What’s the Best That Can Happen? Sara Fuentes on Waste, Purpose, and Founder Resilience
In this episode of WCS Talks Unplugged, host Anandi Yadav sits down with Sara Fuentes, Chairwoman of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability and Founder of Smart Waste, for an honest conversation about purpose, leadership, waste, and what it really takes to build a company.Sara shares how her early work in education, her Chicana upbringing, and her deep commitment to service shaped the way she sees
SF Climate Week Recap: Building Ecosystems, Community, and Climate Momentum
In this special recap episode of WCS Talks Unplugged, WCS Chairwoman Sara Fuentes, Farah Saeed, and Trish Pinnella. reflect on an extraordinary 10-day journey through San Francisco Climate Week 2026. The week was defined by movement-building, deep connection, innovation, and the growing power of community.From Oracle Park’s official kickoff with over 450 climate leaders to hikes through the Golden
The Power of Light: How a Simple Solar Lamp Is Transforming Lives | Nicole Watson
What if something as simple as a small solar light could change a child’s future?In this episode of WCS Talks Unplugged, host Trish Pinnella speaks with Nicole Watson, founder of the Iconic Earth Foundation, about how access to clean light is transforming education, safety, and opportunity for students living in off-grid communities.Through her program Watts On – Lighting Students’ Lives, Nicole a
Regenerative Technology: Designing a Future That Supports Life | Jessica Groopman
What if the future of technology wasn’t just about faster systems, smarter algorithms, or bigger data but about supporting life itself?In this episode of WCS Talks Unplugged, host Sara Fuentes, Chairwoman of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability and founder of SmartWaste, speaks with Jessica Groopman, founder of the Regenerative Technology Project. Together they explore how emerging technologies c
The Hidden Environmental Cost of AI and the Cloud | Susannah Hill
In this episode of WCS Talks Unplugged, host Farah Saeed sits down with Susannah Hill, co-founder of Cloud Sustainability Watch, to explore an emerging challenge in climate innovation: the environmental footprint of our rapidly expanding digital world.As climate solutions increasingly rely on AI, cloud computing, and large-scale data infrastructure, an important question arises: What is the enviro
Starbucks’ First CSO on Identity, Allyship, and Courageous Leadership | Michael Kobori
In this episode of WCS Talks Unplugged, host Sara Fuentes, Chairwoman of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability and Founder of Smart Waste, sits down with longtime WCS ally and sustainability leader Michael Kobori.Michael has spent decades shaping corporate sustainability at some of the world’s most recognized companies, including Levi Strauss & Co. and Starbucks, where he served as the company
The Ambition Gap Is Actually a System Gap | Veronica Barner and Sadia Raveendran
In this episode of WCS Talks Unplugged, host Sadia Raveendran sits down with Veronica Barner, product executive at GE Vernova, to explore an important question facing many professionals today:Are women really less ambitious? Or, are our systems failing to recognize ambition when it doesn’t fit traditional expectations?Sparked by recent conversations around the Women in the Workplace report and the
The Career Moves That Actually Get You Promoted | Robin Milshtein with Farah Saeed
How do you build leadership skills when your job description doesn’t give you the opportunity?In this episode of WCS Talks Unplugged, host Farah Saeed speaks with clean tech leader Robin Milshtein about a powerful concept for career growth: developing leadership skills outside the scope of your day job — what Robin calls your professional “side hustle.”Robin shares her journey from engineering rol
Looking Back on 15 Years of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability
The Origin Story of Women in Cleantech & SustainabilityWhat started as a simple idea — and a moment of deciding to stop waiting for someone else to take action — has grown into a network that has connected and supported more than 20,000 women worldwide.In this conversation, Sara and Lisa Ann explore the origin story of WCS, the lessons learned from building a mission-driven community over 15 y
Why did we create this podcast?
In this mini-episode, we delve into the transformative power of WCS Talks and the decision to launch this podcast. Join Anandi Yadav, Farah Saeed, Sara Fuentes, and Trish Pinella as they share insights on the impact of WCS Talks, the importance of adapting to new formats, and the collective strength of women in clean tech. Discover personal stories, the significance of individual actions, and the
