The Empowering Women Podcast · 2026-03-25 · 44 min
March is Women’s History Month. This month and this year’s International Women’s Day theme, Give to Gain, invites us to rethink what it means to open doors. In this episode of the Empowering Women Podcast, Shannon is joined by Katie Fortunato, co-founder and EVP of Hire Innovations, who is working to fix what’s broken in today’s hiring systems. She is challenging ghosting, phantom job posts, and processes that forget there’s a human on the other side of the screen. Together, they explore how giving transparency, dignity, and access in hiring doesn’t weaken organizations - it strengthens them. From redefining rejection to meeting the next generation where they are, Katie shares how human-centered AI and intentional visibility can help create more equitable pathways to opportunity - especially for women navigating bias, career breaks, and evolving expectations in the workforce. This conversation is a powerful reminder that every opportunity we’ve received likely came from someone who chose to give and that we now have the chance to do the same. If you’re ready to rethink hiring, leadership, and what it means to lift as you climb, this episode is for you.
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