Spence In Conversation

Building the Essential Skills for A Meaningful and Successful Life

Thu, 12 Feb 2026 01:00:00 GMT

Felicia Wilks talks to one of the most influential women in finance, Katie Koch, about the power of women’s voice and leadership. They discuss how Katie got her start in investing, cultivated her career, and continues to draw from her humanities education to solve complex investing challenges. Together, they explore topics including academic and professional pathways for young women, career ambitions and parenting, and the transformative impact of more women building, managing and contributing wealth today.

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Embracing Complexity

Mon, 08 Dec 2025 11:00:00 GMT

Zoe Hitzig '11 is a published poet, an economist, a fellow at the Harvard Society of Fellows, and a researcher at the forefront of artificial intelligence. She joins Felicia Wilks for a wide-ranging conversation on what it means to engage in a constant cycle of inquiry during an age of rapid technological development. Together, they discuss how Zoe's multidisciplinary background informs her scholarship and her poetry, how students should think about AI and agency, and the one poem that has had the most profound impact on Zoe's intellectual journey.

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Finding Balance in Achievement Culture

Fri, 12 Sep 2025 15:32:08 GMT

The start of the school year inspires new hopes and aspirations in all of us. In our back-to-school episode, Felicia Wilks and award-winning author Jennifer Wallace talk about setting up students for healthy success, navigating the complexities of parenting today, and finding better balance.

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A Year in the Making

Wed, 11 Jun 2025 11:00:00 GMT

Head of School Felicia Wilks shares the conversation with students from the lower, middle, and upper schools, as well as three teachers, as they reflect on an incredible year of learning and growth that stretches to all corners of Spence.

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The Power of Women's Leadership

Thu, 24 Apr 2025 10:00:00 GMT

Felicia Wilks and Spence alumnae Kathy Frazier '79 and Hollie Russon Gilman '04 discuss the power of women's leadership in all its complexity. They cover what it means to lead with courage, stay agile, grow professionally and personally, and much more.

Kathy Frazier is a VP and wealth advisor with J.P. Morgan Wealth Management. She's built an incredible 35 year career in finance, beginning as a trader at Goldman Sachs.

Hollie Russon Gilman is a political scientist, lecturer, advisor, and civic strategist. She's a senior fellow at the think tank New America, an affiliate fellow at Harvard's Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation, and a senior advisor at the Trust for Civic Life.

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The Craft of Teaching

Fri, 06 Dec 2024 11:00:58 GMT

Felicia Wilks and Spence faculty members Eric Zahler, Director of Teaching and Learning, and Sara Moore, Kindergarten Head Teacher, discuss what it means to create vibrant learning opportunities for students. Drawing on their deep experience in the classroom and extensive knowledge of education research and brain science, they explore questions about designing courses, giving students agency, embracing technology, and much more.

Plus, four Spence teachers share what they love most about being in the classroom.

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Amy Edmondson on "Good Failure"

Tue, 17 Sep 2024 10:00:14 GMT

Amy Edmondson '77 is a renowned scholar on leadership and management, and a professor at Harvard Business School. She is also a beloved Spence School alumna. Amy Edmondson and Felicia Wilks dive into Amy’s latest book, The Right Kind of Wrong, and offer valuable insights for teachers, students, parents, and academic leaders on what it means to embrace "good failure."

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Introducing Spence In Conversation

Mon, 09 Sep 2024 14:38:55 GMT

The Spence In Conversation Podcast launches Tuesday, September 17.

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