International Women's Day.

0:00 Speaker 1 Well, today is International Woman’s Day, and I don’t know of anybody better to have on International Women’s Day than Huma Aberdeen. She was the cheapest staff to Hillary Clinton. She is born in Michigan. Her father was Patrickstani, her mother was Indians raised in Saudi Arabia. I mean truly international, Huma. Well, welcome to w ABC. How are you today, Hi.

0:32 Speaker 2 John, Thanks for having me back. I’m always I’m always in a good mood when I’m on the phone with you, So I’m doing really well. I’m in the United of Emirates at a women’s summit that I’m the vice chair of.

0:47 So the day is perfect for us to be speaking because we just finished the first day of our conference.

0:53 Speaker 1 Well, like I said, you are truly an international woman. When you were a Deputy chiefest Staff the Secretary of State, Hillary, you travel with almost every country. How many countries do you think, good? Good?

1:09 Speaker 3 I don’t know the exact NUX, so we guesstimate that it’s somewhere around one hundred and twenty countries. And you know, I was lucky enough, as you pointed out at the beginning, my parents were immigrants to the US. I was born in Michigan. They were big travelers, very curious about the world.

1:25 And so growing up I traveled to a lot of places, experienced different cultures and languages, and it made me curious about the world. It made me comfortable in different.

1:36 Speaker 2 Spaces and places. And here I am, and you know, twenty twenty four and in an ability to convene a conferency part of a team of convenia conference where we have women from forty six countries talking about mentorship and networking and how to build communities, create communities, learn from each other across generations and languages and culture. And it’s

1:58 been a really rewarding experience, but it also reminds it’s a reminder of, you know, how much progress women have made, but also how much work remains to be done.

2:10 Speaker 1 And it tells us about this conference. Since we’re on the phone now, you just completed it and you had forty six women from all over the world. Tell us the kind of type of problems these international women are talking about.

2:27 Speaker 2 Well, look, I think that the convening. The convening essentially is to bring women from different sectors. So we’ve had women who are founders and business, we have authors, we had you know, we just interviewed Shila Johnson, who is the co founder of beet, talking about building a business and then now running you know, her hotel Shane, and

2:52 just she’s wrote her memoir about her personal story and the things that she learned as she built that business and the things that that she wants to pass on to the next generation. We have another two days of the conference coming up, and as I said, women from forty six countries in the world, so representing a broad

3:10 cross section, but a lot of it is inspiring young women who are figuring out what to do. We had a service day yesterday at a local high school and you have these young girls coming and just coming out in the world. You know, I have a son. You have children understanding what their hopes and dreams and aspirations

3:29 and fears are. So we answered a lot of questions that they had. But it’s a very hopeful book. There are so many crises and conflicts in the world today that affect women, you know, particularly in the place of conflict.

3:44 We are honoring Ellen Johnson Surly, who’s the former President of Liberia, the first democratically elected female head of state, and it’s important for young women to know the history of the women who came before them, the extraordinary things that they’ve done. We talked about what Hillary Clinton has done, made history. I mean, frankly, even Nikki Alia made history

4:07 the other day, the first Republican woman to win a contest primary contest. And all of these, all of these women’s accomplishments should be, you know, should be talked about and celebrated because it’s a good model for the next generation of women.

4:27 Speaker 1 Coming behind them understood and a women making significant progress. I mean, in the last twenty to thirty years, I look at it that women have made significant progress, both in politics, getting elected to important offices, of building their own businesses, being executives of companies. Give us your vision from up above.

4:56 Speaker 2 I one hundred percent agree with you, John, I mean, I remember hearing the stories of women in the United States who you couldn’t get a credit card unless you got a credit card in your husband’s name. I grew up in a country where women in Saudi Arabia, where women couldn’t drive, and over you know, over time, globally,

5:17 I think the lives of women have become more prosperous they can be. You know, we have more examples, as you said, of building businesses and the success that they’ve had there. They hold leadership positions from tech to entertainment to business to government. You’re right, we’ve had more women in politics and many firsts we’ve been able to celebrate,

5:42 so healthcare, education, in fields like that, we’ve done really well. We have a lot more work to do when it comes to the economy and politics, and you know, we still have to deal with some challenges, but you’re one hundred percent right in that it is important to recognize the accomplishments and all of the positive progress, and it

6:00 is a reminder that we just need to continue to continue the work. We’re so much more connected with social media and technology. Now, how do we improve the lives of women not just in our country but around the world.

6:13 Speaker 1 Now, you were raised in Saudi Arabia and your father was from Pakistan and your mother was from India, so that’s truly international and your Muslim background or I guess you will raise Muslims, yeah, or the Muslims nations making more progress as far as women’s rights.

6:37 Speaker 2 Look, I think that every country has its challenges when it comes to women being equal partners at all levels of society. I mean, we live in a country where we haven’t been able to elect a woman as president, so especially in the executive space, we have those challenges.

6:57 I think in countries and Muslim majority countries, certainly there is more work that.

7:04 Speaker 1 Needs to be done.

7:05 Speaker 2 Uh. You know, as I said, I grew up in a country where women can drive. They can they can uh you know, they can drive. Now I think there are certainly, uh, there’s there is more. There are more opportunities and rights and responsibilities women should have. But I I also think progress is different in different countries and

7:24 different parts of the world, and and they move to a different pace in many cases moves to the slower uh slower place. I mean, I you know, to not have our choice over our own bodies and our countries kind of I’ve never thought I would be living in in that in that time. But it’s not to say

7:45 that we don’t need to improve when it comes to women as and especially and John looking at it from an economic perspective, when you have women at the table, uh, helping their their country’s economies, it’s just it’s a benefit.

7:59 So it’s there is much there is work to be done, but that’s one of the reasons why.

8:06 Speaker 3 We have houlding some it’s liceness, which is reminding people about the positive.

8:11 Speaker 2 Impacreul women can have in the world, whether you’re in a Muslim country or in a non Muslim country.

8:17 Speaker 1 Understood now, a few years ago you wrote your memoirs a book or what he is? Tell us about the book, why you wrote it, and tell us what it’s about.

8:33 Speaker 2 You know, it’s really, at the end of the day, is a book about the American dream, the possibility of coming. You know. Being a product of an immigrant family, my parents believed that education was the single most important thing that we could They didn’t really care what we did when we grew as long as we were educated. They came to

8:52 America to pursued the American dream. They found it. They lived good, happy class lives and UH and we’re able to give us a childhood that I’m not sure would be possible anywhere else in the world. I mean to go from the life that I have and show up at the White House and as an intern and then

9:14 go on UH to have the privilege of working UH for two US presidents as Secretary of State of Senator UH. To be able to serve my country, the sense of duty and patriotism and uh, just being able to travel the world. I can’t imagine a life that was more rewarding or and for me really privileged. And I have

9:39 a lot of gratitude for that, and I wanted to share that story, particularly for other women. UH yeah, called both and a life in Many worlds.

9:52 Speaker 1 And it’s I’m sure it’s available on Amazon and Bonds and Noble.

9:56 Speaker 2 It is. It’s available on Amazon on audible through like audio book, and it’s in hardcover and now in paperback. And I’ve been been very very lucky that people have bought it and it’s done well, and I’ve been able to, you know, share my story. It’s been a lot of fun too.

10:17 Speaker 1 Well. We’re on with Juma Abadeen, the former chief of staff of of Hillary Clinton. What is your exact position now a whole month?

10:27 Speaker 2 I I I’m still lucky enough to work for UH, for Hillary Clinton. We’ve been on this journey for a while now. I I’m I’m also a contributor on MSNBC, which I I’m enjoying doing. This is a new thing.

10:44 I’ve I’ve gone gone from politics into UH into dabbling a little bit. I guess in your space, John, and and uh and then just joined a show called Morning Nika The Mika Brazinski started about a month ago. And Uh and I work on things like the Summit, so I’m a little.

11:01 Speaker 1 Bit of I guess.

11:02 Speaker 2 I’m still trying to figure out what I’m going to do when I grow up, so I’m trying to do.

11:05 Speaker 1 Well me too. I’m over and I’m still trying to figure out what i want to do when I work. Thank it’s good things. Well. I look forward to when you’re back in the States again. I look forward to having a dinner again and and talking about politics because it’s how do you say, it’s interesting days?

11:25 Speaker 2 It is interesting days, for sure. A way of putting in never.

11:30 Speaker 1 Almost whom other deans. Stay safe. I have a great journey back to the States, and dou We’ll catch up with you again real soon.

11:40 Speaker 2 Thank you, John, Thank you all. Happy International Women’s Day, everybody, Thank you, thank you,