The common assumption in the workplace about trust is that you can’t trust the people around you. That needs to shift.  Trust with colleagues, leaders, clients, associates and employees must always be on the menu.

At the recent Take The Lead’s Power Up Conference 2026, Minda Harts, best-selling author, consultant, filmmaker, equity specialist and workplace communications expert, spoke with David Smith, Professor and Co-Director of the Gender and Work Initiative at Johns Hopkins Carey Business School, about what trust—and the assumption of its absence—means today.

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 “The workplace is broken.”

W. Brad Johnson, founder and CEO of Workplace Allies, told a crowd at the recent Take The Lead Power Up Conference, with great certainty that how employees who are caregivers are treated must change.

Moderating the panel, “The Power of Care: Women Leading at Work and at Home,” Johnson said, “More than 73% in society identify as caregivers and we struggle with archaic norms. It is not an issue of ambition, it is a choice for self-preservation,” said the co-author with David Smith of Fair Share: How Men and Women Can Create a More Equitable Workplace Together; Good Guys: How Men Can Be Better Allies For Women In The Workplace; Athena Rising: How and Why Men Should Mentor Women.

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Sometimes your heroes are small and the lessons of their legacy unimaginably enormous.

Margaret Atwood, 86, iconic author and truthteller, told a grateful audience at Take The Lead’s  Power Up Conference 2026 on Women’s Equality Day recently in Washington, D.C., that she has always used the tools at her disposal to demonstrate power and utility—including the truth.

Growing up spring, summer and fall in the backwoods of remote, northern Quebec, with her parents, a brother and sister, Atwood said she did not attend school until she was 12.

“I’ve got three chainsaws—big, medium size and a circular saw. You learn to use tools and you learn that girls can really do just about anything,” she said in an onstage conversation with Gloria Feldt, co-founder and president of Take The Lead.

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She was the F word.

Gloria Steinem embodied, embraced and shared the mission of feminism globally for millions of women in many generations around the world who --because of her influence--knew they could become whom they wanted to be.

The co-founder of Ms. Magazine and the Women's Action Alliance, passed this week at 92 years old. The author of nine books, she touched the lives of women and girls with hope, optimism, determination, support and a new definition of what it means to be female. First, second, third, fourth wave and post-feminists owe her immense gratitude.

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There was certainly no power outage in this room. It was a power surge.

As Take The Lead’s Power Up Conference kicked off in Washington, D.C. on Women’s Equality Day, each of the hundreds of participants in person at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel and virtually were plugged into the contagious, vibrant sense of opportunity for leadership and change.

“We are creating this audacious movement in a manner of celebrating and moving towards women’s pay equity,” said Lily McNair, board chair of Take The Lead. “Let’s connect our intentions and audacity to create and bring the energy, voices and power from around the world.”

Read more on keynote Margaret Atwood, panelists, breakouts and award winners in upcoming blog posts.

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“Audacity is a bold action that challenges the status quo,” said Aly Palmer, award-winning singer, songwriter, producer, performer, artist, activist, philanthropist and founder known for her work as a musician with the band BETTY.

In her welcome remarks at Take The Lead’s Power Up Dinner and Concert at The Square in Washington, D.C., on the eve of the all-day Power Up Conference, Palmer added, “Thank you for bringing your audacious and foxy power.”

Read more in Take The Lead in upcoming blog posts on the panels, breakouts and learnings from Day 2 of the Power Up Conference 2026.

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