The necessity of claiming truth and the courage to speak out and act is what corrects history and shapes the present and future.

Kimberle Williams Crenshaw proudly proclaims that she comes from a long line of backtalkers. These are women who refuse to not speak up, out and against injustice and discrimination carried out by people and systems that need to change.

The bestselling Black author, lawyer, feminist, activist, professor of law at the University of California and Columbia Law School, as well as co-founder and executive director of the African American Policy Forum, told a crowd recently at the Chicago Humanities Festival, that speaking and writing truth is her right, her power and her calling.

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“Every human being has a compelling story to tell.”

Padma Lakshmi, 55, international best-selling author, Emmy-award nominated host of “Top Chef” and creator of the James Beard-award winning show, “Taste The Nation,” told the audience at the recent Chicago Humanities festival, “For many of us, we don’t see our story told. Unearthing true stories is all we can do.”

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It’s not about who is wearing what, the state of media or the future of retail. It is about gender and power, and the different ways to use and misuse it.

Raking in $233 million internationally in its first opening weekend, and the No. 1 movie globally, “The Devil Wears Prada 2” is a movie by women, for women, starring women and diving into how women treat each other on their career rises and falls with men mostly making the final decisions on careers. All of this at a time that is treacherous for the current economy as AI reshapes how  every job is performed.

And the women are watching.  

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Mandatory 8 a.m. in-office meetings. Required weekday dinner and evening events. Weekend projects and overnight trips. Team retreats over a stretch of three days or more. No flexible hours allowed. Hybrid work is not an option.

These are every working mother’s –and parent’s--nightmare. Opting out is seen as a failure to comply with organizational demands and a lack of ambition and goodwill. This can result in lower pay, lack of promotion, training and an assumption of carelessness.

Happy Mother’s Day in the age of the Motherhood Penalty.

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Art imitates life—always and forever.

But that particularly rings true now in the U.S. as the urgency to establish gender parity across all leadership sectors is amplified as women’s cultural, economic, civil and human rights erode and are rescinded. This is at the same time as a popular fictional series articulates the reality almost too well.

In the new Hulu series, “The Testaments,” based on literary icon Margaret Atwood’s 2019 novel, the culture of the dystopian Gilead honors the glory of men, and the use of women mostly as heir-producing wives and mothers only—though some roles are for cooks, teachers and beekeepers.

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The crisis of affordability reverberating across the U.S. is attributed to a mélange of factors including rising prices of gas, food, healthcare, insurance, childcare, eldercare, housing and more due to tariffs, conflict in the Middle East and other influences.

This new economic reality affects everyone on the career ladder from early career to the top—where C-suite management must be empathetic and compassionate in dealing with the struggles of so many in their organizations.

Read more in Take The Lead on managing stress at work for your team

The gender pay gap notwithstanding, leaders are needing to listen to and address issues from their teams of employees as well as tending to the costs of doing business that are rising and unpredictable as well.

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"Power is power," Margaret Atwood tells an audience recently at Syracuse University. "If you give some people more than others, they'll take it."

She says she is the “same type of feminist as Anita Hill-- one who believes in improving process and laws.” Atwood adds, "The more gender equality there is in a society, the less abuse there is."

This is why Atwood, 86, who has published more than 50 books of fiction, essays, poetry and a more recent memoir, is the keynote speaker at Take The Lead’s Power Up Conference 2026 in Washington, D.C. on Women’s Equality Day.

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