11 Words: But Are Women’s Rights Human Rights Once And For All?

Issue 2858— September 8, 2025

Just when you think something is over, it starts again. Women’s quest for equality is no exception.

While I was busy with Take The Lead’s annual Power Up Concert and Conference in Washington D.C., I lost track that September 5, 2025 marked the 30th anniversary of the United Nations’ 4th World Conference on Women. A few rather subdued social media posts reminded me.

So I updated the text of a podcast I recorded when I was reflecting on the 25th anniversary five years ago, to share with you today.

The Sum, EventGloria FeldtSeptember 8, 2025womens leadership, leadership, power, gender parity, lilly ledbetterComment

My Why: It’s All About the Women We Serve

Issue 2857— September 2, 2025

For the last few days, I’ve been in enforced time off mode.

I returned from the Power Up Concert and Conference in Washington, D.C. exhilarated and exhausted. Read Michele Weldon’s rundown for highlights.

If you were there, please drop a comment to share the best moment for you. If you weren’t there. Put August 26, 2026 on your calendar now because you will definitely want to be in that room next year. It’s always on Women’s Equality Day because of the date’s alignment with Take The Lead’s mission of gender parity in leadership.

The Sum, EventGloria FeldtSeptember 2, 2025womens leadership, leadership, power, gender parity, lilly ledbetterComment

You Are Not Alone

Issue 2856— August 19, 2025

I once read that "You Are Not Alone" is the all-time most opened newsletter headline. At first I thought that was kind of pathetic. Then I realized it is exactly how I want to feel right now.

Unlike the famous Greta Garbo plea for solitude, I don't want to be alone.

I'd especially love to see your shining face at the Power Up Concert and Conference on August 26 in Washington DC.

The conference theme is “Courage to Lead,” and the first essential element of courage is simply showing up.

Sticking with your mission.

Not being deterred by chaos or disruption. In fact, taking the energy of chaos and disruption and using it to create a new way forward is the best way we can use this moment.

But it won’t work nearly as well if we do it alone.

That’s why you’re invited to come together with like minded women and men who support gender equality.

The Sum, EventGloria FeldtAugust 19, 2025womens leadership, leadership, power, gender parity, lilly ledbetterComment

What Does "Courage To Lead" Mean To You?

Issue 2855— August 12, 2025

Hello there.

I’m super excited that in just two weeks, many of us will be together at the Power Up Conference. *

I have a question for you, though. What does the conference theme, “Courage to Lead,” mean to you? I’ve been thinking and writing a lot about what it means to me, but I’m curious to know what it means to you.

Email your answer to me at takethelead@taketheleadwomen.com or DM me @GloriaFeldt on Instagram Threads, Facebook, or LinkedIn. You might be quoted on the stage or social media.

The Sum, EventGloria FeldtAugust 12, 2025womens leadership, leadership, power, gender parity, lilly ledbetterComment

Why I’m in a Fury About Women and Confidence

Issue 2854— August 4, 2025

ChatGPT, when asked to help write a piece about women and confidence asserted that women “naturally have less confidence than men.”

REALLY? Naturally?

My 2 1/2-year-old great granddaughter has tons of confidence. She is loud. She takes up space. She runs fast and love things that go fast. She takes risks. That’s because nobody has yet told her she shouldn’t be confident.

The Sum, EventGloria FeldtAugust 4, 2025womens leadership, leadership, power, gender parity, lilly ledbetterComment

Under Her Hat: Why Women’s Equality Day is Really Women’s INequality Day

Issue 2853— July 21, 2025

Each year on August 26, we observe Women’s Equality Day—a date that commemorates the certification of the 19th Amendment in 1920, which granted [some] women the constitutional right to vote in the United States.

The name sounds triumphant, the reality is far more complicated. If we’re being honest, it should really be called Women’s INequality Day—a sobering reminder of how far we still have to go.

The Sum, EventGloria FeldtJuly 21, 2025womens leadership, leadership, power, gender parity, lilly ledbetterComment

3 Reasons To Have #CourageToLead With Optimism in Chaotic Times

Issue 2852— July 15, 2025

When you are confronted with disruption or chaos, which of these is your reaction?

1. I ❤️ to create chaos & run away.

2. I embrace chaos to advance new ideas and achieve my goals 🏆.

3. It stresses me but I calm myself down 😌 and press on.

4. I hide under my desk until it passes.

5. I put my head in the sand and pretend it isn’t happening.

If you are already in a leadership role, the obligation to calm the waves for others, providing a unifying optimistic vision of where the organization needs to go next, weighs heavily on your shoulders.

The Sum, EventGloria FeldtJuly 14, 2025womens leadership, leadership, power, gender parity, lilly ledbetterComment

Power, Music, and the Courage to Lead: An Evening with Marina Arsenijević

Issue 2851— July 1, 2025

You know I talk a lot about power—not as something to seize, but something to embrace. Power as presence. As voice. As vision. The power TO, not over.

That’s why I’m so thrilled to share a rare experience that brings all of that to life in a way words alone never could.

On August 25 in Washington, DC, we’re hosting an intimate VIP dinner and concert with internationally acclaimed composer and pianist Dame Marina Arsenijević.

The Sum, EventGloria FeldtJune 30, 2025womens leadership, leadership, power, gender parity, lilly ledbetterComment

How Do You Have the Courage to Lead in Times Like These?

Issue 2850— June 23, 2025

You feel it.

The air is thick—not just with summer heat but with anxiety, injustice, and uncertainty.

Wars. Layoffs. Leaders assassinated. Families torn apart. Rights rolled back. Bombardment from the news cycle that leaves us breathless.

I don’t know about you, but I find myself flipping the news on to stay informed—and off to stay sane.

The Sum, EventGloria FeldtJune 23, 2025womens leadership, leadership, power, gender parity, lilly ledbetterComment

Media Shift: What Jane Fonda Might Say to George Clooney

Issue 2849— June 9, 2025

Twenty years ago, I sat at a crowded table in a basement in midtown Manhattan. I can’t remember where, nor did I have any idea what I was getting myself into—but when Gloria Steinem asks you to a meeting, you tend to go.

Carol Jenkins, Pat Mitchell, Jane Fonda, Robin Morgan, and a half dozen other prominent women in various aspects of media were there.

The Sum, EventGloria FeldtJune 9, 2025womens leadership, leadership, power, gender parity, lilly ledbetterComment

Mark Your Calendar: Have the Courage to Lead Every Month, All Year

Issue 2848— June 2, 2025

May holds multitudes of identities.

It’s Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Older Americans Month. Jewish American Heritage Month. Mental Health Awareness Month. Victorious Women Month. Military Appreciation Month. And—yes—Respect for Chickens Month.

June? It’s Pride Month. Also, National Iced Tea Month. Caribbean American Heritage Month. Men’s Health Month. Dairy Month. And don’t forget National Black Bear Month.

The Sum, EventGloria FeldtJune 2, 2025womens leadership, leadership, power, gender parity, lilly ledbetterComment

Yes, You Can: People Working Together Can Change Anything

Issue 2847— May 19, 2025

This was the No. 1 lesson I learned when I joined with civil rights advocates in Odessa, Texas, as they achieved school desegregation and housing restrictions.

People working together, even if they have little formal power, can make change happen if they have a strategy, discipline, and the courage to lead to the goal despite barriers and even setbacks along the way.

It was exactly this observation that has driven my work for social justice ever since.