The Best + the Worst = The Sum of the Past Few Weeks
Issue 2882— April 21, 2026
We saw the best and the worst happening for women in this world recently.
Both of these events brought us together as a community, even as a nation.
One brought us together in joy and optimism. The other, in outrage and disgust.
The spacecraft Artemis II captured the world’s attention during its April 1-11 flight. Perhaps like you, I was captivated as I watched Christina Koch become the first woman to journey around the moon—and own it.
We saw what happens when diverse humans have the opportunity, the training, and the mutual support to break the bonds of gravity and carry out a successful mission together.
The phrase “moon joy” was coined to express the feelings so many people had in that moment.
Per Wikipedia. “Among the four crew members, Victor Glover became the first person of color, Christina Koch the first woman, Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen the first non-U.S. citizen, and commander Reid Wiseman the oldest person to travel beyond low Earth orbit and around the Moon.”
The respect, admiration, and love these crew members had for each other and for the important exploration of space they did together was palpable. You could feel it, even before we saw the videos of the four of them floating around in the spaceship, looking as though they were one giant amoeba with eight arms and eight legs.
What does this mean for women?
Taking gravity as a metaphor, the scenes of Christina Koch at zero G gave me goosebumps, because they conjured that whatever might still be holding many women back from achieving their highest intentions can indeed be overcome.
The very fact that she had the opportunity to achieve her childhood goal of becoming an astronaut is exactly what my life’s work has been and still is with Take The Lead.
In that quest, she stood on the shoulders of many brilliant “Hidden Figures” women who have done the work without the recognition they deserved.
When asked if she was scared of the possible dangers of space flight, Koch replied that she was “aware of the risks.”
That’s a distinction with an important difference.
Apparently former Congressman and candidate for governor of California Eric Swalwell understood neither.
So now we get to the worst of the weeks for women.
Swalwell’s rapid fall from grace, not to mention both his Congressional position as U.S. House of Representative of California since 2013 plus his gubernatorial candidacy, was epic, after allegations surfaced of sexual assault , harassment, and even rape by a number of former staffers.
It’s fair to ask why these allegations, which Swalwell is challenging, (though he resigned) were so long in coming. The answer lies in frequently seen responses when women have experienced similar behavior: “I felt alone, like I was the only one this had happened to.” “No one would believe me.” “He threatened to end my career if I didn’t...” “He promised to advance my career if I would...” “I was intoxicated and he drugged me.” “I need this job.”
Oh, and also there are the open secrets of politics in which complicity is the rule. Until of course it isn’t, when someone or some event finally breaks it wide open.
This scenario is, as most things ultimately come down to, about power.
There is attraction to power, to be sure. But there is equally often abuse of power: the oppressive use of power over others.
Yet even in this sordid story, I see progress for women.
Men behaving badly in their use of power to gain sexual favors is nothing new. Women refusing to take it anymore is.
One might ask, how on this green earth could Swalwell have thought he could successfully run for governor without his alleged transgressions becoming front page stuff?
(My theory is that powerful men think like babies who believe no one can see them when they have blankets over their heads. But please share your POV—I’m intrigued about this phenomenon.)
All that said, to me the biggest breakthrough in this Swalwell situation is that younger women are more likely than women of older generations—we who were socialized to brush off lewd behavior—to know they do not have to accept being pawed or worse.
They understand, because we have been teaching them, the concept of consent, and that no means no even if you have been drinking too much.
The power of two women, Arielle Fodor and Cheyenne Hunt, who used their social media platforms to break the Swalwell story, changed the playing field.
They demonstrated that even when people think they have little or no power in the formal or traditional sense—they do indeed have power. Big power.
First, they demonstrated that courage is contagious. Once they used the power of their voices, others were willing to chime in.
And there were the two of them. When you don’t try to go it alone, but rather join with others who share your concern or goal, you can change almost anything.
Together, we must and we will focus on sustainable solutions to the forces that have been holding women back. Join me and 1,000 other women and men to do just that at the Power Up Concert and Conference August 25-26. Register now while early bird rates are still available.
Because both the best and the worst of this past week demonstrate that we have reached an inflection point.
In such a moment, it’s crucial to remember: these moments when change is possible don’t last unless we take them at the flood, as Shakespeare (or maybe his sister) said.
The moon has always been a symbol of the female essence.
So let’s let Christina Koch have the last word:
“I have truly been inspired by the struggle and triumphs of so many women that dare to break new ground in all aspects of society, and those who have pushed the boundaries of human imagination.”
GLORIA FELDT is the Co-founder and President of Take The Lead, a motivational speaker, and a global expert in women’s leadership development and DEI for individuals and companies that want to build gender balance. She is a bestselling author of five books, most recently Intentioning: Sex, Power, Pandemics, and How Women Will Take The Lead for (Everyone’s) Good. Honored as Forbes 50 Over 50, and Former President of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, she is a frequent media commentator. Learn more at www.gloriafeldt.com and www.taketheleadwomen.com. Find her @GloriaFeldt on all social media.