Many would agree the parenting process from birth to adulthood is not easy. Strategizing for equity as a parent and caregiver in the workplace is even more complicated, stressful and grueling for millions of American mothers, fathers, daughters and sons.
So Lauren Smith Brody, 48, journalist, author, caregiving activist, mother and founder, trademarked a phrase and declared the process of support her life’s mission: The Fifth Trimester.
“The idea was to address the corporate angle of motherhood, and it morphed into all moms and dads and all people providing short term and long term care. We are all in the Fifth Trimester,” says Smith Brody, the married mother of two sons, 15 and 18 years old, who is speaking at Take The Lead’s Power Up Conference August 26 on the panel, The Power of Care: Women Leading at Work and at Home.
In the era of “fake news,” the power of the media to shape our understanding of reality is undeniable. Sexist news coverage is nothing new for women, but in an election year, it’s crucial we remain vigilant and outspoken. In this episode, Gloria urges us to be conscious, careful, and critical about women’s representation in the media and gives us concrete tips for how to recognize and leverage our own power to change the narrative.
Issue 2893 -August 3, 2026
You know that voice. Deep. Smoky. Unmistakable.
So when I asked my friend Kathleen Turner to be the Voice of the Goddess for Take The Lead's Power Up Conference, I expected a quick yes.
Instead, silence.
Then: "Do you know I'm playing God right now?"
She sounded a little unnerved. I was too. This is the woman who went from smoldering as Matty in Body Heat to mousy Joan in Romancing the Stone to the gleefully murderous Beverly Sutphin in Serial Mom to Chandler's dad-turned-mom on Friends — and who will soon play Gertrude Stein.