Power to Change Stories

By Maryum Phillips

I found my calling under an archway at the University of Michigan.

I was walking to class one afternoon when I stopped to talk with a woman panhandling nearby. I had seen her before, and I wanted to connect with her. While we talked, a group of young men walked past, finished eating, and threw their trash at us. The disrespect stunned me. I apologized to her, and she said it happened all the time. That moment lit a fire in me that has never gone out. Every person deserves the same dignity, no matter what they have.

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By Anna Rosa Parker

Throughout my long creative career, I have had to stand up for myself time and again. Whether hired to write or rewrite a script, act in a commercial, or develop a new creative concept, I have often had to fight just to get paid, and have seen my own work and ideas taken without proper credit, a reality that many women and creatives still face today.

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By Sharon Spano

Recently I tested every system I teach my clients to build. Our community had to let go of a beloved employee of twenty five years over a harassment complaint, and for several days we didn’t have all the facts. I spoke up on his behalf and sent the board multiple emails calling for a formal governance structure, because he deserved a fair process before anyone decided his fate.

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By Linda Galindo

I coach executives and speak on accountability for a living, work built on refusing to look away from what everyone else pretends not to see. Years ago, while serving on a nonprofit board, the largest donor walked in and told us who he wanted seated, expecting our nomination process to step aside for him. I said, “Hold up, we have a process. Are we going to run it?”

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By Louise Storino

Some of the most extraordinary leaders I know are unable to vote yet.

I have the privilege of sitting alongside a group of urban teens from underrepresented communities. Together, we are writing a media series, “for teens, by teens” that explores hope in the face of circumstances many adults can scarcely imagine.

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By Kimberly Langen

I was born to missionary parents living in Uganda, and some of my earliest memories were shaped by seeing communities facing extreme poverty. When we left the country as Idi Amin was coming to power, I remember making a quiet promise to myself that I would spend my life finding ways to help others and create meaningful change wherever I could.

I later became a teacher, and it quickly became clear to me that many highly motivated students were quietly being left behind. The education system was largely focused on helping students reach minimum standards, but I believed many students needed something more challenging, rigorous, and meaningful. That belief eventually became the foundation for Spirit of Math.

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By Laura Simms

For years, I thought the problem was that I couldn’t figure out the “right” career. I read the books. Took the assessments. Talked about it in therapy. I learned a lot about myself, but I still felt stuck.

What I eventually realized was that none of those resources were helping me answer the deeper question underneath it all: What kind of life am I actually trying to build?

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By Whitney Stidom

May is Women’s Health Month, an opportune time to check on the well-being of all the important women in your life.  

Whether you're a spouse making sure your partner is taking care of herself, or an adult child checking in on an aging parent, a few thoughtful words can go a long way. Here are three steps to help the women you love get the healthcare they need. 

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By Jaya Iyer

When my daughter was about two years old, she told me she wanted to be an astronaut. I remember walking into the girls’ section of a store, expecting to find rockets or planets. Instead, I found slogans about being pretty like a princess. The boys’ section had fighter pilots and space themes, in general, showing them as strong and tough. The girls’ side had none of it.

It may seem small, but clothing sends messages about what is “normal” or “expected.” In that absence, I saw inequity. Instead of accepting it, I decided to build something different. That became the beginning of Svaha. I started creating apparel that reflected science, space, and technology in a joyful, expressive way for girls. I didn’t want my daughter, or any child, to feel that her interests were unusual or unfeminine.

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By Maggie Keith

I didn’t set out to challenge the food system; I just couldn’t ignore what I was seeing. Early on, it became clear that farmers carry the most risk yet hold the least power, often the last to be paid and the first to absorb loss. That didn't sit right with me.

Instead of trying to succeed within that flawed structure, I stepped outside of it. I built a direct-to-consumer model at Foxhollow so we could price food in a way that reflects the work, the care, and the life behind it. I’ve made a point to speak openly about what’s broken, because pretending it works helps no one.

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By Jane Pabon

After decades in fashion, I’ve seen firsthand how it shapes confidence, identity, and how people show up in the world. That’s why the way this industry operates matters more than people realize.

There’s a culture of overconsumption, of pushing trends people don’t need, and of telling customers everything looks good on them just to make a sale. I see the impact of that every day.

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By Erin Pavane

One moment that really shaped how I lead happened while I was building partnerships between Sanderson Yachting and travel advisors.

As I began speaking with more advisors, I kept hearing the same thing. Many believed private yacht charters were simply out of reach for them. The industry felt closed off. The booking process seemed complicated. Commission structures often favored larger agencies or long-established brokers with deep relationships in the space.

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By Marla Ramos

When was your last wellness activity?

Yoga? Pilates? A sound bath? A quiet walk before sunset?

For many, wellness is a routine. For me, it became a lifeline.

I grew up in the Philippines in a home where healing was daily love. My mother brewed ginger tea before medicine. We relied on hilot, herbs, prayer, and faith in the body’s wisdom. When I struggled with hormonal imbalance, my sister introduced me to alternative healing. I saw how plant medicine supported my brother’s chronic illness. Wellness restored us long before I understood the science, that nature regulates stress and connection strengthens resilience.

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By Kasey Walsh

February is Rare Disease Month, a time when rare conditions briefly come into focus, but for families living with them, the reality never fades. 

My daughter was diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder, AP-4-HSP. After that, things began to feel surreal. I was thrust into a world of isolation and uncertainty. The widespread understanding of rare conditions is that most are yet to be discovered. I became the mom reading research late at night, comparing notes with other parents, and trying to connect dots that no system seemed designed for us. Like many parents in rare disease communities, I became a parent-driven researcher out of my love for my daughter and urgent necessity.

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By Erica Diamond

In 2001, my business was booming. Sales were climbing. People were praising my “hustle.” From the outside, it looked powerful.

Quietly, I was burning out.

I was waking up exhausted, running on adrenaline, and convincing myself it was normal. I wore productivity like a badge and ignored the warning signs my body kept sending. My shoulders lived up by my ears. My mind never shut off. I was snapping at people I loved, then feeling guilty, then working harder to prove I was fine.

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By Laura Rowley

Nearly 20 years ago, I received a cold email from a young engineer at a Fortune 100 company. She didn’t ask for anything dramatic—just advice on how to build a more flexible career. I wrote back with one small lead and a website link. A single suggestion.

Last year, I ran into her at a conference in Washington, D.C. She stopped me and said, “Do you remember me?” I didn’t. But she remembered me. She told me that brief email—that tiny nudge—had helped her take a leap that eventually became a thriving business.

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By Ariel Treiber

I grew up watching my father build Skil-Care from the ground up. As a child, I didn’t fully understand what he was creating, but I understood the work ethic behind it. Nights, weekends, travel, and a belief that the work mattered shaped my early understanding of what it meant to build something with purpose.

Skil-Care was created to make healthcare environments safer and more humane. From the beginning, his focus was on dignity and safety for people who are often overlooked. My father cared deeply about patients, nursing home residents, and caregivers doing demanding work every day. Those values became the foundation of our company.

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By Erin Mittelstaedt

It’s 2 p.m. and I’m at my desk, contemplating another cup of coffee. My mind wanders to school pickup and my wife’s upcoming birthday—then I catch myself. I head to the break room for a snack and can’t help but smile, because this moment is exactly why The FruitGuys (the company I run) exists! We deliver healthy food that helps push workers through the midday slump by powering their bodies and minds. 

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By Tatiana McDaniel

Talking about things most people were taught not to is literally my day job. Vaginal health. Odor. Intimacy. These are the kinds of topics that still make people whisper, and honestly, that’s exactly why we’re loud and proud about them at Happy V.

Every day, women reach out with stories that stop me in my tracks. They’ve been told by doctors their symptoms were “probably stress,” or made to feel embarrassed about something completely normal happening with their bodies. Some have even been shamed by partners who don’t understand what an unbalanced microbiome is. Those stories remind me why our work matters, because if we’re not speaking up, we’re letting the stigma win.

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By Maddie Miles-Manley

Very early in my journey, I experienced an inequity that ultimately led to the creation of Peace Love Hormones. Like so many women, I was told my symptoms were “normal” or simply part of being a woman, even when my body was clearly asking for deeper support. What felt most unjust wasn’t just the discomfort; it was the lack of education, curiosity, and real tools offered to women. We were expected to tolerate imbalance instead of understanding it.

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