The Sum
Women Asking, Women Giving: 3 Ways to Maximize Impact of Philanthropy
Issue 176 — August 30, 2021
If you want to see me break out into a cold sweat instantly, just say the word “event.” Every time an organization with which I’m involved has an event, my first reaction is “No.”
Not surprisingly, since I’ve been leading nonprofit organizations almost my entire career, and thus on the asking end of the fundraising equation, that probability of cold sweat occurs with some frequency.
Read MoreShow Me The Way: Path To Carnegie Hall Paved With Intentioning for Women’s Equality Day Concert Star
Issue 175 — August 23, 2021
I had so much fun interviewing pianist Marina Arsenijevic in preparation for Take The Lead’s Women’s Equality Day concert.
Read MoreFREE MASTERCLASS: HOW TO “CARPE THE CHAOS” AND THRIVE
Issue 174 — August 2, 2021
A colleague once gave me a poster bearing the caption, “When you’re up to your ass in alligators, it’s hard to remember your goal was to drain the swamp.”
Read MoreThe Branson, Bezos Question: Are We OK With Billionaires Sending Big Bucks Into Space?
Issue 173 — July 26, 2021
Two billionaires went into space last week and created a big dust up here on Earth. The debates over whether Richard Branson and Jeff Bezos did something amazing or disgusting raged on social media.
Read MoreThe Incalculable Power of Community
Issue 172 — July 12, 2021
Last week, I attended my first unmasked, in person, un-social distanced theatrical performance, albeit outdoors. It was pure bliss.
The play was, of course, the thing, and an entertaining one at that. But being in a community of happy theater goers was by far the essence of my joy.
Read MoreGeneration Equality: Will the Revolution Be Funded After All?
Issue 171— July 5, 2021
Philanthropist Melinda French Gates stood for a photo op with French President Emmanuel Macron at the UN Women’s Generation Equality Forum June 29-July 1, 2021 and discussed the Gates Foundation’s new commitment of $2.1 USD to women’s economic empowerment, family planning, and (Hallelujah! At last!) accelerating women’s leadership.
Rethinking Britney: Protection or Patriarchy
Issue 170 — June 28, 2021
My weekly zoom with women friends who have been staying in touch through the pandemic recently focused on how hard it is to get old ideas and solutions out of their heads when a new and better one has been proven more effective.
The examples mostly came from the world of science and medicine, starting with Dr. Ignaz Semmelweis who was hounded out of the medical profession in the 19th century. Dr. Semmelweis observed that simply washing hands after treating other patients could significantly reduce maternal mortality. Despite a growing body of scientific papers that backed up his theory, most physicians refused to change their traditional practices, and eventually had Semmelweis committed to an institution where he died.
Read MoreMaking Change on the Court: Naomi Osaka Serves Mental Health Concerns
Issue 169-June 6, 2021
As a girl, I loved tennis. I was never destined to be a Naomi Osaka, but I played regularly until I was 13 years old. Then my family moved to a small town where the only public tennis court was at the local high school. Soon after arriving in town, I went there with a girlfriend.
The court bordered on the street. A few minutes into our game, a carload of teenage boys parked in front of the court and shouted remarks about our physical appearance. We ignored the boys till they left, then packed up our racquets and went home. I never played tennis again.
Read MoreBeing Between: The Power To Create What’s Next
Issue 168 — May 31, 2021
It’s graduation season. A time of traditions.
Last year, graduation traditions, or rather the lack of them were a shock to the system. Regardless of which of the three available responses schools chose — cancel, postpone, or scramble to go virtual —there was much hand-wringing and mourning about what the students would miss.
Read MoreSisterhood Co-opted or Amplified: Are you Cheney, Stefanik, Peralte, or Emily?
Issue 167 — May 17, 2021
Every time I make a speech or do a leadership training, a woman inevitably asks, “What about women who don’t support other women? Why are women so hard on other women?” Or, “What do I do about a woman who is trying to sabotage me in my career?”
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