Lynda Carter, iconic performer, actor, producer, singer, musician, philanthropist, advocate, and more, in a promotion for her latest single, “Pink Slip Lollipop.” She will be honored at Take The Lead’s 2024 Power Up Concert & Conference August 25-26 with the Leading Woman Award.

The wonder of her accomplishments never stops.

Lynda Carter, a Wonder Woman in real life who turns 73 this month, is a global performer, singer, producer, actress, philanthropist, leader and inspiration to women and men around the world for her ability to excel in multiple arenas.

“@RealLyndaCarter, a #WonderWoman in real life, is an #inspiration to women and men around the world for her ability to excel in multiple arenas.”

“We know how to wear many hats because we are so busy. We collaborate,” says Carter, who will be honored with the Leading Woman Award at Take The Lead’s Power Up Concert and Conference August 25-26 in Washington, D.C..

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“Yes, it is challenging to be a woman in a man’s world,” says Carter who is revered for creating the iconic TV character, Wonder Woman, in the 1970s, a role she reprised often. “But we can use what we know to redefine leadership,” she says.

An award-winning singer/songwriter for decades, Carter last month released her latest single, “Pink Slip Lollipop,” streaming on many platforms, with the catchy refrain, “Boys, get ready for the pink slip. This one’s for the ladies!”

Ready to receive the 2024 Leading Woman Award from Take the Lead, Carter says her own mission aligns well with the mission of Take The Lead to achieve gender parity by 2025. Equity can be achieved by individuals owning personal power to change their paths and taking action to reform larger systems through collaboration, cooperation, creativity and hard work.

“Ready to receive the 2024 #LeadingWomanAward from @Takeleadwomen, @RealLyndaCarter says she aligns well with the mission of Take The Lead to achieve #genderparity by 2025. ”

“You can make a difference, but together we are a force of nature and we are way more powerful,” says Gloria Feldt, co-founder and president of Take The Lead, who chose Carter as this year’s honoree.

Celebrating 10 years of Take The Lead’s progress offering resources, training, events, mentorship and more, Feldt says, “Together we can change the world and boy, does it need us to change it.”

““Together we can change the world and boy, does it need us to change it.” — @GloriaFeldt, co-founder of @Takeleadwomen. #progress #advocate”

Carter would agree.

“We are collaborative and we are organizers,” says Carter, who will be sharing her ideas with “Together We Lead” Power Up Conference participants on Women’s Equality Day.

“Times are changing, and if you’re not looking at the qualities of great male and female leaders when considering what leadership means to you, you’re really missing out,” says Carter.

“The way American women claim individual power is changing every day,” says Carter whose philanthropic work is with organizations including The Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation and The Women’s Alzheimer’s Movement, The Coelho Center for Disability Law, Policy and Innovation, Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, GLAAD, and Fandom Forward. Carter is also working with City of Hope and TGen to discover new drug therapies for myelofibrosis patients. Her husband of 37 years, Altman died of this disease in 2021.

“You can’t help but feel good when you know you’re giving back,” Carter says. ”The best thing you can do is see a need and fill it. See a problem and fix it.”

““The way American women claim individual #power is changing every day,” says @RealLyndaCarter. #leadership #powerTO”

Her approach to her work and life mirrors the Intentioning and Power Tools created by Feldt that are the backbone of Take The Lead’s trainings and messaging. “Carpe The Chaos,” is a power tool Feldt advocates for many to embrace.

“Be curious and be open to new opportunities,” says Carter, who also serves on the James Madison Council at The Library of Congress. “And you don’t have to reinvent the wheel… If there’s a problem—and there usually is!—there are already people there who would love to have your help.”

“@RealLyndaCarter ‘s approach to her work and life mirrors the #Intentioning and Power Tools created by @GloriaFeldt.”

Attuned to the recent legal decisions in this country including the overturning of Roe v. Wade obliterating a woman’s right to choose and have access to pregnancy healthcare, Carter says, “When the government took power over our bodies, everything changed.”

She adds, “Fear has crept in. We have to do everything we can to reclaim our power. It means taking action and being unafraid to dissent,” says Carter who was recently named to the Advisory Board of the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum. She adds, “But whatever you do, you can’t lose your voice and your vote.”

Honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2018, Carter, a former Miss World USA, played the President of the United States in the series, “Supergirl,” reprised her original role of Wonder Woman in the film, “Super Troopers 2.” She also appeared in the 2020 film, “Wonder Woman 1984.”

The mother of two grown children with her late husband, attorney Robert A. Altman, Carter’s resume of stage, large screen and small screen performances include five albums, 11 films, and scores of television shows, Emmy-award winning specials, series and appearances.

In all of these platforms, Carter demonstrates her talent, agility and power, moving from music to acting to producing to volunteering for causes she believes in deeply.

“We have to reevaluate our place in the world at different times in our lives,” says Carter, who has appeared onstage and screen all over the country and world from London To New York, Washington, D.C. and more,

“You can’t have everything all at once and sometimes you make decisions that put your career on the back burner,” says Carter, who has been singing publicly since she was five years old.

“@RealLyndaCarter demonstrates her talent, agility and power, moving from entertainment to volunteering for causes she believes in deeply. #womenleaders”

Carter, whose likeness is reproduced in Wonder Woman action figures, dolls and toys for generations has appeared onstage with many of the world’s most popular performers including Tom Jones, Ray Charles, Kenny Rogers, George Benson and Ben Vereen.

In 2021, she released the album, “Unexpected” and her single, the original pop ballad “Human and Divine,” was produced by her long-time record producer Kyle Lehning.

“Music was always my safe place, my escape,” says Carter. “No matter what I was doing, music was always in my wheelhouse and in my heart.”

In her 2024 book, “Lynda Carter Biography: The Inspiring Story of Wonder Woman,” author Kimberly Howerton writes, “Her journey is interwoven with themes of resilience, artistic exploration and unwavering commitment to social justice.”

Carter may well be accustomed to the accolades that surround all of her professional endeavors and advocacy, but she is also about helping others—those who identify as women especially—to see their own value and worth.

“Women are fabulous. Just as we are,” Carter says. “Don’t underestimate yourself. Feminine qualities have been undervalued historically in the workforce, and it’s a shame, because these qualities are so powerful. They connect us to one another.”

““Feminine qualities have been undervalued historically in the #workforce, and it’s a shame, because these qualities are so powerful.” —@RealLyndaCarter. ”

While Carter has been beloved in the spotlight for most of her life, she says there is one thing that many people—fans and friends included—may not know about her. “I like to think I’m funny,” Carter says. “I’m a bit of a prankster.”

Leadership Takeaway of The Week:

“Don’t underestimate yourself. Feminine qualities have been undervalued historically in the workforce, and it’s a shame, because these qualities are so powerful.”

--Lynda Carter. Iconic actress, performer, producer, philanthropist

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About the Author

Michele Weldon is editorial director of Take The Lead, an award-winning author, journalist, emerita faculty in journalism at Northwestern University and a senior leader with The OpEd Project. @micheleweldon www.micheleweldon.com