Look Back, Look Ahead: 21 Ways Take The Lead Delivered Solutions in 2021
Looking back on a year of challenges and accomplishments.
Sometimes a surprise email makes your day, or week, or year.
Take Lead Co-Founder and President Gloria Feldt opened this email recently from Erica Miles, a leader in tech.
“Gloria, you are my inspiration,” Miles writes. “Because of my work with you, your 9 Power Tools, the Take The Lead training, and No Excuses, I made a leap for a promotion. Thank you for your leadership; you encouraged me to step out, market myself and personally drive the next step in my career. I was getting stuck and not realizing my own value. I am hoping that all the inspiration I received from you will be realized by all your training participants, so they also realize their own worth.”
2021 was a year of challenges economically, physically, mentally and socially as the restrictions, resignations and restructurings from COVID-19 continued across the globe. The impact was most deeply felt by women and particularly BIPOC identifying as women.
“2021 was a year of challenges economically, physically, mentally and socially as the restrictions, resignations and restructurings from #COVID-19 continued across the globe. The impact was most deeply felt by women and particularly #BIPOC identifying as women. #greatresignation ”
The gender pay gap, home care gap, childcare gap and health gap broadened for many who struggled with remote work, remote schooling for children, elder care and stressful working conditions for those in healthcare and service work sectors.
Take The Lead was there with designated programs, original content, events, courses, webinars, mentorship, inspiration and more to keep on track with its mission to help women+ reach gender parity in leadership across all sectors by 2025.
“In #2021, @Takeleadwomen was there with designated programs, events, courses, webinars, inspiration and more to help women+ reach #genderparity in #leadership across all sectors by 2025.”
"We were very intentional in actualizing our mission," says Feldt. "From four pillars – prepare, develop, inspire, and propel – we created forward-thinking programming and services to assist women+ successfully get through this unprecedented period."
““We were very intentional in actualizing our mission,” says @GloriaFeldt of @Takeleadwomen. “From four pillars – prepare, develop, inspire, and propel – we created forward-thinking programming and services.” #2021 #womenleaders”
Take The Lead, with the mission to prepare, develop, inspire, and propel all women+ of all diversities and intersectionalities, transformed a year of disruption into one of hope and intentionality for thousands of professional women.
“@Takeleadwomen, with the mission to prepare, develop, inspire, and propel all women+ of all diversities and intersectionalities, transformed a year of disruption into one of hope and intentionality for thousands of professional women. #2021recap”
Here are 21 ways Take The Lead made 2021 an intentional year of change for the better.
1. Numbers prove impact: Take The Lead offered 40 virtual events reaching more than 10,000 women leaders. A growing list of 20 sponsors supported the events as well as 800 digital resources, including award-winning original content on the blog and in the newsletter.
2. The Academy for Advanced Leadership: This vibrant offering held six masterclasses with support from The American Express Foundation and Salt River Project, The cohort of 50 women in nonprofits were able to attend for free. The monthly subscription program will begin a new year of programming in 2022. More here.
3. Power Up: Igniting The Intentional Leader In DEI Conference: Supported by the Tara Health Foundation, the second annual symposium was virtual for its second year and offered the latest commentary, discussion, strategies and data on diversity, equity and inclusion, including Brielle Valle's research on the impact of the pandemic on women in the workplace; an exclusive interview with CEO of Asian Americans Advancing Justice president John Yang; and a conversation on racial healing between Take The Lead Board Chair Dr. Nancy O'Reilly and Leadership Ambassador Felicia Davis.
Read more In Take The Lead on Power Up 2021
4. Intentioning: Sex, Power, Pandemics, and How Women Will Take the Lead for (Everyone's) Good: Gloria Feldt’s new book showcases nine new Leadership Intentioning Tools that will form the basis for a new Take The Lead course in 2022 to complement the nine Leadership Power Tools course. In several podcasts, live and virtual events, Feldt reached out to constituents eager to learn more from the women leaders profiled in her latest book.
“@GloriaFeldt ‘s new book “Intentioning: Sex, Power, Pandemics, and How Women Will Take the Lead for (Everyone’s) Good” showcases nine new Leadership #Intentioning Tools that will form the basis for a new @Takeleadwomen course in 2022. #leadershiptools #leadershipdevelopment”
Read more in Take The Lead on Intentioning
5. New program for 50 Women Can Change The World in Law. Partnering with The Center for Women in Law, Take The Lead offered three workshops for 50 women lawyers.
Read more in Take The Lead on Women In Law program
6. The Concert For Women’s Equality Day: This dynamic event featured acclaimed composer and pianist Marina Arsenijevic and actor and activist Rhodessa Jones who donated their talents. The concert drew over 100 participants and raised $100,000 for Take The Lead. Sponsors include Door Dash, The WMarketplace, and Arts Rock. You can stream the live concert through December 31, 2021 here.
“The Concert For #WomensEqualityDay: This dynamic event featured acclaimed composer and pianist #MarinaArsenijevic and actor and activist #RhodessaJones who donated their talents. The concert drew over 100 participants and raised $100,000 for @Takeleadwomen. ”
Read more in Take The Lead on Women’s Equality Day Concert
7. Training and keynotes for organizations included Universal Music, Insight, Neuberger, Cerner, Epredia, Delaware Bio, The University of Arizona, The Rabbinical Assembly Professional Learning Community, and the Better Business Bureau. Read more here.
8. 50 Women Can Change the World In Journalism cohort Can + Will series: This series offered coaching to those journalists needing support rethinking their career plans, including starting new media organizations, moving into key leadership positions and connecting with diverse voices to tell needed narratives. A new nonprofit organization, Women Do News, was created and launched by members of this cohort.
9. "Power to Change Stories" continued its second year of featuring outstanding women from all sectors, disciplines, geographies and ideologies who share their personal stories of activism, overcoming challenges, and more. Take The Lead produced the first volume of 30 Power to Change Stories and to date, has published over 50 inspiring stories from women around the world.
“#PowerToChangeStories continued its second year of featuring outstanding women from all sectors, disciplines, geographies and ideologies who share their personal stories of activism, overcoming challenges, and more. #womensstories #womenwriters”
Read Power To Change Stories here
10. Michael Stars’ Wom#n tee shirt: Created for Women’s Equality Day and benefiting Take The Lead, this tee-shirt was modeled by a select group of 30 women leaders on social media for Take The Lead. Shop for the tee here.
11. Power Tools Necklaces: Designed by Joan Hornig, they include representations of the Power Tools created by Gloria Feldt, and serve as a fundraiser for scholarships to women in Take The Lead courses and programs.
Learn more about Power Tools Collection here
12. Partnerships bloomed with WMarketplace, Troublemakers, Luminary, Gender Fair, Million Dollar Women, Center for Women in Law, Women Connect 4 Good, Journalism and Women Symposium, Corporate Learning Network, and Michael Stars, which generously donated $25,000.
13. The Movement Blog published 50 original posts profiling CEOs, founders, presidents, entrepreneurs, authors, activists and leaders from across all industries from AI and bitcoin to health, retail, food, tech, fashion, journalism, media and so much more. Highlighting trends in workplace culture, COVID shifts, remote work, parenting, networking and more, the content reached thousands of women on the website and in the weekly newsletter.
“The #MovementBlog published 50 original posts profiling CEOs, entrepreneurs, activists and leaders from across all industries from AI and bitcoin to health, retail, food, tech, fashion, journalism, media and so much more. #blogsforwomen #womenleaders”
Catch up on the Movement Blog here
14. The Take The Lead newsletter: Tens of thousands of readers each week in 51 issues learned more about the latest news, what to read and watch, Power To Change Stories, Gloria’s The Sum blog and course offerings and events from Take The Lead and partners.
Sign up for Take The Lead’s newsletter here
15. Speaking out: Featured on 25 podcasts, interviews, op-eds and media appearances, Gloria Feldt spread the word about Take The Lead’s mission and the urgent need to put women at the center of the economic recovery. See more here.
“Speaking out: Featured on 25 podcasts, interviews, op-eds and media appearances, @GloriaFeldt spread the word about @Takeleadwomen ‘s mission and the urgent need to #putwomenatthecenter of the economic recovery.”
16. Inspiring panel for Intentioning Book Launch: You can watch the virtual panel for the book launch featuring participants Alicia Ontiveros, filmmaker, 50 Women Can Change The World in Media & Entertainment alum whose work Feldt describes as at “the intersection of truth heritage and ritual”; Felicia Davis, founder of Black Women’s Collective and the creative force behind Take The Lead’s Academy for Advanced Leadership; Catherine Scrivano, founder of Casco Financial Group and member of Take The Lead’s Arizona Leadership Council; and Vada Manager, President and CEO of Manager Global Consulting Group, LLC, and former political advisor to an Arizona governor and a Washington, D.C. mayor.
Read more on the book launch here
17. Masterclass Leaders: Brilliant and timely lessons were offered virtually by Gloria Feldt; Susan McPherson, founder and CEO of McPherson Strategies and author of The Lost Art of Connecting: The Gather, Ask, Do Method for Building Meaningful Relationships; Tanushree Ghosh, founder and director of Her Rights Inc, a 501(3) c non-profit committed to furthering the cause of gender equality, social activist and author; Lisa Read, founder of Through Inspiring Transitions, Crown Healthcare Advisors and Arizona Women in Healthcare; Victoria Pynchon, co-founder of She Negotiates, a consulting firm and training workshop for women, and author of The Grownups’ ABCs of Conflict Resolution and Success as a Mediator for Dummies; Dr. Mitzi Krockover, M.D. is a Partner at SSB Solutions, Managing Director of Golden Seeds, co-chair of the Golden Seeds Health Care Sector Group, founder of Woman Centered LLC; and Dr. Randee L. Sanders, Founder and CEO of RL Sanders & Associates, Associate Dean of Faculty and founder of Design Not Default Academy,
18. Bi-monthly and weekly columns: The Sum, by Gloria Feldt touched on hot topics in the news and in women’s leadership across the globe. She offered her sometimes quirky and always original takes, offering multiple resources and insight from her decades of leadership. Read more of The Sum here.
19. Executive Coffee, Connect and Go: Gloria Feldt joined a lively discussion for Ellevate Executive Network with Jennefer Witter, founder and CEO of The Boreland Group. In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic and a pandemic of racial injustice that together shook the world to its core and revealed deep fault lines in culture, Feldt shows how to seize the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity created by massive disruption to build back stronger with diverse women at the center of the recovery.
“In the wake of the coronavirus #pandemic and a pandemic of #racialinjustice, @GloriaFeldt shows how to seize the opportunity created by massive disruption to build back stronger with diverse women at the center of the #recovery.”
20. The Leadership Power Tools course became a useful and informative self-directed online course with donor-supported scholarships to women whose careers had been disrupted by the pandemic. Read more here.
21. So much ahead for 2022: With key lessons learned in 2021, Take The Lead is deep into planning for new programs, events and topic deep-dives to offer solutions and answer the needs of women in every stage of their careers.
“So much ahead for 2022: With key lessons learned in 2021, @Takeleadwomen is deep into planning for new programs, events and topic deep-dives to offer solutions and answer the needs of #women in every stage of their careers. #careergrowth”
"Because of our individual and corporate supporters, Take The Lead provided thousands of women with information, courses, and programs that help them rethink, retool, and refresh their careers," said Feldt. "I still believe we can reach gender parity in leadership by 2025 and I'm excited for what we'll achieve together in 2022."
““Because of our individual and corporate supporters, @Takeleadwomen provided thousands of women with information, #courses, and programs that help them rethink, retool, and refresh their #careers,” said @GloriaFeldt. “I’m excited for what we’ll achieve together in 2022.” #leadershipdevelopment”
