Felicia Davis, founder of The Black Women’s Collective, greets the in-person and virtual crowd at the 2023 Power Up Conference & Concert.

“We need to move to keep movements moving,” Laura Vega, Power Up Conference Chair and Associate General Counsel & Senior Director, Legal Affairs of MicroVention, Inc., told the robust live and virtual audience in her welcome greeting at the recent Power Up Conference & Conference on Women’s Equality Day.

Introducing Gloria Feldt, the powerhouse behind the day’s events, as well as co-founder and president of Take The Lead, Vega says, “She is such an inspiration and role model.”

“Introducing @GloriaFeldt, the powerhouse behind the day’s events, as well as co-founder and president of @Takeleadwomen, Vega says, “She is such an inspiration and #rolemodel.””

Taking the stage with an enthusiastic crowd of leaders, entrepreneurs, academics, managers, media leaders, students, writers and philanthropists, Feldt says, “In order to make big systemic change, we need to be big, be bold and be out there.”

Acknowledging the mission to reach gender parity in leadership roles across all sectors by 2025, Feldt says it was a significant day to hold the conference, that was on the anniversary of the March on Washington, D.C., a pivotal moment in history for social justice and human rights.

“You each have a big voice, use it,” Feldt says. “At Take The Lead we help women understand the power we already have.” She adds, “One of the basic principles of Take The Lead is the principle of the infinite pie is the more there is, the more there is.”

““You each have a big voice, use it,” @GloriaFeldt says. “At @Takeleadwomen we help #women understand the #power we already have.” ”

A key force in the conference behind the organizations of speakers, panelists and breakout groups, is Felicia Davis, founder of the Black Women’s Collective. She reminds the audience, “There are three sources of power: power from a status perspective, which is your built reputation; resource power, or your access to people, resources and things; and authoritarian power, the ability to make a decision. “

She urged the audience to not just use the day as one of networking and enhancement for themselves, but to ask themselves:: “How can I help someone else with their intention?”

In a poignant discussion, Vada Manager, the 2022 winner of the Alexander Barbanell Leading Man Award, founder and CEO of Manager Global Holdings, and President and CEO of Manager Global Consulting Group, “passed the baton” to Darnell Moore, vice president of inclusion strategy at Netflix as the 2023 award winner.

“We are furthering that legacy to bestow on an extraordinary leading man,” Manager says.

Moore told the audience, “What a gift to be here with you all. Who would I be without the women in my life? Black women have been the source of my strength and my learning,” he said.

”This work for me of women’s equality and women’s feminism, I do this work because patiarchy harms men too and has us believing a big lie about ourselves, lies about dominance and lies about power.”

He adds, “Within a patriarchal framework, we can never be free.”

““Within a patriarchal framework, we can never be free.” - Darnell Moore, vice president of inclusion strategy at @Netflix. #genderparity”

Moore says that as a man he receives applause and recognition for work he does in this arena of social justice and equity, while women doing the same work rarely do.

“I don’t deserve applause for work I should be doing anyway.”

At the Women Build Wealth panel session, host Laura Gerson, Vice President of Partnerships, Worth and Director, Women & Worth, led a discussion with Jorgi Paul, Founder & CEO, Lady of Record; Catherine Scrivano, President, CASCO Financial Group; and Sherry Bass, regional vice president of PrimAmerica.

“You don’t have to be wealthy to be wise,” Scrivano says. “It is true for all women that we outlive our male counterparts, we earn less money and often take a break in our careers. We have challenges our male counterparts do not face. So we need to address wealth sooner rather than later.”

Paul, who specializes in wealth-building through real estate says, “Real estate is one of the ways to close that gap. Property ownership is so important to closing the wealth gap. One property is tangible security. She says, “We have to make sure we are thinking as big as possible in closing that gap.”

““You don’t have to be wealthy to be wise,” says Catherine Scrivano, President of @CASCOFinancial. #finance #buildingwealth”

Bass, who has spent decades in finance, says, “Money is such an emotionally charged issue. It is about power, control, love, and we can do all those things with money.” She suggested women set up five types of accounts.

The first account is for accumulation. “This is an emergency fund with three to six months of expenses.” The second type of account is the “go to account.” She adds, “ This is when you need a washer/dryer, or it is six to nine months of earnings set aside for needs. The third type is retirement. A fourth account is protection. This is for life insurance policies, or “the last love letter to our family.” The final fifth account is generational wealth. It is you leaving a legacy.

“You need to be able to develop a plan based on your values that will make your priorities clear, Scrivano says. “The call to action is the best time to invest was yesterday. Procrastination will always sabotage you.”

Paul says accumulating wealth is “about long-term security.”

As far as financial planners and advisors, Gerson suggests, “Having women in your corner is crucial.”

Bass adds, “Understanding who you are as a saver and spender is critical.”

Scrivano reminded the audience, “Do a power plan. If you don’t like the word budget, have a spending plan. But you have the power to succeed. Take all your power, implement it and share it to celebrate this moment.”

In the Women’s Health panel, Eva Goicochea, founder and CEO of Maude; and Sophia Yen, founder of Pandia Health, the only women-led online health brand; and Carissa Smith, vice president of government relations, FDX, discussed the peculiar challenges in normalizing persistent women’s health concerns, challenges, issues and treatments.

“I have always been passionate about women’s health, particularly adolescent health, and how we can impact young women’s lives,” says Yen, who is launching onto products and treatments for menopause. “My company is about evidence-based medicine.”

““I have always been passionate about women’s health, particularly adolescent health, and how we can impact young women’s lives,” says Sophia Yen @teenmd. #womenshealth #equity”

Goicochea founded “the only sexual wellness brand that is not about age.” To launch her company, she reminded the audience, she reminded herself, ‘The door might not be open, but there might be a crack in the window.”

Smith has been working in policy since she was a Senate intern during college. “There was no one who looked like me writing these laws. I wanted to make sure the voices that were missing were having impact on policies.” She adds, “You go as hard as you can for all the voices at the table.”

To remedy the problem, Smith says, “If those tables are missing voices, you make investments to bring people to those tables. If you feel you have blindspots, investigate. Diverse voices moves everyone else along at a progressive rate.”

With the hashtag, #GetTheGoodStuff, Yen has a $30-a year-membership that offers members access to doctors and birth control, information and prescriptions, as well as period products. “We bring birth control and expert-needed care wherever you have internet or a mailbox,” Yen says.

Goicochea encouraged anyone thinking about becoming a health entrepreneur or an innovator in any field to start now. “You’re never too old to start something new. No one knows everything. Just by showing up you’re doing something. We are in a place where we all have power.”

“@Eva_goicochea encouraged anyone thinking about becoming a health #entrepreneur or an #innovator in any field to start now. “You’re never too old to start something new.””

Take The Lead Leadership Takeaway of The Week:

“You each have a big voice, use it. At Take The Lead we help women understand the power we already have.” -- Gloria Feldt, co-founder and president of Take The Lead

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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