Recognizing that there are infinitely more than 10 brilliant Black Women in 2021 to celebrate, acknowledge and learn from, we at Take The Lead looked at the latest contributions from only some of the multitudes of Black women leaders who are making a difference—in politics, economics, literature, business, science, academia, sports and retail.
Read MoreLesley Eccles does not gamble and is not particularly fond of sports.
ThIs may not seem remarkable for the CEO and Founder of Hello Relish, a relationship coaching company with a self-care and relationship app. But considering that Eccles and her husband, Nigel, were the co-founders of Fan Duel, the billion-dollar fantasy sports betting startup, it says a lot about her ability to separate work innovation from her personal life.
Read More“Laughter is the only emotion that cannot be compelled. Laughter is a proof of freedom.”
Gloria Steinem, iconic feminist leader, author and activist, waxed poetically philosophical during the recent live Take The Lead event, “Putting Women at the Heart of the Recovery: An Intimate Conversation.”
Read MoreAmanda Zelechoski not only practices what she preaches; she practices what she researches.
As an attorney, licensed clinical and forensic psychologist specializing in child and adolescent trauma, she co-founded the site and resource, Pandemic Parenting, to help others and herself as a mother of three young boys.
During COVID lockdowns with remote work and remote schooling, “The stress at home can be bad,” says Zelechoski, associate professor at Valparaiso University, where she directs the Psychology, Law and Trauma Lab, and whose sons are 11, 8 and 5.
Read More“Dream with ambition, lead with conviction, and see yourself in a way that others might not see you, simply because they’ve never seen it before. And we will applaud you every step of the way.”
These were the stunning words from the next and first Madam Vice President, Kamala Harris, from a Delaware stage before introducing President Elect Joe Biden after the election results were announced.
“But while I may be the first woman in this office, I won’t be the last. Because every little girl watching tonight sees that this is a country of possibilities,” Harris said.
Read MoreA lot of the Greek gods were already taken.
So Sabari Raja, co-founder and CEO of Nepris, an education technology company, settled on the Greek god Nepris as the name of her new company who is the “lord of sustenance.”
“We were looking for unique names to build a brand, so we turned to the Greek gods, and every Greek god was already an education company,” says Raja, whose platform connects 85,000 K-12 educators with experts for instruction to more than 550,000 students in this country.
Read MoreThe 2020 election season has been divisive, distressing, uplifting, unprecedented and crucial for American women and their families and communities.
“During this moment, I feel that we still need to be emancipated. There are still freedoms that need to be protected. There are still laws that need to be revised. There are more people that need to be included. There are more things to achieve. There is more space for change and growth.”
Read MoreCourtney McKenzie Newell in 2011 named her first agency Crowned Marketing & Communications, where she is founder and CEO because she was a crowned beauty pageant winner as a student at Florida International University.
Winning Miss Palm Beach County, and later competing in Miss Florida as part of the Miss American pageant series, McKenzie Newell says, ““I took that money and started my business and paid homage to where ti came from.”
Read MoreGrowing up in rural eastern India, Rupa Dash would be the first girl in her family to get an education.
“The biggest dream girls would ever see and what she deserves is to find somebody or your parents find somebody who would own a truck and you would get married,” says Dash, co-founder and CEO of the World Woman Foundation, with the mission that “Equality for women is progress for all.”
That is an audacious success for someone who as a young girl explains, “I literally never get out of my home and played outside.”
Read MoreIssue 144 — October 5, 2020
I’ve gotta tell you, I get really tired of people complaining to me about something they saw in the news coverage of women. Whether it’s criticizing or loving Kamala Harris’s Chucks or the tone and timbre of a female leader’s voice, and don’t get me started on Hillary Clinton’s ankles and yellow pantsuit, women in leadership roles are scrutinized and stereotyped much more often than men. That’s surely true.
Read MoreOctober is Women’s Small Business Month, so Take The Lead honors the 11.6 million women small business owners in this country who are earning $1.9 trillion in revenue and employing 9.1 million people. Every day 825 women launch small businesses in the United States.
Yes, the numbers tell a story of perseverance and success. One quarter, or 20 % of all companies with $1 million in revenue are women-owned, with 39 % pf all small businesses owned by women. The fastest growth areas are Florida, Georgia, Texas, Michigan and South Carolina.
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