Good Guys And Pioneering Sports Journalist: Leading Award Winners Share Truths: Take The Lead 9/9/2025

The goal of gender parity needs the efforts and energy of everyone across gender identities. Equity is not just a women’s issue. Nor is it just an issue in one business arena.

“We’re here to talk about how men are an important part of this journey moving things along to gender parity,” said Vada Manager, founder and CEO of Manager Global Holdings, as he introduced the winners of the Alex Barbanell Leading Man Award at Take The Lead’s recent Power Up Conference 2025 in Washington, D.C..

The Power To Use Handcrafted Items to Hold Confidence and Restore Self-Belief

By Lauren Ashtyn

When I began losing my hair, I learned quickly that women’s hair loss was not treated with the same seriousness as men’s. For men, it was “normal.” For women, it was dismissed as vanity. But I knew it was about identity, confidence, and dignity, not just appearance. That’s why I’ve fought to reframe the conversation, building a team that guides women on how to get covered with insurance to ensure they can access solutions without financial strain.

11 Words: But Are Women’s Rights Human Rights Once And For All?

Issue 2858— September 8, 2025

Just when you think something is over, it starts again. Women’s quest for equality is no exception.

While I was busy with Take The Lead’s annual Power Up Concert and Conference in Washington D.C., I lost track that September 5, 2025 marked the 30th anniversary of the United Nations’ 4th World Conference on Women. A few rather subdued social media posts reminded me.

So I updated the text of a podcast I recorded when I was reflecting on the 25th anniversary five years ago, to share with you today.

I was, as the song from “Hamilton” says, in the room where it happened. Two rooms, actually.

Eye-Opener of The Week:

Entrepreneur Bias: Men Can Fail, Women Cannot

New National Bureau of Economic Research shows "male and female cofounders who built the same startups together, with identical business ideas, track records, and experience" face different consequences. "The results depict an industry still in the grips of age-old gender stereotypes: after a failure, women were 30% less likely to get funding for their next venture. And when they did get funding, they raised 53% less money than their male cofounders."