Raves For Power Up Concert: Human Art & Creativity Fuel Real Change

Raves For Day 1 Power Up Concert: Human Art & Creativity Fuel Real Change

“Audacity is a bold action that challenges the status quo,” said Aly Palmer, award-winning singer, songwriter, producer, performer, artist, activist, philanthropist and founder known for her work as a musician with the band BETTY.

In her welcome remarks at Take The Lead’s Power Up Dinner and Concert at The Square in Washington, D.C., on the eve of the all-day Power Up Conference, Palmer added, “Thank you for bringing your audacious and foxy power.”

Read more in Take The Lead in upcoming blog posts on the panels, breakouts and learnings from the Power Up Conference 2026.

Women 45+ Biggest Leap For Startups With Least Funding

Black Enterprise reports, "A study from MIT researchers found that the average age of founders behind the fastest-growing new ventures was 45. The research also found that prior experience in a specific industry was a strong predictor of entrepreneurial success."

BE adds, "Startups founded or co-founded by women received less than half the average investment secured by male-founded companies. Still, the women-founded or co-founded businesses generated 10% more cumulative revenue over five years. For every dollar of funding, those companies generated 78 cents in revenue, compared with 31 cents for male-founded startups in the study."
Read more here.

Stop Hiding Your Power TO: My Speech at the Power Up Conference 8/26/26

[Note: Many of you asked for a copy of the speech I gave at Take The Lead’s Power Up Conference on Women’s Equality Day, August 26. So I am sharing it with you here. Let me know what it means to you.]

I became obsessed with women’s relationship with power when I realized how often I gave mine away.

I know…you look at me and think, “She’s powerful.” You just heard a litany of my accomplishments. And don’t get me wrong. I’m exceedingly grateful to have been able to make my life’s passion into my life’s work.

But trust me, when I was a 20-year-old mother of three in Odessa TX, the hardscrabble land of Friday Night Lights, with only a high school diploma I had earned by correspondence, women holding power wasn’t even a concept. I had been socialized to be a support system for everyone else.

Thank you for showing up. Thank you for leading boldly. Thank you for bringing your full, audacious self into that room and making Power Up 2026 everything we knew it could be and more.

The energy, the conversations, and the connections made across those two days will carry far beyond Washington, D.C. and into every space you walk into next. That was not just an event. That was a movement. And you were part of it.
A special thank you to our incredible sponsors whose generous support made this movement possible. Because of their commitment to women's leadership, this room existed. And that makes all the difference.
Until next time, keep leading boldly and never stop taking the lead.

Watch Take The Lead video here.

What I Learned From Take The Lead:

Power Tool #8 — Employ Every Medium (The Influencer) 🏆

Meet Rachel B. Lee — 2026 Power Tool Champion for Power Tool #8: Employ Every Medium (The Influencer). As Co-Founder and CEO of StandOut Authority, Rachel has helped hundreds of entrepreneurs, executives, and thought leaders amplify their voices, build influential platforms, and increase their impact across every medium available — because she believes leadership begins with courage, service, and helping others step into their expertise with confidence.

Learn more: ThePowerUpConference.com