Questions Welcome: Kinsey Institute Exec Director Receives Leading Man Award at Power Up
In his line of work as Executive Director of The Kinsey Institute, and author of the new book, The Intimate Animal: The Science of Sex, Fidelity and Why We Love and Die For Love, Justin Garcia PhD, fields a lot of inappropriate, embarrassing questions at cocktail parties and events. He doesn’t answer them, as he politely declines, saying he is a private person.
But what the award-winning researcher in evolutionary biology, psychology, neuroscience, anthropology, social science and human behavior at the world’s leading sexuality and relationship research center, does appreciate are other kinds of inquiries.
“The part I do think is an honor is when people come up to me with questions, wanting to know if they are normal. I realize they don’t know who else to ask,” says Garcia, 41, a married father of 11-month-old son, Nicholas, and Founding Co-Director of Human Sexuality and Health at the Indiana University School of Medicine.
For his thorough and award-winning leadership and research over decades, Garcia is receiving the 2026 Leading Man Award at the August 26 Power Up Conference, and speaking on the panel, Women's Health Unfiltered: Sex & Leadership.
I found my calling under an archway at the University of Michigan.
I was walking to class one afternoon when I stopped to talk with a woman panhandling nearby. I had seen her before, and I wanted to connect with her. While we talked, a group of young men walked past, finished eating, and threw their trash at us. The disrespect stunned me. I apologized to her, and she said it happened all the time. That moment lit a fire in me that has never gone out. Every person deserves the same dignity, no matter what they have.
Can't Come To Power Up Conference? It'll Come To You?
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By popular demand, we have added a virtual option to the Power Up Conference. Don’t get me wrong: I really, really want you to come to thePower Up Conference in Washington, DC if you possibly can. There is nothing quite like being in the room with hundreds of women and men whose energy is all about gender equality and advancing women’s leadership.
Seeing and hearing Margaret Atwood in person, one of the greatest writers of our time and the author of The Handmaid’s Tale and The Testaments, among dozens of other best-selling books, is a rare opportunity. The Power Tool champions and the rest of the program’s 40+ speakers are equally powerful on the very topics you need for your life and career.
Power Up 2026 is not just a conference. It is a full experience designed to celebrate, challenge, and transform you.
Opening night kicks off with the Femme Art Fair, a cocktail reception, dinner, and The BETTY Concert. Conference day brings Margaret Atwood to the keynote stage live and in person, followed by bold panels, sessions built around the 9 Leadership Power Tools, and access to the SHEposium women's health and wellness expo.
Two days entirely dedicated to your growth, your leadership, and your community. Seats are going fast. Do not miss your chance to be in that room.
Meet Peggy Wilmoth — 2026 Power Tool Champion for Power Tool #6: Wear the Shirt (The Truth Seeker). A retired U.S. Army Major General, nursing leader, Distinguished Nurse Scholar in Residence at the National Academy of Medicine, and President of the Reserve Officers Association, Peggy has spent her career taking courageous positions in the best interests of the people she serves — in professions that don't always reward those who step out of line to champion a principle.
Join us in celebrating her at Power Up 2026 in Washington, DC on August 25–26! 🏆
The Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University reveals new data that shows a record number of women running for office in the 2026 midterms:" 590 women have filed to run for House seats, surpassing the record of 583, set in 2020 and met again in 2022. This also far exceeds the 467 women who ran for House in the most recent election cycle in 2024. This new record is driven in large part by a considerable increase in the number of Democratic women running with 188 Republicans and 402 Democrats running." Read more here.
Take The Lead prepares, develops, inspires, and propels all women of all diversities and intersectionalities to take their fair and equal share of leadership positions across all sectors. Learn more at www.taketheleadwomen.com.
