Issue 216 — January 2, 2023 Alicia Keys — yes THAT Alicia Keys — and yes I follow her on all social media — asked this New Year question on social media, and I love it: “What energy are u bringing into this year?”

Issue 215 — December 19, 2022 My mother’s Wedgewood Bone china and Tiffany crystal wine, water, and cordial glasses glisten in the hutch I bought, where they could be not just stored but seen. Mother had kept them packed away for many years. Why? …

Issue 214— December 12, 2022 “Say what you want out loud.” That was the most quoted takeaway from the fireside chat interview between Morning Joe co-anchor and founder/partner with Forbes in the “Know Your Value” initiative, Mika Brzezinski and NBC’s Today Show cohost Hoda Kotb at the gathering of women…

Issue 213— December 5, 2022 You really must watch this video to get your hackles up at the hapless reporter who asked New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern if she was meeting Finland’s Prime Minister Sanna Marin because they are “similar in age.” The full quoted question that seemed…

Issue 212 — November 28, 2022 If you sent that check — it came last week without information as to the donor — to Take The Lead, thank you! This post will be published to coincide with Giving Tuesday so whoever you are, your timing could not be more perfect. …

Issue 211 — November 21, 2022 Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi gave the best speech of her political life on November 17, when after the 2022 midterm elections, she announced she would remain in Congress but would not run for Minority Leader again in January when…

Issue 210 — November 14, 2022 I believe so strongly that #votingisleadership that I created a hashtag for it. Civic engagement is in my view a critical part of leadership. We are all shaped by our communities and so must be part of shaping them. Politics, as political scientist Walter…

Issue 209 — November 7, 2022 Voting is a form of leadership. My grandparents, who were immigrants and entrepreneurs, taught me that everyone has an obligation to participate in the community. If you have not already cast your vote in the crucial midterm elections, here is where you can go…

Issue 208— October 17, 2022 We celebrated my husband’s life on the first day of the past week, Sunday, October 9. Those are words I never wanted to write, speak, or even think. …