Frances Perkins is a woman I’ve come to know, admire and am in awe of through Stephanie Dray’s newest novel Becoming Madam Secretary. The first female cabinet member in U.S. history, she was Labor Secretary to President Franklin D. Roosevelt. In a political time dominated by men, Frances Perkins was America’s leading advocate for workers’ rights and industrial safety. Fair Labor Standard Acts, Social Security…thank you Frances.
Retail pioneer and global trendsetter, Liz Lange, transformed maternity wear in 1997 and gave women the empowerment to shine. Her brand, Liz Lange Maternity, became a game-changer for celebrities and regular women alike.
In the early 2000s, Liz Lange became a household name as a retail pioneer and global trendsetter. Her licensing deals with Nike, Target, and HSN established her as a fashion icon, with her maternity collaborations and ready-to-wear line becoming wildly popular. Lange’s book, “Liz Lange’s Maternity Style: How to look Fabulous during the Most Fashion-Challenged Time,” published by Random House in 2003, further cemented her status as a fashion expert.
Relinquished: The Politics of Adoption and the Privilege of American Motherhood. The title is quite powerful as is its author, Gretchen Sisson, PhD. Gretchen has been making waves with her groundbreaking studies on abortion and adoption in the US. Her work sheds light on the experiences of women who have relinquished their child for adoption since Roe v. Wade. The Supreme Court’s dissent in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health from Justices Breyer, Kagan, and Sotomayor cited Gretchen’s research. The stories of relinquishing mothers reveal a larger societal problem of our country’s refusal to care for families at the most basic level.
What ingredients do you need? It really doesn’t take a lot for this particular recipe, the Recipe for a Good Life. Bestselling Canadian author Lesley Crewe is making her American debut and we could all use this recipe. This may be her 15th novel for her Canadian readers, but I can definately say, her new American readers will catch up.
For Lesley her writing started as an exercise for understanding her world and in doing so, we get an invitation to look into ours. How many of us think that only writers get writer’s block like the protagonist in her latest novel? And how many of us get into the weeds while trying to find that ‘grand, elusive goal? Lesley’s recipe is a simple one that comes with huge victories from within ourselves. In our conversation she lets us in to one of the most unthinkable time of her life. And shows us how even from our darkest moments, we can shine a light.
Her Podcast Helps Women Find Comfort in “Life After…” Moments When hardship occurs — be it a divorce, a loss of a loved one, an unexpected layoff at work, or something else — it can be difficult to find joy again. But Girl Scout alum Sylvia Beckerman, 70, is one woman...
