Our world desperately needs more women’s energy in every sector, from community organizations to corporate boards to the halls of power in Washington, DC.

This isn’t just about inherent fairness, although that is reason enough.

It’s about saving lives and our planet.

It’s about governments valuing education and healthcare first and foremost.

It’s about corporations valuing people as much as the bottom line.

It’s about cooperation and collaboration instead of competition and zero sum thinking.

It’s about bringing our hearts into big decisions alongside our brains.   

A recent interaction reminded me of the importance of women’s voices.   

I shared with a dear progressive male friend why I do what I do: coach, speak to, and lead workshops for women to help them step fully into and own their power and brilliance, not just for their own sake, but because our world needs them.

His response was to tell me where my thinking was misguided and why my basic premise was wrong.

Before my head could explode, I ‘splained to him the irony of his mansplaining to me about me. At first, he was shocked that I was shocked. To his credit, he eventually came around and apologized.

If my friend, a genuinely good guy who thinks hard about “isms” in our world could so miss the boat, then clearly women have a lot of work to do.  

Every female voice is valuable and valued, from the woman who cleans houses to the Speaker of the House.

I’ll continue to coach kickass women who are stepping up their own lives and, in so doing, the lives around them.

Are you with me?

Let’s do this.

Together.