By Emily Blobaum, Fearless editor All of the major LGBTQ+ advocacy organizations and nonprofits in the Des Moines metro are being led by women or nonbinary people, many of them having programming with a statewide reach. In two separate group interviews, I met with six LGBTQ+ leaders and talked about Read more…
By Emily Blobaum, Fearless editor Millennial women are experiencing some of the highest increases in health conditions that could lead to higher risks of pregnancy and childbirth complications, an analysis by Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield shows. Millennial women, who are between the ages of 25 and 40 this year, Read more…
By Tiffany O’Donnell, CEO, Women Lead Change In preparing for a presentation about new statistics on the women’s recession, I gathered three women vice presidents of a national company for whom I was presenting. Following the presentation, they were to provide their own personal perspectives on balancing work through a global pandemic. Read more…
By Emily Barske, Business Record Editor I have a vivid memory that has shaped how I view the world – and what I want the world to become. The memory is one of many that have made me want more educators, more bosses and more leaders to empower young women. Read more…
By Claire Richmond, rare disease advocate I pressed my ear to the phone and sensed my life splitting, cleaving cleanly in two: the time before I had a name for my illness, and the time after. Until that phone call, I had been convinced I was slowly slipping into madness. Read more…
By Max Mowitz, LGBTQ advocate and educator In my work as an educator and advocate for the rights of LGBTQ people, the topic I get the most questions about is gender-affirming care. Gender-affirming care and surgeries are lifesaving to the LGBTQ community, but there are ways that medical systems can Read more…
By Kristy Harrison, Compass Clinical Associates Early in the pandemic, I heard an expression that we are all in the same storm but not in the same boat. For me, this has meant that we all have been affected, yet our experiences are unique. Each one of us is facing Read more…
By Rachel Bruns, America’s Service Commissions deputy director Note: The author recognizes that not all birthing people identify as women, and nor do all midwives identify as women. When possible, “people” is used to be more inclusive for those birthing people who do not identify as women. “Women” is used in Read more…
By Emily Blobaum, Fearless contributing editor The Young Women’s Resource Center offers a variety of free services and programs geared toward young moms, among other focus areas. One of the services matches the young moms with doulas to navigate the process of becoming a mom. Doulas are nonmedical professionals who Read more…
By Celeste Lawson This past Jan. 19 marked the second anniversary of the death of my mother, Lois Spinks Lawson, due to metastatic breast cancer, breast cancer that kills. Although my mother was small in stature, she had enormous strength, both mentally and physically, even on the days leading up Read more…