Confidence
Essay: Lifting yourself up to do the ‘scary thing’
By Saundra Longhenry I picked up a barbell for the first time at the age of 35 and I was hooked. There is a feeling of power that comes from picking up the barbell. I enjoy lifting; to be successful I have to clear my head of self-doubt and negativity. Read more…
Health Care
Fearless Focus recap: Five takeaways on barriers to health care for women
Health greatly affects how women are able to show up in both work and life. When women in Iowa face barriers to receiving the health care they need, they struggle to thrive in many other aspects of their lives. The Fearless team held our second Fearless Focus of the year Read more…
Overcoming Discrimination & Adversity
‘There is nothing to go back to’: Ukrainian refugees in northwest Iowa fear being forced back into danger
Martha Hulshof’s sister, Miranda, began work as a missionary in Ukraine in 1997. She’s married to a Ukrainian pastor and has lived there permanently with him and their two children since 1999. When Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, Miranda began to help fleeing Ukrainians match with sponsors near her sister Read more…
Overcoming Discrimination & Adversity
Survey respondents: Balancing jobs and life, health care are biggest issues affecting women outside of work
This coverage is from the Business Record’s annual survey on women’s and gender issues as part of our Fearless initiative. While nonscientific, we believe the results of this questionnaire illustrate current opinions about Iowa women’s equity in and outside of work. Read previous coverage here. We asked: What are the biggest challenges, Read more…
Confidence
Guest essay: The stories we carry
By Mackenzie Ostrem This year, I made a point to genuinely connect with other women — getting to know the real stories of both familiar faces and new acquaintances. It’s one of the most energizing shifts I’ve made for myself, sharing an authentic conversation over a cup of coffee. This Read more…
Child Care
What role do fathers play in advancing gender equity?
Editor’s note: Researchers at the University of Kansas recently found that American dads are spending more time with their children today than they were prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. A study done by the Institute for Family Studies shows that trend began long before the pandemic. Fathers in certain populations Read more…
Health Care
Hope Jensen wants to change the narrative about menopause
When Hope Jensen was studying to become a nurse practitioner, she bought textbooks on reproductive endocrinology in hopes she’d learn about women’s health in ways her coursework wasn’t providing. This was around 2007. Five years earlier, the Women’s Health Initiative, the largest National Institutes of Health study ever focused on women’s Read more…
Health Care
Fearless Focus preview: Medical professionals discuss barriers to health care for women
Event details:Thursday, June 19 | Noon to 1 p.m. | Virtual | Register for free Women have long faced disparities in accessing adequate health care, and conditions that predominantly affect women have fewer studies dedicated to them. Iowa ranks last among all 50 states with the fewest obstetrics doctors per Read more…
Business Ownership
Resilience bolsters owner of Steffensmeier Welding & Manufacturing
Jenny Steffensmeier’s journey to owning Steffensmeier Welding & Manufacturing was not easy. But it began with a love story. Her husband, Ben, owned the small business in Pilot Grove, Iowa. He learned blacksmithing and welding from a local man named Butch, who was said to be the best of the Read more…