By Seeta Lee New Year’s resolutions are hard to avoid. A change in the calendar brings a refreshing opportunity to say, “This is when I finally do the thing!” Sadly, diet culture, fatphobia and the wellness industries are all too aware of this urge to renew ourselves. They latch onto Read more…
For many elementary-aged children in Iowa, one of their first public tastes of inequity comes while staring down at the muddy blacktop while their wealthier classmates play in the snow. I grew up in the 1980s and 1990s in western Iowa. Children who didn’t have snow pants or snow boots Read more…
No matter their age or income or other circumstances, Iowa women tend to worry about being prepared for retirement. Other Iowa women are just trying to survive until the next paycheck. “The long-term goal is retirement. But you’ve got to take small steps to have that healthy retirement that we Read more…
Individuals and institutions have become more aware of how to support survivors of sexual abuse — but major mistakes remain common, an advocate says. Rachael Denhollander was the first woman to talk publicly about being sexually abused by Larry Nassar, a Michigan State University physician who was also the women’s Read more…
It’s still dark outside when women from the Beacon retrieve bicycles parked at the front of the building or set out for the bus stop, ready to pedal or ride to their jobs that morning and, hopefully, into new lives. The staff at the Beacon sees the effects of complex Read more…
(Editor’s note: Rachael Denhollander, the first woman to publicly accuse former U.S. national team doctor Larry Nassar of sexual abuse, is the Chrysalis Foundation’s 2023 “Inspired” keynote speaker. As part of Fearless’ coverage of Denhollander’s Nov. 13 visit to Central Iowa, I interviewed two Iowa women whose jobs involve making Read more…
I’ve sort of always had technology around me, whether it was just playing video games with my parents or watching TV. Some of my earliest memories of hanging out with my parents are playing video games on their computer on their laps, or watching my parents do whatever they were Read more…
I was 6 years old [when I started gymnastics], which is actually a little bit older than you hear from a lot of athletes. They’re like, “I started when I was 2 and did the mommy-and-me classes.” But for me, I saw a rerun of the 1984 Olympics. Mary Lou Read more…
Growing up, I remember we couldn’t go into certain places, certain stores. Especially downtown, if you went into a store, you were followed the entire time you were there. Then finally if you had not purchased anything … of course, as kids, we had this “wish list,” we always called Read more…
The first woman to publicly accuse former U.S. national team doctor Larry Nassar of sexual abuse is the Chrysalis Foundation’s 2023 ‘Inspired’ keynote speaker. Almost six years later, she is still leading armies of survivors. Rachael Denhollander, a lawyer, former gymnast, writer and homeschooling mom of four, was pivotal in Read more…