Jordan Sellergren started her relationship with Little Village Magazine as a freelance ad designer, doing one-off projects for $50 or so. Ten and a half years later, she is the owner and publisher, ushering the Iowa City-based publication into its 25th year. It covers 50 communities across Iowa with 900 Read more…
By Jody Gifford, guest contributor A few weeks ago, comedian Jon Stewart joined Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson on the IMO podcast when the conversation turned to parenting. Stewart, a father of two adult children, spoke almost wistfully about how his children “gave a meaning and pattern to his life” Read more…
How Darcy Maulsby has forged a career in agriculture As told to Macey Shofroth | Photo by Duane Tinkey | Illustration by Kate Meyer Darcy Maulsby is a child of the farm crisis. Her family has farmed in Lake City, a small northwest Iowa town, for five generations. She was trying Read more…
As told to Macey Shofroth | Photo by Duane Tinkey | Illustration by Kate Meyer Eva Fipps decided she’d move with her dad across the country from upstate New York to Iowa in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Her dad had family in Iowa, so she’d visited the state before. Read more…
Dr. Wanakee Carr’s journey to becoming a doctor As told to Macey Shofroth | Photo by Duane Tinkey | Illustration by Kate Meyer Dr. Wanakee Carr was born and raised in Des Moines. Now, she serves her community as the only Black female practicing OB/GYN doctor in Central Iowa. Carr attended Read more…
6 Iowa women share times they were fearless, resilient We launched Fearless in 2020 with a simple goal: We want to empower Iowa women to succeed in work and life. We believe supporting women and gender-nonconforming individuals ultimately helps everyone. This initiative has grown significantly in the six years that Read more…
Abi Reiland opened the 2026 Taking Up Space event with a quote from Elizabeth Gilbert. “When women are gathered together with no men around, they don’t have to be anything in particular. They can just be.” Reiland said this quote captured the essence of what she hoped her annual event Read more…
The Business Record has named Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines president Kristi Knous the 2026 Women of Influence Alum of the Year. The annual award was launched in 2024 to celebrate one of the past Women of Influence who has continued making an impact since being honored by the Read more…
Editor’s note: Krista Tedrow shared an essay on Aug. 17 on her experience on choosing a word to define her year. This is part 2 of her essay. When I began this follow-up to my article from six months ago, I asked some of the leaders who shared their words Read more…
By Krista Tedrow, guest contributor Six months ago, I ended an article with one last question: What if one word could help you stay connected to yourself, no matter what the year brings? At the time, I did not realize I was writing that question for myself. I chose “Radiant,” Read more…