Heather Schott calls herself a disruptor. “That’s who I am, through and through,” she said. “If you give me a process and I see efficiencies, I’m going to work towards it. I enjoy looking for better ways or disrupting the way we have always done things.” Disrupting has looked like Read more…
Author’s note: This article is the third in a multipart series exploring the power of mentorship in shaping modern leadership. Inspired by a recent Fearless survey in which 86% of respondents reported that a mentor directly supported their career advancement, I set out to understand why mentorship remains one of Read more…
Author’s note: This article is the second in a multipart series exploring the power of mentorship in shaping modern leadership. Inspired by a recent Fearless survey in which 86% of respondents reported that a mentor directly supported their career advancement, I set out to understand why mentorship remains one of Read more…
Angela Franklin believes in remaining open to unexpected opportunities. It’s been a staple of her career. She planned to become a clinical psychologist and haveher own mental health practice. After completing her undergraduate degree from Furman University and her doctorate in clinical psychology at Emory University, she took a position Read more…
Patricia Barbee has worked with children her entire career, but she noticed a dearth of services for middle school-aged kids when she began substitute teaching for Des Moines Public Schools. “Elementary school programs get funding, high school programs get funding. Middle school is like the land of the lost. Who cares Read more…
By Kate Hayden At some point in January 2020, I could tell my body was struggling. I knew how to listen. By then, it had been 12 years since I was diagnosed with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), and I was long past the carousel of medications and strict routines Read more…
Editor’s note: Names of the three campers in this essay have been changed to protect their privacy. I first met Lylah, Grace and Josie when they were 14. Each girl bounded up the stairs into the circle of cabins with wide smiles on their faces, clamoring to get inside and Read more…
What if the biggest barrier to women’s leadership isn’t a lack of ability, but a lack of self-recognition of their identity as leaders? I’ve seen this phenomenon in action. When I worked in financial services, I had a colleague named Patricia, a talented woman who — even without formal authority Read more…
In the mid-1980s, Julie Gammack walked into a record store on Ingersoll Avenue in search of an idea. At the time, she wrote a daily column for the Des Moines Register. Filling 8.75 newspaper inches a day with something new and interesting was a challenge. The record store’s “Iowa musician’s section” led Read more…
As told to Nicole Grundmeier Trang Pham is the owner of the Eggroll Ladies in Des Moines. She also works full time for the Iowa Army National Guard, where in 2016 she became the first Iowa woman infantry officer after the ban on women to serve in combat arms within Read more…