How the Collective Power of Women Can Change the World (Part 1 of 3)

by Carolyn Parrs

When sleeping women wake, mountains move.

~ Chinese proverb

No sunlight. No fresh air. Enclosed in darkness to plump up in an insanely artificial way. That’s the reality for most chickens being farmed today. And if the farmers under contract with the Big Boys do not agree to raise their livestock that way, “They hold their contract over their heads,” says third generation chicken farmer, Carole Morison. She was mad as hell and just couldn’t take it anymore.

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Everyday Women Doing Extraordinary Things for the Planet, by Gloria Feldt

People Magazine calls Gloria Feldt “the voice of experience.” A teen mother from rural Texas, Gloria served as president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, the nation’s largest reproductive health and advocacy organization, from 1996-2005. Her passion for bettering women’s lives remains her driving force as an independent commentator on women’s issues, politics, media, and leadership. Gloria teaches “Women, Power, and Leadership” at Arizona State University and serves on the board of the Women’s Media Center. Her previous books include the New York Times bestseller Send Yourself Roses, co-authored with actress Kathleen Turner, Behind Every Choice Is a Story, and The War on Choice.

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Sister Courage Wears the Shirt of Action- excerpt from Gloria Feldt’s book “9 Excuses: 9 Ways Women Can Change How We Think About Power”

Sister Courage Wears the Shirt of Action • What makes you angry enough to take action? • What makes you inspired enough to take action? “I love your T-shirt,” chuckled Jenny, my twentysomething personal trainer, as she stretched my aching legs. “I never saw that before.” I hadn’t noticed which of my many message T-shirts I had thrown on when I rolled out of bed before sunrise. Most of the folks who populate New York’s Columbus Circle Equinox gym sport workout clothes that bear designer labels, but seldom do I see any that pack a message punch. I figure my chest is valuable real estate — why not use it to communicate my convictions? I looked down and saw that I’d grabbed one of my favorites: Well-Behaved Women Rarely Make History. Historian Laurel Thatcher Ulrich’s wry observation became one of the guiding principles of the women’s movement during the 1970s, and living it seems as natural to me now as balance ball crunches do to my lithe trainer. Perhaps because of their delicious candor laced with felicity of expression, these words have become a slogan for boundary-breaking women everywhere. But just because it’s proudly emblazoned on mugs and bumper stickers […]

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Powerhouse Women: Meet Gloria Feldt – show 28

I met Gloria Feldt at the Bioneers conference last week. What a powerhouse. Gloria is a nationally renowned activist and author whose passion for social justice has propelled her life’s work. Her new book, No Excuses: 9 Ways Women Can Change How We Think About Power, reveals why women are stuck at 18% of top leadership roles and shows how women can redefine power, lead themselves with intention, and reach parity from the boardroom to the bedroom for good. In my video interview, Gloria talks about how women have enormous influence in the world today — and that we can use that power if we have the ability to see it and the strength to use it. The time is now, women. Here are some ways we can do it:

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