Strong Female Leaders

By Christopher O. | Strong Female Leaders | Reading Time: Approx. 5 minutes

Sharpen each other, so that we all can rise. -- Black Lives Matter Founders, Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, Opel Tometi, and Mia Birdsong

1. Why There Are So Few Women Leaders, By Facebook COO, Sheryl Sandberg

In her empowering TED Talk about Women's Leadership, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg dives into why fewer women than men reach the top of their professions. She then offers three practical yet powerful pieces of advice to women who envision themselves in the C-suite.

2. My Year of Saying Yes to Everything, by Shonda Rhymes

Shonda Rhimes is the powerhouse writer and producer behind some of TV's most popular shows like Grey's Anatomy, Scandal and How to Get Away With Murder. Responsible for producing over 70 hours of television per season, she loves to work. "When I am hard at work, when I am deep in it, there is no other feeling," confesses Rhimes. She named this feeling "The hum," and describes it as a drug, music, and God's whisper. But what happens when "the hum" stops? In her moving TED Talk, Rhimes takes us on a journey through a "Year of Yes" of how she got her hum back.

3. An interview with the founders of Black Lives Matter

From a social media post to an international movement, Black Lives Matter has sparked conversations and debates about racial inequality across the world. In this interview with Mia Birdsong, BLM's founders share their thoughts about leadership, hope and inspiration despite painful realities. They then advice us on ways to partake in the movement, so that freedom is granted to everyone. They advocate for us to "join something, start something and 'sharpen each other, so that we all can rise.'"

4. Why open a school? To close a prison.

When educator Nadia Lopez opened a school in Brownsville, Brooklyn, one of the most underserved and violent neighborhoods in New York, she transformed kids with no futures and dreams to believers who envision themselves as future doctors, engineers and leaders. Lopez believes that every child is brilliant, highly capable, and deserves the opportunity for a bright future. In this short, energizing talk, the founding principal of Mott Hall Bridges Academy (and a star of Humans of New York) shares how she helps her scholars envision a brighter future for themselves and their families.

5. How I Stopped the Taliban from Shutting Down My School

"When the Taliban closed all the girls' schools in Afghanistan, Sakena Yacoobi set up new schools, in secret, educating thousands of women and men. In this fierce, funny talk, she tells the jaw-dropping story of two times when she was threatened to stop teaching -- and shares her vision for rebuilding her beloved country."