"Would an international rock star ever mentor my TED-Ed talk?"

"What about a Nobel Prize winner?"

"Do you think the CEO of that company we visited would be my mentor?"

"Could I ask a legendary leader even though she's such an icon?"

YES. The answer to each of these questions is a resounding YES.

Since the day I founded Être - a mentorship platform bringing girls into companies and face to face with female leaders - I've watched a new generation of thought leaders raise their voices to share big ideas.

In every boardroom we visited, game-changing suggestions and transformative thoughts bubbled up in conversations with execs and girls kept their hands in the air, ready to say more.

Ready to head to campus in epic style and hang with your BFFs?  Yes, it’s early to be thinking about decorating dorm rooms, but then again founders Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni have always been one step ahead of the crowd.

That's why this back to college season these recent Stanford grads, co-founders of the fashion startup Phia and co-hosts of the podcast The Burnouts are partnering with Command™ Brand to help every new student feel at home. As only roommates know, surrounding yourself with inspo brings on the big ideas. Just listen to the podcast episode Sticking With Style dropping later today to hear their tips and recommendations alongside interior decorator and DIY expert Tay Nakamoto (AKA Tay BeepBoop) about the hottest dorm trends, how to balance classes and college social life...and everything in between.

I had planned to write about independence today, but find myself in need of community.

On the Monday following July 4th, my intent was to talk about life, liberty and self-evident truths. Inalienable rights and the pursuit of safety and happiness. But instead, I can think only of interdependence.

When I practiced M&A law and read quarterly reports on the regular, I used to look for the takeaways - what were the company's goals and did they meet or beat expectations? What did they learn and, better still, what can the public learn? Along those lines, and because I love any mentor moment with a strong takeaway message, here are my top five favorites from Être's Q2. It was a big quarter for us, stocked with boardroom takeovers, living room convos, global announcements and new national research presented.

Take a fast look with us as we gear up for Q3...and click on each image to learn more.

Girls everywhere are scrolling for joy.

And five days ago on a summer stage at Cannes, they found it when their role model Reese Witherspoon announced the launch of Sunnie - a brand new sister company from Hello Sunshine built by and for Gen Z.

Get excited - it's true.

Nearly a year ago Hello Sunshine invited Être to partner in two innovative ways, and while both were noted in press releases from Hello Sunshine and Sunnie's foundational partner e.l.f., as well as highlighted in news articles from Variety, Forbes and more, I couldn't wait to say more here about why Sunnie is so special.

Four days ago, in a pinch-me moment, I sat in Gloria Steinem's living room to talk about modern-day leadership. Joined by twenty young women in high school and college (plus some newly-minted grads), Être mentor and friend Emily Hikade and Être CCO Elizabeth O'Connell, we gathered on a sunny day in NYC to share stories and dive deeply into what makes strong and effective leadership today.

Sit here, Gloria said to me encouragingly yet commandingly, patting the arm of her chair. And remembering the last time I sat with next gen girls in conversation with Gloria - that time in my own living room - I felt the same pull. You want to be as close to her wisdom, insight and humor as possible; so I perched on the edge of her armchair with Emily on the other side and marveled at the collection of rapt faces staring back. We couldn't wait to begin.

Some numbers still ring true.

Ninety-four percent of women in C-suite positions played sports - 52% at the collegiate level.

Eighty-five percent of women who played sports in school say the skills they developed in athletics were important to their professional success, and 80% of Fortune 500 female execs say they played sports in their earlier years.

Eighty-five percent of girls say a sports mentor would give them more confidence about their future goals and 70% say they'd be less likely to quit their sports if they had a mentor.

And whether those sports stats are a decade old (94% from a 2015 EY / espnW survey), a few years old (85% and 80% from a 2023 Deloitte survey) or barely a year old (85% and 70% from a 2024 Être survey), these numbers echo in our heads.

Because as in all championship seasons...the numbers matter.

Now in our fifth season of Être TED-Ed, the breadth and depth of topics this year are astounding. From the power of pop-ups to how girls are portrayed in media...from deaf awareness to deepening access to education...from class status to clean water to clear-eyed entrepreneurship, the topics on Être's 2025 roster are off the charts.

And our speakers' locations are across the map! Hailing from 15 US states and 7 countries, Season 5 of Être's TED-Ed series is bringing over 60 global girls to the iconic TED-Ed mic on a single day to share big ideas.

With so many memorable commencement speeches on the books - including a few that actually were turned into books - a list of recommended reads for grads seems in order. Whether wrapped in congratulatory paper, slipped into new briefcases or stacked on nightstand TBR piles, here are 21 books packed with "what's next" advice that Être can't wait to share.

A quick disclaimer: While there are many more books that dive deeply into workforce dynamics, pay landscapes and career progression...in this case, they come later. See the Êxtras section below for a few favorites and stay tuned for more lists this summer. For now, these 21 titles offer broad inspo along with bite-sized action items to those eyeing and entering the adult world for the first time.

It can be terrifying. And exhilarating.

But thanks to authors like these, the next gen can take a summer masterclass and gain insider wisdom from boss women who know. So if you're still looking for a grad gift idea, consider one or more of these:

Wise women across the country are stepping up to graduation mics this month...and dropping them with style. Leaving freshly minted 2025 grads with smart tips, hard-won strategies and mantras we want to engrave on every gift, these commencement speakers are leaving it on the field as stadiums echo with cheers.

With new speakers being announced daily it's hard to keep track, so here's a quick list of Être favorites so far plus a calendar of upcoming addresses - click each video to play. Takeaways are highlighted - feel free to share with the new grads in your world or offer your own cap and gown advice in the comments! We'll be over here unable to stop humming pomp and circumstance...

A few months ago we asked girls to search for the best place to hold Être's 9th birthday, and one response came back with ringing clarity:

"Um, we're all doing this search on Google...couldn't we just GO to Google?"

We could indeed. And because, like all things since the launch of Être's mentorship ecosystem in 2016 the best ideas have come from our girls, it made perfect sense to reach out to Être mentor Lindsay Leone (Van Houten) and ask about a visit.

Senior Business Lead at Google / YouTube and one of Google's earliest employees (catch her career advice in The Epic Mentor Guide), Lindsay responded immediately: Definitely! But let's do it in the new offices. You have to see them.

"I would literally never work from home if I worked there. How cool was THAT?!"

"I would go to law school just to work there." [quickly followed by] "No one would even believe you were a lawyer - it's too cool a job for lawyers to have."

"I'm glad there were engineers there. They answered all of my questions...and I had A LOT.'"

"I'm going to pin what my dream office would look like at Pinterest..."

Snippets of conversations I heard in the elevator as Être girls left Pinterest's NYC offices last week with visions - and vision boards - full of new goals and dreams.

I have never known a time in my career without Take Our Daughters to Work Day.

Launched in 1993, the same year I graduated law school and began work at Skadden Arps, Take Our Daughters to Work Day burst on the scene as the brainchild of a formidable team made up of Gloria Steinem, Nell Merlino, Kristen Golden and The Ms. Foundation.

The goal?

To usher girls into the workplace to glimpse potential careers as early as possible.

"Where are you going?”

"Have you decided?"

"What's the waitlist situation?"

"HOW are we supposed to even DO this?"

With National College Decision Day around the corner on May 1st, high school hallways are buzzing with conversation. The graduating class of 2025 - reportedly the largest the country has ever seen at 3.9 million students - faced a markedly different admissions cycle this year amid public backlash and protests, and came away with a few takeaways.

Consulting further with admissions experts in our network, reviewing new data released by schools and DM'ing directly with Être seniors embedded in this process day to day, here are a few lessons we have gleaned as the 2024-25 admissions cycle winds down.

"I love being here. I can't believe we get to talk to everyone!"

"These speakers are amazing - I just interviewed the CEO of Angel City!"

"Um, how did Worth Magazine get so many incredible women on one stage?"

They did it with a history of inspiring summits under their belts and a topic called "Rise and Lead" as this year's banner. And once again, the money mentors at Worth Media Group took our breath away with their roster and gave next gen girls teen journalist credentials to cover the whole thing.

Worth's annual Groundbreaking Women Summit is always a hit, and this year was no exception. I was honored to be selected as a Groundbreaking Woman last year, and this year was thrilled to take the stage this year alongside Maureen Polo from Hello Sunshine and Miriam Spritzer from The Golden Globe Foundation.

It's here.

Être's fifth season of next gen TED-Ed Talks launched last week and I could not be more excited.

Why?

Because the issues we see splashed across headlines, news crawlers, ticker tapes and feeds are affecting today's teens in unprecedented ways.

From global topics like the economy and climate change to national issues like immigration and student debt; from community concerns like class size and sports teams to at-home discussions about social media and self-confidence, the next generation is staring down today's headlines through a unique set of lenses.

And they have something to say.

Even better? TED-Ed wants to help them share it.

As Women’s History Month and Q1 2025 hear closing bells ring together, it sounds like the perfect time to celebrate Q1 highlights before looking ahead to Q2 2025. Having spent a career in M&A I have an unabashed love for growth metrics, so with a nod to our last quarterly learnings report, here are our new top 10 mentor moments from Être's Q1.

Stand-outs include exciting new partnerships with Hello Sunshine and sports mentor moments with Morgan Stanley, a fifth season with TED-Ed and boardroom visits at Bubble. For photos and details just click each image – I’m endlessly grateful to every CEO, collaborator and champion who started 2025 by saving seats for world-changing girls.

As we head into the last full week of Women's History Month 2025, girls are watching women win. In the news and in the market...from space to SXSW...future leaders are watching women score in a big way this month, and we had to make a list.

In no particular order but with all the applause and praise, here are Être's Top Ten Wins for Women during Women's History Month:

One day before International Women's Day 2025, thirty-five girls ages eight to eighteen stormed the boardroom at Morgan Stanley HQ with their hands already raised. Knowing they were about to hear from women changing the game in sports, they were brimming with questions and geared up to talk about goals. All kinds.

Sometimes, you’re just meant to be friends.

Sometimes visions align and a mutual belief in the power of next gen girls is so strong, that you literally collide and become friends.

That’s what happened nearly a year ago when I met women at CANDLE MEDIA℠ who, in turn, introduced me to women at Hello Sunshine . We started chatting and, well…couldn’t stop.