For three days we sat at the edge of our seats.

For three days we nodded at wise insights, cheered brave announcements, roared at sly humor and scribbled down notes to pass on to the next gen of innovators. Because this year, like every year for over a decade, the Fast Company Innovation Festival was a masterclass in what's next.

We’re one month out and the excitement is building...

Because while the Emmy’s might have been last night, Être’s eyes are on October 19th when close to 60 girls from 15 U.S. states and 7 countries will pick up their own mics and take the TED-Ed stage.

Two questions I get most often are: Who are this year’s speakers and What are their topics?

To answer both at once, see the list of speakers and their talk titles below. But first…click the video below and get a lightning-fast look at Être TED-Ed as we step into Season 5!

“Fashion and media are both evolving at breakneck speed, and I am so thrilled—and awed—to be part of that,” stated newly-minted Head of Editorial Content for American Vogue Chloe Malle last week. “I also feel incredibly fortunate to still have Anna just down the hall as my mentor.”

Referring, of course, to Vogue legend Anna Wintour, Malle’s fashion-forward hat tip was immediately returned. “Chloe has proven often that she can find the balance between American Vogue’s long, singular history and its future on the front lines of the new,” said Wintour with respect. “I am so excited to continue working with her, as her mentor but also as her student, while she leads us and our audiences where we’ve never been before.”

And as icons hit the fashion runways, tennis courts and rockstar stages, it feels that fall is bringing the mentor moments we need.

“It’s a day off in the summer.”

“It’s the last weekend before school starts.”

“It celebrates workers.”

“It has something to do with fair conditions and equal pay...I think.”

All true, and all Labor Day definitions I’ve heard from Être girls celebrating #LDW this year. And yet, there’s more – particularly for the working women girls look up to as mentors. At the start of this summer, the labor force participation rate for women in the U.S. was 57.5% and women represented nearly half (47%) of the total U.S. labor force. Girls, seeing the numbers, lowered their sunnies to take stock. Using their DMs as a guide, here are four fast facts about Labor Day that girls can keep in mind today as they eye tomorrow’s workforce.

Loving every The Summer I Turned Pretty meme beach-blanketing your feed right now?

Same here. But not just for the fun – for the phenomenal things girls accomplished this summer! Three days ago, when I threw out the simple query what did you do this summer to girls previously featured by Être, I didn't know what the tide would bring in. But all weekend long joyful responses about internships and innovation, global treks and hometown visits, magic made with audiences and solo moments of peace filled my inbox. As we head into a holiday week and watch August wane, take a fast look with me at how 42 global girls filled their summers.

One important note - you'll be struck not only by what they're telling you, but how they're telling you...with unabashed pride, unfiltered delight and unapologetic goals.

Soak it in - it's a mini-mentor masterclass, reminding us how to tell the world about what lights us up.

When I've written in the past about brands painting the town pink for Barbie and waving marketing wands for Wicked, I've been impressed by the breadth and depth of their product collabs. With over 500 combined promotional partners at those launches, media events turned the world pink and green for months with dazzling success.

With the announcement of her newest album The Life of a Showgirl on 12:12am ET on August 12th, Taylor Swift not only broke the internet, but fast-moving brands broke records. A recent Meltwater report notes that within the first 48 hours of the reveal, brand-led activations generated 2,600 posts with a potential audience of 20 million for engagement. And the pace has only quickened.

"What do you wish you knew?"

"What's one thing we shouldn't forget?"

"If you could tell your freshman self anything...?"

Questions casually hanging in the air as suitcases slam shut and packing tape zips. While college drop-offs happen this week and rear-view mirror glances stay imprinted on our minds, the next gen is asking for last-minute mentor missives.

Luckily, today's workforce has acres of them.

When COVID temporarily halted Être's next gen boardroom takeovers, we pivoted quickly and collected workplace questions from girls around the globe. Seeking career advice, interview insight, internship hints and sports team tips, hundreds of girls raised their hands, and when 180 women answered and The Epic Mentor Guide was published, it became not only a book passed from backpack to backpack but a favorite off-to-college gift.

In that spirit, and sending all good vibes to starting freshmen, here are 8 fast pieces of advice pulled from The Epic Mentor Guide to keep in mind as you eye those first hallways - sent with pride from women who've walked them:

"I want it to feel like MY space."

"Where do I even find this?"

"Wait, can I do that myself?"

"What do I actually NEED?"

All questions Être is hearing from first-time frosh as they pack up their rooms and head off to campus. From dorm design to storage hacks, study tips and staying sane, high school grads have questions - and they're good ones. Where do we usually turn for answers? Back to the companies whose boardrooms we visit and whose execs or influencers we interview!

And we like to share what we know.

Here, then, are five fast tips from mentor orgs expert in getting you ready and out the door, armed with the items & advice you need. Want more? Part 2 will be packed and shipped next week.

Last month I was honored to give the opening keynote address at the International Coalition of Girls'​ Schools' 2025 Conference in Philadelphia. Gathering over 600 delegates from 250 girls' schools and mission-aligned organizations across 14 countries, this three-day event was brimming with energy from the moment the lights went up, and I couldn't wait to start.

Because what I was there to talk about was Gen Z mentorship, confidence and 2025 research that had just been released at Cannes five days earlier.

"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.