15,001 of you said yes!

& Why I am Grateful for the 2024 Election Outcome

Jan 08, 2025

Happy New Year!

I am locked in and ready to go! I always feel this way at the start of a new year. Still, this year, I feel extra locked in and excited about new synergetic connections and the forward momentum that comes from trusting that good things are ahead (despite appearances to the contrary).

At the top of the New Year, I want to thank you for reading and sharing the Perfect 10 newsletter with colleagues, friends, mothers, and others you believe might enjoy a good hot take or spot-on analysis that makes you say: Finally, somebody said it!

Since the launch in June, more than 15,000 of you have read and shared articles, which amazes me. I have to pinch myself. It only gets better from here.

I also want to welcome all of the new readers and subscribers. I’ve received a lot over the last several months. You are now part of a vibrant community of rabble-rousers, change-makers, and do-gooders committed to joy, building women’s power, gender equality, and all of the good stuff in between.

What’s New in 2025:

In the coming months, I plan to expand the newsletter to include guest contributors, features, and interviews with some of the most interesting people you’ve heard of and some you haven’t.

Got a minute. I am listening.

I want to hear from you as I build the P10 community and newsletter. What topics should I cover? What’s going on in your world or neck of the woods? Am I funny (I’d like to think so), too serious, too wonky? I want to know.

Please take this short 5-question survey to tell me.

What’s keeping me up at night?

Gratitude for the 2024 Election: It might sound odd to some (and even you), but I am grateful for the 2024 presidential election and its outcome. It has helped me better understand where we are, what we’re up against, and the work ahead in achieving gender equality. We are further away from it than I thought.

I learned four things over the last two months:

Feminists are not the Majority: The number of women identifying as feminists has declined significantly over the last 40 years. In 1986, the number of women who said they were feminists hovered around 57 percent. Today, it’s about 30 percent.
Women are more conservative and moderate than liberal. In the U.S., 70 percent of women identify as moderate or conservative, and only 30 percent identify as liberal.

Honestly, I thought there were more of us.

Globally, it turns out that not everyone wants women to be equal, believes we are mistreated, or are victims of violence. And the vast majority of Americans, including women, do not want significant shifts in gender roles, whether at work, at home, or in society. Until the election, I believed differently.

I am profoundly alarmed and curious about the many people who responded they don’t know about gender equality.

It is possible to undermine rights and also protect them in the voting booth, as was the case for women who voted for Donald Trump, and to protect abortion access in four states.

Knowing all these things and thinking about what to do about them keeps me up at night, but in the best way.

My bubble has spectacularly burst, and I am not mad about it. Instead, I want to hunker down and figure out where we go from here. How can we use what we now know to fuel our strategies and get out of our rut?

Let’s figure it out together, here in the Perfect 10 newsletter and out in the world.

One last thing: if you have transition blues, as I do, take a moment to connect with the people you love, do something fun or joyful, or volunteer for a cause or direct service organization. The irony is not lost on me that the inauguration falls on the same day the nation celebrates the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

I will use it as a reminder to keep going and to remember things change because of us.

Thanks again for reading the Perfect 10 and being part of our community.