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I have this theory that everyone has at least ONE person in their life/career without whom they would not be in the position they are today. And the more I thought about this, the more I wanted to hear from people—leaders, innovators, creators—about who exactly it was who changed everything for them. In 2021, we turned this thesis into a video series for Forbes, and longtime readers of this newsletter might remember those interviews: Kendra Scott told us about the banker who kept her entrepreneurial dreams alive in a moment of financial difficulty, while Budgetnista Tiffany Aliche told us how Lynnette Khalfani-Cox altered the course of her career by sharing her own platform.
I had hoped to be able to tell more of these stories in the years since, but with no immediate sponsor and lots of other projects on the team’s plates, other deadlines got prioritized. However, in a bit of welcome proof that good ideas never die, we got some good news earlier this year: Citi wanted to sponsor eight episodes. “The One Who Changed Everything” was given new life… and today, I can share that the first episode of season 1 is finally live for the world to see. It features Christina Lewis, who is building her own legacy using lessons learned from the first Black businessman to own a billion-dollar company in the U.S. Her story is as poignant as it is filled with practical information, and I hope you watch!
We’ll be rolling out new episodes every week from now until November. Who is “the one” who changed everything else for NYT bestselling authors, 30 Under 30 list founders and entrepreneurs behind the next generation of unicorns? Stay tuned to find out!
Cheers!
Maggie McGrath
Exclusive Forbes Profile: Russia’s Richest Woman Handed Over A Third Of Her Fortune. Then Things Turned Deadly.
Tatyana Bakalchuk, a self-made billionaire and the richest woman in Russia, left her husband in April and quietly gave away a third of her company, Wildberries, in a surprising merger in July. Now, after a recent shooting at Wildberries’ Moscow headquarters, two people are dead. Here’s the inside story of what may have led to the tragedy.
ICYMI: News Of The Week
For the first time, Forbes is spotlighting the entrepreneurs, scientists, philanthropists, investors, politicians and activists leading global efforts to combat the climate crisis. The 50 honorees recognized as Forbes’ inaugural Sustainability Leaders—a list that was released today—include Catherine Coleman Flowers (founder of the Centre for Rural Enterprise and Environmental Justice and a 50 Over 50 alumnae); Nemonte Nenquimo, cofounder of the non-profit organization Amazon Frontlines, which defends indigenous rights to land, life, and cultural survival; and Charlot Magayi, the founder and CEO of startup Mukuru Clean Stoves, which has sold over 425,000 clean cookstoves in Kenya and helped more than 2 million people by saving households $50 million in energy expenses.
New research indicates that people pay more attention to financial information when it comes from a man. The new analysis examined over 7 million comments on 200,000 articles posted on the financial analysis platform Seeking Alpha. “Although male and female contributors exhibit similar informativeness and skills, female-authored perspectives receive significantly lower engagement, lower trust, and higher disagreement from platform users,” the authors summarize their main findings.
The Right to IVF bill failed in the Senate for the second time in three months on Tuesday. The bill’s sponsor, Senator Tammy Duckworth, joined ForbesWomen editor Maggie McGrath for a Forbes Newsroom segment immediately following the vote. “I’m deeply disappointed that my colleagues who [claim] to support IVF actually voted against that right for Americans,” Duckworth said.
Which of the largest U.S. public companies have the best paid parental leave policies? It’s been difficult for employees to find a reliable answer to that question. But Hillary Cookler, a PhD candidate and researcher at UCLA Anderson School of Management, has created an online database that fills a critical information gap.
Cellino, a biotech startup cofounded by Nabiha Saklayen in 2017, is aiming to regenerate damaged tissues with the help of AI and lasers. And now, Saklayen tells Forbes, the federal government’s Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) has given Cellino a $25 million grant, adding to its $96 million in venture capital funding from firms such as Leaps by Bayer, the Engine Ventures and Khosla Ventures.
Rates of sexual violence in the United States are roughly the same as immediately after the #MeToo movement that led to the downfall of Harvey Weinstein and a reckoning of powerful figures who’d been accused of abuse, despite the the movement raising awareness of the issues and moving the needle on legislative protections, according to a new study by Tulane University.
The Checklist
1. Get small to get big. Gina Drosos, a recent 50 Over 50 listee and the CEO of Signet, the company behind Zales, Jared and other diamond jewelry, recently spoke to me about how she decided to close 1000 stores in order to engineer a business turnaround. It can be hard to “cancel” sales, Drosos says, “but oftentimes they’re not profitable sales, or you’re spending more time and effort on the fringes and not enough time on the core business.”
2. Take a solo walk. We know your plates are overflowing, but even just a 10-minute stroll—with no distractions—can give your brain a reset and power some personal growth.
3. Confront negative emotions. When leaders ignore negative emotions in team settings, it can lead to disengagement and a lack of genuine support for initiatives. This creates an environment where employees feel their concerns are not acknowledged, leading to mistrust and reduced morale.
The Quiz
In her upcoming memoir, culinary icon and Forbes 50 Over 50 honoree Ina Garten reveals that her decades-long marriage to husband Jeffrey almost didn’t survive the initial stages of her superstar career. What does Garten say was the cause of their temporary separation?
- Disagreements over raising children
- Her prioritizing business over a stereotypical wife’s responsibilities
- The name of her first storefront, Barefoot Contessa
- Their long distance relationship
Check your answer.
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