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This week marked the launch of our third annual 50 Over 50, a Forbes list—in partnership with Mika Brzezinski and her Know Your Value initiative—that highlights women who are creating their greatest impact at 50, 60, 70 and beyond.
Compiling this year’s list was a five-month process of research, reporting, vetting and judging. We used 12 expert judges to help determine the final collection of 200 powerful figures—an entirely new set of faces from the 2022 and 2021 editions of the list, because we don’t allow repeats!—and the result is, if I may say so myself, nothing short of dazzling.
This year’s list contains AI maestros (more on those innovators in the “to-do” list below) and women commanding not just millions, but billions of dollars as wealth managers. There are founders of intergenerational businesses, too; if you love a good mother-daughter story, I recommend reading this piece on the mother-daughter founding teams of the 50 Over 50.
Close to my heart are the debut darlings: 65-year-old Alka Joshi’s debut novel, The Henna Artist, became a best-seller there years ago and is now being adapted by Netflix. Adrienne Kennedy, 91, made her Broadway debut when her play “Ohio State Murders” opened in 2022. And Leanne Morgan is hitting her stride as a professional comedian at the age of 57: In 2022 she finished her very first 100-city comedy tour and launched her debut Netflix special, “I’m Every Woman.”
I love these stories because they are proof positive that success can happen at any age; that “non-linear” career paths can be as fulfilling as they are influential; and that it’s never, never too late to make a change.
Cheers!
Maggie
Exclusive Forbes Investigation: How Wedding Giant The Knot Pulled The Veil Over Advertisers’ Eyes
Former longtime employees of The Knot have accused the wedding giant of defrauding investors and advertisers to land a $1 billion sale in 2018. Years later, with a possible IPO looming, Forbes found some troubling practices remain.
ICYMI: News Of The Week
No cruel summer here: Ahead of wrapping up the U.S. leg of her high-grossing Eras Tour, Taylor Swift is making news for giving large bonuses—including $100,000 thank you gifts to her truckers—to her crew members, according to People.
A study published in this month’s JAMA Network Open looked at the rates of women leaving academic medical center positions in comparison to their male counterparts. Across all stages of academic careers, women were 25% more likely to leave academia than men.
As Barbie continues to rake in money at the box office, ForbesWomen contributor Virgie Tovar points out a “body-image-sized hole” in the movie: “When it comes to Barbie, it’s not toxic masculinity that needs to be reckoned with,” she writes. “It’s Barbie’s long-time correlation with negative body image and lower self-esteem in girls.”
The Food and Drug Administration recently approved a new blood test, developed by the company Thermo Fisher, to identify pregnant women at high risk of developing preeclampsia. Here’s a look at what this development means for pregnant people.
The Checklist
1. Be more assertive. You don’t have to be a bulldozer personality at work to get ahead. Here are five ways women can be more assertive at work.
2. Don’t let the AI hallucinate. This advice comes from the AI maestros on the third annual 50 Over 50 list who want entrepreneurs of all ages to be wise about the many ways robots need significant human oversight.
3. Stop mistaking confidence for good leadership. ‘Confidence theater’ allows those who are most vocal to govern—whether they are qualified to do so or not. But it’s important to remember that confidence is not a proxy for the validity of one’s judgment and decision-making.
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