Conjure up an image of a powerful leader. Who do you see? Is it a man? Probably. Was that intentional? Doubt it. Significant? Of course. As female leadership maven, Susan R. Madsen explains in her Raising Girls To Become Leaders TEDTalk, when people are asked to draw an image of a leader, the default is almost-aways to draw a man. Now, much like eating a salad doesn’t make you a vegetarian, being male doesn’t make you a leader. Yet, as Madsen points out, by ingrained societal default, leadership is still considered a masculine trait. It’s 2021 and we’re still weird about women and power and powerful women. Normalizing and encouraging leadership traits, actions and dreams in young girls is how we shift this misperception. When girls are raised with inherent knowledge that they can lead, they don’t go around looking for evidence and permission to do so. Rather, they naturally embody the leader archetype, and the world reflects this back to them. Society still differentiates between “engineers” and “female engineers”. Wanting your daughter to be chosen, or hoping she’s granted permission to lead is like rewatching Titanic and willing the boat to not sink. Being an active participant in molding her identity into that of a leader can be life-changing. We don’t shift our personal generational narratives about women and girls by waiting for someone else to do it. Rather, it’s through our intentional daily actions and conversations that we raise our girls into leaders. Here are four easy, research-backed actions you can adopt to …

Like most professions throughout history, careers in the humanities and the arts were often restricted to men only. Despite massive hurdles, there are women creatives who worked tirelessly to become noteworthy figures in their artistic disciplines. To commemorate International Creativity Month, here are 10 uplifting quotes by modern-day creative women. 10 Quotes for Creative Women for International Creativity Month 1) “Don’t wait for permission to do something creative.” ~Ava DuVernay, Director DuVernay is the highest-grossing black woman director in American box office history. She developed several films to educate the public on criminal justice, systematic and systemic racism, and contribute to other projects to show a different representation of black people in other genres, like fantasy, drama, and romantic comedies. 2) “My hope is that we continue to nurture the places that we love, but that we also look outside our immediate worlds.” ~Annie Leibovitz, Photographer Leibovitz works as a portrait photographer. Her career began in Rolling Stone, where her photographic style of celebrities and choices of colors made her stand out above the rest. She continued her career in working for Vanity Fair as well as other ad campaigns. 3) “If there is a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, you must be the one to write it.” ~Toni Morrison, Novelist Morrison is one of the most prominent novelists in the world. Her novels shared a rich, in-depth perspective of black women. She discusses not only their roles within the United States but also their position within the black community. 4) …

Renée Trudeau is the award-winning author of Nurturing the Soul of Your Family and The Mother’s Guide to Self-Renewal. A sought after life balance coach/speaker, her work has appeared in The New York Times, Good Housekeeping, US News & World Report, Spirituality & Health and more. Trudeau graciously agreed to share the following guest post with Girls That Create. As we begin a new year and set resolutions, Trudeau wants you to remember self-care is not about improving yourself.  Self-Care is Not About Improving Yourself One Sunday morning I was lying in bed reading from author Anne Lamott’s beautiful little book Small Victories. In one of her stories about parenting, she shares with a little self-deprecation, but mostly tenderness, how she doesn’t bake for PTA fund raisers, is often disorganized and sometimes forgets to follow-through on updates from her son’s school. Her ability to accept who she is is both endearing and freeing. Her story got me thinking how so many people I meet have a misguided sense about the concept of self-care. I often hear a lot of “shoulds,” and many confess they downright suck at self-care. A a life balance coach/teacher, I have studied, explored, written books about and taught self-care to men and women globally for more than 20 years. I can wholeheartedly share that self-care–a practice that has changed my life more than any other– is NOT about: fixing yourself or turning yourself into a “makeover version” of you trying to become someone who “has it all together” or who’s always …

Renee Cox is a photographer, artist, lecturer, and political activist who lives in New York. Born in Jamaica, she is recognized as one of the most important African American artists working today to celebrate Black womanhood. The Boca Raton Museum of Art has graciously shared images of Cox’s work The Signing with Girls That Create. Currently on display at the museum, this witty and dramatic large-scale piece reimagines Howard Chandler Christy’s historical painting Scene at The Signing of the Constitution of the United States. Cox’s contemporary (and glamorous) twist on Christy’s painting shows modern-day women and men of color in the place of the Founding Fathers. Cox’s subjects are all decked out ─ some in current fashions, others in 1700s period clothing, and some wear dazzling African garb. In describing her photography, Cox states: “This work aims to unleash the potential of the ordinary and bring it into a new realm of possibilities. It’s about time we re-imagine our own constitutions.” This is the first time a museum has exhibited The Signing. “The Signing was created on a grand scale and in the tradition of history painting,” said Kathleen Goncharov, the Senior Curator of the Boca Raton Museum of Art. “This is a revisionist look at one of America’s most historic events ─ the founding of the nation. The image brings to light that although people of color did not participate in the signing of the Constitution, they have most certainly played important roles and made vital contributions to the building of this country. Museum visitors are encouraged …