Women's Reception | Building Meaningful Lives: Women at the Forefront

Richard D'Attizio (Milken Institute) introduced the session with a focus on gender parity as a core conference tenet.

• Cited a shocking comment made by Jane Harmon regarding the historical exclusion of women from institutions like Dartmouth as a reason to intensify activism.
• Announced the launch of the "MI Equality Pledge" (hashtag #MIequalitypledge) to drive transparency in corporate data.
• Highlighted that only 20% of Fortune 500 companies currently report gender pay equity data, creating a "veil of secrecy."
• Set a goal to aggregate data from a significantly higher percentage of companies to reach 100% reporting by next year's Global Conference.
• Quoted Hillary Clinton to express optimism, noting the generational shift from her mother lacking the right to vote to her daughter voting for her.

Goldie Hawn (Hawn Foundation, MindUp) defined meaning as the sum of decisions made for "goodwill parenting" and a stable family.

• Launched the "MindUp" program 15 years ago to integrate neuroscience, positive psychology, and mindfulness into schools.
• Reported training over 200,000 teachers, impacting an estimated 6 million children with researched behavioral and cognitive benefits.
• Addressed the negative impact of technology on youth, citing a study where students with phones in the testing area performed worse due to distraction.
• Argued that distraction from screens steals intimacy and creates loneliness, urging a focus on brain science to help children manage their emotions.
• Reflected on her career in Hollywood, noting the "double-edged sword" of being a female producer where she was often perceived as "controlling" rather than authoritative.
• Described a specific conflict where she refused to produce a sequel unless women were paid equally, choosing to make a lower-budget film instead to uphold her integrity.
• Proposed that education on male and female brain differences could foster compassion and create a "one together powerhouse."
• Suggested that a male-female duo should lead the United States, as their differing cognitive approaches could generate superior solutions when combined.

Sheila Lirio Marcelo (Care.com) identified "proximity" and personal experience as the drivers for her entrepreneurship.

• Recalled struggling to find care for her own children while her parents were in the Philippines and her father had a heart attack, prompting her to build Care.com.
• Expanded the mission beyond childcare to include senior care and the welfare of caregivers, noting the average caregiver earns $9/hour compared to $17/hour for golf caddies.
• Partnered with AARP to launch "Care Institute" to train caregivers and establish industry standards.
• Highlighted "Care Forward," a program training refugees in Europe to become caregivers, emphasizing that care transcends cultural boundaries.
• Discussed the challenges of raising capital in Silicon Valley, where a 99% of male analysts reportedly could not relate to the product.
• Shared an anecdote about being mistaken for an assistant during a meeting with public institutional investors due to unconscious bias.
• Advocated for a leadership style that counters bias with compassion rather than defensiveness to shift dialogue and gain respect.
• Noted the scarcity of female and minority public company CEOs as a key challenge for role modeling.

Jane Goodall (Jane Goodall Institute) traced her drive to her mother's support of her childhood passion for animals and her dream to live in Africa.

• Described the realization that saving chimpanzees required helping local African communities survive to reduce deforestation and poaching.
• Explained the "Takami" program, which uses microcredit for women to fund environmentally sustainable projects with a 90% loan repayment rate.
• Connected women's education in these communities to reduced family sizes, making it a cornerstone of their conservation strategy.
• Expanded the discussion to "Roots and Shoots," a youth program starting with 12 high school students in Tanzania.
• Reported the program has grown to 150,000 groups across 100 countries, engaging youth in projects to help people, animals, and the environment.
• Noted the program's reach extends to refugee camps, prisons, and elderly communities in China, transforming their outlook on life.
• Observed that the current women's movement has grown exponentially faster than past movements due to social media emboldening large groups.
• Quoted a shaman from a Latin American tribe: "One wing is male, the other wing is female, and only when the two wings are equal will we fly true."

The panel discussed the intersection of biology, culture, and upbringing in defining meaning and leadership.

• Hawn noted that men often seek "fixing" while women seek to be heard, and that women live longer due to stronger community ties.
• Marcelo described the "opposing forces" of leadership: balancing authentic vulnerability with the confidence to inspire, noting that embracing failure builds resilience.
• Goodall emphasized that children need up to three trusted adults to rely on in early childhood, a dynamic also observed in chimpanzee mothers.
• Discussed the societal expectation for boys not to cry and the gradual cultural shift allowing men to take on more caregiving roles (paternity leave).
• Hawn advised mothers to build open, non-judgmental communication with sons to model future relationship expectations.
• Marcelo stated that her biggest regret is non-existent, viewing every mistake as a necessary gift for learning and building resilience.
• Goodall warned against the "pendulum swinging too far," asserting that the goal is equality, not sameness, as distinct wings are needed to fly.

The session concluded with three specific calls to action for attendees.

• Jane Goodall: Eliminate fear, as realizing one has no fear allows for the accomplishment of anything.
• Sheila Marcelo: Eliminate fear to accomplish anything.
• Goldie Hawn: Tell people they matter and show equal respect to all regardless of gender, age, or culture.
• Goldie Hawn: Show respect to men and women, young and old, and give people hope for a better world.
• Sheila Marcelo: Prioritize deep, meaningful interactions with every human being encountered, including staff and support teams.