Every Impact100 chapter begins with someone raising her hand. She has heard about the model. She understands what a transformational grant could mean in her community. She begins imagining the women who might join her and the nonprofits whose work could be accelerated. Then the practical questions arrive.

This week, I traveled back to Cincinnati to join the celebration of this year’s grant recipients and 25 years of Impact100. The culmination of the evening was the presentation of huge checks determined by the votes of our 2016 members. The photos shared here represent this year’s grant recipients smiling beside the check to their nonprofit to commemorate this moment.

Every so often, I hear a woman say something like, “I’m not really involved. I’m just a member.” I understand what she means. She may not serve on the board or chair a committee. She may not attend every event. Her life may be full of work, family responsibilities, travel, or caregiving. Still, I always want to stop her gently at the word just. There is no “just” in being an Impact100 member. Being a member is everything.

International Women’s Day always reminds me of the extraordinary power women hold to strengthen communities and lift one another up. Over the years, I’ve come to believe that the source of that power is generosity, not the kind that drains us, but the kind that fills us with connection, purpose, and joy.

Galentine’s Day began as a lighthearted moment on the show Parks & Recreation, thanks to Amy Poehler and her exuberant celebration of women’s friendships. She created this day in the show to celebrate her “lady friends” and she describes it as the best day of the year.

This weekend, millions of people will gather around their TVs for the Super Bowl. Some will watch every play. Others will tune in for the commercials or the halftime show.

There are moments in life, sometimes quiet, sometimes loud, that alter everything that follows. For me, one of those moments arrived on a newsstand in January of 2003.

Today (January 15, 2026) is Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s actual birthday, which also happens to be my birthday, too.

Welcome to the second-busiest shopping day of the year. That’s right, December 26th is one of the busiest days in retail.