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Good morning, Fearless readers:
There are a million and one ways to build confidence and become the person you want to be.
Today's newsletter is a collection of women who have found their own way and soared. We hope
you find inspiration in these stories.
In this week’s Fearless e-newsletter, you will find:
- A personal essay about investing in young
girls and women.
- A guest column about embracing discomfort from Angie Currie.
- In the headlines: FemCity Des Moines has opened registration for its Beyond Business Conference.
- A break from the news: Check out our 2025 Women of Influence special edition with stories about this year's honorees.
- Lots more!
— Macey
Shofroth, Fearless editor
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Essay: Building women leaders – the importance of pouring into young girls and women
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| BY MACEY SHOFROTH, FEARLESS EDITOR
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| The 2025 group of Leaders in Training at Camp Hertko Hollow. Photo use approved by Camp Hertko Hollow.
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Editor’s note: Names of the three campers in this essay have been changed to protect their privacy.
I first met Lylah, Grace and Josie when they were 14.
Each girl bounded up the stairs into the circle of cabins with wide smiles on their faces, clamoring to get inside and
choose their bunks for the week. They were bursting with excitement to be back at Camp Hertko Hollow. It was 2022, and it was our first summer returning to camp after two years away during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Camp Hertko Hollow is a camp for kids with Type 1 diabetes, founded in 1968. The camp is a week-long session held at the Des Moines YMCA camp in Boone. Children with the chronic illness, like these three, gather for a week of regular summer camp activities while being cared for by trained medical staff as well as counselors who often, like me, have Type 1 diabetes as well.
The Girls Index 2023 survey by Ruling Our Experiences shows that the confidence of girls in fifth through 11th grade dropped 13% in six years, and 79% of girls reported feeling they were under so much pressure they “were going to explode.” Couple that with the 180 extra health-related decisions people with Type 1 diabetes make every day, and you realize that young girls with this disease are overwhelmed. At camp, they get a break from thinking about their bodies 24-7 and just get to simply be.
Camp is a place where they can share that burden with people who understand them, especially adults who have experienced the same thing.
I know this to be true because I was these girls, once.
I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when I was 5 years old and attended camp from ages 7-15. At home, I was the youngest of four children. Our lives were busy. I often felt like I was on a different page than kids my age, which I now understand to be from how quickly I had to grow up to take care of my health. It
led to a lot of anxiety and insecurity, and feeling like I didn’t fit into my skin.
While I lived almost exactly like any other regular kid, I always recognized that no one else around me had to take an extra minute when playing sports, jumping in the pool or eating a snack to consider what it might do to their blood sugar. No one except the friends I made at camp.
I also got to see the type of woman I could be some day in my counselor, Abby. Abby was my cabin leader from ages 12-14, those formative years when I felt uncomfortable in much of my life. She had lived with Type 1 diabetes for nearly her entire life, and she had still gone to college, pursued her dream job, traveled the world – proof that I could do all of these things, too, if I wanted. I remember asking her once if she had a boyfriend, and she responded, “No, girl. I have
things I want to do first.” She encouraged us to take ownership of our bodies. She believed in our capabilities to care for a disease that is unpredictable, and she never let us believe otherwise about ourselves.
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| Abby and me, age 14, at camp.
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She didn’t just lead us to have fun and enjoy camp; she led us to knowing our self-worth.
This is the impact I’ve hoped to have as a leader at camp myself for the past
eight years. I had the privilege of witnessing the difference I’ve made last month when I had Lylah, Grace and Josie in my cabin once again.
I worked with our 16- and 17-year-old campers through our Leadership in Training program, alongside my friends Karyn and David. Our Leadership in Training campers spent their week doing team-building exercises, learning about leadership and practicing how to contribute to our loving, joyous camp environment. These kids prepared to say goodbye to this important part of their childhood and enter their next phase of life at camp.
When I first spent a week with these three girls, they were just beginning their teen years. They were bubbly and fun and still had that pre-high school innocence. They had questions about their diabetes and needed more help managing their insulin pumps. They were picky eaters and needed more help with keeping their blood sugars in range.
To see them grow up is a beautiful reminder of why we should always be pouring into young girls and women behind us. My relationship with them didn’t stop after that first year I was their leader. These girls came to our family camp weekends with their moms, and we’d talk about their lives and what they’d accomplished at
school. I continued checking in with them in subsequent summer sessions when they were with other leaders in their cabin, reminding them to come to me if they needed anything. I made a conscious decision to ensure they knew they had a trusted adult in me.
Now these girls are just as bubbly and fun, but they know themselves. They aren’t afraid of their diabetes. They are confident and silly and incredibly kind to every new camper they meet. They’ve learned more about how their body works and they don’t need as much help with their blood sugar. They don’t need me to guide them like they once did; they want me to stand beside them in support.
One day, I sat beside Josie as she was placing a new insulin pump on her leg. She moved so quickly through the process, a seasoned expert. She asked me to hand her an alcohol swab.
“I used to not use these, but once you said how much it helped your skin heal, and I’ve used them ever since,” she told me. I had shared something from my own life that helped her care better for herself. This is why I do this.
A different day, Lylah, who had struggled with her blood sugar levels the first time in my cabin, looked at me from her bunk.
“Macey, it’s crazy that after so many years at camp, I think we’ve finally figured out my blood sugars!” she said. We figured it out, together – we were a team, and she knew she could trust me, and herself. This is why I do this.
On Thursday and Friday afternoon of the Leadership in Training program, our campers spent time with cabins of kids who were younger than them and shadowed their counselors. It’s their first taste
of leadership at camp, and they get to practice all of the skills they learned that week.
I watched these three girls walk and play and laugh with the younger kids, bounding with the same energy they had when they ran into our cabin in 2022. They learned each campers’ name. They danced and sang and showed these younger campers just how exhilarating camp can be.
And when they return as leaders over the next few years, they are going to show the next generation of campers that they are a trusted adult that wants to help them grow.
The legacy continues.
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Guest commentary: Learning to embrace discomfort
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We live in a world that enjoys being comfortable and we have the technology to prove it. Climate control systems keep our homes a perfect 72 degrees year-round. Ibuprofen effectively eliminates our pain. E-commerce and food delivery platforms deliver our lunch and toilet paper without us ever having to leave the house. And cell phones provide a steady stream of entertainment, so we never have to experience a moment of boredom. These technological advances are impressive and sometimes
necessary. But in our search for ease and convenience, we risk losing something important: the ability to grow through moments of discomfort. Building resilience and mental strength more often than not requires venturing out of our comfort zone.
Boredom is one of the most underappreciated discomforts we avoid. Boredom, however, may give rise to creativity. Have you ever wondered why most of your epiphanies happen in the shower? It’s often the one area where we’re away from screens and distractions, and where most of us generate our best ideas. Boredom, when embraced rather than avoided, is a thinking space for ideas to develop. Next time you catch yourself reaching for your phone out of habit in a moment of quiet, don’t. Let
your mind wander. You might be surprised at the insights that surface when you allow silence to work.
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 Physical pain also has a place in building resilience. I’ll never forget the day we climbed our first 14er (a mountain peak that reaches an elevation of at least 14,000 feet) together as a family. My children complained the whole way up. Legs hurt, energy bottomed out, and I heard the phrase “I can’t” more times than I care to mention. But when we reached the summit, amazement trumped exhaustion and my 10-year-old son turned to me and said, “Oh my gosh, Mom, that was so worth it.” That moment became our family’s take on grit, and now whenever they utter the words “I can’t” I remind them of
the view at the top of Quandary Peak. As Michael Easter put it in “The Comfort Crisis,” “You don’t grow by doing what’s easy. You grow by doing what’s hard.”
Grief has perhaps been one of the most transformative teachers for me. When I lost my dad in 2021, I experienced heartache like never before. It was heavy. And at times, paralyzing. But my pastor said something that reframed my perspective: “Grief can be a beautiful thing. It marks the end of something that mattered. And without it you can’t fully experience the true meaning of joy.” In that pain, I learned the depth of love, the strength of empathy and the importance of joy. Grief taught me what truly matters and helped shape who I am today.
Fear is yet another powerful teacher. I was 28 when my husband and I moved back to Iowa to be close to family and planned to accept a different job because Commerce Bank did not have an office in Iowa. Instead, I was presented the opportunity to stay with the bank and build a new commercial banking office in Des Moines. I would be lying if I said that I was not scared. I feared the unknown and the possibility of failure, but I took the leap and worked hard to make sure that I did not fail. Eleven years later, that leap is one of the most satisfying and most defining moments of my career. Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “You must do the thing you think you cannot do.” She was right. On the other side of fear is usually our greatest achievement.
Finally, we must be willing to embrace our weaknesses. We live in a culture that encourages us to play to our strengths, but real growth often lies in the areas we avoid. In sports, coaches push athletes to work on what they’re not good at. I was terribly slow out of the blocks, and I remember my track coach often making me do 50 starts before I could leave practice. It wasn’t punishment — it was training to make me a better runner. The same applies to life. Acknowledging our flaws and choosing to improve them is what leads to meaningful progress. Contrary to popular advice, we don’t grow by faking it until we make it. We grow by showing up, doing the hard things and getting better each day.
In a
society that enjoys being comfortable, discomfort is a revolutionary act. But it’s through discomfort that we evolve. Whether it’s boredom, pain, grief, fear or weakness, each has something valuable to teach us — if we’re willing to listen.
Angie Currie started her career in the still male-dominated industry of commercial banking in 2008. She believes that leaning into discomfort has been key to her personal and professional success, helping her grow the confidence and grit that define her today. Currie serves as the Iowa market president for Commerce Bank. Outside the office, she’s passionate about mentoring college students and young professionals, sharing insights on the art and impact of executive
presence.
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“COURAGE DOESN’T MEAN YOU DON’T GET AFRAID. COURAGE MEANS YOU DON’T LET FEAR STOP YOU.”
BETHANY HAMILTON
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Speaker lineup and sessions announced for 2025 Beyond Business Conference. Tickets are on sale for the 2025 Beyond Business Conference hosted by FemCity Des Moines. The one-day conference will be Thursday, Sept. 25. FemCity founder and CEO Violette de Ayala will be in attendance. The keynote address will be delivered by speaker and entrepreneur Steph Strauss. Visit the Beyond Business Conference website to purchase tickets and see the full speaker lineup.
Iowa Center promotes Erin Strawn to president and CEO. The Iowa Center for Economic Success board of directors announced plans to promote its Director of Advancement Erin Strawn to the role of president and CEO. Strawn will assume the new role Aug. 1, succeeding Megan Milligan, who announced in June she is stepping down from the role. Strawn joined the Iowa Center’s executive leadership team as director of advancement in 2023 following a career as a public affairs executive. “Erin has the talent and skillset that the Iowa Center needs in its next
leader,” said Franklin Codel, chair of the Iowa Center’s board of directors, in a prepared statement. “She is a strong communicator who can elevate the Iowa Center’s profile, and has demonstrated the ability to craft a compelling narrative about our impact, and secure the support required to continue our strategic, calibrated growth.”
Tippie appoints new associate dean of graduate and professional programs. The University of Iowa announced Erin Nelson, associate professor of practice in management and entrepreneurship, has been named the new associate dean of
graduate and professional programs for the Tippie College of Business. The appointment will take effect Aug. 1. In her new position, Nelson will oversee the college’s graduate and professional programs that include the Iowa MBA, Master’s in Business Analytics, Master’s in Finance and Master’s in Accounting programs. “Erin brings a wealth of leadership experience to the Graduate and Professional Programs and shares our commitment to delivering a transformative student experience,” Amy Kristof-Brown, dean of the Tippie College of Business, said in a prepared statement. “Her ability to align strategy with structure, lead collaborative change and connect academic programs with real-world impact will be instrumental in advancing the growth and innovation of our graduate programs.”
Retired Army nurse to run for
northeast Iowa congressional seat. Kathryn Dolter, a retired Army nurse and former dean of nursing at Kirkwood Community College, filed paperwork to challenge incumbent U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson for Northeast Iowa's U.S. House seat in 2026. She will run as a Democrat. She spent 23 years in the Army, has started and led various nursing programs and is currently a semiretired faculty member at Mount Mercy University. “Recent federal policies have made me very worried for the health, safety and economic welfare of all Iowans,” Dolter told the Cedar Rapids Gazette.
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An Iowan started a nonprofit to help fund health care expenses. Then she was hit by a car (Des Moines Register). The popularization of egg freezing has created a new ‘fertility wealth gap’ (Fortune). How 3 Muslim sisters helped change the rules of American women's wrestling (NPR). Beauty is an ‘insidious force in women’s financial lives,’ says ‘Rich Girl Nation’ author — here’s how to overcome it (CNBC). Samantha Mesa to join WHO 13 (WHO-13). F.D.A. panel to reassess hormone therapy warnings (New York Times).
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Meet the Business Record’s 2025 Women of Influence
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| BY EMILY BARSKE WOOD, BUSINESS RECORD SPECIAL PROJECTS EDITOR
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The Business Record’s Women of Influence awards celebrate the work of Central Iowa women who have attained success while helping others along the way. From a variety of career paths and walks of life, they've devoted their time to making an
impact. They've spent countless hours on various initiatives, working on major issues and blazing a trail either personally or professionally for other women to follow. The Women of Influence honorees have made the organizations they serve better. They facilitate important community discussions, they advocate for equity and they challenge the status quo. They mentor others who want to do the same. While none of them have achieved these milestones simply to be influential, they have undoubtedly made an impact in small and large ways. You may know some or many of these honorees, but there are likely things you don’t know about them: what keeps them motivated, experiences from their formative years or their current goals. We hope their stories give you a better picture, and more importantly, we hope they encourage you to pursue your own passions and make the world a little bit better each day. Read the Women of Influence profiles.
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At its core, Fearless exists to help empower Iowa women to succeed in work and life. We believe that everyone has a story to share and that we cannot progress as a society unless we know about one another. We share stories through featuring women in our reporting, featuring guest contributions and speakers at our events.
We are always looking for new stories to share and people to feature. Get in touch with us!
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