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Good morning, Fearless readers:
Have you taken our 2025 survey on the status of gender equity in Iowa yet?
This nonscientific survey illustrates current opinions and experiences that women have across the state of Iowa. There are both multiple-choice and short-answer questions regarding things such as pay equity, performance reviews, affordable child care and more.
If you’ve taken it already, don’t forget to send it to a friend!
In this week’s Fearless e-newsletter, you will find:
- An essay from me about making decisions with confidence.
- An essay from writer Alex Sabbag on moving forward after experiencing grief.
- In the headlines: An Iowa State University researcher’s work to support new moms led to the school’s first-ever apparel design patent.
- In case you missed it: I sat down with Claudia Schabel, owner of DEI consulting firm Schabel Solutions, to learn what recent DEI executive orders mean for businesses.
- Lots more!
— Macey Shofroth, Fearless Editor
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Essay: What a new opportunity taught me about confidently making choices
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BY MACEY SHOFROTH, FEARLESS EDITOR
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Illustration from Getty Images.
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When I met Emily Wood for coffee in early 2024, I had no clue she’d help me launch into a new phase of life. I didn’t even realize I was craving something new.
I had been living in the Des Moines area for a year, working in marketing at a local nonprofit and writing a Substack newsletter on the side. That newsletter connected me with Suzanna de Baca, then president and CEO of Business Publications Corp., who then connected me with Emily, the Business Record’s special projects editor.
After some freelance work for a few months, Emily approached me with a question: Would I like to apply for a full-time opening with the Business Record team?
I hadn’t even considered looking for a new opportunity. I liked my nonprofit. I enjoyed the work and felt supported and valued by my team. I had no reason to leave.
It’s easy to recognize you need a change when you’re in an unhappy situation. When you dread arriving at work, or every moment of a relationship is spent fighting, or you no longer find joy in previous activities, it can become clear that these situations aren’t working for you anymore.
But what about when the choice to make a change isn’t so obvious?
It can take a lot for women to decide to leave their jobs. We’re less likely than men to apply for a job if we don’t meet 100% of the qualifications, and we’re less likely to apply to jobs when the listed duties are vague. It creates a culture of hesitancy, and we often end up staying in places where our full potentials aren’t being realized.
I quickly realized that nobody would tell me the right move to make, because nobody could know what the right move was but me. And figuring out the right move would take some serious self-reflection.
Obviously, I decided to take the leap and join the team at BPC. But it wasn’t an easy decision at which to arrive. I discovered some valuable lessons about making life choices along the way.
Give your brain and your gut equal consideration. I tend to put a lot of stock into whether or not something feels right when making a decision. While that can be valuable in low-stakes situations like which book I want to read next or what restaurant to choose on a Saturday night, it’s not exactly a foolproof way of keeping your life in order. What felt exciting about beginning a new job (new routines, meeting new people, feeling challenged) in conjunction with what I knew would objectively further my career (writing about new subjects, gaining a larger audience) helped me feel confident that I was making the right choice for all aspects of my life.
The right decision will satisfy both your now and your future. It can seem tempting to choose a path with immediate gratification. After all, we’re a culture that loves to feel good right away. But those decisions often mean missing out on growth opportunities that can lead to something better in the future. On the flip side, many people choose a path of suffering in hopes it leads them to a sense of enlightenment that is far from promised. I encourage you to consider what will make your life feel satisfying now while providing building blocks for the future you want. Your life is made up of all of the past, present and future moments. Make sure they all add value in some way.
There’s no shame in going after what you want. Telling my former bosses that I accepted a new job was a difficult conversation. I worked for two kind, caring women who did a lot for me in the two years I was at the organization. I really didn’t want to disappoint them. But as I meekly explained my reasons for leaving, they each separately extolled me not to apologize. "This is a great opportunity for you," they both reminded me. While my sadness about leaving points to the excellent work relationships we had built, their encouragement was a reminder that I deserved to strive for bigger and better things for myself.
Get comfortable with discomfort. While I’m not someone who believes in suffering for the sake of suffering — we have one life and wasting it feeling terrible is foolish — I do believe we have to make peace with discomfort in order to reach our highest plane of existence. For me, that looks like letting go of my need to know everything. I used to feel a sort of shame about the experiences I hadn’t had or the knowledge I hadn’t acquired. Now these appear to me as moments of opportunity to become a more realized individual. I also used to irrationally fear regret about decisions, but I’ve accepted that that’s not something I can control. I can only prepare myself to gain the most out of every experience. I had no way of knowing if this job would satisfy me more than my last one, but I knew that those things I mentioned above, like meeting new people and writing about different subjects, would benefit me no matter what direction my career takes in the future.
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Guest essay: Starting over is a soulful act of bravery
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BY ALEX SABBAG, GUEST CONTRIBUTOR
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I was sitting behind my apartment building in Chicago on a tiny iron fence enclosing a small patch of grass when I became aware of my life’s biggest earth-shattering truth: I had hit the bottom and this moment, this season of my life, was as bad as it would ever get. I sat there watching my senior dog who was on bed rest hobbling around, doing his business, while my fiancé, the man I loved the most, was upstairs in our home dying of terminal brain cancer. This was it. I was at the bottom. And in hindsight, knowing you’ve arrived is no small victory.
I knew two things in that moment: 1. It couldn’t get any worse and 2. I wouldn’t be here forever. It was on that hot afternoon in July I realized I had a can of gasoline in one hand and a match in another. My entire life was about to burn to the ground and there was nothing I could do to stop it. I had a choice: fade off into the abyss and bury myself in pity and self-loathing, or keep going and root down hard in the faith that there is light, knowing someday I’d be on the other side rising from the ashes of it all.
Spoiler alert, I did the latter. Six weeks prior, on my 33rd birthday, my boyfriend was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. I dropped everything the day my boyfriend was diagnosed and accepted the role as his full-time caregiver. The very next day I also accepted his proposal to become his wife. Quite the shift —
from small-business owner to cancer caregiver to fiancé. I was frequently asked how I kept going. How I managed to get out of bed and put one foot in front of the other.
While I did keep going, it wasn’t pretty. The second the news hit my ears, I went straight into fight or flight. Never much of a runner, I doubled down in fight, consumed by the mentality that if he had even a .01% chance of survival, I was the woman for the job. I could fix this (so I thought). What got me out of bed was sheer determination. But in spite of the shadow side of being forced to embrace such a dramatic life shift, I kept getting out of bed because I had a place to go. Prior to his diagnosis I was an avid yoga practitioner attending hot power yoga classes four to five times per week. I was addicted to it and thrived in both the physicality and equanimity yoga offers. The neighborhood yoga studio became my home away from home, a sort of respite and reprieve away from the devastating reality I was forced to accept. Acceptance didn’t come easily and I resisted because I was so close to having the life of getting married and having a family. The life I always dreamed of. Until I wasn’t.
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The first chapter in my book, "Soul Dive: My Journey into the Deep," is called "The 2x4 Moment." I define it as the moment in your life when you're hit upside the head so hard you can’t see straight. One of those days when you wake up one way and go to bed another. They are life altering, unforgettable and often leave us not only beaten up but bruised by the aftershocks. While my experience might not look exactly the same as yours, I can tell you we're not so different. We have all experienced the 2x4 moment that changed the trajectory of our life. And while we may default to relating to the experience, it’s really the emotions that rest beneath where we come together. The 2x4 moments bring hefty amounts of anxiety, fear and uncertainty. Certainly all of these are feelings we can relate to in this human experience. Real life, especially the 2x4 moments, are great equalizers and divine redirects to make sure we get aligned with and stay rooted in our purpose.
I realized a few things over the course of my journey. First, you are not alone. Life is coming for you (if it hasn’t already) and we will all experience those defining 2x4 moments. Second, you have to laugh. Even when things are gut-wrenchingly heavy and your reality looks more like a Lifetime movie than a romantic comedy, do what you can to find the light. Third, keep going. It’s easy to give up. It’s hard to wake up every day and keep moving — especially when you don’t know what you’re moving toward.
Here’s the thing. I had no idea what awaited me on the other side of that 2x4 moment. Reflecting back, it’s clear I was put on the Earth to do purpose-driven work. If it weren’t for that hefty (and quite traumatic) experience, would I have the gift of owning Soul Dive Yoga, penning my memoir or taking the stage to share my story?
No matter what life is putting in front of us it’s never too late to start over. Sometimes we become forced into it, and other times we make the choice. The reality of a fresh start is that it really doesn’t have to be so complicated. Every time we wake up in the morning we get a fresh start. Each new breath, fresh start. Each week, month and year (of course, a new year is the epitome of a fresh start). Starting over is deep soul work. Above all else, it’s brave.
When we do get slapped upside the head, remember to be grateful and trust that as you keep going and refuse to give up, you will undoubtedly find your way to the other side. It is there you’ll discover the new beginning that holds more peace and purpose than you could ever imagine. It just takes a heck of a lot of grit, grace and gratitude to rise from the ashes and keep going.
Alex Sabbag grew up in Des Moines and is a bestselling author, two-time business owner and entrepreneur. Her most recent venture, Soul Dive Yoga, was founded in 2022 in Palm Desert, Calif. Seeking solace in the practice, she not only found healing but also discovered a profound mission to share the transformative power of yoga with the world. Her debut memoir, "Soul Dive: My Journey into the Deep," is Alex's story of resilient triumph, in and outside the studio, on and off the yoga mat. Through her voice, she hopes to empower and inspire others to embrace life's challenges, surrender to the divine redirects and find greater peace, purpose and presence in their own lives. Learn more at www.soulfulalchemist.com.
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"EMBRACE WHAT MAKES YOU UNIQUE, EVEN IF IT MAKES OTHERS UNCOMFORTABLE. I DIDN’T HAVE TO BECOME PERFECT BECAUSE I’VE LEARNED THROUGHOUT MY JOURNEY THAT PERFECTION IS THE ENEMY OF GREATNESS."
JANELLE MONAE
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Li "Lily" Jiang (left), and Ling Zhang (right), display a sample of their fit-adjustable nursing bra for new moms. Photo by Christopher Gannon.
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Researcher’s work to support new moms leads to ISU’s first-ever apparel design patent: Ling Zhang, Iowa State University associate professor in apparel, events and hospitality, and Li "Lily" Jiang, ISU Ph.D. student in apparel design, have secured Iowa State’s first-ever apparel design patent for undergarments for nursing mothers. Zhang chose to focus her research on functional apparel design to create a better nursing bra for mothers after she gave birth to her daughter in 2020. The patent design, which Zhang uses in her startup company MUQIN, uses alternate materials to improve comfort, according to a press release from the university.
Kristin Tentinger is an ISU Change-Maker mentor: TenCorp Inc. general manager and fifth-generation cattle producer Kristin Tentinger was named a mentor in Iowa State University’s Change-Maker Academy. Tentinger is responsible for leading TenCorps’ sales and business development, operations, marketing and personnel. She is paired with an Iowa State sophomore majoring in animal science. Students in the ISU College of Agriculture and Life Sciences participate in the academy to dive into innovation and develop an entrepreneurial mindset, according to its website.
Davenport hires new chief financial officer: The city of Davenport hired Basia Gerlach as its next chief financial officer. Gerlach has worked for the city since 2010, having recently served as the city’s controller and interim chief budget officer. She will replace Mallory Merritt, the previous interim city administrator and chief financial officer, according to a story from the Quad Cities Regional Business Journal.
Reynolds' bill offering paid parental leave to state workers advances in Iowa Senate: A bill from Gov. Kim Reynolds offering paid parental leave to state employees advanced in the Senate. The bill would provide four weeks of paid leave for a birth or adoptive parent and one week of paid leave for a non-birthing parent. Reynolds called for Iowa lawmakers to "put families first" in a statement while pointing to a policy under President Donald Trump that grants federal employees up to 12 weeks of parental leave. This is the third year in a row she has tried to pass this bill, according to a story from Iowa Public Radio.
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Millennials are facing a parenting paradox (Business Insider). Overlooked no more: Annie Easley, who helped take spaceflight to new heights (New York Times). What lies ahead for women’s health? (Forbes). Trump's DEI policy threatens already thin share of women and minorities in STEM, workers say (NBC News). Friends say Army captain killed in midair collision was a ‘brilliant and fearless’ patriot (AP News). Women with endometriosis earn less, research shows (BBC).
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What do executive orders on DEI mean for businesses?
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BY MACEY SHOFROTH, FEARLESS EDITOR
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When President Donald Trump took office, he signed a slew of executive orders, including ones intent on dismantling diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts in both the public and private sectors.
The executive order titled "Ending Radical And Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing" laid off federal DEI staff and no longer required federal contractors to use affirmative action and diversity programs. The order "Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity" rescinded several past executive orders meant to curb discrimination, and it encouraged private sector employers to "end illegal DEI discrimination and preferences."
Many companies, such as Target, Meta Platforms and Lowe’s, have already begun dismantling their previous DEI structures and policies. Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird joined 19 Republican attorneys general in calling on Costco Wholesale to abandon its diversity, equity and inclusion policies, citing concerns about discrimination and legal risks.
Regardless of politics, DEI experts have said workplace inclusion efforts will only become more necessary as the country’s demographics continue to diversify. For instance, the U.S. Census Bureau projects that more than half of Americans will be nonwhite by 2044. While 7% of all U.S. adults self-identify as lesbian, gay or bisexual, 17% of U.S. adults under 30 do, according to Pew Research.
Many leaders are left wondering: What does this actually mean for my organization?
The Business Record sat down with Claudia Schabel, owner of DEI consulting firm Schabel Solutions, to learn what these executive orders mean for businesses.
Read the story here
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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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