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Good morning, Fearless readers:
If you're looking to build your strength, both physically and mentally, you're in the right place. We're featuring several strong, inspirational women this week.
In this week’s Fearless e-newsletter, you will find:
- A story about Principal Financial Group CEO Deanna Strable.
- A story about the Women's Barbell Classic.
- In the headlines: Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds announced she won't seek reelection to another term.
- In case you missed it: The Business Record hired Lisa Rossi and Gigi Wood as reporters.
- Lots more!
— Macey Shofroth, Fearless editor
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Navigating the future: Principal's Deanna Strable on leadership in an evolving world
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BY SUZANNA DE BACA, FORMER BUSINESS PUBLICATIONS CORP. CEO
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“Leadership in the future will require not only a sound strategic plan but also the ability to focus, drive growth and empower our team to serve our customer.”
– Deanna Strable, president and CEO,
Principal Financial Group
In a world marked by relentless technological advancement, shifting customer expectations and complex global connections, the demand for adept leadership has never been more pronounced. I recently had the opportunity to sit down with Deanna Strable, Principal Financial Group’s new CEO, to talk about her philosophy and vision for leadership in this rapidly evolving world.
Strable’s leadership is grounded in a clear strategic vision, core values and a deep commitment to putting people first. Her rural Iowa roots instilled a strong work ethic and a sincere concern for people, which have informed her approach throughout her career and will continue to do so as she looks to the future.
As she leads Principal through the transformations of a changing world and industry, she said she is focused on fostering a culture of continuous learning and innovation and delivering financial security to customers worldwide. Her guiding principle of “growth, focus and team” aims to position Principal to not only navigate the future, but to shape it through integrity, empathy and a fundamental understanding that people are the heart of the business.
From Prole to Principal’s C-suite: A foundation of hard work and heart
Strable’s trajectory to the CEO’s chair is a testament to the power of dedication, intellectual inquisitiveness and genuine empathy. Growing up in the rural Iowa community of Prole, she said she absorbed the values of diligence and compassion that would define her leadership approach. “My dad both farmed and worked a job,” Strable recalls. “Working hard and caring about other people is just foundational to how I grew up, and serves wonderfully when you’re leading and developing in your career as well.”
Strable, a first-generation college student, graduated from Northwestern University and then joined Principal as an actuarial assistant in 1990. From there, she embarked on a career characterized by continuous learning and a readiness to tackle new challenges.
Strable’s rise through the ranks of Principal was marked by a series of pivotal roles over the years, including leading U.S. Insurance Solutions and serving as chief financial officer. These roles provided her with a keen understanding of the interplay between finance, strategy and operational execution.
She also gained unique insight into how diverse organizational areas collaborate and the critical role of a strong, people-focused culture in achieving Principal’s mission, she said. Ultimately, this breadth of experience equipped her with a comprehensive view of the financial services sector and the evolving demands of Principal’s global customer base.
Growth, focus and team
Strable’s approach as CEO is rooted in her integral role co-creating the company’s recent strategic plan with former CEO Dan Houston and the leadership team. This direct experience in shaping the company’s future, combined with her diverse background across business lines and functions, has given her a holistic view of the organization and contributed to a smooth leadership transition, she said.
Strable advocates for this collaborative approach to strategy development and now aims to continue clarifying how the plan is embedded across the enterprise. She summarized her priorities, saying: “As we work together to successfully execute Principal’s strategy, there are three themes I’m focused on this year that will allow us to drive the greatest impact: growth, focus and team.”
While all of the three themes are important and interrelated, she emphasized the need for focus in an ever-changing business climate.
“Focus is a huge piece for me. A leader has to ultimately be able to motivate a team, but must also make sure that team is focused on the most important things,” she said.
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‘Strong women build strong communities’: Women raise the bar at Women's Barbell Classic
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BY MACEY SHOFROTH, FEARLESS EDITOR
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The moment I stepped into the Women’s Barbell Classic on March 22, the energy around me began to vibrate. I was there to support my big sister, who was competing in the annual lifting competition for her third time, and I found 272 other women celebrating their strength to root for, too.
The Women’s Barbell Classic is an annual women-only powerlifting competition hosted by Raise the Bar Initiative, a Des Moines-based nonprofit that provides opportunities for girls and women to participate in strength training. The organization began at 22nd Street Barbell, when co-founders Abbie Mork and Annie Brees decided Des Moines needed a powerlifting meet for women.
The inaugural meet raised enough money that Mork and Brees decided to start the nonprofit. Their mission is to “educate and provide opportunities for every woman to develop strength by creating experiences that support physical, mental and emotional well-being,” according to board president Melissa Veenstra.
“We’re not restrictive on age or body size or how much you weigh, what you look like. We’re all here just to promote strength in whatever that means to you,” Veenstra said.
The Women’s Barbell Classic is the largest fundraiser for RBI, which provides strength programs and coaching to middle schools, high schools and nonprofits in the Des Moines area. The funds raised purchase lifting equipment, shoes, clothing and food for participants. RBI has two part-time staff members, and the rest are volunteers.
The overarching goal for the organization is to create a positive, supportive environment where any woman can feel confident lifting weights, something many women say they struggle to find. I saw that in action as athletes traded enthusiastic high-fives as they passed one another, or jumped up with their fists in the air as they finished a perfect bench press.
“It’s just really amazing when women take a step back and realize just how powerful they are, whether that’s holding a barbell or just taking care of themselves or uplifting each other,” Veenstra said.
Participants in this year’s meet ranged from ages 8 to 70. They came from eight states, as far away as Virginia. I talked with some of the participants about the confidence they gained and the strength they developed at the Women’s Barbell Classic.
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Casey Anderson, 33
“I enjoy coming to the Women’s Barbell Classic because I think it’s a really neat opportunity to see other women lift each other up. And I especially appreciate this event because it’s women of all ages. The thing about the gym is it’s the ultimate equalizer. It doesn’t matter what your background is, if you have an easy life, if you have a hard life. We can all find pathways to success. This is just a great example of the great community that people can find in the gym. When you pair those two things together, it’s a great platform for success. People in general face a lot of challenges, and women have their own roadblocks, and this learning how to lift and be powerful and have confidence in yourself is the ultimate life hack. Honestly, I wish more women would lift so that they could understand what that feels like.”
Krista Larsen, 37
“Lifting is a never-ending challenge. This event in particular, everybody is your biggest cheerleader. It’s fun to know that you can just go pick something heavy up and it’s not going to be a struggle.”
Taylor Larsen, 15
“My mom made me want to do this today. She always talks about how good it is and she’s always encouraging. It always surprises me how much she can lift.”
Sophie Davis, 17
“Lifting releases a lot of anger and stress and worries. It makes you feel whole. It’s a huge part of me. I love showing that women are strong, mentally and physically. I have Type 1 diabetes, and I’m really proud of myself because for the longest time, I wasn’t proud. Then I took a step back and realized, that’s amazing, dealing with the daily struggles of diabetes and being consistent with lifting and with diets, which is extra hard. I’m strong, and I’ve made it.”
DeAnn Wiltse, 60
“This event in general is just empowering. Their whole mission – for kids, for all women to lift weights – just being here in the environment is fantastic. I’ve always done something physically active, and I’ve moved more to this kind of lifting in the last few years. As I age, it just feels fantastic to be able to keep moving and lifting weights and feel strong. To know that I could lift heavy and just see all these amazing women that are ripping it is fantastic. I’ve run half marathons, I ride my bike, but to feel healthy and strong and tall and injury-free, it’s just something that feels like a blessing.”
Saundra Long Henry, 47
It’s hard as a woman to get started in lifting because a traditional weight room is so intimidating. It’s such a supportive atmosphere, and that’s one of the things that I had heard about it and interested me in doing this specific event. I’ve been lifting off and on for several years, but had never had any interest in doing this.”
Sammy Majewski, volunteer
“I think Raise the Bar Initiative’s mission is important because it’s providing a safe space for women to find community and strength, free of judgment and full of love. I also really enjoy that it is all ages because I think if I had found something like this in my youth, that could have been really monumental in my development. Volunteering at the classic is selfishly very rewarding. You get to watch women hype each other up all day long. You get to see children cheer on their moms, and moms cheer on their daughters, and it makes me ugly cry every time.”
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“A WOMAN IS THE FULL CIRCLE. WITHIN HER IS THE POWER TO CREATE, NURTURE AND TRANSFORM.”
DIANE MARIECHILD
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Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds says she won't seek reelection to another term. Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds unexpectedly announced Apr. 11 that she would not run for reelection in 2026 in a video on social media. She stated that since her family has supported her throughout her career, “it’s time [for her] to be there for them.” She became Iowa’s first female governor when she succeeded Gov. Terry Branstad in 2017. The Des Moines Register chronicled the major policy decisions she made throughout her time as governor.
Could a bar that shows only women's sports open in Des Moines? This entrepreneur is trying. Des Moines entrepreneur Ash McClain is raising money to open Des Moines’ first women’s sports bar. The project is inspired by the Sports Bra, a bar in Portland, Oregon, dedicated to women’s sports. McClain aims to raise $20,000 through the online crowdsourcing platform “GiveButter” while also pursuing traditional financing. “We believe there's no better time to celebrate women's sports in our community. The venue will be located in the heart of Des Moines and aims to be more than just a sports bar — we envision it as a gathering space that elevates and celebrates women's athletics at all levels, from local high school teams to professional leagues,” McClain told the Des Moines Register.
State report finds majority of maternal deaths were preventable: A report released by Iowa’s Maternal Mortality Review Committee found that nearly all pregnancy-related deaths in the state between 2019 and 2021 were preventable. There were 20 deaths during that time period that occurred during pregnancy or up to a year postpartum that could be determined to be pregnancy-related. The committee found 19 of those deaths preventable. The deaths disproportionately affected women who are Hispanic and Black and on Medicaid. This was the first report released by the committee since 2021, according to a story by Iowa Public Radio.
How a Des Moines professor helped de-extinct the dire wolf: Julie Meachen, a professor of anatomy at Des Moines University, contributed research to Colossal Biosciences’ project editing genes of gray wolves resulting in puppies with key features of the extinct dire wolf. Meachen helped uncover ancient animal DNA as the lead investigator of a team of scientists exploring Natural Trap Cave in Wyoming. While the Texas-based company claims the puppies represent the de-extinction of dire wolves, Meachen says she believes they are not dire wolves but genetically modified gray wolves. She told Axios Des Moines that the technology is already being used to boost genetic diversity in endangered species.
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Why one mother urges parents to become health care proxies for their adult children (WBUR). Expanding the child tax credit has some Republican support. Now what? (The 19th). Doulas, midwives and lawmakers challenge erasure of Black women in maternal health care (Iowa Capital Dispatch). Johnson reaches agreement to kill proxy voting proposal in the House (New York Times). Bras, breasts and bulletproof vests (Texas A&M University). She was one of the youngest general partners in venture capital. Now she’s at the forefront of AI investing (Fortune).
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Business Record newsroom hires two new reporters
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The Business Record has hired two new reporters, Gigi Wood and Lisa Rossi, who will support our mission of helping businesses do business better. Wood and Rossi both joined the Business Record in late February.
Wood has joined the team as a senior staff writer and will cover economic development, government policy and law, agriculture, energy, and manufacturing. A Des Moines native and graduate of the University of Iowa, she has more than 20 years of experience as a writer and editor, including in business journalism.
She worked as a senior writer and editor at the Corridor Business Journal and most recently served as managing editor for a business-to-business publishing company in Wisconsin, overseeing several national publications. She has also authored two books and owned a small business.
Rossi will serve as a staff writer covering innovation and entrepreneurship, insurance, health care, and Iowa Stops Hunger, a BPC initiative focused on hunger and food insecurity in Iowa. In her role, Lisa will lead reporting for the Business Record’s innovationIOWA weekly e-newsletter and the annual innovationIOWA Magazine.
Rossi is originally from Dike in eastern Iowa. She started her career in journalism more than 15 years ago as a reporter at the Des Moines Register followed by several editor roles at publications across the country. She completed the John S. Knight Journalism Fellowship at Stanford University, where she learned about entrepreneurship and design thinking. She then started a business providing innovation consulting to companies.
For the last several years, she has been based in Des Moines working as a freelance writer, including bylines for the Business Record and dsm magazine.
With the addition of these two experienced journalists to the team, the Business Record newsroom looks forward to continuing to provide the news and analysis the business community needs to stay informed and connected.
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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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