gloria feldt

Gloria Feldt is a fiery, inspiring speaker and the bestselling author of No Excuses: 9 Ways Women Can Change How We Think About Power. Feldt has lived a compelling success story: she started as a teen mom and worked her way up to a position as a successful CEO and movement leader and is now an acclaimed expert on women, power, and authentic leadership. Former president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, she's been named by Vanity Fair as one of “America’s Top 200 Women Leaders, Legends, and Trailblazers” and Glamour’s “Woman of the Year,” and she believes that there's no better time than NOW for women to achieve parity.

A signature aspect of Feldt's presentations are the practical “Power Tools” she's created in order to help women fight back against their learned helplessness and to embrace their own power--and these bite-sized takeaways can be put to use instantly and daily by her audiences. Once women “stand in their power and walk with intention,” says Feldt, they can lead unlimited lives and reach parity from the boardroom to the bedroom. Through her experiences, Feldt has gained a unique understanding of the confluence of the personal and the political in leadership and American culture; and she parlays this insight into empowering and energizing talks. That’s why People magazine calls her the “voice of experience.” 

Feldt has been widely quoted and has published articles across the media spectrum, from the New York Times, Washington Post, USA Today, The Daily Beast, to magazines such as More, Elle and Ms. She has appeared extensively on television, including CNN, MSNBC, the Today Show, Good Morning America and The Daily Show. She writes two popular blogs, Heartfeldt and 9 Ways, and is a self-described social media addict! She teaches "Women, Power, and Leadership" at Arizona State University and currently serves on the boards of the Women’s Media Center, the Jewish Women’s Archive, and EmergeAmerica. She and her husband Alex Barbanell share a combined family of six children and 14 grandchildren; they live in New York City and Scottsdale AZ. You can visit her full website here.