Dear Readers,
Faithful readers may have noted that I took a two week break from writing this weekly newsletter. I was traveling outside the US and frankly, it was restorative to be away from the daily disruption of witnessing the systematic takedown of our Democratic values.
So I’m returning this week to this newsletter with a renewed commitment to share good news when possible and to continue elevating information and ideas that I believe are worth sharing.
For starters, I was not surprised by a recent survey of over 1,000 US women that reveals a dramatic shift happening in social media usage.
“In the past year, 66% of women took breaks, and nearly half (48%) completely abandoned at least one social media platform.”
We know that women were the first adopters and the most frequent users of social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter from a study done by the Pew Research Center a decade ago. Women say they enjoy the ability that social media platforms offer to stay connected with friends and families.
I know I do! But like many others, I left Twitter/X shortly after Elon Musk took it over. I realize that my decision to leave Twitter/X didn't change Musk’s policies for the platform or impact his personal values, but it did make my life better. The mis/disinformation, the misogyny, and other toxic posts were not worth wading through to find content that I wanted.
Over half of the women who responded to the survey cited misinformation and poor quality of content as a primary concern. Six in 10 women reported experiencing direct harassment and/or security issues as a primary concern.
"The fact that nearly half of the women are stepping back from social media is not just a statistic – it's a clear signal that current platforms are failing to create safe, supportive and uplifting spaces for women. These numbers speak to extreme levels of harassment and privacy breaches," said Shubhi Rao, founder and CEO of Uplevyl, the company that commissioned the survey.
Shubhi made history as the first woman and person of color to serve as Officer of Alphabet, and the first woman to be Treasurer of Alphabet/Google, Tesco, and Ford of Europe. She founded Uplevyl in 2021 after recognizing the opportunity to create technology platforms that better serve women.
This week Uplevyl announced the launch of UP, a female-forward social platform designed to create meaningful connections in the digital space and become a safe harbor for women. Shubhi is joined by another trailblazer (and dear friend of mine), Jacki Zehner, who will assume the role of Chief Engagement Officer.
Jacki was the youngest woman and first female trader to become a partner at Goldman Sachs in 1996. She went on to co-found Women Moving Millions, a membership organization that has collectively committed over $1 billion to improve the lives of women and girls. She recently founded SheMoney, a company dedicated to advancing women’s financial wellness through community, content and consulting.
As we celebrate Women’s History Month 2025, I'm celebrating these two history makers as they launch the first-of-its-kind social platform by women for women. "We built what we wanted to exist in the world — a place for women to discover, connect, share and amplify their voices,” says Shubhi.
I am already active on UP, and I hope you'll join me.
This week, I'm also celebrating another woman trailblazer, Mary Robinson, the first woman president of Ireland and the launch of a global impact campaign built around free screening opportunities of MRS ROBINSON, a new documentary on Mary’s life and leadership.
As I’ve written about before, I had the privilege of meeting Mary in 1990 during her campaign for the presidency and went door to door with her as she told voters what she intended to do as their leader.
Many said a woman would never be elected president of Ireland, but Mary proved them wrong, and her seven-year tenure as Ireland’s first woman president was transformative for the country in so many ways.
Mary is one of the best examples of bold leadership that I have ever observed, and it was a privilege to be an executive producer of the film that documents her inspiring leadership in Ireland, as Commissioner for Human Rights and Global Envoy for Climate Justice for the UN, and now as co-founder of Project Dandelion.
Watch the Trailer ↓
Get Together. Get Inspired!
Hope isn’t just something we hold; it’s something we build. And right now, we have an opportunity to build something powerful together.
From International Women's Day (March 8) to Earth Day (April 22), Project Dandelion, the women-led campaign for a climate safe world for all, will be partnering with Doc Society and the screening platform, Kinema, to offer FREE screenings of the new documentary MRS ROBINSON to communities, educational institutions, and anyone interested in witnessing bold leadership in action. We’ve developed a post-screening discussion guide on leadership and climate actions.
If there ever was a time we needed value-based, long-view leadership, it is now, and MRS ROBINSON reminds us of what that kind of leadership looks like and the positive differences such leaders make in the world.
And if there’s ever been a need for community, for a safe place to exchange ideas and meaningful, truthful information online, it’s also now, which is why I’m so excited about the potential for these watch parties and for the new Up social platform.
It’s easy to be down in these dangerous times, but as I’ve said many times, dangerous times call for dangerous women and the men who stand with us, willing to speak up, stand up, and show up for each other to be the solutionists and leaders the world so desperately needs.
I hope you will join UP and gather a group of your friends to watch MRS ROBINSON for the inspiration and for the hope we need now to keep moving forward.
Onward!
- Pat
Shout Outs!
Thank you to the Dr. Nancy O'Reilly newsletter and to Christiana Figureres from the Outrage + Optimism podcast for including MRS ROBINSON in their missives this week!
I was honored to record a brief voice note on this week’s Outrage + Optimism podcast — “Why ignoring women endangers the climate” — to talk about Project Dandelion's partnership with Doc Society and Kinema to offer free screenings of MRS ROBINSON.
The Outrage + Optimism podcast captures the spirit of these uncertain times with moments of outrage but mostly, the focus is on Optimism which is, according to many social scientists, the antidote to aging, and I encourage you all to subscribe!
