Resistance, AI, and a good night's sleep 😴
The latest news at the intersection of business and feminism
In last week’s newsletter, we shared how business owners like you are uniquely positioned to resist the radical changes happening under Trump.
How? That will be so much of our focus in the year/s ahead, but today we wanted to offer three concrete ways you can begin to do something.
Change spending habits: Audit where your business spends its money. When possible, buy from businesses owned by folks with historically marginalized identities, locally owned shops, or national companies that haven’t fallen in line with anti-DEI policies (ie, Costco instead of Amazon, Walmart, or Target).
Use your voice: Silence is complicity (as is riding the fence so as not to alienate anyone). Take a public stand against Trump’s policies on social media and your website. If possible, sponsor events by progressive organizations and seek out business groups that are lobbying for change.
Employ the harmed: Proactively seek out employees and contractors with historically marginalized identities, who are most likely to be financially harmed by the new administration. Paying these folks a living wage is the most powerful activism at business owners’ disposal.
If your mind is focused on how to use your business to change and subvert oppressive systems and a fascist future, you’re not alone. We are here to co-create new possibilities with you.
Upgrade to a paid membership, and get access to our private podcast feed and membership in the Feminist Founders Society.
We held our first Society call yesterday, and it was so life-giving to be with other values-aligned business owners who also want to create a better world (below is a sneak peek at what you missed).
And in this week’s private podcast feed for paid members, Becky is sharing some ideas for collective action and mutual aid that she’s been trying in her own business.
Paid members at any level get access to the private podcast feed and monthly Society calls. We hope to see you join us!
📣 SHOUTOUT 📣
Once a month, our Founding Feminists get a featured mention in the newsletter. We are so grateful to these folks who support our work at the highest financial level, and hope you’ll check out their work.
Upgrade to a Founding Feminist subscription to be included in next month’s list.
Now onto this week’s roundup…
Let this story be a reminder that any information you share online (whether in a private message or on a public forum) is likely being used to train artificial intelligence (AI) models. Act accordingly.
Speaking of AI, China’s DeepSeek app turned the industry on its head this week. Created in a fraction of the time and with a fraction of the money as ChatGPT, the development has panicked US tech (and sent stocks plummeting).
The U.S. us one of seven countries in the world without paid maternity leave, meanwhile Spain just expanded access by giving single parents leave parity (ie, they no receive 32 weeks, which is equal to the 16 weeks granted per parent in two-parent homes). Bravo!
Wonder why we can’t have nice things like paid maternity leave? Blame wealth disparity in the US. It’s getting worse fast, with the world’s first trillionaires all expected to be in the US within five years.
Have you ever considered just how much the meetings you hold with your teams or clients actually cost? If not, this calculator may have you reduce meeting times.
Want to attract and retain the best employees? Find budget to increase their pay this year. You’ll stand out in a marketplace where only 61% of CFOs are planning to give pay hikes (down from 71% in 2024 and 86% in 2023).
Want better sleep? Buy an alarm clock and leave your phone in another room. Need a rec? We think this wooden beauty would look gorgeous on any nightstand.
One day after taking office, the Trump administration took down ReproductiveRights.gov, a web page outlining women's rights to abortion and contraception under US law. The Skimm re-created the page as it was last saved on the Internet Archive 👏
On this week’s Messy Liberation, Becky & Taina welcome guest Marina Daldalian to discuss fat liberation, health equity, and COVID realism.
We talk a lot about collective action and mutual aid, but what does it really mean? There’s no better example than "Hillman University” (also called “TikTok Unviersity”), a new movement among Black professors to make college-level education accessible.
Everything from history to screenwriting courses are available via TikTok, allowing anyone to take part in the curriculum. There’s an academic advisor, online forum, homework, and even the possibility of “certification.”
A giant congrats to Dr. Leah Barlow, an African American Studies professor, for kicking off this amazing trend.
Did you know that I have an online shop where I sell feminist merchandise? Thought I’d do a shameless plug and share my latest addition to the store that feels especially timely. The “Do Not Obey in Advance” saying is available on shirts, sweatshirts, mugs, totes, and more (and there are tons of other designs available). Check them out!
Thank you for being a Feminist Founders reader. We hope you’ll help us Share the Love and reach our Q1 growth goal by telling a few friends about this newsletter. For every 5 folks who sign up using your link, you’ll get a free month of membership in the Feminist Founders Society.
With solidarity,
Becky & Faith
It seems, in my experience, that white women are not welcome in the hillman university spaces on TikTok. Better to know ahead of time.