Be Your Own Hero was a tagline in Whip It, a movie about a girl finding her place in the roller derby arena. My daughter was in elementary school at the time, and the mantra resonated with her. She got it, that Being Your Own Hero was a resourceful pool of empowerment. That you could look around you, see women who you admired, aspired to, could be, but it all came back to YOU. Believing in yourself. Meeting your heroes? Secondary in being your own. Surrounding yourself with women who are heroic to you? I believe in that as well. My friends are strong and determined and kind and generous and so much more and I am grateful to know them, have them in my life. I want to applaud all the women in my life because without them, I’d be drowning right now, truly. I’m not close with every single woman I know, but every woman has had an impact on me. So to you, my friends, I am honored to know you, all of you ladies that lend me your ear, that I’ve had that one conversation with, that I see only in the summer/UCB/randomly about/on social media, that respond to texts/ reply to emails/ pick up the phone, that stay by my side, that will meet me for a hot chocolate/diner food/anything on that menu, that will jump in the air with me, that will play dress up, that carry your own load and honor me with your trust, that reach out and make sure I’m okay, that remember me, that are my friends. Not every women is able to do every thing or be every thing but all the women in my life have a role in it, and for that I am so thankful. Your thoughtfulness makes a difference. It’s inspirational. It’s a reminder to me to not let you down. Support all women? Yes. Be Your Own Hero? Yes. Grateful? Always.

This 8 year-old’s hero? Michelle Obama.

Esther Perel: “As I once said, and it became a kind of a saying for me, when you pick a partner, you pick a story, and then you find yourself in a play you never auditioned for. And that is when the narratives clash.”

Jennifer Anniston: “My house was always like the clubhouse. I love entertaining. I always have food. I think I probably got that from my mom, who always had her girlfriends over. I picked it up from my childhood—just always hearing girls in the house and learning how to make a good cheese board.”

Hannah Gadsby, on misogyny.

Who knows about money? We do.

These shoes from Caron Callahan will stop traffic.

Corduroy shoes from Caron Callahan.

Are you watching this season of Outlander?

And now have a laugh with Gina Yashere.