planned parenthood and author of no excuses. nine ways women and change how we think about power and former white house dr. connie marino author of white house doctor:my patient for president. .. >> this discussion will last approximately one hour just to give everyone a sense of what's happening, and that will include questions and answers. so dr. mariano and ms. feldt will speak fact 20 minutes even, and both of the women really strongly emphasized to me that they want to hear from you, and part of what they enjoy about this process is having this dialogue. so i strongly encourage you when we call for questions and answers to come forward to the microphones and to speak. it's really important that you use the microphones because we are live right now on c-span so that everyone can hear your questions and the discussion that ensues. their books, dr. mariano's "the white house dr.: my patients were presidents, a memoir," and gloria feldt's no excuses: nine ways we can change how women feel about power, will be in the tent outside, signing area one, tent b. and that's located south and west of the student union. it's truly an honor today to introduce two women whose books and stories can inspire all of us to recognize and embrace and activate our power to make a difference in our communities and in your country. their lives show that pursuing a passion for equal justice and for service can truly change the world. dr. connie mariano is a woman of many firsts. she was the first military woman to be chosen as the white house physician, the first woman directer of the white house medical unit, and the first filipino-american to become an admiral in the navy. but she started her life as an underdog. always being underestimated because of her gender, her ethnic background and her appearance. in her new book, "the white house doctor: my patients were presidents," dr. mariano shares her inspiring scrowrnny of how a little girl from the philippines came to america and became the physician to the president of the united states. her example is truly one of a woman whose achievements were unlimited in the military, medicine and government service. secondly, gloriafelt will speak, and gloria is a leading activist, a best selling author of four books, a commentator, a sought after after speaker on topics such as women, politics, power, health and can the media. her front line experience as to how to unlock intention and ambition in order to embrace the power to make a difference about what we believe in is, truly provides her with a unique perspective, and she shares that in her book, "no excuses: nine ways women can change the way we think about power." she's currently a professor at arizona state, and previously, and i know a lot of people in this room know her and we're very excited to have her return to ads, because she brought -- arizona, because she brought phenomenal growth to the planned parenthood affiliates in west texas and arizona. she was also the president and ceo of the planned parenthood federation of america from 1996 to 2005. and her honors include "vanity fair" magazine naming her one of america's top 200 women legends, leaders and trailblazers, and texas monthly naming her to its texas 20, describing her as part den mother, part businesswoman and part mae west. [laughter] so, please, join me in welcoming dr. connie mariano and gloria feldt to the festival, and we will begin with dr. mar yang owe's presentation -- mariano's presentation. thank you. [applause] >> thank you, becky, and thank you all for being here today. this is a challenge because i like to be unlimited physically, and i'm sort of limited right now physically as my colleague will agree, but we're going to handle it the best we can. in about 12 minutes i want to share you the journey which i outline in my book and encourage you to look at. one of the joys of being first or is you, obviously, get all the attention of being the first in a particular field, but the sadness is, number one, that you had to be the first in that particular field. but the other is the hope that people will follow you so you won't be the last. let me share with you a story. we're all here because we like stories, books are about stories, and we're going to talk about leadership. and in a lot of ways my life, my story, my journey is one about finding that i am a leader and becoming a leader. i live in arizona, i live in scottsdale. i moved here in 2001 after leaving the white house, but before then for nine years i was in washington, d.c., and this is where i lived and worked. actually, i felt like i lived there, i was there all the time. it's a nice piece of government property on 1600 pennsylvania avenue. [laughter] you all pay for it with your tax money. it's the 18 acres of the white house, and for nine years i was the house call doctor, the doctor on call there where i spent wonderful times and some sad times as well there. but before i wound up at the white house, my journey really began in a very far away place in another country, and that was in the philippines. this picture was taken in 1957. i was 2 years old. i'm the little girl, second from the left. those are my cousins. the two girl cousins on each side of me live in toronto, canada, and my cousin on the right -- the only boy -- is a retired navy serviceman in pensacola, florida. my father had received orders to the united states, and it was in pearl harbor we were stationed. so i first set foot in america in pearl harbor. and so i arrive inside the navy housing at pearl harbor, the daughter of an enlisted serviceman who was a valet. that's what you wanted if you were a filipino, to be a valet or steward in the homes of the admiral, and i began my american journey. here i am on my fifth birthday with my other class mates there, the girls in the neighborhood and my little brother who's rather confused where he fits in, but he found his way. [laughter] so that really began my ethnic journey. one of the things i struggled with was trying to fit in. your height, your size, your color, et, et, don't set the stereotype of what's typically american. you constantly struggle to find a place where you really fit in. i learned to resolve this by saying, you know, it's not so bad being the underdog. first of all, you know, you look different, people remember you, right? and you're also hungry for opportunities because you want to move out of your condition. you don't want to be poor again. you don't want people to underestimate you. you don't want to be undereducated. you realize there's only one way out, and it's got to be out and up. so that in my case set the drive and the desire to get out of my condition of which i was born into. and so you really had that, in my case, the drive to move on. what really helped me was education. okay? and i tell women, i tell everybody over and over again, your education is something nobody can ever take away from you, okay? you worked hard for it, you earned your degree, you earned your studies, and for me it was through education that i got my bachelor's of arts degree, my medical degree, it got me into the military, so i owe so much in terms of that. the other fact, it informs me in terms of a leader, as a woman leader, was really the military, the u.s. navy. i joined the u.s. navy in 1977 when i matriculated at the medical school in bethesda. my parents continue afford to send me, the only way to do it was a full scholarship, you just pay them back 12 years of your life, and i stayed on for 24 because it was that exciting. i learned a lot from the military. it really allowed me o become the person i am. and the things i really learned about was focusing on what the mission was about. what was our job, what was our mission, and that supersedes somebody's ego, supersedes whatever's going on. the other thing it taught me was respect for authority. and looking at my leaders and the people i served under, i was really fortunate to have wonderful role models and mentors who believed in me and guided me along and promoted me along the way. also taught me to be understanding and look out for my troops, the people who served with me and under me because you really, you're only as good as the people you work with and work as a team. i learned about camaraderie, but i also learned about not burning your bridges because sooner or later you're going to need help from one of those people you served with out in the field, so you're really going to reupon that. but in the end it was serving a higher purpose, and that's what gave me the courage to do the things that i did, was i believed in something higher that i had to do in this life. what did i learn from my nine years at the white house? you know, people ask me what's it like taking care of the president of the united states? it is a very humbling experience. it is one of the first -- it's the only job this america as a doctor that the present secretary calls you and says, doctor, the president will see you now, okay? [laughter] it's all about what happens in the lives of the president and the first family. you're there to serve them. you always know when a president's having his annual physical at bebethesda. you look in the waiting room, and there are doctors waiting there, and i bring them one by one to see the president. so you see a different perspective into the life of your patient. i travel with them everywhere, with the first family. you're with your patient 24 hours a day in sixness and in -- sickness and in health. you can see what kind of stresses go on, what kind of food he eats. you can see about some of the secrets he keeps that eventually get i -- divulged later down the line. [laughter] there are secrets that patients hide from us. it gave me a glimpse into the dynamics of any family, and really, and one of the secrets is this: if president refuses to listen to you, your advise, you appeal to higher authority, you go to the first lady, okay? [laughter] the presidents here are all standing behind their bosses. and one of the things about being a white house doctor is you can't have that job unless the first lady endorses you because it's really about making sure she's comfortable with you taking care of her family. she's protecting her family. and i look at that in my daily practice as well. when i talk to my patients, if first lady of the family isn't buying into this, it's not going to work. so you have to convince them this is in the best interests of their family. you take care of the organization again. it isn't all about me. people think, oh, you're or powerful, you've got connections, but in a lot of ways you're helpless because so many people work with you that if one person does something wrong, you're responsible. somebody asked me, they go, i how do you know who's taking care of the president? if i said, very simple. something goes wrong with the president's health, the press is going to nail you. you're the person they're going to bring on capitol hill and grill you. so you know you're in charge because you're the person they're going to blame. you ultimately are responsible for that, so you have to take care of what you do and how you groom them and grow them as well. my white house lessons were multiple. i learned about shattering glass ceilings before i even knew i was capable of doing that, and i think gloria talks about shattering glass ceilings, and i read her book which is a wonderful read. had i read your book, i would have gone further in my life. [laughter] but it really shows the things it takes. i was always a very shy, quiet person who sat this back of the classroom. i never imagined myself speaking on television, being on shows, never -- speaking in public. it takes courage that you pull within you and finding the conversation within your -- comfort within your own skin. because once you do that, you have no fear. you have no intimidation because you're speaking your own inner truth. one of the funny things i did learn was if you want to succeed, follow somebody who messed up. some of my greatest successes i followed guys who really messed up. one of the guys i followed, the very fact that i was sober was a huge success in that job. [laughter] i showed up sober, i was sober. the organization got better. and in that case i learned what not to do and always learn, obviously, you know what to do from good bosses, but from bosses who aren't great, learn what not to do and make sure you follow that so you don't make the same mistakes. and don't be afraid to create change. one of the things about people like me who always stand out in the some way is if you're going to stand out, i always tell people, make sure you're outstanding. they're going to remember you. it's your time to shine, so now's your time to stir it up. if you passionately believe in something, make change happen. it takes at least one person to start a revolution, and part of that is believing so much in your own voice that you believe it needs to be done and others will follow you because you are so passionate about what you believe in. here are my simple lessons that i share. in a lot of ways they overlap with what gloria is going to share with you today. demonstrate stuff over fluff. i look at a lot of people's resumés, and it's like, come on, show me the really substantial stuff that they did. not the pretty stuff but, but the hard core stuff that you really did something that impacted lives. i tell people over and over again, be honest, be forthright. you know, don't be deceptive. especially when dealing with the press. never deceive then, never lie. as a woman who's always been in jobs such as the medicine and the military and the government where you have more men than you and you, obviously, see a lot of politics going on, tonight let them overrun you. you know? patient, you're trying to educate them about being professional. you step up the standards. but you are also, you don't cower, and you don't back off when they try to push their way. the other thing i found is really having advocates, both male and female, to be supportive of me and find a voice. i was very fortunate to have hillary rodham clinton, what a great mentor there. when i needed help, i went to her. it got done. whatever needed to get done, got done. i tell women, don't play games, okay? if you're stressed, don't cry. don't engage in that, you know? you know, if you're going to play in the boys' world, don't do games that they accuse us of playing. so really you're elevating your standard to above sexual politics to make it work. and then again, seek people who enrich your life, who make you grow and mentor you, but also friends and very close friends whose shoulders you can cry on. i've had a lot of women friends who were very supportive. one of the things that kept me sane was once a month i had high tea with a friend of mine who happened to be a psychiatrist. she didn't have to give me medications, but the fact i got to talk to a friend i respected and mull thing over and share meant so very much to what i did. what would i prescribe to young leaders? number one of all, be true to yourself. my form of leadership may be different than yours, your daughter's, your granddaughter daughter's or somebody else, they have to find their own voice and be comfortable in their own skin. stand up and stand out. about people who are uncomfortable with the way i look and what i stand for, you know what? i tell people as my kids say, get over it. you know, i'm not going to die on you. i'll outlive you. what we have to do is keep the people who aren't as enlightened and as educated. so hope flow, you know, it -- hopefully, it's not a big deal to have a woman white house doctor anymore because we've had many of them which is my hope one day. leave those doors open and hand off the hammer to the other woman to hand it next. in other words, don't just be the first. promote others to be following in your path. that's part of the hope. but amidst all these thicks that we achieve -- things that i believe in achieving, you still have to maintain your humanity. one of the things i talk about is my secret for success is i grew up with the mantra you're never good enough, you're never good enough, you know? and that could be a dangerous thing at times, but in a lot of ways it keeps you grounded. your head doesn't get bigger than your heart or your brain. it keeps your feet on the ground and keeps you working hard because you really want to do good things in this life. and in the end, you know, i look at what i do, and it doesn't mean anything unless the people whose lives i touch and the organizations i'm involved with are better because i pass this way. so with that, i want to end my brief presentation and turn it back to you, and my esteemed colleague will continue. thank you very much. [applause] >> thank you. and now i'm very happy to have a presentation from gloria feldt, and we're just going to get the presentation up, and we'll be ready to go. just a moment. >> almost never use any audio/visual equipment. [laughter] if something can go wrong, it will. >> [inaudible] >> which is chaos, that's right. we will be carpe-ing the chaos, and we will mistake it all work. >> [inaudible] >> yeah, either way. east way. all right. either way. all right. you are brilliant. thank you. applause for the i.t. department. [applause] hi there. i am so happy to be here. this is the most amazing book festival i have ever seen. it is fabulous. fabulous, congratulations to all of you. [applause] i loved reading your book, connie, and when i did and from having met you and talked with you and now having heard your story in a little more detail, i just have to say that there is one thing that seems to be a thread between your story and my story even though we have had very, very different lives and very different experiences. and that is that we both felt different. we both felt very different. and what i have learned from that is that sometimes what you think is your liability in life turns out to be the greatest asset that you have. what you need, the resource that you need to do almost anything is right there in your hands if you can see it and if you can have the courage to use it. now, those are big, brave words, but let me assure you, i did not start from a place of power. a 16-year-old new mom does not start from a place of power. i was born in temple, texas, that is, where there was no temple. [laughter] my family was one of the very few jewish families there. my grandparents, all four of them, had immigrated from eastern europes. my father was a big, blustery guy, and my mother of all things in the 1940s and '50s, my goodness, she went to work every day. other mothers all stayed home and took care of their families. we were different, we were so different. it just, i just thought that was the worst thing in the world. and so i did what the culture told me to do. you got married, you had babies, you got the picket fence, you didn't have aspirations beyond that. if you went to college, it was to get your mrs, and above all you were not to be smarter than the boys. and -- oh, i hear some murmurs of yes. people understand this, right? [laughter] so this is me with my first born, tammy. bless her heart work had to put up with me going through my own growing and learning process. because what happened was that after the third child was born, i was 0, and an amaze -- 20, and an amazing new technology came along. oh, yes. [laughter] the birth control pill. and it changed my life, it saved my life in a way, it let me know that there was an opportunity for me to actually think beyond that picket fence as much as i loved my children and as much as at that point i still bought into the traditional susie homemaker version of womanhood, i knew that i could think a little bit more, a little bit bigger. and i started to college when my youngest child was four months old. it took me 12 years to finish for a variety of reasons. but during that time, it was a heady time of the civil rights movement. so i became involved in community activities to support those who were struggling for civil rights. and then i had another epiphany. it was this, hey, if there are civil rights, then, by golly, there must be civil rights for women too. and i took some inspiration from a woman who had figured that out a long time ago, sojourner truth. sojourner truth was born a slave, again, someone who started at a point of less than no power. but she became a leading abolitionist, a leading women's rights leader and a methodist minister. and you can see her attitude, i think it's attitude we all need to have. so that leads us to the question, imagine what would the world be like if women held equal positions of power and leadership? we can perhaps talk about that in the q&a a little bit. are we there yet? no? well, let's look at the numbers. you know, it is easy, i think, particularly for young women to think that we are there because, after all we have seen a woman first almost everything. didn't i tell you that if something could go wrong, it will with technology? if young women have seen a woman first almost everything, and every door has pretty much been opened at least once. we've changed the laws in so many ways, and yet here are the numbers. the first row of numbers, 60, 50, 18. anybody imagine what those might be? well, women are now 60% of college graduates. we are 50% of the workplace. we are 18% of the top management and leadership positions across all sectors. the next row, 51, 54, 17. we are 51% of the population. women are 54% of the voters. we are 17% of congress, and i couldn't resist, i took this picture of bruce babbitt swearing gabby giffords in her first term in congress. we know she'll be back soon. [applause] now, this next row of numbers just blew me away, 85, 15. do you know women buy 35% of the consumer goods of the sold? we make up 15% of the boards of directors of the companies who decide what we're going to be sold. [laughter] i think there is something deeply wrong with this picture. i but it means women have an inordinate amount of power in their hands that we don't use. power unused is power useless. and this tell uses that -- tells us that we could shape every consumer product be we got together and decided to do it. now the 15 and 15 is the one that gives us some of the answer to why this is. women get about 15% of the bylines on the opinion pages of the major newspapers around the country. now, that was something that really troubled me, and a friend of mine, katie other than steven, who created the op-ed project discovered in her research that women submit 15% of the op-eds. so you know what? you can't get your op-ed published if you don't submit it. you cannot get a political office if you do not run for it. you can't get into the c suite if you don't put yourself forward for it. and that's what i think the message need to be to women, and that's why i wrote "no excuses." not to blame women, but to inspire them to keep going because we are in an unfinished revolution. we are in an unfinished revolution, and it's really up to us to finish it because if we, if we stay at the current rate, it will take us 70 years to get to parity. now, ellie and i are, have been at this for, like, five decades or so, and we'd love to live another 70 years, right? but the odds of that are not great. so, therefore, i decided i had to do something fast. the thing is that everywhere we look people are telling us it is women's moment. i don't know, did you read "newsweek" this week? tina brown's first edition of "newsweek," this is women's moment, clearly. have you read nicholas christophe and cheryl's book, "how's the sky"? they say the moral imperative of the 21st century is the empowerment of women. ernst & young have looked at company across every sector, and they say those that have greater numbers of women in their upper management and on their boards make more money. they have a better return on investment: so everyone is looking at us and saying, this is women's moment. but like katherine big elope standing there with her two os corps car -- oscar, she sort of looked like a deer in the headlights to me like what am i going to do with this? i found from my research that women resist the power that's in our hands, and i started to look at why. why is this, why does this happen? and what i discovered is it has a lot to do with the fact that we have negative attitudes about the idea of power to begin with, that we have an old idea of power in our minds, an idea of power that was constructed back when it was brawn and not brains that made the difference for us and for society. power over is what we have in our minds and power over, you know, that's force for denying you something. a power over assumes there's a finite pie, and if i take a slice, there's less for you. power over makes you feel powerless. power over is oppression. but when i start talking to women about the fact that power is really amorphous, you can make it whatever you want to make it, just like a hammer can break or it can build, and be we change the definition in our minds to power to, then it becomes something very positive. it becomes problem solving, innovating, being able to do something good for the world, being able to treat your patients, being able to get an education, being able to help your kids have a better life. it becomes an infinite resource. the more there is, the more there is. power to makes you feel powerful. power to, therefore, is leadership. and leadership is nothing more than getting something done. i really like to demystify the whole notion of leadership. it is nothing more than getting something done, but for that you need your power tools. and can that's what i want to talk to you about now. i hate those books that talk about, oh, what's wrong with women, you know? women can't, women don't, this is why women never accomplish, this is why women don't get to the upper echelons. well, so what? the thing is that those doors are open, and it's really up to us the walk ourselves through. so what i wanted to do as a practical activist all my life is to share what i learned from my own life on the front lines of leadership and what i learned from talking with women all over the country, and i just call them power tools because i like to be kind of funny too. and that would help women actually stand in their power, embrace it and be able to walk comfortably with intention toward whatever they want to english in life. it's -- accomplish in life. it's appropriate that today since this is women's history month that today is know your history, and you can create the future of your choice. and what women have done typically, the women's movement in america has a history of women stepping forward and then stepping back of our own volition. this is very frustrating when you look at how it has gone. since abigail adams asked john to remember the ladies, and he didn't, and the ladies did not foment the revolution that they promised him they were going to do if he didn't remember them, that has been the, that has been the sequence and the trajectory, and that's what we need to change. no excuses power tool number two is define your term first before someone else defines you. we all know whoever defines the terms wins the debate. and i think just in redefining power i've given you an example of defining your own terms. use what you've got. again, as connie and i both took what was a liability to us in our youth, we hated that feeling of being different, of not being good enough, of not measuring up. but that's what propelled us into leadership, what gave us the passion for the poor, for the sick, for those who needed help in whatever way. use what you've got. i learned to embrace controversy. i learned to love -- how many of you love controversy? [laughter] i knew there'd be a few here. [laughter] how many of you hate controversy? see, most people really back off of controversy. but what i learned particularly from having had the opportunity to lead, oh, arguably the most controversial social movement in the world is that controversy is actually your friend. if something is controversial, it means you're important. it means you have the platform. people are paying attention the you. and, you know, i was thinking this morning arizona is the only state, i believe, that has ever passed the martin luther king holiday by a vote of the people. and i believe that only happened -- and it passed by a huge margin. i believe that only happened because it became a big controversial issue. so many people were thinking about it, they had to clarify their own values and, by golly, they came out to the polls. i'm saying this to you because i think arizona politic could use a little more of that kind of attention right now. [applause] some say the chaos. when things are chaotic, it always feels like you just want to pull in and go hide. but the thing truth is when -- the truth is when things are in chaos, that's when you can make the change you want to make. a good example is when the financial meltdown began. what if lehman brothers had been lehman brothers and sisters? [laughter] yeah, suddenly we can see thing differently, and we can see there may be alternative solutions. wear the shirt. this became a metaphor for me when i was here with planned parenthood in arizona, and we had a very small clinic in casa grande. i was visiting with the staff there one day, and one of the young women said to me -- she had on her planned parenthood shirt that the staff all wore in the health centers -- and she said, you know, every day before i go home i have to make a conscious decision, am i going to wear this shirt when i go home? because if i have to stop to get milk at the grocery store, do i want to have to engage in a conversation with the woman at the checkout count about what i do and why i do it? and i thought for a minute, and i said, you know,s that is exactly the time it's most important to wear the shirt. and wearing the shirt of our convictions is one of the most singularly important and effective leadership skills. when we think back to who are the people we consider to be the greatest leaders of all time -- male or female -- i guarantee you you're going to think of people who declared their intentions, who they wore the shirt. you knew where they stood. they might not have always won, but you knew where they stood, and ha's what their -- that's what their leadership imperative was. create a movement. it's, it's really the application of the principles i learned in social movement that i figured out can be applied to anies aspect of life. ny aspect of life. you may recognize a few knockes on the front line. madeleine albright, i was right next to her, she was like a tank. [laughter] you can't imagine what it feels like to have 1.2 million women behind you pressing on you, and she was like -- nobody was going to displace her. [laughter] employ every medium. the media informs us, and women have a huge opportunity in social media. it can change the world. women are 60% of the social media users. so what are we talking about on social media? where's our tahrir square? it's time. and finally, because this is a book festival, tell your story. and that's how we share these stories, the information from generation to generation. and because women's history isn't really taught very much in school, it's even more important for women with to tell their stories. so i'm wearing my shirt. [laughter] and i want to encourage you all to gather up your power tools and let us use them to help women reach parity because it is important for women, as my friend katie say, not just to have the power to choose, but to choose power. and be i want to -- and i want to close with one, one story. has anyone here written a book? okay, i see a couple of hands going up. then you know that there comes that moment where you have to give it up. you've been writing it, and you have to give it up to your editor, your publisher. you're done. you can't change anything else. so i was already a month late turning in "no excuses," and -- [laughter] i had to punch that send button the next morning before my editor got to her office. so at 2:00 in the morning i'm going through it one more time, and i found one of those, one of those errors that spell check cannot save you from. the word was supposed to be parity. it had somehow gotten changed to a party. [laughter] well, i guarantee you all that we will have a very big party when women reach parity, and will you all be there with me? thank you. [laughter] [applause] thank you. >> thank you so much. that was wonderful, and i would like to encourage people to come up to the microphones to ask questions. so if you have a question, you need to go to the microphone. i have a lot of questions, too, but we want to hear from you first. so, please, go ahead. >> yes. my wife happens to have gone to an all women's high school and all women's college and taught at an all women's college. and i was wondering what your opinion of single-sex education for women is nowadays, especially for secondary school? >> that's a great question. i'm very conflicted about it. do you have a thought? >> i do. actually, i spoke in honolulu last week at a private girls' school, and i was speaking to the educators, and they find especially in the elementary/junior high years it allows girls to not be distracted by boys. in fact, i was there to promote science and technology for girls, and it was cool to be smart and that at that age they're focused on competing with each other. but you also have very smart girls focusing on fields you're not going to say, oh, i want the boys to go can to the head of the class, so i think they're great. if i had a daughter, i would have sent her to an all girls' school. in fact, my stepdaughter did. she did very well. >> the conflict i have about that is what i think we should be aiming for really is a world where both boys and girls are running it, and so the trick then is to figure out how you bring the boys and the girls back together in a way that doesn't put the girls in a secondary position because i think they do find that once girls get into college and if they're going to a co-ed college, then they begin to sort of step back a bit, and i don't know. i guess if i had to err or, i'd err on the side of saying let's talk about these issues from earliest days, but let's try to have the two genders together along the way. >> please, yes. go to the microphone, please. yes, thank you. >> i'm a graduate of an all girls' high school, so -- catholic high school, so i thought it was great. and i went to college and had no problems with it. but my real concern right now is with the u.s. congress vote about planned parenthood that they're going to just abolish planned parenthood. in 1990 as a low- 1980 as a low-income mother, that's where i went not to go for an abortion, but to go for a pregnancy test. and because i was such a high risk at 34, almost 5 and with many health problems, they're the ones that pointed me to the doctor who would work the best with me and get me through that difficult pregnancy. and it's an attack on women for them to say not only that we can't fund abortion, but that we can't even have any public funding for planned parenthood. because for my whole life, i'm 65, and i'm a retired teacher. planned parenthood has been a very important part of our society. i don't know what'll happen in the senate, but i wondered if either one of you had any idea what will happen with that in the senate? >> well, i think in the current senate -- let me backtrack for a minute and say we fought these same battles in the 1980s, and we won them. i believe we will win them again. but we're going to have to use those power tools, and we're going to have to not be afraid to use them. and my concern right now is that i don't see enough proactivity and enough putting forward our agenda by the women's movement in general. and i guess, you know, the thing is that it's not just planned parenthood. we need to remember that too. because with title x planned parenthood only receives about 10 president of that fund -- 10% of that funding. this is way beyond planned parenthood, and you're absolutely right, this is an attack on women, it needs to be fought this way, and this time if women step back like abigail and her friends, we are cooked. so i say it's time for women's tahrir square. >> my question is pretty much on the same line with the conservatives trying to do away with abortion when women do not feel that they can handle a pregnancy or another child and the morning after pill, this is terribly serious, and with the people that we have in government and the judiciary i'm most fearful. >> when are you running for office? [laughter] i mean, seriously. the only antidote in a democracy to a policy you don't like is to change it, and if people there don't change it for you, then you have to, you have to either run somebody that you know will, or get in there and try to do it yourself. i wish there were an easier answer, but there really isn't one. and i don't know, connie, if you want to -- >> people you vote into office, and if you don't like what they're doing, vote 'em out. and you've just got to lobby like crazy. >> and people, i think the other thing is that people -- this is something we need to teach children from the very earliest years also which is that politics is not just about election day. the day an election happens, the next election starts. and it's all about who you write, who you lobby at that time, how hard you lobby, how willing you are to use your power, to use the power that's in your hands. if women are 51% of the voters -- excuse me, women are 51% of the population and 54% of the voters and 60% of social media users, okay. tahrir square tomorrow, i'm telling you. that's what we have to do. >> yeah, what advice would you have for young women that are just starting and, you know, they have good idea, today want to create change at work, but their process bosses, they're pessimistic, today tell you, well, that's the way it's been done, you can't do anything about it. what would you say? >> do not give up. i constantly heard that over and over and over again. be persistent, don't change your message. it's funny, when i got to the white house first time, there were all these questions like why do y'all do this? why isn't there somebody here at night with the president of the united states in case he falls down the steps or chokes on a lets l? [laughter] well, we've always had it this way. we had a new president come in and he said, all right, whatever you want to do. i said now that i'm the boss, i would like to do the following thing. i think be persistent, keep working it, and there may come a time you realize, i can't work in this environment, you know? and you move on or they have to move on. but don't give up. >> i'd add one thing to that which is the power tool about creating a movement. because women do tend to feel like they have to solve their own problems by themselves a lot, that women feel isolated often especially at work, i think. and so i think that, you know, if you can apply those principles of be a sister, reach out to somebody else if you think she needs help and ask for help when you need it. you're going to find there are other people who have the same issues and problems that you do and have the courage to actually raise those issues. and then if you think there's a workplace policy that needs to be changed or if you have a great new idea for something you think will make money for your organization, get your ducks in a row, get your facts in a row. get your sisters together -- and brothers -- who feel the same way and go try to make it happen. it probably will. >> i would like to ask, what happened to the era? as someone who supported the women that were looking for equal rights, it just seemed to disappear. >> it's actually up again. it's actually just been reintroduced by representative tammy baldwin from wisconsin. literally, this past week. >> i didn't know that. >> i know. it's not getting any media coverage, but it did. and i think -- if i'm not mistaken, i'm not completely versed on this, but i believe that it was introduced in a way that would allow the states that have not yet voted on it to vote on it. there only need to be three more states to ratify it. >> but what seems to me that the women's movement has seemed to kind of make it passe. >> in many respects, in many respects because of the battles we have won, many people feel that it is passe, so why not go ahead and pass it then? [laughter] >> i'm on your side. [applause] >> does anyone -- do you have a question? oh, please, go ahead. and then we'll go here. please. >> oh, dr. mariano, as a fellow asian/pacific islander, i wanted to ask you, did you face any discrimination as a fill pee that and as a doctor? >> well, actually, the a surprise that they thought i was a doctor because they usually thought i was a nurse or a medic or somebody's secretary. it was very -- you know, it got to the point i would just sort of smile, and my reaction was i'm going to educate them with a sense of humor. i think one of the stories i might have shared with becky was when i was at the white house, i had a day off, and i stayed home with my kids. and my first husband's caucasian, so my children look mexican. so i was hope tidying up, and somebody came to the door. looks at me, looks at my kids and says, is the lady of the house home? as you e know, people hi you don't understand your language like you don't understand -- [laughter] is the laidty of the house home. and i thought he probably thinks i'm the nanny, and i said missy no home. [laughter] of and later on he probably saw me on cnn and thought, oh, my god, that maid was the mother! [laughter] as long as i can do the things i want to do, whatever impression you have of me hopefully i can educate you otherwise. i'm a retired rear admiral, one star. of course, we're not supposed to have long hair. so i recently remarried, and when we go onto military bases my husband drives the car, he hands my id card to the marine guard, and he salutes and says, good evening, admiral. my husband goes, carry on. [laughter] you know, but it is. it's something that, you know, when i'm in honolulu, it's not a problem. i blend in. it is, but, you know, it's part of your chance to educate them, and then they realize, oh, my god, you are? and that's sort of because they're profiling us, right? they profile a lot of people. but hopefully, eventually through education and time, you know, it won't be a difficult thing to pick up. >> doctor, i'm also from hawaii, so i know what you mean. i also have the same problem because i'm a, i'm like the judge judy in the small claims court here. my litigants walk in the, and they always think i'm the clerk. [laughter] i'm not the hearing officer. laugh thank you. >> thank you. >> i was also based in the era where women in my household were told you just go to college until you can get your mrs, so i had three children in the '60s, planned children, i'm very delighted that i had them. but i also believed very strongly in a woman's right to choose, so i was thrilled when roe v. wade passed and, in fact, marched on washington in 1992 and again in 2004, you know, a woman's right to the choose. but a problem that i see now when you said the women's movement isn't doing anything, what women's movement? i think young women don't recognize what women went through before there was the right to choose and to get that passed. and so they just take it as something that they'll never lose, but they are in danger of losing it. so young women really need to get busy. >> well, i think that that's why it's so incumbent upon those of us who have been through those trials and tribulations to share our stories. it is really important for us to share those stories generation to generation so that young women do know. but i find that young women today are -- i really see an upsurge in interest, and they -- but, you know, every generation has to speak in its own tongues. and it's not going to be the same fight that we fought, and it's not going to be the same language even that we used. they're more likely to talk about -- and i actually support this whole, much larger, broader concept of reproduct e rights. i have a chapter called secure 500 pounds in a boom of your -- womb of your own because i believe economic and reproductive justice are intertwined. if you have those two things, you have control over your life in a much bigger way. and young women today, i believe, see that big wither picture much more than we did when we were starting out. and i think we should encourage that, support it, and there are actually quite a few young women's groups who are doing some initiatives. i think they're ready to pick up the torch, and they'll take it on. i'm a little more optimistic about it. >> very happy to hear that, thank you. >> i have a question. i know the last power tool you talked about was tell your story, and in the book you talk about how that can forge connection in community. and i know it can also inspire people, as in dr. connie's book. is there a moment where you met someone or you felt that connection in that community that was forged because you were telling stories? >> oh, absolutely. i've done 20 cities now, and invariably somebody will come up and say thank you for writing this book because they were having difficulty at work and it gave them the courage to speak up as this woman was doing, or, you know, i awz always i was an underdog and nobody believes in me, and now i know somebody who never even spoke the language when they came here. so you're rooting for the underdog and not underestimating yourself. >> yeah. similarly, actually just yesterday i received an e-mail from a woman who was at a breakfast, just a breakfast gathering in the home of one of her friends. and it wasn't even a formal book event, the just one of those things that just was happenstance. and she e-mailed to tell me that as a consequence, she had decided to start a new company with the express intent of designing everything from a woman's perspective. products in general. and how that's going to unfurl, i don't know. she wanted to get together with me and talk about it, but, yeah, i like that idea. and, by the way, i'm looking for the female mark zucker burg or bill gates. [laughter] zuckerberg. i want to know, if any of you know that person, i want to see the first woman that creates some new technology that changes how we do everything. i think that's the next frontier we need to be looking for. >> absolutely. >> and i have one more question. i think we have time for one more question. if anyone else -- oh, great. please, go ahead. >> it's a question for both of you. dr. connie, you came from very humble beginnings. i wanted to know your, your interest and desire to escalate yourself. did it come from a parent? and then you also had a conflicting message which was you're never going to be quite good enough. and so i kind of want to know where that came from. >> you know -- >> and then a question for gloria, i guess i'd like to know what tape was in your head that you had to work against. >> it's interesting, both my parents, my father was a navy steward and joined as a servant class, my mother was a dentist who went to dental school in the philippines in the 1950s and very wealthy family, so it was very -- and then when she, my mother married and became a housewife and was always depressed and hated it, hated it. so i grew up in a family where dad was the breadwinner. mother could have made more money had she gone to work but was sort of downtrodden. and a lot of it was she decided this is my job, but unfortunately, wasn't happy. i was still growing up thinking i need to do something about it, and as you read the book, you didn't quite trust your parents, so you were hypervigilant. my father's way to inspire me was in fifth grade he bought me one of those old-fashioned tine writers and said learn how to type because you can be a clerk typist. so i learned how to type, i learned to type 175 words per minute, i did that part time in college, helped pay for my college education. but it helps when you're a writer, too. so where do i get this desire? is i think from my teachers. i had wonderful professors or teachers who were just, go get it, you're smart, you can do it. and then in the navy, i really had a wonderful boss, captain midas, male physician who was the chairman of medicine said i'm going to nominate you for the white house. got to the white house, and bill clinton trusted me to take care of him and his family, and, you know, from there you just proceed. i mean, what do i plan to do? i have a concierge practice, so i'm a entrepreneur. i think i can expand it if i want to, but then i want to write more books and other things. and can then i was in honolulu recently and one of the judges said, well, why don't you run for office? i said, can i run for governor of hawaii? i know it's been done. my husband said, you probably have to live there. so i said, why can't i telecommute? [laughter] that's the benefit of knowing what ceilings have been shattered is like, it's unlimited. what do you want to do in the next chapter of your life? women are living longer, we're living in our 90s. we're going to outlive everybody. women become secretary of state this their 60s, so, you know, it's unlimited. our potential's there, but you have to decide i want to do it, and you have to have the tools to move forward. and a lot of times the only thing holding us back is ourselves you know? and our chances tell you don't hold yourself back. >> would you consider running for golf -- governor -- [laughter] >> i'll get back to you in the about four years. >> absolutely, absolutely. well, i also got the message about typing, but since i could never successfully learn how to type. i forgetted i had to become a ceo -- >> hire people. [laughter] >> now, actually, i dedicated "no excuses" to my father who always said to me, you can do anything your pretty little head desires. [laughter] now, i didn't believe him when i was young because the culture was telling me something complete hi different. completely different. and the example of my mother which is actually not terribly unlike connie's mother, although she didn't have that level of education going in, but she was very, very smart. she ran his office. she always knew