#ONAWLA

Absolutely fucking brilliant.

That's the biggest takeaway that comes to mind when I think about the week I spent with 24 other media makers for the Online News Association's Women's Leadership Accelerator. If you want to know what the future of news or the future or journalism or the future of digital storytelling looks like, follow this group of women. 

Media moves at a breakneck pace. Leadership takes everything that you have. Especially if you're a woman, or have been socialized as a woman. Last week was an incredible reminder that the world needs visionaries who value what we consider to be feminine—listening, collaboration, curiosity, and empathy—and also, who practice that we consider to be masculine—confidence, decisiveness, (strategic) selfishness, and ambition. 

If you don't know who Jen Mizgata is, know her name and her work. From what I can tell, she's one of the most talented program architects that our media world has to offer. If you need an incisive leader to guide your group through key design and systems thinking theories and put them into practice, know Tran Ha. There is no end to what is possible when these two women are present. I am an exaggerator, but that's just a truth. Thanks to the dozens of intrepid women CEOs, publishers, journalists, designers, freelancers, imagineers, and media makers of all kinds (and Raju Narisetti!) for investing in us last week. And for reminding us, in an anonymous quote from last week:

“Don’t stop where you fucking are because We. Need. You. At. The. Top. ”