Lessons from a Legend: A Conversation with Gloria Steinem

BRG’s Robin Cantor and Chau Hoang discuss what the famed feminist and political activist taught them at the 2021 BRG Women’s Leadership Conference

A leading American feminist for decades, Gloria Steinem was a featured speaker at the 2021 BRG Women’s Leadership Conference in early May. BRG Managing Director Robin Cantor and Director Chau Hoang, who led the conversation, discuss what they learned from Steinem.

Q: What was your most important takeaway from Gloria’s remarks?

RC: What stuck with me was how she takes the long view, and how that makes her see that things really have progressed for women over the course of her lifetime. There was nothing negative or angry about Gloria; she has an open heart and exudes clear optimism, which is impressive given the ups and downs of the revolution that she’s lived through. I hadn’t fully appreciated her attitude from her writings, but it was quite clear after hearing her speak.

CH: Her optimism stood out to me too. In Gloria’s eyes, there are no barriers; things just take time to improve. At one point, we asked her what she would tell her 30-year-old self, and I was impressed when her response was “Things will be all right.” But critically, she also doesn’t advocate complacency.