What can one person do? More than you can imagine.

Today’s episode is about the power one person has to make a difference. There is so much that’s wrong with the world, so much that each of us wants to be different. And sometimes those problems —institutionalized sexism, racism, global warming, hunger, to name just a few—they’re overwhelming.

I feel powerless even thinking about it.

But today I bring you stories from two guests who decided to act. We’ll hear from Gina Glantz, who is a veteran political strategist who got fed up that there were never any women on stages at the conferences she attended. Gina started Gender Avenger, and came up with a quick and practical approach to changing that. It’s working.

We'll also hear from Shelley Zalis. She, too, was sick and tired of being the only woman in the room. The World Economic Forum at Davos was a particularly exclusive room. Or rather, a  series of rooms behind a number of security barriers near the top of a mountain—the very highest town in all of Europe. So Shelley started a new event, just outside those gates. It's called The Female Quotient.

This episode is for anyone who’s looking for a dose of hope and a call to action. You can listen right here, or below:

🦃 Office Hours: What can you do?

Listening to this conversation, I want to turn the question back on you: what matters to you? What change do you feel you want to see urgently? What are you doing about it? Join us Wednesday afternoon at 3pm ET on the LinkedIn News Page for Hello Monday Office Hours.

As our year wraps up, I’m taking stock personally. These days I’m thinking about climate change. I’m thinking about social equality. I’m hoping, as the holidays approach, that my neighbors aren’t hungry. Gina’s story and Shelley’s story, they are inspirations to me as I hope they are to you: If you are a person with any resources—time, money, relationships—you can do something. It’s incumbent upon you to try.