Full Biography

Gloria Feldt is a leading activist, thought leader, keynote speaker, and author of four books on women’s relationship with power in all aspects of their lives, including work, politics, and personal relationships. She speaks from where the personal meets the political, having been dubbed “the voice of experience” by People Magazine for her frontline advocacy work for women as well as her own life story.

Former president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Federation of America whose journey to national prominence began as a teen mom in rural West Texas, Feldt’s latest book is the amazon bestselling No Excuses: 9 Ways Women Can Change How We Think About Power. No Excuses reveals why women are stuck at 18% of top leadership roles and, through both inspirational stories and practical tools, shows how women can redefine power, lead themselves with intention, and reach parity from the boardroom to the bedroom for good—their own and society’s. It tackles the hard questions of why women are not advancing faster (they’re stuck at about 18% of top leadership roles across all sectors) and confronts the internal barriers that remain even after the external ones are gone.

Previous books include New York Times bestseller Send YOURSELF Roses co-written with actress Kathleen Turner, The War on Choice, and Behind Every Choice Is a Story. Glamour honored her as Woman of the Year; Vanity Fair named her to its Top 200 Women Leaders, Legends, and Trailblazers; she is a Women’s e-News’ 21 Leaders for the 21st Century.

A recognized thought leader and expert in the field, Feldt teaches “Women, Power, and Leadership” at Arizona State University. She serves on the boards of the Women’s Media Center and the Jewish Women’s Archive.

Feldt’s commentary has appeared in The New York Times, USA Today,  The Daily Beast, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post, Saln, Alternet, Hufington Post, and numerous other print and web-based publications and blogs including ELLE, Glamour, and More magazines, and she is often quoted by these publications. She blogs on her website www.GloriaFeldt.com and is a regular blogger on FornesWoman.com, BlogHer Career, and Politico’s arena. She has appeared on most national news and public affairs programs, including: NPR’s “Morning Edition” and “Fresh Air”, the Today Show, Good Morning America, The PBS News Hour, The O’Reilly Factor, Hardball with Chris Matthews, Canada TV’s major political TV shows, and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. She’s also contributed chapters to several books, most recently Madonna and Me, Our Bodies Ourselves, Menopause, Becoming Ourselves: Reflections on Growing up Female, Why We’ll Win, and Abortion Under Attack: Women on the Challenges Facing Choice.

Feldt and her husband Alex Barbanell have a combined family of six children and fourteen grandchildren, which takes up about all of her leisure time. Connect with her on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter @GloriaFeldt, where she hangs out far too much.