All About That Bread | Sallie Krawcheck’s Financial Advice For Hard Times | America’s Top Female Wealth Advisors | And More

Plus: 12 Ways To Be More Optimistic

You’d be forgiven if you missed this, but yesterday was National Administrative Professionals Day. I took notice for two reasons—one personal and one professional. The personal: more than one woman in my family has made her living by being a secretary, office manager, or person who otherwise ensures the trains in an organization run on time. I owe my existence to these women—and, I suspect, more than a few organizing and project management personality tics.

The professional: ForbesWomen contributor Tanya Tarr wrote a great piece that tells the story of the secretary who in the 1950s used her insight to invent what many of us call “white out.” Bette Nesmith Graham was, by many accounts, a bad typist. But she had an interest in painting, and used that knowledge to create a correctional ink for typewriter mistakes. She called the product “Mistake Out,” and used it to form the Liquid Paper Company.

LPC would go on to export its products to 31 countries, employ 300 people and earn millions of dollars, eventually selling to Gillette for $49 million in 1979 (nearly $200 million in today’s dollars). But according to her son, Graham’s mission was to be a resource for her fellow secretaries. “She was a tool-maker,” he told Tarr, “and highly motivated to help working women.”

Cheers to women helping women; cheers to all the admins out there; and above all, cheers to continuing to stay safe at home!

Maggie

P.S.: Because I’ve been deeply self-conscious about how many paper towels I’ve been using in self-isolation, my favorite advice on the site this week comes from microbiologists whose research confirms that how we dry our hands is important in preventing the spread of coronavirus, and paper towels are indeed the preferred way to dry your hands after washing them.

ICYMI: Stories From The Week

Sallie Krawcheck, the CEO and cofounder of Ellevest, a digital investment platform for women, knows that many people are struggling financially right now. She has a lot of advice for anyone in that boat, but most importantly, she says, “be gentle with yourself.”

The coronavirus pandemic could have serious consequences for women, according to the UN Population Fund. Access to healthcare, economic factors and domestic violence during the pandemic may only worsen gender inequality.

Speaking of women’s health: prescription subscription and delivery services are becoming increasingly essential as people stay home. Here’s an inside look at Pandia Health, a female-founded birth control delivery company that’s growing in popularity.

As you’re likely all too aware, bread is having a moment during this pandemic, making Instagram stars out of many female bakers and sending sales at King Arthur Flour soaring. Baking has “really become our national pastime,” says King Arthur co-CEO Karen Colberg.

“What is so frightening about equality?” asks actress Cate Blanchett. It's a question that's on her mind after starring as conservative Phyllis Schlafly in Mrs. America, a limited series about the movement to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment that’s streaming now.

Sittercity, an online platform that connects parents with babysitters, has started offering virtual sitting to keep children occupied while more parents are simultaneously working from home and taking care of their kids.

Check List

#1: Pretend it’s Opposite Day. Remember that game you’d play as a kid? If you’re leading an organization through this pandemic, embrace that school of contrarian thought. For example: you’ve been told to plan ahead, but now, staying in the moment will serve you best.

#2: Turn off your microphone. Please, please, please, for the love of everything you hold dear in this world, mute your line on Zooms and conference calls. Minimizing distractions is both kind and the mark of a good leader.

#3: Admit what you don’t know. And, seek expert advice to fill that gap. It’s a quality that has helped female heads of state develop better track records in the fight against the coronavirus, and will help you in your career.