How To Commit To Change | Inside Britney Spears’ $60 Million Estate | Dr. Tarika Barrett To Become Girls Who Code CEO | And More

Plus: 10 Best Work-From-Home Cities In The U.S.

Yesterday, we broke the news that Reshma Saujani, the founder and CEO of Girls Who Code, is stepping down as CEO and passing the baton to her COO, Dr. Tarika Barrett, in April. It sounds like a typical leadership-succession story, but what I appreciated about talking to Saujani and Barrett was the genuine warmth in their partnership. 

I didn’t get a chance to get all of this into the story about Barrett’s promotion, but among the things she and Saujani talked to me about was the power of a COO in a founder-led organization. When the company has been your baby from Day 1, it can be hard to cede control, but when Saujani was going through fertility issues a few years back, she was able to turn to Barrett and say, “can you help me?” 

“I'm always surprised, when women in particular step down, and they don't have that person there,” Saujani says. “What I encourage every CEO to do is have their Dr. Barrett."

Cheers to that!
Maggie

P.S.: Because I have, um, many pictures stored on my phone and literally just purchased more iCloud storage to hold them all, my favorite advice on the site this week falls under “do as I say and not as I do”: give yourself a digital cleanse and get your photos under control.

ICYMI: Stories From The Week

Britney Spears is back in the spotlight following the release of a new documentary by Hulu and the New York Times. The doc looks at the #FreeBritney movement and the conservatorship that gives others (notably, her father) the right to control what Forbes estimates to be a $60 million estate.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday appointed Suzanne Clark as CEO. In taking the job, Clark will become the first woman to helm the organization in its 109-year history. 

Rihanna’s lingerie line, Savage x Fenty, raised $115 million to expand into retail, the company announced Wednesday. The round was led by private equity firm L Catterton, in which luxury giant LVMH has a stake, and came alongside news that operations at one of Rihanna’s other ventures, fashion house Fenty, have halted.

Former NEA partner Dayna Grayson and ex-Uber exec Rachel Holt have raised $140 million for their new venture firm, Construct Capital, to invest in manufacturing and other foundational industries. And in other VC news, dot-com bubble survivor Astia is back with a $100 million fund to invest in startups with at least one woman in a position of leadership or influence.

Karen Lynch took the helm of CVS this month, and Roz Brewer and Jane Fraser are set to take over Walgreens and Citi, respectively, in March. What do these women have in common, besides their new titles? They’re all over the age of 50, and they’re part of this week’s Forbes spotlight with Morning Joe and Know Your Value.

Also taking over the CEO suite next month: longtime Facebook executive Deborah Liu will become the CEO of Ancestry.com on March 1. Former CEO Margo Georgiadis had announced her plans to leave in December. 

Check List

#1: Figure out if your new idea is brilliant or hairbrained. To determine if your latest stroke of inspiration is ingenious or simply the result of too much coffee too close to bed, ask yourself these seven questions.

#2: Keep it simple. Have your Zoom meetings morphed into endless affairs? Does it feel like your team is speaking in code with all the jargon they’re using? Bring everyone back to their basics and communicate with clarity and efficiency.

#3: Commit to the change. If you’re “toying” with the idea of a career change (or any big change), you’re probably not ready to make the jump. Instead, start talking to others, asking questions and making plans—this will help you build momentum and make the goal a reality.

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