We’ll always love you
Remembering the lives and impact of two giants
This week we lost another Unapologetic Icon.
We also stepped into season three of of our Say it Sister podcast.
The new season arrived at a moment of profound loss for the feminist movement. In recent weeks, we’ve said goodbye to two towering figures who shaped what “unapologetic” means for generations of women: Gloria Steinem and Dolly Parton.
Gloria Steinem, the co-founder of Ms. Magazine and a relentless advocate for gender equality, reproductive rights, and women’s civil rights, died on 2 September 2026 at the age of 92. For more than six decades, she championed the cause of equal rights for women, using her voice as a writer, activist, and organiser to push through greater rights for women around the world.
She once wrote: “Feminism has never been about getting a job for one woman. It’s about making life more fair for women everywhere. It’s not about a piece of the existing pie; there are too many of us for that. It’s about baking a new pie.”
Dolly Parton, the country music legend, songwriter, actress, and businesswoman, died on 25 August 2026 at the age of 80 after a brief battle with cancer. She wrote more than 1,000 songs, including international hits such as Jolene and I Will Always Love You, and became a feminist role model in her own right. She showed women how to wield power, privacy, and truth-telling all at once. She lived by the mantra: “I’m completely real.”
Their deaths are being felt deeply across the women’s movement. These were women who didn’t just talk about equality. They baked new pies, built new tables, and invited us all to sit down and share bread.
Why Their Loss Matters for All of Us
The passing of Gloria and Dolly isn’t just a moment for mourning. It’s a call to action.
While they shifted culture, the gaps remain:
• Women still earn less than men for the same work
• Women still carry the bulk of unpaid care and domestic labour
• Women’s health concerns - like endometriosis, perimenopause, and mental load are still minimised or misunderstood
• Women in leadership still face higher scrutiny, harsher judgement, and narrower margins for error
• Women of colour, disabled women, and LGBTQ+ women face even steeper barriers.
Gloria Steinem spent her life fighting for reproductive rights, affordable childcare, and an end to domestic violence.
Dolly Parton used her platform to support literacy, healthcare, and disaster relief while modelling what it looks like to be unapologetically yourself in a world that rewards conformity.
Their legacies are not just inspiration, they’re actually instructions.
The Themes We’re Exploring on series three of Say it Sister:
Our work is rooted in women’s real lives.
Here’s what we’re diving into:
• Setting the tone for an “unapologetic season” that’s grounded in authenticity, not performance
• Redefining unapologetic as alignment, not aggression
• Role models across generations from Madonna to Gillian Anderson, and why soft power matters
• Women’s health and visibility - including living with endometriosis and navigating midlife
• Boundaries in business and life -
naming when the exchange is off, and holding your ground
• Life stages as evolution - dark nights, transitions, and reinvention as growth, not failure
• Dropping the need to justify your feelings, your needs, your brilliance.
What We’re Called to Do Now:
So here’s the question for this season: What do we want to unapologetically create - what difference do you want to make?
Because the work isn’t done. The gaps haven’t closed. And the women who come after us are watching what we do now.
I’ve spent 14 years supporting women as a professional coach through key life stages, leadership transitions, and health challenges. We’ve seen what happens when women reclaim their voice, set clearer boundaries, and lead with authenticity.
This is your invitation:
If you’re ready to:
• Own your brilliance without guilt
• Rest when you need to, without apology
• Take the spotlight in a way that feels true
• Build legacies alongside other wise women
…then this season is for you.
If you know you are ready for a life changing experience, you can also join our next 6-month online Unapologetic Women’s Coaching programme.
