If Leslie Wood had taken the same professional path as her parents, she would have been an artist -- a musician like her father or a dancer like her mother.  Instead, Wood is an artist of data and analytics.  She is currently the Chief Research Officer of Nielsen Catalina where she has established a strong reputation in branding and connecting consumer viewing behavior with purchasing activity.  Her out-of-the-box conceptual thinking has led to industry recognition as an ARF award recipient.  Wood (pictured above) is the first female to receive the prestigious Erwin Ephron Demystification Award, which was first established by the Advertising Research Foundation six years ago.

Kim Martin has been an icon for me for most of my years in the media industry. After years heading up affiliate sales at Discovery, helming WE tv, then brand marketing at Meredith Publications, Kim has followed her own advice to follow one's dream with her Ascendancy Group, an executive coaching service for women in media and entertainment careers. Now this winner of more accolades than anyone else I know in our industry -- from Wonder Women to The Hollywood Reporter's Top 30 in Reality TV -- is sharing insights and very specific suggestions for career advancement via this podcast, Episode 31 of Insider InSites.

The day after the hearing in which Dr. Christine Blasey Ford recounted a high school assault, reportedly at the hands of the man who would become the next Supreme Court Justice, I attended the #SheIsEqual Summit.  Taking place during U.N. General Assembly Week, the event was co-hosted by Global Citizen, P&G; and the ANA #SeeHer initiative to accelerate gender equality.  It was an uplifting day for the private sector and the entertainment community to engage in public policy.