Recognizing women in leadership roles

At the beginning of the summer, I wouldn't have really dubbed myself a Taylor Swift fan. But watching what she has done with her Eras tour has been pretty incredible. The singer could gross nearly $2.2 billion from this tour. I chatted with some locals who went to her concerts, and the consensus is that what she has done is incredible. Getting up on stage to perform for three hours a night, with multiple shows in each city, is pretty incredible. What's even more interesting is how she has turned her singing career into a very profitable business. She reportedly gave out more than $55 million in bonuses to her staff.

Another surprising female leader of the summer is Barbie. When I first heard about the Barbie movie, I had a stereotypical reaction to the stereotypical doll. Once I watched the film, however, I was proud of how director Greta Gerwig crushed the stereotypical role of Barbie and delivered an empowering message for girls of all ages.

Locally, last weekend we celebrated the career of another empowering female, Shawna Chenoweth, who retired from the Sanders County Sheriff's Office after a 28-year career in law enforcement. Interviewing Chenoweth, she told me twice how instrumental her parents were in instilling in her the belief that she could do anything. She challenged herself throughout her career and worked hard no matter what job she had, always remembering what her parents had told her. Chenoweth worked as a school resource officer during part of her career, and had a wonderful opportunity to be a role model to boys and girls alike.

Taking every opportunity and not limiting your dreams is a lesson we should be teaching all of the younger generation. I remember playing dress-up with my friends when I was in second or third grade and we would put on all my mom's dresses and shoes that she would wear to work at the bank and play like we were going to work. We also played with dump trucks. We played in the mud. And we played with Barbies.

I am fortunate to have grown up in a generation where girls were empowered to make their own decisions and succeed at whatever path they chose. Some of my friends from my youth became stay-at-home moms and some went on to college and successful careers. Whatever the decision, they had a choice and could be who they wanted. Every child should be encouraged to have that power.

— Annie Wooden