Women

Every year around this time, the world tells us to be merry. The lights go up, the commercials start shouting, and suddenly it feels like you’re supposed to be cheerful on command. But this year, that feels harder than usual... celebrate anyway

This article is about Toledo producing a “Boss Lady,” Dionne Phillips. Boss Lady is a colloquial term for a woman who is confident, assertive, and in control of her professional and personal life. The term implies strength, independence, and success. It’s used to describe someone positive, determined, creative, resilient and who inspires others. All attributes that describe Dionne.

I don’t even remember where we were standing. Maybe it was a conference hallway? Perhaps it was one of those moments that felt casual until it rearranged my life. I can’t quite remember, but she looked me dead in the eye and said, “You don’t need permission.” Not “you can do it,” not “you should try.” Just: you don’t need permission.

They won’t say it out loud, but they’ve been laying us off for months. Behind the headlines about “strong job growth,” the truth is staggering: nearly 300,000 Black women left the workforce in just a few months in 2025. But why? It’s not that we lack talent. In fact, we are overqualified in many cases.