A New Probiotic Could Help Pregnant Women Safely Eat Fish. Plus: Should You Actually Wake Up At 4am?

Forbes

09-05-2025

This is this week's ForbesWomen newsletter, which every Thursday brings news about the world's top female entrepreneurs, leaders and investors straight to your inbox. Click here to get on the newsletter list!
With Mother's Day fast approaching, motherhood is at the forefront of our brains here at ForbesWomen. We recognize this holiday can provoke a range of emotions for people, depending on your life circumstances; for some, it is celebratory, while for others, the day can feel complicated, melancholy, and even frustrating.
For those who might be grieving the loss of a mother, mother-like figure, or child, I'd like to share this article about navigating grief. ForbesWomen contributor Cheryl Robinson spoke to sources about what people can do to honor the memories of those we've lost—and also how we can support those in our lives who might be grieving right now.
For those who are not yet mothers, ambivalent about motherhood or otherwise curious about the healthcare technology enabling parenthood later in life, I'll refer you to today's Morning Joe segment on the growth of egg freezing in the U.S. As Mika Brzezinski, Huma Abedin and I discussed in the segment, more women than ever before are freezing their eggs, but access to this technology remains a challenge, and it's also important that every person educate herself about what 'fertility preservation' means as it relates to her own body and potential outcomes.
And finally, for those who might be marking the day as a single mother, you are not alone! Roughly 21% of all moms are solo parents. This article from ForbesWomen contributor Michelle Stansbury has good advice on how you can celebrate yourself—or, conversely, skip the celebration entirely, which is entirely okay!
Take care of yourselves,
Maggie
P.S.: Don't forget that nominations for the 2025 U.S. 50 Over 50 list are open! Head to this link here to tell us about a woman you think should be on this year's list. Full nominations criteria are on that page but the two most important bits to remember: We're looking for people who were born in 1974 or earlier, and we're looking for women who have never been on the list before, because we don't allow repeats!
NEW YORK - CIRCA 1930: Blues singer and pianist Gladys Bentley poses for a portrait circa 1930 in ... More New York City, New York. (Photo by Michael)
This week marked the annual Met Gala, a star-studded and fashion-forward fundraiser that draws the attention of millions (and attendance of some of the world's most famous people). This year's Gala theme was 'Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,' which paid homage to the art of fine tailoring and the enduring style of Black men—from the 18th century through the Harlem Renaissance of the Roaring Twenties to present day. While the Met Gala primarily highlighted this tradition through a lens of masculinity, it's important to recognize the often-overlooked contributions of women, particularly masculine-presenting lesbians, who were also pioneers of this style.
Dr. Joyce F. Brown speaks onstage at FIT's Annual Gala (Photo byfor ... More Fashion Institute of Technology)
Speaking of powerful Black women in fashion: For more than 26 years, Dr. Joyce F. Brown has been a transformative leader at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), shaping the future of fashion education and the industry itself. As the first Black woman to become FIT's president, she broke ground and redefined the institution's role in a rapidly changing world. Dr. Brown recently sat down with ForbesWomen editor Maggie McGrath to talk about her work and legacy.
A newly-engineered probiotic can help reduce levels of mercury and make it safer for pregnant women and children to eat fish, according to new research from UCLA and UC San Diego's Scripps Institution of Oceanography.
It's been nearly three years since the Supreme Court's Dobbs v. Jackson ruling overturned Roe v. Wade and upended abortion access in the U.S., and new research from the Institute for Women's Policy Research finds that Americans wish companies were doing more on behalf of women's healthcare access. In fact, more than half of employed adults wish corporate America would do more to speak up for reproductive healthcare access.
When Stephanie Liu set out to build Nourish with cofounders Sam Perkins and Aidan Dewar, the business model was clear: Hire licensed dietitians, connect them with patients through a virtual platform, and bill insurance companies directly. Customers and investors agree: Since launching in 2021, Liu says Nourish has helped hundreds of thousands of patients across all 50 states and built a network of more than 3,000 dietitians. Last week, the company announced it raised $70 million in a Series B funding round, bringing its total funding to $115 million.
It may be 2025, but old-fashioned views about who should be the higher earner in a male-female marriage are still firmly entrenched. New research reveals that romantic relationships often suffer when women outearn their male partners. Even outsiders view these partnerships as less stable, less satisfying, and more likely to end in divorce.
1. Make it easier for your employees to 'fess up to AI shortcuts. Recent research shows that nearly one-third of employees using AI tools at work keep it a secret from their employers. This occurs for a variety of reasons, but could ultimately result in a security risk for your company—so here's what you need to know about fostering a culture of transparency around AI tools.
2. Build a personal brand that boosts your small business. Whether you're running a boutique fitness studio, a digital marketing agency, or a family-run bakery, customers want a human connection. They want to know your "why." Sharing your journey, how you got started, the values that drive you and the lessons you've learned not only builds authenticity but creates a relationship.
3. Consider whether you should *actually* wake up at 4am. We hear a lot about hard-charging founders and CEOs who get up well before the sun. But do those pre-sunrise alarms lead to peak productivity? Here's what you need to consider as you set your morning alarm.