Women are burning out weekly - these 7 fixes could change that
Plus: 👩🚀 Women in space 🎭 Girlhood on stage 👏 Inspiring schoolgirls
Stress has an insidious way of creeping up on us, like a cloud covering the sun, and before we know it, we have tipped from perhaps low stress levels into complete and utter overwhelm and even burnout if we don’t notice and act fast to change things.
And it’s more common than you think - research shows 85% of us experience stress at some point and 63% at least on a weekly basis, with women 10% more likely to experience stress than men daily. In 2026, research shows 66% of women experience stress at least weekly.
If you are tired of feeling stressed out then Dr Radha Modgil has 7 ways to tackle it.
Read the full article below.
Welcome back to Take The Lead, the fortnightly newsletter from The Female Lead.
Here’s a roundup of the articles you loved this month.
Christina Koch made history at the beginning of April as mission specialist on NASA’s Artemis II mission as she took off with her fellow astronauts to become the first woman to fly around the moon. Historically, nearly 90% of astronauts have been men so Christina’s role as a leader in STEM is crucial for inspiring young women and girls.
The sell-out play John Proctor Is the Villain, now set to return to the West End in 2027, follows a group of teenage girls in a 2018 Georgia classroom as #MeToo reshapes how they see The Crucible - and their own lives. What begins as literary analysis turns into a sharp, funny, and devastating look at power while keeping teenage girls - and their experiences - firmly at its centre.
Years ago, Jaqui Rhule-Dagher believed that coming out would “ruin her career” as one of the few Black employees at her firm, and she did not want to add her sexuality to the mix. Now out at work, she says LGBTQ+ visibility in law is still limited, with few senior role models, and founded Legally Queerly in 2023 to amplify queer voices across the profession.
Research shows that women are less likely to receive life-saving CPR in a cardiac arrest, with a third of UK women not given any help before emergency crews arrive. Studies also suggest hesitation plays a role, with many bystanders worried about touching a woman’s chest or using a defibrillator, despite the fact that immediate action is critical in those first minutes after collapse.
And pregnancy and baby charity Tommy’s has launched a Pregnancy Health Information Questionnaire to understand how pregnancy health information is shared across the UK and whether it’s reaching people when they need it most, with findings set to improve future guidance. Participants can also enter a £250 voucher prize draw.
Enjoy this issue, share it if you like it, and reply directly to let us know what you think.
You can also catch up on our most recent full newsletter here.
The Female Lead Team
🚀 Women are taking up space, literally
It was once one small step for man, but in 2026 it’s one giant leap for women.
The play reminding us all that girlhood isn’t trivial
By Freja Love, Social Producer at The Female Lead
What is it really like being a Black lesbian working in the legal industry today?
By Jaqui Rhule-Dagher, Lawyer and Founder of Legally Queerly
Women more likely to die from cardiac arrest because of their bras
The minutes after a cardiac arrest - when the heart stops suddenly causing the immediate loss of consciousness, collapse, and breathing - are crucial to save a life. But women are less likely to get …
6 schoolgirls solving real-life issues
Society has a tendency to talk about girls as future leaders, future innovators, and future change-makers. But across the world, many of them are already doing the work - often in ways that are pract…
New law transforms workplace rights for women
Millions of working women are set to benefit as new UK legislation brings long-overdue improvements to workplace rights.
Tommy’s launches new survey to understand how pregnancy health information reaches families
You know your own body best during pregnancy. But knowing when something might be wrong depends on having high quality, clear information at the right time.
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