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| Women In |
| Greetings, and welcome back—watch anything good on TV last night? This is usually a business newsletter, not a sports one, but the story of Sue Bird’s WNBA season transcends box scores. Ms. Bird led the Seattle Storm to a fourth league title with her on the team, and is playing the best basketball of her life—at age 39. Ms. Bird, who set the league record for assists in a Finals game last week, is the WNBA’s oldest player, and, for the first time in her career, claims its top-selling jersey, too. Asked about her breakout season, Ms. Bird spotlights the achievements of her teammates, and suggests to the Journal that they’re what keeps her job interesting some 18 years after she entered the league. |
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 | | Sue Bird had the best-selling jersey in the WNBA in 2020. PHOTO: JULIO AGUILAR/GETTY IMAGES |
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| Off the court, Ms. Bird has set the tone in the most socially outspoken league in sports, helped negotiate a landmark collective-bargaining agreement as vice president of the players association, and pushed for a pay raise for the U.S. women’s basketball team. With her girlfriend, U.S. women’s soccer star Megan Rapinoe, she has advocated for gender parity in sports. And she did it after a 22-month hiatus from the game spent recovering from injury and in pandemic lockdown. We’ve written here about the ways many women are redefining midlife—whether through bodybuilding, surfing or writing—by leveling up, getting stronger and becoming more, not less, of a force with age. Ms. Bird, who turns 40 next week, shows that peaks can happen at any age. On to more news. —Nikki |
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| DIVERSITY ON HOLD: A White House order that sets limits on diversity training has caused confusion among government contractors, with some pausing programs and canceling events. Several large trade groups have protested the order. |
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| MANAGING UNCERTAINTY: Top CEOs talk about how to keep people from burning out while propelling their businesses forward as the pandemic stretches on. One takeaway: Wise leaders need to prepare for change and help workers stay engaged. |
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| CLOROX’S NEW CEO: Linda Rendle took the top job at Clorox in September, becoming one of the youngest leaders of a Fortune 500 company. Her challenge is meeting coronavirus-fueled demand. |
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| PANDEMIC MELTDOWNS: You’ve held it together for all these turbulent months—through quarantine, working from home, schooling from home, civil unrest and the most divisive public discourse in several lifetimes. And then something seemingly small happens and suddenly you’re screaming alone in your car or sobbing to your dog. Here’s how to lose it the right way. |
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| Rebekah Lane, a retired lawyer, wasn’t interested in supply logistics until the pandemic hit. “I didn’t ever give a thought to the supply chain and that restaurants, for example, buy their Clorox wipes in 500 wipes per can whereas we buy ours in 75,” she said. “It’s been a revelation to me.” A few years ago, Ms. Lane moved to Austin, Texas, from Las Vegas to be closer to family. In her comment on “Clorox’s New CEO Is Racing to Keep Wipes on Store Shelves,” she shared her concern for nieces and nephews attending in-person classes in middle and high school. They are required to disinfect their seating areas and school-owned devices upon entering, and then prior to exiting the classroom. The dilemma? “The school isn’t providing wipes, and the kids have no locker access this year.” The school can’t keep up with the demand for disinfectants needed to keep staff and students healthy. So Ms. Lane, 72 years old, is taking advantage of senior hours at local retailers. “I get up at 6 a.m. to make sure I’m at Sam's Club, Wal-Mart or Target by 7. At that time, I’ve been able to find and buy Clorox wipes, and, recently, a few cans of Lysol spray,” she said. She gives them to her sister to donate to the schools. —Interview by WSJ Audience Interaction Producer Nico Gendron |
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| TRANSFORMATIVE: WSJ readers shared their own experiences of physical and emotional change, in response to a WSJ article about a reporter’s journey into bodybuilding. |
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| SPACED OUT: This company is putting a new spin on the timeshare. Instead of using a house in a hot spot for a certain number of weeks a year, Pacaso is finding homes in suburban and other residential areas. Executives believe they’re answering consumers’ need for space. |
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| CUSTOM CLOSETS ARE BIG: Fueled by romantic comedies, influencers such as the Kardashians, and the Netflix show ‘Get Organized with The Home Edit,’ ultra-orderly room-size closets are trending. And, in the homebound era, they’re offering welcome comforts. |
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