>> it's inspiring in speakers everyone will be able to hear from. there are wonderful workshops where you're going to have a more intimate opportunity to talk about issues that are of interest and concern, training, learning how to -- life a family member and a worker, issues around communication skills, networking, all the various kinds of personal development and professional development that women are interested in earning more about, and really tooling up. because that's really very much a part of it. >> you have such an example of somebody who had to balance so many things in your life, including a family, a husband, and so many things you've seen here in washington, and you say to women, and to girls, don't be afraid to take a risk. don't be afraid to fail. >> that's right. one of my hallmarks. in fact i have an actual paperweight on my desk that reads what would you do if you knew you could not fail? the truth is that fear sometimes of failure paralyzes us from

doing what we really are capable of doing. so i've had -- i love to tell young women in particular, this is what a three-time loser looks like. and i survived and thrived. and every time i've lost, i've really won. and that's part of my message. >> why do you think it's so difficult for -- i think that risk of failure, the fear of failure is one of the things for women, and girls, to want to take that leadership role on. it's hard to take the hit, because it's difficult when people criticize it. we're not raised that way. we're raised to be nice. >> we are raised to be nice. and i have a t-shirt that i often wear that says polite women don't make history. and, in fact, you know, women really need to be willing to step outside of their comfort zone. we oftentimes as women wait for someone to tap us on the shoulder, versus just going for it. i know in politics, in particular, it takes more for a woman to feel that she's capable of, i've got to have it all. i've got to have it all figured

out. men don't do that. they don't hesitate to jump in. and you know, we can learn a lot in terms of how they are willing to fail. and we've got to learn to do that, as well. >> we have about 30 seconds left, sheryl sandberg is going to be one of the speakers and she's got a new book stirring a lot of controversy "lean in." >> i applaud her for helping to re-ignite the discussion about feminism. there are still lots of issues. we still have women who are making 77 dollars for every $100 a man makes, in the same job. women are more reliant on social security for their retirement than men are. they live in poverty more than men do. so much more to do in that regard. jennifer granholm, former governor of michigan, first woman governor of michigan, will be one of our speakers, as will rita moreno who shows what another generation of women are still doing at age 80. >> and she's not getting up and she's taking charge of her life.

>> that's right. >> we do have to take a break. we have a lot more to talk about with congresswoman jackie speier. she's staying with us for another segment. don't forget to mark your california for the professional businesswomen of california conference. this year's theme the next genderation, thursday may 23rd in san francisco. you can go to cbwc.org for more information.

welcome back to "beyond the headlines" i'm sheryl jennings. today we're talking about pbwc, professional businesswomen of california with congresswoman jackie speier and she founded that nonprofit organization 25 years ago. well, it's just incredible, and you are using your position of power to do a lot more in addition to helping women. you're helping veterans, and you've got a big conference coming up. veterans are experiencing huge delays in getting their benefits, which is just criminal. >> it is. because we are first to say we take care of them when they're on the field, when they're fighting for us, and unfortunately, we sometimes forget them when they come home. the v.a. office in oakland which provides services in terms of filing and processing disability claims for veterans has the third worst record in the country. and i have been beating the drum for the last year trying to get them to clean up their act. we are having our second fix-it meeting, a town hall for veterans for the region to come on april 19th to the war

memorial building here in san francisco, and we're going to have the veterans administration there with case workers to help veterans with their specific cases, and also a town hall so we can hear from them, will also have some employers who are anxious to hire veterans. and that's an important component. and i continue to feel that their disability claims are the difference between some of them being homeless, and some of them taking their lives or being able to move forward with their lives. so it's very important that we resolve these claims expeditiously. >> now you had people lined up around the block, didn't you? >> we did. past the town hall, and we were successful in getting many of those cases dissolved. in fact, over the last year more than 2 million dollars has been resolved for veterans in my region. so, we're hopeful that we can improve upon that. >> all right.

you're also very concerned about military sexual trauma, msc for short. these incredible amounts of sexual assault in the military, one number i saw was an estimate of 19,000 cases. >> a year. 19,000 cases a year of sexual assault and rape only 13% of the victims report. i'll tell you why that is so critical. because when they report they oftentimes get labeled with having a personality disorder. they are honorably discharged from the military against their will, involuntarily discharged. the most recent case in afteriano, italy, a court-martial, sexual assault, five military members of the jury found this colonel to be guilty. and then the convening authority i refer to in this case was a three-star general, has the power under the uniform code of military justice to dismiss the case. and that's what he did. so -- >> you're trying to put a stop to that. >> i absolutely am. i introduced a bill that would get rid of that authority for the commander, in this case, who

was a three-star general, and should have known better. >> now are you getting any support? any bipartisan support? >> well, we are gaining bipartisan support and that's a very good sign. i had a conversation with the chair of the full committee of armed services in the house, and i think we're going to get much more traction on the issue this year. >> military sexual trauma stop act. a lot of acronyms. what's going on with that? >> the stop act would take the reporting of these claims of sexual assault and rape out of the chain of command. and you would report it to a separate office within the military that would be peopled with persons who have the skills and investigation and prosecution and what they determine in terms of whether or not to move forward with the court-martial would stand. it wouldn't be determined by the commanding officer. and that's important because sometimes the commanding officer is the assailant. sometimes the best friend of the assailant. or sometimes just looking for a promotion and concerned that if

somehow there's a rape on the record, it will impede their growth. so, that's why that role, that the unit commander has right now, is really misplaced. >> we have about 20 seconds left. what do you need people to do for this? >> what they should do is contact their local representative, ask them to support the stop act. ask them to take this issue of military sexual trauma seriously by fixing it. we've known about this for 25 years. and frankly we have done very little about it. >> all right. congresswoman speeder, thank you so much for being here. and i look forward to seeing her at pbwc conference. we do have to take another short break. and jackie speier is going to be the keynote speaker at the professional businesswomen of california conference. the theme next genderation is happening thursday may 23rd at musconi center west in san francisco. go to pbwc.org for more information. we'll be right back.

welcome back to "beyond the headlines," i'm sheryl jennings. today we've been talking about the premiere conference for women in business. the goal of the day to unlock the full potential of women in the workplace. it's happening may 23rd in san francisco at muss coney center west. alexandra roddy is here with us now. the senior vice president of strategy and delivery and she will be at the pbwc conference and you have such a great

personal story about how you got involved. so, i think it started when you're a single mom or a mom? >> yeah, so until 2012 or 2011, i guess, i was a single mother focused on raising my son. so it wasn't really possible for me, balancing career and baseball games and hockey games and all of that stuff to do as much as i wanted to in the charitable space. i've always been a big believer in we need to lift as we rise. my son is a sophomore studying history at columbia university in new york, so he's far, far away and i have time on my hands so i joined the board of a charitable organization in my city, the downtown oakland wide but i'm here today because i actually had the opportunity to join the board of the professional businesswomen of california, and this is an organization that is really all about inclusion, which is something i believe in

profoundly. and it's also all about gender equity in the workplace. so it's a very focused, thoughtful organization. actually, it's a funny story attached to this. the current chair of the board, renee kim and the former economic tifr director and i were young women coming up together in financial services. we worked for a rather legendary leader at wells fargo named terry dial and we all grew up together and we continued to stay in touch over the years. >> so invaluable to come through the ranks. >> my gosh, that network and the support we provided each other and the encouragement as we raised children, as we married, divorced, changed jobs, got the opportunity we wanted sometimes didn't get the opportunity we wanted but they would become involved with pbwc and when they approached me and said would you like to join us i just leapt at that opportunity. >> what can we expect from this year's conference? >> oh, my gosh, like all of our conferences and like all of our events we attempt to teach you things, inspire you, and connect

you with other women. this year is a little bit different. a little more exciting, i think. we've got this -- the wave riding the wave created by sheryl sandberg with the "lean nd she' movement and she's going to be a very big part of our conference. actually when you're at our conference this year, very, very different, we're actually going to sample sheryl's lean-in circle concept. and lean-in circles are something like a book club for your career. so the notion is that you come together in a small group, and you share your experiences, you build trust, you problem solve, and you help each other in that moment and in that mode to get more and do more than you might have been otherwise able to do. >> so this is like breakout sessions with small groups of women? >> that's exactly right. you know it's wonderful. it's the great generosity of sheryl sandberg and her incredible vision that we're able to do this. another organization called the young president's organization known as ypo which has been around for decades and they've

done incredible work helping young people to rise up and lead organizations, they're actually helping us facilitate what we're calling the mini lean-in circles. so it's going to be an amazing day. an amazing day. >> yeah, so, and i love the fact that it's a mentoring organization. people from all walks of life, and men are included, as well. >> absolutely. >> young girls we want young girls to be there. >> yes. so we actually host a young women's summit. we're doing things a little bit different this year. the young women's summit is going to be separate and a day all of its own. but that's always been an enormous part of what pbwc does and thinks about and coincides with i said before we lift as we rise and what we're trying to do is make sure that the way up is a little bit easier for those who are coming behind us. >> alexandra, one final question before we run out of time, pbwc is not just a once a year event. i mean people can get help from your organization all year round. >> that is exactly right. yes. we had webben ars and thousands of people from all around the world join our webinars.

again the notion is inspire, learn and connect. we also have regional events. they're a little bit smaller and more intimate in nature than the big annual conference. and those are another opportunity to join us and to energize and connect and be inspired to, to, to drive for that workplace equity that we're all hoping to achieve. >> all right. so it's a must-attend conference. >> it's a must-attend conference! >> thank you so much for being here. >> thank you so much for having me. it's very kind of you. much appreciated. >> well, we do have to take a break. now we have been talking about the professional business women of california conference. you've got to put it on your calendar, thursday may 23rd at mosconi west. we have more details at pbwc.org. ys of walking

to give a breast cancer survivor a lifetime-- that's definitely a fair trade. it was such a beautiful experience. (jessica lee) ♪ and it's beautiful (woman) why walk 60 miles in the boldest breast cancer event in history? because your efforts help komen serve millions of women and men facing breast cancer every year. visit the3day.org to register or to request more information today. it was 3 days of pure joy.

♪ and it's beautiful welcome back to "beyond the headlines" i'm cheryl jennings. we've been talking about women in the workplace. facebook chief operating officer sheryl sandberg authored a

controversial book called "lean in: women, work and the will to lead." abc 7 news reporter talked with sheryl sandberg about why her book is putting her in the middle of a heated debate. sandberg says women need to be more asserted in their careers, confident, ask for raises and take leadership roles. >> i wrote "lean in" to try to change the conversation around women from what we can't do to what we can. because no matter how much progress we've made, women are really far from having seats at the table where most decisions are made. and that means from the corporate board room all the way to meetings our voices are not really heard. >> facebook coo sheryl sandberg says she wants to create a movement. she's focusing on spurring action and progress among women who she says have been stuck for the last ten years. citing that only 15% of the top jobs in corporate america belong to women. and only 4% of stay-at-home parents are men. >> we're so enormously held back by these gender stereotypes.

a national retailer printed one view for kids, for the boys, smart like daddy, for the girls, pretty like mommy. that wasn't 1950, that was two years ago and we are still raising our children that way. >> reporter: in her book "lean in" sandberg says too many working women are holding themselves back, preventing their own success, because they're conditioned to choose being appreciated over being assertive. >> we call our daughters bossy. we don't call our sons bossy. we need to change this. we need to look at our daughters and say, she has executive leadership skills. >> reporter: sandberg is being criticized for her candor. she admits some of that comes because of her extraordinary success. she says that shouldn't cause people to discount her. instead, it should make them lean in. >> we so assume that our sons will lead and our daughters will nurture. and i think it would be a better world if everyone could do what they were passionate about. >> well, in addition to being facebook's coo, sandberg is also a member of the board of directors of the walt disney company which owns abc 7. joining me right now in the

studio is the president of the nonprofit organization called leanin.org, reachle thomas. rachel, it's so nice to you have here. >> thank you so much. >> and you are inspired by sheryl sandberg to start this brand-new organization. so what is it? >> the first time i heard sheryl talk about women in the workplace, it was incredibly brave of her to do. it really, really resonated with me. i dropped her a quick e-mail, said how much it impacted me both intellectually and emotionally and really that's where my journey with leanin.org started. eventually i found out she was writing a book with the idea in her original talk were really blown out. i reached out to her to see if there was anything i could do to participate. at that point a number of men and women were coming together to start leanin.org. and to really make the book the beginning point of something that could be about supporting women on an ongoing basis. i said how do i get in? we realized as we started to

work as a volunteer group that this is going to be a lot bigger than we realized. it is the right message at the right time. to sheryl tapped me to run in august -- >> really -- >> and i leaned in all the way and we just went through our lines. we launched in tandem with the book and the book is about inspiring women, and giving them advice, leanin.org is about giving them the practical skills and ongoing support to really reach their goals. >> i want to talk about your kids. because you have a son and a daughter. >> i do. >> and so what messages are you giving them? >> sure, so the story that i like to tell when people ask why i'm participating in lean in is they're talking about at the dinner table, and what is this, mom? why are you doing this? i said to gavin, he's my 7-year-old, i said gavin what if i told you that if daddy and i worked the same amount of hours in the same job, he would likely make more money than i do. and he looked at me and said, mom, that isn't fair.

out of the voice of a 7-year-old. and then i looked at haley my 5-year-old and said what if i told you the more successful dad gets, the more people will like him. and the more successful mommy gets, the less people will like me. and i thought she'd mimic her older brother, instead she looked right at me and said then i would be less successful so more people like me. >> whoa, that's the message that sheryl claimed. >> i am doing this so that my daughter and daughters all over the world never need to make that choice. >> and you also brought a lot of educational materials. i want to get to that before we run out of time. it's online, right? >> it is. there's a couple of things you can do online at leanin.org. the first is we have world class education. again on very, very practical skills women can use to be successful. free lectures. they come with discussion guides. and very actionable things that women and men can start doing today, in their careers, and in their lives, to bring about positive change. and then we also offer all the

materials and support to run what we call lean-in circles. so, what i always do is describe it as a book club with a purpose. >> is there a wrong way or a right way to do it? >> it's very interesting. one of the biggest questions we've been getting is how do i start a circle? is it peers? is it women in the same industry, different industries? can i do it virtually? the answer is you can do all of those things. this is about women coming to the as a group, there's strength in viewing things with the support of others, and coming to the on a monthly basis, learning together, using our education 58 content, and then learning from each other and supporting each other. >> but it's not just about talking about the kids, and what's going on in their life it's about taking ownership of their life. >> they've set goals hopefully as a group, they come with individual goals and discuss them and it really is that idea that the book club with a purpose. how are we supporting each other and achieving our goals, and -- >> now your personal commitment to this came out of you had heard sheryl speak. >> i did.

so she was invited to speak at a talk on a very interesting subject, usually 20 minutes or less, sometimes provocative in nature, and she thought she would talk on social media originally. and then she had that moment where she said you know what? there's a bigger topic out there, there's something i've been seeing throughout the course of my career that women are not taking the bull by the horns, sitting at the table, pursuing leadership roles, and to she made what i think is a very brave decision to talk about it openly. over 2 million people have watched the video. she received letters and e-mails from women and men around the world, and actually that's a lot of what led her to write this book was that outpouring of realizing that she tapped on something that was very important and that there was a growing audience around women and gender issues. >> i can't wait to see more of this at the conference, the pbwc conference. rachel thank you so much for being here today for sharing your insites with us. >> thank you so much for having me. >> and that is all the time we

have today. we could talk about this for hours, a special thanks to all of our guests. abc 7 is so proud to sponsor the professional businesswomen of california conference. it is thursday, may 23rd at in san center san francisco. to learn more about pbwc and to order your ticket goes to pbwc.org. and for information about today's program, just go to our website abc7news.com. we're also on facebook, and on twitter. i'm cheryl jennings. thanks so much for joining us. have a great week. we'll see you next time. bye for now.

>> right now, marking a milestone on one of our favorite shows. >> i think "castle" is simply easy to like. on the go with the new g.i. joes. >> you can expect some great entertainment. you can expect some fun.

>> fighting temptation with tyler perry. >> here's a cautionary tale. what do you think? >> and honoring tv's favorite four-legged friend. >> they're so grateful. they're so wonderful. >> we're rolling out the red carpet now. >> welcome to "on the red carpet" from the set of abc's "castle." i'm rachel smith. we love this show and it's amazing. who knew some of the crimes could be so much fun? we think that's what keeps fans coming back season after season. >> it's the comedic crime drama that has been charming fans for five seasons. and time has flown by. >> when you're in it, you're focused on the next episode, slugging away. everyone has a really strong work ethic. >> and that translates on camera, making "castle" one of the most endearing shows. >> i think we're an old school

tv show, the shows where i grew up with, in the 1980 eerks a mixture of everything like that together. >> it's sort of in itself. > what's not a secret is "castle's" dedicated fans. >> they've been there since day one. it's continued to grow. i've got to give all my thanks to the fan base and then to my fellow co-stars. >> you'll see the stars get together for a big celebration here on the set too. we're taking you to the 100th episode party coming up, but j.j. snyder hits the red carpet for the new "g.i. joe." >> hey, rachel, if you're looking for some action, otrc s found it here at the "g.i. joe" premiere. >> when i was a kid, i group up "g.i. joe" and