R29 babes, the week begins with the last quarter moon in Pisces on June 8th, and collectively, this can feel like emotional editing mode. Last quarter moons help us release, refine, and reassess before the next lunar cycle begins. In Pisces, that process becomes less logical and more intuitive. You may realize you’re emotionally attached to a version of the future that no longer fits, a coping mechanism that once protected you but now exhausts you, or a dream that needs restructuring rather than abandoning. There’s no need to force certainty this week. Instead, notice where you need more trust, more rest, or simply more honesty about what your nervous system can realistically sustain.

Then on June 12th, Uranus in Gemini squares the North Node in Pisces, and here comes the collective wake-up call. The North Node in Pisces has spent many months teaching us surrender, intuition, spiritual alignment, compassion, creativity, and the ability to trust what cannot always be quantified. Uranus in Gemini, meanwhile, moves fast, questions everything, opens seventeen tabs mentally, and wants reinvention immediately. The square between them can feel like realizing inspiration without structure becomes chaos, while overthinking your path disconnects you from your intuition entirely. Some people may suddenly pivot directions, question long-held plans, experience unexpected news, or recognize they’ve been chasing stimulation while quietly ignoring what actually feels meaningful. The healthiest way through this transit is curiosity without impulsiveness. Stay adaptable, but grounded. Let new information reshape your plans without abandoning your deeper values in the process.

By the weekend, the atmosphere brightens considerably. Venus enters Leo on the 13th, bringing more warmth, confidence, creativity, romance, visibility, and a stronger desire to enjoy life instead of endlessly processing it. Then the Gemini new moon on the 14th arrives with fresh-start energy around communication, learning, networking, social connection, experimentation, and letting yourself try something new without demanding perfection from yourself first. This is excellent energy for introducing yourself differently, sharing ideas more boldly, refreshing your style, reconnecting with your inner child, or saying yes to conversations and experiences that expand your perspective. This week starts off introspective and emotionally complex, and it ends by reminding us that growth can also be playful, social, and surprisingly fun.

Read your horoscopes for your Sun and Rising signs for the most in-depth forecast.

Aries Sun & Rising:

Aries, the week begins with the last quarter moon in Pisces moving through your healing, solitude, and subconscious sector, so your first instinct may not be “go harder,” surprisingly enough. You may feel more tired, reflective, and more aware of emotional clutter you’ve been carrying quietly while staying productive on the surface. This is good energy for closing tabs mentally and emotionally: catching up on sleep, stepping back from draining dynamics, finishing something you know you’ve outgrown, or simply admitting where you need more support. Not every problem needs immediate action. Some things need space to untangle.

Then on the 12th, Uranus in Gemini in your communication sector squares the North Node in Pisces, and this can feel like your mind moving faster than your spirit can process. Some Aries may find themselves questioning plans, changing their minds rapidly, doom-scrolling instead of resting, or mistaking mental activity for genuine clarity. The way through this transit is not shutting your curiosity down, but rather slowing it down enough to hear yourself think. You don’t need to act on every thought the moment it arrives.

By the weekend, the atmosphere changes noticeably. Venus enters Leo on the 13th and the Gemini new moon follows on the 14th, bringing fresh fire into your creativity, communication, romance, and self-expression sectors. This is excellent energy for setting intentions around content creation, writing, dating, launching ideas, reconnecting with hobbies, improving your social life, or simply speaking with more confidence about what you want. The second half of the week reminds you that clarity returns faster when you allow yourself some joy, movement, and room to experiment.

Taurus Sun & Rising:

Taurus, the week begins with the last quarter moon in Pisces moving through your friendship, community, and future vision realm, so you may find yourself reassessing who and what you genuinely want to keep building toward. Certain social dynamics may feel complete, certain goals may need refining, or you may simply realize that not every opportunity deserves your energy. This is a useful week for stepping back from group noise, social comparison, or timelines that no longer feel like yours. Ask yourself which plans still excite you when nobody else’s expectations are attached to them.

Then on the 12th, Uranus in Gemini in your money and self-worth zone squares the North Node in Pisces in your future-oriented sector, and this can feel like a reality check around abundance, purpose, and sustainability. You may have exciting ideas about where your life is headed, but this transit asks whether your finances, confidence, or sense of value are actually supporting that vision. Some Tauruses may feel tension between wanting security and needing to adapt faster than feels comfortable. The way through this is flexibility without panic. You don’t need to abandon your long-term dream, but you may need to update how you’re funding it, pacing it, or defining success altogether.

By the weekend, the energy becomes noticeably warmer. Venus enters Leo on the 13th and the Gemini new moon follows on the 14th, bringing fresh momentum around home, money, self-worth, and emotional grounding. This is strong energy for setting intentions around income, pricing, budgeting, creative talents, or building a living situation that feels more aligned with who you are now. Let yourself enjoy the reset. Stability is still your language, but this weekend reminds you that stability can evolve too.

Gemini Sun & Rising:

Gemini, the week begins with the last quarter moon in Pisces moving through your career and visibility sector, so you may be reevaluating professional goals, leadership roles, or the version of success you’ve been chasing. Something may need adjusting before you move into your next chapter. This could look like letting go of a timeline that no longer fits, refining a project, or admitting that certain ambitions matter less than they used to.

Then on the 12th, Uranus in your sign squares the North Node in Pisces in your career sector, and this can feel mentally loud. You may feel pulled between the version of yourself that wants experimentation, reinvention, and freedom, and the part of you that still wants clarity around purpose, direction, or professional meaning. New ideas, sudden pivots, unexpected news, or changing priorities can surface quickly now. Try not to interpret every moment of uncertainty as a sign you’re on the wrong path. Sometimes this transit is simply showing you that the old blueprint can’t contain the person you’re becoming.

By the weekend, the mood shifts considerably. Venus enters Leo on the 13th, softening your communication style and bringing more confidence, charm, and creative expression into your everyday interactions. Then the Gemini new moon on the 14th lands directly in your sign, offering one of your clearest reset points of the year. Set intentions around identity, appearance, confidence, personal goals, creative projects, or how you want to introduce yourself to the world. You’re allowed to change your mind, your style, your story, and move forward with more clarity than you had even a month ago.

Cancer Sun & Rising:

Cancer, the week begins with the last quarter moon in fellow Water sign Pisces moving through your expansion, travel, and belief sector, so you may find yourself reassessing where you’re headed and whether your current mindset actually supports the future you say you want. This is a strong week for releasing limiting beliefs, unrealistic timelines, or philosophies that once guided you but no longer resonate. You don’t need every answer right now, but you do need enough honesty to admit where your life has outgrown a certain narrative.

Then on the 12th, Uranus in Gemini in your spirituality and subconscious sector squares the North Node in Pisces in your expansion sector, and this can feel surprisingly internal. Restlessness, vivid dreams, unexpected realizations, changing spiritual beliefs, or a strong sense that something beneath the surface is shifting without a clear instruction manual attached to it can all be part of this transit. You may want certainty while simultaneously feeling called toward surrender. Try not to force clarity prematurely. Quiet reflection, journaling, therapy, spiritual practice, or simply stepping away from constant stimulation can help you distinguish intuition from anxiety.

By the weekend, the mood becomes lighter and more grounded. Venus enters Leo on the 13th, bringing warmth and magnetism to your money and self-worth sector, while the Gemini new moon on the 14th offers a fresh start in your healing and subconscious sector. This is excellent energy for setting intentions around rest, emotional boundaries, spiritual growth, or releasing patterns that quietly drain your energy. The week ends by reminding you that growth isn’t always loud or visible. Sometimes it looks like finally feeling safer inside your own mind.

Leo Sun & Rising:

Leo, the week begins with the last quarter moon in Pisces moving through your depth, intimacy, and shared resources sector, so emotional honesty becomes hard to avoid. You may be reassessing financial agreements, emotional boundaries, trust dynamics, or the ways you merge your time, money, and energy with others. This is a useful week for closing financial loops, clarifying expectations, or simply acknowledging where vulnerability has felt more complicated than you expected.

Then on the 12th, Uranus in Gemini in your friendship and community sector squares the North Node in Pisces in your intimacy sector, and this can bring tension between your social life and your deeper emotional needs. You may realize that certain friendships no longer align with the version of yourself emerging beneath the surface, or that group dynamics, networking opportunities, or future plans are asking you to evolve faster than your emotional comfort zone prefers. The challenge here isn’t choosing between freedom and closeness, but learning how to maintain individuality without avoiding emotional depth altogether.

By the weekend, the atmosphere shifts dramatically in your favor. Venus enters your sign on the 13th, immediately boosting confidence, visibility, creativity, and your desire to enjoy life more openly. Then the Gemini new moon on the 14th lights up your friendship and future sector, making this an excellent time to set intentions around collaboration, community, social media, long-term goals, or surrounding yourself with people who genuinely energize your vision. Let yourself be seen this weekend. Your future benefits from your presence.

Virgo Sun & Rising:

Virgo, the week begins with the last quarter moon in Pisces moving through your relationship sector, so partnerships, friendships, collaborations, and emotional reciprocity come under review. You may be noticing where a dynamic feels balanced, where it needs clearer communication, or where you’ve quietly adjusted yourself around someone else’s needs for longer than you intended. This is a useful week for refining expectations, releasing old resentments, or becoming more honest about what partnership actually requires from both sides.

Then on the 12th, Uranus in Gemini in your career sector squares the North Node in Pisces in your relationship sector, and this can feel like tension between professional evolution and personal connection. A sudden work opportunity, change in priorities, public visibility shift, or new ambition may challenge the balance you’ve created with important people in your life. Some Virgos may feel pulled between independence and partnership, or between the life they’re building publicly and the emotional agreements sustaining them privately. You don’t need to solve the entire equation immediately, but flexibility will help more than perfectionism this week.

By the weekend, the energy softens and opens up creatively. Venus enters Leo on the 13th, bringing more sweetness to your healing, solitude, and spiritual sector, while the Gemini new moon on the 14th lands in your career and visibility sector. This is powerful energy for setting intentions around leadership, reputation, long-term goals, creative direction, or the professional identity you’re stepping into next. The week may begin with questions about balance, but it ends with a much clearer sense of where your ambitions are asking you to grow.

Libra Sun & Rising:

Libra, the week begins with the last quarter moon in Pisces moving through your routines, wellness, and daily life sector, so you may be taking a closer look at what’s actually sustainable. Workload, sleep, habits, boundaries, screen time, your relationship to productivity… all of it becomes easier to notice when something feels slightly off. This is a useful week for simplifying systems, clearing clutter from your schedule, or admitting that certain obligations are taking more than they’re giving back.

Then on the 12th, Uranus in fellow Air sign Gemini in your expansion sector squares the North Node in Pisces in your wellness sector, and this can feel like tension between the exciting life you want to build and the practical reality of your energy levels, body, or everyday responsibilities. You may want to say yes to every opportunity, trip, collaboration, or idea while quietly knowing your nervous system needs a more thoughtful pace. The lesson here isn’t choosing between growth and stability. It’s building a version of growth that your real life can actually support.

By the weekend, the atmosphere becomes much more social and creatively stimulating. Venus enters Leo on the 13th, bringing warmth to your friendship and community sector, while the Gemini new moon on the 14th lights up your expansion sector. This is excellent energy for setting intentions around travel, learning, publishing, spirituality, dating outside your usual type, or simply letting your world become bigger than it was before. The week ends by reminding you that new experiences often arrive disguised as simple conversations or unexpected invitations.

Scorpio Sun & Rising:

Scorpio, the week begins with the last quarter moon in fellow Water sign Pisces moving through your creativity, romance, and inner child sector, so your attention turns toward what feels meaningful, joyful, and emotionally alive. You may be reassessing a romantic dynamic, a creative project, or simply your relationship with pleasure itself. This is a strong week for releasing perfectionism around self-expression and being more honest about what actually brings you fulfillment beyond productivity or obligation.

Then on the 12th, Uranus in Gemini in your intimacy and shared resources sector squares the North Node in Pisces in your creativity sector, and this can stir up tension between emotional vulnerability and personal freedom. Questions around money, trust, commitment, sexuality, or emotional merging may intersect with your desire to create, date, play, or simply live more authentically. Some Scorpios may realize they’ve been overthinking joy, overcomplicating intimacy, or waiting for perfect certainty before allowing themselves to move forward. Let complexity exist without needing immediate control over every variable.

By the weekend, the energy becomes noticeably bolder. Venus enters Leo on the 13th and activates your career and visibility sector, making you more magnetic professionally and more willing to take up space publicly. Then the Gemini new moon on the 14th offers a fresh start in your transformation and shared resources sector. This is powerful energy for setting intentions around finances, emotional healing, intimacy, debt repayment, investment strategies, or redefining what security and trust look like for you moving forward.

Sagittarius Sun & Rising:

Sagittarius, the week begins with the last quarter moon in Pisces moving through your home, family, and emotional foundation sector, so your focus naturally turns inward before the pace picks up again. You may be reassessing family dynamics, living arrangements, emotional boundaries, or simply what helps you feel grounded after an intense stretch of growth and movement. This isn’t a week for pretending you’re fine while quietly running on fumes. Make practical adjustments where you need more stability, privacy, or emotional breathing room.

Then on the 12th, Uranus in Gemini in your relationship sector squares the North Node in Pisces in your home sector, and this can feel like relationship developments moving faster than your emotional comfort zone prefers. A partner, collaborator, friend, or important conversation may challenge old ideas about security, commitment, or where you belong. Some may feel pulled between maintaining independence and building something more rooted with another person. Stay flexible without abandoning your instincts. Not every unexpected shift is a problem to solve; some are invitations to update what partnership means to you now.

By the weekend, the mood becomes much lighter and more future-focused. Venus enters fellow Fire sign Leo on the 13th, bringing warmth, confidence, and a stronger appetite for adventure, while the Gemini new moon on the 14th lands directly in your relationship sector. This is excellent energy for setting intentions around love, collaboration, dating, business partnerships, or improving how you communicate in your closest connections. The week begins privately and emotionally, and ends with clearer momentum around who you want beside you in the chapters ahead.

Capricorn Sun & Rising:

Capricorn, the week begins with the last quarter moon in Pisces moving through your communication and mindset sector, so you may be reconsidering a conversation, a decision, or the story you’ve been telling yourself about a situation. This is useful energy for editing, clarifying, journaling, studying, or finally saying something with more precision and less emotional buildup attached to it. Notice where overthinking has replaced actual communication.

Then on the 12th, Uranus in Gemini in your work and wellness sector squares the North Node in Pisces in your communication sector, and this can feel like your schedule, responsibilities, or nervous system demanding an update to the way you operate daily. You may have a breakthrough idea about work, health, productivity, or technology while simultaneously realizing your mind cannot keep functioning on constant stimulation and twenty competing priorities. Your challenge, should you choose to accept it, is to communicate more clearly about capacity, boundaries, and what’s realistically sustainable for you right now.

By the weekend, the energy deepens but becomes more empowering. Venus enters Leo on the 13th, softening your intimacy and shared resources sector, while the Gemini new moon on the 14th lands in your routines and wellness sector. This is excellent energy for setting intentions around health goals, work systems, emotional boundaries at work, financial organization, or creating a daily life that supports the future you’re building rather than quietly draining it.

Aquarius Sun & Rising:

Aquarius, the week begins with the last quarter moon in Pisces moving through your money and self-worth sector, so your attention naturally turns toward value: what you’re earning, what you’re spending, and what you’re tolerating emotionally or professionally that may no longer match your standards. This is a strong week for reassessing budgets, pricing, spending habits, or the quieter emotional question underneath all of it: do your choices actually reflect how much you value yourself?

Then on the 12th, your ruler Uranus in fellow Air sign Gemini in your creativity, romance, and pleasure sector squares off with the North Node in Pisces in your money sector, and this can create tension between security and experimentation. You may want to take a creative risk, change your dating approach, invest in a passion project, or simply prioritize joy more openly, while another part of you worries about practicality, timing, or resources. The lesson here isn’t to suppress spontaneity, but rather learning how to let creativity and stability coexist instead of treating them like enemies.

By the weekend, the mood becomes warmer and more relational. Venus enters Leo on the 13th and lights up your partnership sector, bringing more sweetness, attraction, and generosity into one-on-one dynamics. Then the Gemini new moon on the 14th activates your creativity, romance, and self-expression sector, making this a beautiful time to set intentions around dating, artistic work, pleasure, confidence, children, or reconnecting with the version of yourself that creates and loves without needing excessive permission.

Pisces Sun & Rising:

Pisces, the week begins with the last quarter moon in your sign, making this one of the more personally significant weeks of the month for you emotionally. Last quarter moons are about release, reassessment, and refinement, and in your sign, this can feel like noticing what version of yourself is ready to be retired. You may be more emotional, intuitive, tired, inspired, or simply more aware of where your energy’s been leaking. Give yourself room to adjust expectations, release unnecessary pressure, or let go of identities, habits, or emotional narratives that no longer fit who you’re becoming.

Then on the 12th, Uranus in Gemini in your home and roots sector squares the North Node in your sign, and this can feel like external change colliding with your personal growth process. Family dynamics, housing situations, emotional boundaries, or questions around belonging may suddenly require more flexibility than you planned for. You may be craving reinvention while simultaneously wanting emotional certainty. The way through this transit is allowing your definition of stability to evolve rather than forcing your life to look exactly like the version of security you imagined six months ago.

By the weekend, the atmosphere softens and brightens noticeably. Venus enters Leo on the 13th, bringing more harmony into your routines, work life, and relationship with your body, while the Gemini new moon on the 14th lands in your home and emotional foundation sector. This is powerful energy for setting intentions around living situations, family healing, emotional boundaries, decorating, moving, resting more intentionally, or creating a home environment that genuinely supports your creativity, peace, and next chapter.

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Maybe it’s just my algorithm, but it feels like my timeline is full of women rejecting — or at least rethinking — ambition. Author (and fellow Canadian journalist) Amil Niazi wrote the book Life After Ambition: A Good Enough Memoir about her personal journey away from the pressure to lean in. “Ambition is still an important and necessary tool, but in capitalism, it’s also designed to work against you,” Niazi told Toronto Life earlier this year. Similarly, comedian Phoebe Robinson did a standup special last year called “I Don’t Wanna Work Anymore” all about dismantling  girl-boss culture. “Not being a girlboss has allowed me to have a fuller life, which I think is great, not only for my own personal happiness, but it [also] inform[s] my work and the way that I approach it,” Robinson told the LA Times. It feels like we’ve been in an anti-ambition moment for a few years now but I mention Niazi and Robinson specifically because they are both women of color. And for awhile, the girlboss craze and then its subsequent backlash all felt very white. As a workaholic who was raised by immigrant parents to work “twice as hard” as my peers to be successful, I didn’t think leaning out was an option for me, and neither was the c-suite. But, like many millennials, I am burnt out and frustrated with working myself to exhaustion for little reward, especially at this point in my career when I am in a senior position. 

I also know that, as irritating as it is, my ambition is an integral part of who I am. While I relate hard to Niazi and Robinson and understand the (much needed) shift away from hustle culture, I am still hustling. My job is still my life and a key part of my identity. And I’m OK with that — for now. I just hate the systems we’re forced to work under that create a lack of boundaries and a breeding ground for burnout (capitalism is so annoying). “When I hear about women losing ambition, I take it with a grain of salt,” The WIE Suite founder and CEO Dee Poku tells me over the phone days after she hosted a two-day summit for women entering the third act of their careers. “Women might be fed up with systems, but I don’t think we ever lose that drive. It just takes a different form. We’ve done the traditional sort of workplace ambition and this is a different ownership of our own destiny.”

That mindset was at the core of The New Guard Summit, a two-day event in The Berkshires curated by Poku and The WIE Suite, “for women leading the next era,” says the event’s press release. “The flagship in-person event, gathered for senior women leaders navigating the third act — the career and life phase defined by impact, legacy, and purposeful reinvention. Programming spanned keynotes, expert breakouts, fireside conversations, table braintrust exercises, and partner activations.” When Poku invited me to the event, I was hesitant considering the aforementioned burnout and overall networking fatigue. But the summit was so much more than just another conference designed to push you back into the workforce with increased productivity or a place to rattle off your resume. It was a reset and a challenge: what do you want the next phase of your career to look like, how will your goals affect the rest of your life — mind and body — and how will you make it all happen?

The Summit 101 — & A Reminder Your Third Act Isn’t About Age  

“Community is really important to me,” Poku says about why she wanted to create the New Guard Summit. “Curated community is really important to me. And the reason that it’s important is that we should have as many different types of people in our lives as possible because we are multidimensional people. There is something so valuable about curating women who have goals and aspirations in common, who are at a similar place in their lives and careers, and can be deeply useful to one another. It really helps us move forward in our careers and certainly in our ambitions if we have that peer support.”

That curated peer support was on full display throughout the summit. The theme was The Third Act and focused on three pillars: health, wealth and influence. Speakers included Victoria’s Secret CEO Hillary Super, Scale AI co-founder and world’s youngest self-made billionaire Lucy Guo, celebrity stylist Micaela Erlanger, DIOTIMA and Proenza Schouler Creative Director, Rachel Scott, and renowned women’s health expert Dr Sharon Malone.

When you think of a third act, you may think of being in your 60s, post-retirement, but Poku described it as a career stage of maximum choice and autonomy, where one leverages established expertise for personal impact, distinct from age or retirement. Act One, according to Poku, is the very early stages of a career when you are just entering the work force, finding mentors and yourself. Act Two is when you’ve found yourself and your stride, you have reached a leadership position and are in a position to shape the way decisions are made, but you are still beholden to a system, your bosses, or authority figures around you. And Act Three is all about freedom, baby. You are in control of who you work with and how you live. “It’s less about doing what’s expected or doing what you’re boxed into,” Poku says. “It’s saying, this is how I want to live and these are the people I want to work with and this is what I know and how I’m going to apply it to the rest.”

So, to speak in Beyoncé albums, I would consider myself in the Cowboy Carter era of my career; confident, creative, and been around long enough that I consistently deliver excellence. I’m a senior director. I love my job. But that freedom Poku speaks of is still out of reach. The media industry is shrinking so editorial directors are now also content creators, editors, video editors, writers, reporters, talent bookers and social media managers. I am not able to how and when I’m going to work — or with whom — yet, but it does feel like that Third Act is fast approaching. Could a trip to the Berkshires with a bunch of ambitious women get me there faster?

The Drive To The Berkshires That Felt Like Crossing Into A Different Chapter

I flew into Newark airport the morning of Day 1 of the summit and headed to WIE Suite member Stephanie Roberson’s house in New Jersey. She’s the Chief Merchandising Officer at Shopbop and graciously offered to drive us to the summit at the Miraval Berkshires Resort and Spa. Before I even got out of the car, I realized that Poku’s curation skills were already on display. Roberson is one of the most impressive and kind people I’ve ever met and learning about her work, her advocacy for mothers and maternal health, was so inspiring. 

By the time we wound our way through the rolling roads of the Berkshires, my out-of-office reply had been active for a few hours, and I was already resisting the urge to check Slack.

Old habits die hard. But chatting with Roberson brought me back to the purpose of the next 48 hours and the temptation to fall back into the grind subsided. 

If a Third Act is the phase of life and career that exists beyond the relentless climb, it was time to ease up on the incline. As we pulled up to one of the most bougie and beautiful resorts I had ever seen, it was exciting to know that I’d be surrounded by founders, executives, investors, board members, and creatives who had already accumulated the titles, the promotions, the exits, and the accolades that society tells women they can’t have.

The question hanging over the summit wasn’t how to get more. It was, “What happens when you’ve achieved what you once thought would define success?” For many women, especially those who have spent decades proving themselves in rooms not built for them, that’s a surprisingly complicated question. As I arrived, New Guard tote bag now in hand and networking instincts fully activated, I expected conversations about scaling businesses, maximizing influence, and staying competitive. Instead, what I found was a collective interrogation of ambition itself.

The Message Was About Purpose Instead Of Pressure

There’s a familiar script at leadership events. Someone asks what you do. You answer with your title. You discuss growth, opportunities, goals, and metrics. Everyone leaves inspired to work harder. There’s pressure to be productive. This felt different and that was intentional. Throughout the summit, women who had reached objectively impressive heights spoke candidly about exhaustion, reinvention, caregiving, grief, menopause, aging, and the quiet realization that achievement alone doesn’t provide meaning forever.

On day one, there were movement sessions in the morning, journaling time to set our intentions, a cocktail hour and dinner where Poku and others shared remarks. One of my favorite moments came from Toni Wallace, Partner and Head of Global Music Brand Strategy & Partnerships at UTA. During dinner, Wallace was one of the select  few women asked to speak on their third acts. “As far as what I would like my third act to look like? I would really love to do something with purpose and impact,” Wallace said. “I’m deeply concerned, as I know many of you are, about what’s happening in the world right now and I have a very difficult time sleeping. I just feel like we all need to be using the incredible gifts that we have to help make a difference.”

Wallace’s candor was so refreshing and I witnessed multiple women approach her afterwards to thank her for being so real. So many of us aren’t sleeping. And now is the time to step up and lean into purpose. The stakes are too high. In the U.S., women are losing rights as this administration is hell bent on dismantling any progress that was made in the Obama era. As Wallace said, in a room full of women with influence, thinking about using that power for good is necessary.

The Conversations Around Aging, Wealth & Influence Felt Radically Honest

“I hear some version of women figuring out their health, wealth, or influence every day,” Poku says. “Women are really thinking about their health in different ways. And it’s not just about like self-care, but it’s really like, how can I live better longer? The women’s health space has exploded and is very much driven by women.  We’re really finding innovative solutions to how we live our lives. But it also feels really overwhelming. I just wanted to hone in on that and bring some experts to the table to help us understand how we should be living our lives in our 30s, 40s, 50s, and onwards.”

In many professional environments, aging remains a topic people approach cautiously, especially women. At the summit, it was discussed openly. Women spoke about visibility, relevance, changing identities, health, and the realities of navigating workplaces that often celebrate youth while simultaneously benefiting from experience. Rather than framing aging as decline, attendees described it as a period of expanded perspective. There was a noticeable absence of apology. When it comes to wealth and money, Poku wanted the summit to focus on more than just “doing the basics” or “what our financial advisor tells us to do.”

“How can we be really clever about building, growing wealth over the long term?” Poku asks.“Let’s think about generational wealth, which I think about a lot in terms of Black women. I’m in rooms where this sort of wealth information is being passed down by wealthy people to the next generation. They’re getting access to information because they’ve had access to this wealth over longer periods. So, how do we get in those rooms and how do we get access to that wealth information if we haven’t had generational wealth in that same way?”

One of the speakers during the wealth sessions said something I’ll always remember: “The real wealth is going from ‘how much’ to ‘what for?’” That brings us back to purpose. 

For the panels on influence, Poku says she wanted them to be about how “the concept of influence has changed. And I would say executive women want to also have influence in a way that’s different to being an influencer.” Her hope was to equip executive women to build a direct audience via platforms like Substack and podcasts, enabling a different kind of impact that they used to have. 

“It used to be that you build this career, you build all this knowledge, you build all these relationships and you became a VP or an EVP or CEO or president, and your influence was filtered down through the company,” Poku says. “And now we’re really thinking about the way you build your influence beyond being confined to the workplace. Now, there is the ability to have a more direct line to your audience.”

In the afternoon influence session on day two, Jo Cronk from Whaler spoke about the difference between creators (“storytellers”) and influencers (“endorsers”). Cronk was honest and irreverent about the state of the business and how to bridge the gap between marketing, branding, and real, true influence. Many of the women in the room shared their frustrations with the expectations for everyone with a successful job or business to now become an influencer as she gave honest feedback and tips on where to start. Not only did the summit act as a beautiful reminder to own our worth and power, there was also tangible advice we could take with us. 

Women talked about setting stronger boundaries, caring less about external validation, and becoming more selective about where they invest their time and energy. The honesty felt radical precisely because it was so ordinary.

Community Is The Real Power Move

“I host a lot of gatherings and I remember a friend, one of our members, saying to me that the thing that she loved about walking into an event that I had hosted was that as a CEO and as a mother, she was always the one making sure everybody else was taken care of. And what she loved about walking into a WIE Suite event was that she felt that someone was taking care of her,” Poku says. 

For all the discussions about leadership, the strongest takeaway wasn’t about strategy, it was about community. Many attendees spoke about the isolation that can accompany senior leadership roles. The higher women rise, the fewer peers they often encounter who understand the unique pressures they face. The summit created space for something increasingly rare: candid conversation without performance. People shared uncertainties alongside accomplishments. They exchanged lessons instead of elevator pitches. They asked questions without pretending to already know the answers. In a culture obsessed with individual achievement, there was something powerful about witnessing women invest in collective wisdom.

A woman I met during the summit (I’ll keep her anonymous for her privacy) worked at Meta and was laid off the morning of day two. She wasn’t upset, she was excited. Because she was surrounded by women who told her she was exactly where she was supposed to be. And she new that with this newfound community, she’d be okay.

I Left Thinking About Ambition Differently

On the bus ride back from the Berkshires, I kept returning to a simple idea that surfaced repeatedly throughout the summit: ambition doesn’t disappear as we age, it evolves.

For some women, that evolution means launching another company. For others, it means mentoring future leaders, pursuing creativity, strengthening relationships, protecting their health, or reclaiming time that was once consumed by professional demands. None of those paths are inherently more valuable than the others.

What The WIE Suite’s The New Guard Summit offered wasn’t a blueprint for your next chapter but permission to imagine the rest of your whole proverbial book. In a world that constantly encourages women to keep striving, climbing, and accumulating, the most transformative message I heard all weekend was that ambition can be measured by more than capitalistic achievement. Sometimes ambition looks like expansion, relationships, redefinition or reinvention. And sometimes, after decades of proving yourself, ambition looks like finally asking what you want — and allowing the answer to be enough.

I’ll leave you with my favorite quote from an interview with Jill Scott (talking to Angie Martinez) about the stages of a career that, to me, encapsulates everything the summit taught me and what I’m striving for in the present and future.

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Masters of the Universe is one of 2026’s biggest blockbuster films, but is it worth watching? The action-superhero movie is based on the ’80s toys, which spawned its own He-Man animated series, and even a live-action movie of the same name starring Dolph Lundgren and Courteney Cox. This new version stars Nicholas Galitzine as Adam/He-Man, Camila Mendes as Teela, Jared Leto as Skeletor, Alison Brie as Evil-Lyn and Idris Elba as Duncan. The film itself delves into what it really means to be a hero (AKA, we just need confidence to be a hero in our own lives), and that power can come to the unlikeliest of people. It’s a whirlwind of action, comedy and heartfelt scenes, and it fits neatly into the US summer release schedule.

Below, entertainment writers Bernice Corral and Rachel Choy delve into Nicholas Galitzine’s transformation into He-Man, why Masters of the Universe is so entertaining, and who the real hero of the story is. Spoilers follow.

Rachel Choy: What did you expect going in, were you a fan of the original IP?

Bernice Corral: I didn’t actually know much about it aside from the memes that I’ve seen online. When I watched the trailer, my first thought was it reminded me of Guardians of the Galaxy and Thor Ragnarok, which conveniently are two of my favourite Marvel films, so I was thinking, I’m gonna enjoy this.

RC: I never watched the cartoon. I don’t always love superhero films, and I’m not actually that into Marvel. I don’t hate them, just a bit indifferent. I was kind of curious about Masters of the Universe because it looked quite campy, a bit silly, goofy. But I was really entertained during it. I found it really funny, a bit stupid. They always make comments about Adam’s thighs, which never got old. I wrote this one quote that Skeletor says: “Your long sword dangling between your glorious thighs”.

BC: He was right!

RC: And everyone always goes on about his gorgeous muscles, his tan, and his loincloth.

BC: I wonder if in the cartoon that’s also a bit, or if they decided to bring it into the live action, but I think it’s quite fun either way.

RC: It’s also quite deep for a superhero movie too, because everybody has daddy issues, and it’s all about finding your inner power.

BC: The power is in YOU all along. I think if a kid were to go and watch it, that’s a great message to come out of the movie.

RC: Adam, played by Nick, is a bit useless, though. All the men are useless.

BC: Real. Teela was the glue of the entire planet.

RC: She’s such a badass.

BC: Yeah, and then having to also navigate her relationship with her dad amongst also saving everyone, and being like, oh Adam, you gotta lock in bro.

RC: Come on Adam! And she saved him from death many times. She sends him into the back of the plane, and he flies the wrong way. You think: how does the hope of this planet rely on you? It’s very funny though, how he comes from Earth. But his room is covered with drawings of a sword. If he brings a girl home, how does he explain that?

BC: And it’s funny because he put all the drawings of his actual family in a box, but what he wanted on display were his sword drawings.

RC: He’s basically saying, it’s just in case I forget what the sword of power looks like. I don’t think you’re gonna forget what it looks like my guy. I think you’re fine.

BC: I think five drawings are enough. That’s basically the wallpaper of your apartment.

RC: Nick was a great choice though, because he could portray both an awkward and silly side, but also lock in and become a superhero. But also low-key, when he first transformed from Adam to He-Man, he was basically naked.

BC: The POV is abs. They could have surely used a different shot here.

RC: My husband, when we watched the trailer, he was like, Galtizine is not big enough to be He-Man! He’s too small! I was like, are you seeing this? He’s huge.

BC: He’s massive! There were so many shots of his muscles, and at one point I was thinking one paper cut on a vein would actually draw his blood supply.

RC: When he went to the gym for the first time I was like, my guy. You’re obviously already big, I think you know what you’re doing.

BC: I’ve also seen people online always make the joke about how Nick will always portray a character as a himbo. That’s so true, he also did that movie with Charli xcx 100 Nights Of Hero. And then this one. I’m like, actually, I do see that about him, even if it’s not intentional.

There were so many shots of his muscles, and at one point I was thinking one paper cut on a vein would actually draw his blood supply.

Bernice Corral on Nicholas Galitzine in Masters Of THe Universe

RC: Maybe that’s his niche. Wait… imagine if he was this buff playing Prince Henry in Red, White & Royal Wedding.

BC: No! In the first movie when he hides in that closet, at this size, he wouldn’t fit in there.

RC: He would have burst out like, oh hey! Okay wait, back to Adam. So Adam also has daddy issues. He’s trying to get his father’s approval the whole time, that’s heavy. I feel that.

BC: Yeah, and spoiler, then he kills him. That got dark.

RC: And then he finally got reunited with his mum, and he’s like oh hey mum, yeah I saw Dad, I killed him, but I got his approval just before he died, so I’m good.

BC: I can finally heal my childhood trauma.

RC: I did love how he came from the corporate world on Earth though, and tried to implement his strategies into… war. He rallies everyone together to ideate during a war seminar. Adam, please!

BC: He’s talking about team building and conflict resolution. And everyone’s standing there like, let’s actually get to saving the planet before you die.

RC: It’s so good! I feel the same way when we use corporate speak in our life. But that scene was so silly and fun, especially with all the names like Fisto. Even the music they use and slow-motion walking, you can’t help but smile in the cinema.

BC: Also, this is Mattel’s next IP movie after Barbie, which was such a big success.

RC: I wonder if we’ll see more and more of these IPs, because obviously existing IP is all the rage right now, because studios are just focused on making money.

BC: I also think when it comes to toys, they’re not reliant on following an exact storyline. You don’t have to go in thinking, oh, this scene I read in the book wasn’t how I imagined it on screen.

RC: You have a bit more freedom. which is fun!

BC: It’s such an easy watch even if you don’t know much about it. I’m curious to see people who grew up with the cartoon, what they think about it and how it compares.

RC: I know somebody who grew up with the cartoon, is a massive fan of He-Man and went to the preview screening. He said it was a perfect He-Man movie, and he loved it. What did you think of the post-credit scene? I interpreted it so badly.

BC: “Are they dating?” – Rachel Choy, about He-Man and his twin sister She-Ra.

RC: I was so sure they were in love. This is his wife. Nope. His estranged sister makes way more sense. It makes me think that it’s going to be a big franchise. I hope it becomes really popular and successful, because it’s a different offering to the other superhero movies out there. I think those who don’t love Marvel, DC or superheroes can get on board with this one.

BC: And even though we didn’t grow up with it, it also felt very nostalgic of the ’80s.

RC: Yes! It’s the costumes, the hair, the awkward jokes. So overall, do you think Masters of the Universe is worth watching?

BC: Yes, if you want to have a good time. It’s such an easy watch, and you don’t need to know the backstory.

RC: If you hate fun, don’t watch it. Sorry that your life is so bad.

BC: Don’t go in if you want to watch a movie that’s going to be nominated for 10 Oscars.

RC: And you know what? A lot of times Oscar movies are very pretentious, and I don’t want to watch three hours of war. I mean, this is about war, but there’s also a giant green cat and a planet called Eternia. But I’m keen for this one to continue.

I hope it becomes really popular and successful, because it’s a different offering to the other superhero movies out there.

Rachel Choy on Masters of the universe

BC: I’m excited to see if he comes back as He-Man, because I want to see his dynamic with She-Ra.

RC: Yeah, I’m interested to see him naked again.

BC: We had arm shots, but not many thigh shots, despite them talking about it constantly.

RC: That’s in the sequel!

This conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Masters of the Universe is now playing in theaters.

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Your sun sign (also known as a star sign) can reveal more than your basic personality. It can also show how you work, what motivates you, and what kind of workplace helps you do your best. Every sign has a different relationship with pressure, creativity, routine, freedom, responsibility, and recognition. Knowing yours can help you understand why certain environments feel energising, and others feel like a slow drain. In traditional astrology, career is read through the whole birth chart, not just the sun sign. But the sun sign is still a useful starting point. It shows the style of work that feels most natural to you.

Aries

Aries is a Mars-ruled sign. It runs on action, initiative, and a degree of competition. Aries people tend to know what they want before the meeting is over. They make decisions fast and they prefer to own them. They are suited to roles where speed has value: entrepreneurship, emergency services, surgery, competitive sales, the military, fitness, trades, and leadership positions where someone needs to go first. The environments that bore them fastest are the ones with too many layers between a decision and its execution.

Their great strength is the willingness to start. Most organisations have plenty of people who can execute once the path is clear. Aries is the one who goes before the path is clear. What Aries cannot work without is real challenge. Clear targets, genuine autonomy, and enough pressure to stay sharp. Micromanagement does not slow them down so much as it turns them off entirely.

Taurus

Taurus is a Venus-ruled sign. It is built for patience, quality, and material understanding. Taurus people know what things are worth. They can assess value, build slowly, and produce work that lasts. Finance, property, food, beauty, design, craft, music, agriculture, luxury goods, and stable business roles all tend to suit Taurus. So does any field where the quality of the output matters more than the speed of production.

Their strongest quality is consistency. Taurus understands that good work is not done quickly, it is done properly, and that the difference between the two matters in ways that become obvious over time. The workplace that works for Taurus is stable, fair, and unhurried enough to allow good work. Rush them or underpay them long enough, and they become immovable.

Gemini

Gemini is Mercury-ruled. It is the sign of language, trade, and the movement of ideas. Gemini people are quick, curious, and genuinely interested in what other people know. They collect information the way some signs collect things. They are well suited to writing, journalism, media, marketing, sales, social media, teaching, translation, publishing, technology, and research. Anything that requires explaining a complicated thing simply, or selling an idea to someone who did not yet know they wanted it, tends to come naturally to Gemini.

Their strongest quality is adaptability. Gemini can shift registers, read a room, and communicate across almost any context without losing the thread. Give Gemini variety, conversation, and the freedom to move between tasks, and they will work well. Take all of that away and the role becomes something closer to a slow punishment.

Cancer

Cancer is Moon-ruled. It is connected to care, memory, emotional intelligence, and the protection of things that matter. Cancer people build loyalty slowly and keep it long. They work best when they feel personally connected to what they are doing. Healthcare, psychology, childcare, hospitality, food, education, social work, real estate, family business, and support-based roles all tend to suit Cancer. They are also often drawn to history and to any field where the human element is the central variable.

Their strongest quality is emotional perceptiveness. Cancer reads a room before it has said anything. In management, in care work, in any field where people are the variable, that quality is a significant advantage and a harder thing to teach than most technical skills. Cancer does best when the environment offers emotional safety, a team that actually functions as one, and work that feels like it is helping someone real. Performance metrics matter less to them than that last part.

Leo

Leo is a Sun-ruled sign. It is built for visibility, creativity, and the kind of leadership that works through inspiration rather than authority. Leo people need their contribution to be seen. They are also, genuinely, very good at making other people feel seen in return. Performance arts, entertainment, teaching, branding, fashion, creative direction, events, management, and public-facing roles all suit Leo. So does work connected to children, or to building something that carries their name.

Their strongest quality is presence. When Leo walks into a room, the room notices. In leadership, in entertainment, in any role that depends on moving people, that effect is worth more than most formal qualifications. A role that keeps Leo invisible is wasted on them. They need creative freedom, recognition proportionate to what they actually contribute, and a clear outlet for their energy.

Virgo

Virgo is Mercury-ruled, but where Gemini trades in ideas, Virgo trades in precision. This is the sign of analysis, systems, service, and correction. Virgo people notice what is wrong before anyone else does. They also tend to fix it quietly. Healthcare, editing, administration, research, data, nutrition, wellness, accounting, operations, project management, technical writing, and any role requiring sustained detail and consistent skill all tend to suit Virgo.

Their strongest quality is practical intelligence. Virgo finds what is broken, understands why it broke, and fixes it in a way that prevents it from breaking the same way again. Most organisations cannot function without someone who does that. Virgo needs clear expectations, useful work, and the sense that their effort is improving something real. They do not need praise as much as they need to see the results of what they have done.

Libra

Libra is Venus-ruled, like Taurus, but where Taurus understands material value, Libra understands relational value. It is the sign of diplomacy, aesthetics, and the art of making things feel right. Libra people are good at finding the position where everyone can agree, or at least live with the outcome. Law, mediation, design, beauty, fashion, public relations, HR, diplomacy, client-facing roles, events, branding, and partnership-based work all tend to suit Libra. So does anything requiring tact, presentation, and the ability to hold two opposing views without collapsing prematurely into one of them.

Their strongest quality is judgement. Libra can hold two opposing positions simultaneously and assess both without flinching toward either. In law, in negotiation, in any field where fairness matters, that capacity is genuinely useful. The conditions Libra needs to work well are not complicated: a reasonable atmosphere, collaborative relationships, and an environment where presentation and professionalism are taken seriously. What depletes them faster than anything is sustained hostility or work that goes consistently unacknowledged.

Scorpio

Scorpio is a Mars-ruled sign, like Aries, but where Aries moves outward and fast, Scorpio moves inward and deep. It is the sign of investigation, intensity, psychological acuity, and the willingness to engage with difficult material. Scorpio people are rarely afraid of what they find when they look closely. Psychology, research, medicine, surgery, strategy, crisis management, forensics, investigation, finance, therapy, and roles involving pressure or confidential information all suit Scorpio. They are often drawn to work others find uncomfortable.

Their strongest quality is sustained focus. Scorpio can stay with something past the point where most people stop, and the point where most people stop is usually well before the real answer appears. Scorpio needs trust, discretion, and real control over their own work. Surveillance is particularly corrosive for this sign. Responsibility, genuine and unqualified, is what draws out their best.

Sagittarius

Sagittarius is Jupiter-ruled. It is the sign of expansion, belief, learning, and big-picture thinking. Sagittarius people need work that gives them somewhere to go, literally or intellectually. They struggle in environments that feel closed off. Teaching, travel, publishing, law, coaching, academia, international business, outdoor work, philosophy, media, sport, and entrepreneurship all tend to suit Sagittarius. They are also often drawn to spiritual or philosophical fields where questions of meaning are central.

Their strongest quality is the ability to make possibility feel real. Sagittarius can describe where things could go in a way that moves people toward it, which is a different skill from optimism and a considerably more useful one. Freedom, purpose, and something ahead of them: those are the conditions Sagittarius needs to stay engaged. When the horizon closes, so does their motivation.

Capricorn

Capricorn is Saturn-ruled. It is the sign of structure, long-term strategy, and the kind of ambition that is willing to wait. Capricorn people understand that meaningful achievement takes time. They are comfortable with that in a way most signs are not. Management, finance, law, government, operations, engineering, architecture, property, executive roles, consulting, and business ownership all tend to suit Capricorn. They are drawn to fields with clear hierarchies and real standards.

Their strongest quality is endurance. Where other signs look for momentum, Capricorn looks for durability. The ability to sustain effort over years, without needing external reinforcement, is rarer than almost any specific technical skill. They do not need enthusiasm from their environment. They need competence, measurable progress, and the sense that their effort is being taken seriously. Give them that, and they will outwork almost anyone.

Aquarius

Aquarius is Saturn-ruled like Capricorn, but where Capricorn works within existing structures, Aquarius tends to question them. This is the sign of systems thinking, reform, independence, and original ideas. Aquarius people often see patterns in institutions that others accept as fixed. Technology, science, social change, innovation, research, digital platforms, engineering, humanitarian work, astrology, and future-facing industries all tend to suit Aquarius. They are often drawn to work that serves something larger than individual advancement.

Their strongest quality is objectivity. Aquarius can step outside convention because they are not particularly attached to it. In the right environment, that detachment produces insight that more invested thinkers consistently miss. Aquarius needs intellectual freedom and genuine autonomy, and those are not negotiable. An environment that tolerates unconventional thinking will get far more from them than one that demands conformity.

Pisces

Pisces is Jupiter-ruled, like Sagittarius, but where Sagittarius expands outward through travel and teaching, Pisces expands inward through imagination, empathy, and an unusual permeability to atmosphere and emotion. It is the sign most connected to the invisible, and to work that touches something beyond the routine. Art, music, film, photography, healing, therapy, charity work, writing, design, spiritual practice, animal care, and roles connected to imagination or emotional support all tend to suit Pisces.

Their strongest quality is attunement. Pisces can sense atmosphere, unspoken need, and emotional undercurrent before anyone has said a word. That permeability is an asset in the right field and a serious liability in the wrong one, which makes placement matter more for Pisces than for most signs. What Pisces needs is harder to name than most: meaning, flexibility, and enough quiet to stay connected to their inner world. The jobs that suit them best are the ones that ask not just for skill, but for presence.

A final note

Your sun sign is a starting point, not a complete picture. A fuller career reading would look at the whole birth chart, including vocation, motivation, and timing.

But even on its own, the sun sign shows something real. What energises you, how you approach work, and what kind of environment helps your strengths come through.

Neat Huizer is an Australian-based astrologer, artist and co-founder of DarkMuse Labs.

This article was originally published on Refinery29 Australia.

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