Voice Equity in Action, A Heroine’s Journey:
Sitting in the audience at the 2017 World Science Festival in NYC, Marilee Talkington watched as a panel of the brightest minds in science — six men and one woman discussed the physics of the universe.
That one woman was Veronika Hubeny, a theoretical physicist from my alma mater, UC Davis.
For the first hour, the men dominated the conversation. Finally, the moderator invited Hubeny to speak — but first explained her research for her, then interrupted her at every turn.
That’s when an exasperated Talkington shouted:
“LET HER SPEAK, PLEASE!”
The audience erupted 👏👏👏
That one bold move changed the room.
This is Agency Gifting — using your influence to lift someone else’s voice. It’s a practice of Voice Equity — and it’s one way we make meetings matter and conversations count.
👉 Watch the moment here, starting at 1:01:30
👉 Read Marilee’s viral post here
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