In today’s edition: big money valuations in women’s sports, new Epstein details, and a lesson on what comes after the big job.
Fortune‘s Most Powerful Women community is lucky to have one of those very MPWs joining us to bring you this year’s event. Karen Lynch, who was named the most powerful woman in business three years in a row while running CVS Health, will be our guest co-chair at the 2025 MPW Summit.
Lynch joined MPW members for a call last week to introduce herself to the community—and share what it’s like to go from leading a Fortune 10 company to being out on her own. Lynch left CVS in October 2024 amid struggles at the healthcare business. She became CEO in 2021 after a long career in insurance, arriving at CVS through its acquisition of Aetna. Her role as CEO made CVS Health the largest company ever led by a female chief executive. With her departure, there are no longer any women-led businesses in the Fortune 10.
“When you step out of the CEO chair, it’s incredibly quiet. You go from having a lifetime of scheduled 15-minute, 30-minute blocks to suddenly—there’s so much space in your day,” she told us.
At first that felt “really strange,” Lynch reflected. “It was hard and difficult because you’re going 1,000 miles an hour and then you’re stopping,” she said. Eventually, though, the loss turned into an opportunity. “It gave me time to reflect and pause, and it became, quite frankly, a gift.”
With her newfound time, Lynch has been serving on boards, supporting other firms through CEO succession, making the rounds as a speaker, and establishing a leadership institute. And, of course, supporting Fortune MPW by offering her years of business experience and earned wisdom to our community.
Lynch will share more lessons and reflections at the MPW Summit in Washington, D.C. Oct. 13-15. Stay tuned!
Emma Hinchliffe
emma.hinchliffe@fortune.com
The Most Powerful Women Daily newsletter is Fortune’s daily briefing for and about the women leading the business world. Subscribe here.
ALSO IN THE HEADLINES
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How did JPMorgan enable the crimes of Jeffrey Epstein? A New York Times investigation finds exactly how the bank's financial support of Epstein allowed him to continue to traffic girls, and how executives who raised red flags were ignored. JPMorgan says it regrets its relationship with Epstein but was unaware of his ongoing crimes.
Firing the BLS commissioner didn't improve jobs numbers. The U.S. economy added 22,000 jobs in August, far below 76,000 predicted. Meanwhile, Trump's pick as the new BLS commissioner was found to have run a Twitter account that featured misogynistic attacks, per CNN.
Aryna Sabalenka's win at the U.S. Open on Saturday tied a record. She's the first woman to win two straight U.S. Opens since Serena Williams over a decade ago. Fortune
ON MY RADAR
Lizzo starts over New York Magazine
Meet the woman solving the lonely mum epidemic The Times
The progress that girls were making in STEM classes has gone into reverse since the pandemic Fortune
PARTING WORDS
"I think everyone should be fired once. It helps you get everything into proportion."
— Vogue's Anna Wintour in an interview about the closely-watched leadership transition at the fashion magazine
