“More than half of American women are the breadwinners in their households, but women still earn 77 cents for every dollar a man earns,” explains Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg in her best-seller, Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead. “This wage gap starts right out of college, is highest on Wall Street, and stagnates during times of economic trouble.”

Does that frustrate you? You aren’t alone. But what are you doing about it? For starters, pick up Sandberg’s book. In this easy-to-read primer on how to lean in, Sandberg provides additional data and research into why women have a hard time making more money, getting promotions, and seizing opportunities — along with 10 tips on how to reverse the trend.

How are other women leaning in? Scroll down to read insights into how some of the women on our Inkandescent Speakers Bureau are succeeding in business and life.

And if you’d like to share your thoughts on leaning in, please send us ideas and your photo via email.

Also in this issue, we honor dozens of women who are making strides and changing lives:

• When Anita Diamant wrote the “Red Tent” in 1997, it became a runaway best-seller. Today, the author of some of the best fiction books about strong women gives us another heroine to cheer for in, The Boston Girl.

• When it comes to enjoying a fabulous glass of wine, Laurie Forster is a wine coach who gives wine lovers tips on everything from how to order wine at dinner to how to bounce back after imbibing. Learn more here.

• Are you bodacious? Truly Amazing Woman Mary Foley knows she is, and the former AOL exec thinks you probably are, too. Click here to learn why.

• It’s no secret that women have powerful intuition. But what does the research show? Click here to find out in this month’s Intuition Rules.

• If you’ve ever had a loved one spend time in a hospital, you know it can be a trying situation. Pat Rullo, author of “Speak Up and Stay Alive,” says you might want to do more than provide loving support. Don’t miss it.

• And don’t miss tips from our truly amazing columnists: Hiring expert Barbara Mitchell teaches us to lean in at work. Public Speaking specialists Hilary Blair and Robin Miller show us how to cast a team that will add value to public speaking projects. And Estate Planner Lisa Hughes gives us ways to empower ourselves with a Power of Attorney.

We leave you with this parting thought from Patrice Wynne, author of the WomanSpirit Sourcebook: “As each woman realizes her power, she transforms the world.”

Here’s to harnessing your power, and leaning in to seize whatever opportunity tickles your fancy. Go for it! — Hope Katz Gibbs, publisher, Be Inkandescent magazine • Illustrations by Michael Glenwood Gibbs