ChatGPT, Cancel the War on Women please.

It's been a minute! 💜 We've got big news, new opportunities, and a whole lot of catching up to do.

Author

Adriann Guy
October 23, 2026

THIS ISSUE AT A GLANCE

  • Can We Cancel the War on Women Already? 😭 → It's 2026. We've got some things to talk about.

  • Breaking News… We're Creating .HER. LITERALLY! 🌍 → Yes, like .com or .org. And YOU get to hear about it first!

  • Business As Usual? Scam Likely? 🔐 → Two FREE cybersecurity workshops with JPMorgan Chase, October 27 & 29.

  • It's Been a Minute… Let's Link Up! 💜 → Our Builder Jam Sesh is November 1. Come catch up, explore, and build with us!

  • The Resource Drop 📬 → Fellowships, grants, scholarships, hackathons, and deadlines you don't want to miss.

Reality Check: The Global State of Women in Tech, October 2026.

Okay. And some may say I'm being dramatic, but at this point, in 2026, can we start asking the real, hard questions now? 😭

The economy is doing backflips. The job market is playing EVERY game. Corporations are pointing fingers at “AI” in diehard refusal to take real accountability. And now Grace Hopper Celebration, one of this world's most longstanding resources for women in tech, is CANCELED?

Meanwhile, we're STILL arguing the case for women's access, opportunities, and a say in shaping the very future we all have no choice but to live in.

Please be for real.

Anyway, I know it's been a minute since we've tapped in, and life has absolutely been LIFEing. But if anything, this season has only reinforced something I believe more strongly by the day: I refuse to let the state of this dumpster fire of a world convince me to lower my expectations for what we can accomplish in it.

Not when we've barely scratched the surface of what we're capable of. OR considering the next generation will inherit whatever we choose to change, or allow to fall through the cracks.

And I'm honestly much more interested in what happens now that we’ve stopped treating access to opportunity like the finish line. Because now we’re thinking about ownership, influence, and building things bigger than ourselves that will still be here long after we're gone.

Our greatest contributions to this world will not be limited to whatever someone else is willing to make room for.

We've known all along we'd have to build this ourselves. But just because we have to build it ourselves doesn't mean we have to do it alone.

The mission? Very much still the mission. And regardless of the circumstances, the assignment has not changed.

We've really got some catching up to do. 💜

P.S. For those of us in the U.S., I’m gonna need y’all to please VOTE. Voted early? Even better, because now is not the time to play 🫠

Breaking News…We’re Creating .HER…LITERALLY! 💜

CreateHER Fest fam, I've been keeping something BIG under wraps! 👀 We haven't officially announced this to the world yet, but there's no way we could share this next chapter without letting our community in on it first. We're making history, and the magnitude of this moment is hard to put into words.

CreateHER Fest is officially building .HER as a new global internet domain. Yes, like .com or .org; but .HER!

Establishing a new global internet domain (like .com or .org) is an extraordinarily gatekept, complex, and crazy expensive 😭 undertaking, typically pursued only by major corporations and institutions with enormous resources. Yet, through a combination of support, hope and all the prayers, here we are—a community-built, women-led nonprofit officially building on the same turf as some of the world's biggest technology companies.

And against the most extraordinary odds, it feels surreal how far WE'VE come.

In 2025, we introduced .HER onchain, inspiring nearly 3,000 registrations. This left me with the nagging question of why stop there? So I went down the rabbit hole looking to learn about what it’d take to make that happen. I pushed myself to do all the awkward, uncomfortable and often stressful things I’m usually encouraging you all to do 😅. I took the leaps, sent the inquiries, asked the questions, submitted the applications and happened upon a window of opportunity that by the same time this year, CreateHER Fest was finding out we had been awarded $170,250 through ICANN’s Applicant Support Program towards formally applying to establish .HER as a global internet domain in their first new-domain round since 2012 🤯.

And not only did we apply this August, but when applications were revealed on October 7th, we were confirmed as the ONLY applicant proposing a .HER domain worldwide! 🌍

Why is this such a big deal?

Imagine businesses, creators, innovators, and communities around the world building their digital identities on .HER…

And imagine that same global infrastructure creating a sustainable way to reinvest in technology education, innovation, and economic opportunity for generations to come.

We're taking our mission from helping women build the future of technology to building the internet they'll shape it on.

Now to be clear, we’re literally only at the starting line lol. We're still navigating the ICANN application process, but this milestone is something special. And I wanted YOU, our community that has been part of our journey, to hear it from us first.

Our generation can help establish .HER for the generations to come to build on.

💜 Now tell us: What would YOU build with .HER? Hit reply. We'd love to hear your ideas!

More to come. We're just getting started. 🚀

Now Let's Talk Cybersecurity (Before We Have To 😭)

It's Cybersecurity Awareness Month, and we're teaming up with JPMorgan Chase for two FREE virtual workshops to help us protect our businesses, our money, and our digital lives.

No cybersecurity background required. Just bring your questions!

💻 Business As Usual? | Cybersecurity Essentials for Business

Tuesday, October 27 | 11 AM–12 PM ET | Virtual

Running a business is hard enough without scammers, phishing attempts, and security threats adding to the chaos. Join us to learn practical ways to protect your accounts, business information, and operations.

Perfect for founders, entrepreneurs, creators, and small-business owners.

📱 Scam Likely: Trust Issues Welcome

Thursday, October 29 | 11 AM–12 PM ET | Virtual

Fake bank calls, suspicious texts, payment scams, and AI impersonations are getting a little TOO convincing. Let's talk about how to spot the red flags, protect your information, and know what to do when something feels off.

If you bank, shop, scroll, or send money online, this one's for you.

Both sessions are open to our community. Come learn something useful, bring a friend, and let's stay one step ahead of the scammers. 💜

I’ve Missed Yall… Can We Catch Up?!💜

Sunday, November 1 | 4–8 PM ET | Virtual & FREE

It's been a minute, and we've really got some catching up to do! 👀

We're getting the community back together to talk about what's next: new opportunities, conferences, mentorship, our plans for 2027, and a few things we've been cooking up behind the scenes.

Then we're getting into the fun stuff: exploring AI, experimenting with emerging tech, sharing ideas, and building together. No pressure, no big production. Just good people, new tools, and bigger possibilities.

Come for the updates, stay for the jam. Drop in whenever you can!

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Until next time,

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