On May 15, Marie Claire editor-in-chief Nikki Ogunnaike had big questions for the St. Regis Atlanta ballroom filled with the city's leading tastemakers, creatives, entrepreneurs, and journalists. "It feels like a time when the status quo is shifting. And yet there are still important conversations to be had," she said. "Who truly gets to be free? Do more choices mean we're more free to pursue what we truly want? How do our individual choices define or define who we are?"
Over a day packed with insightful programming, Marie Claire's 2025 Power Play summit presented by Clinique, "Freedom and Your Future: Rewriting the Rules for Your Most Well-Rounded Life" provided nuanced answers to each one, directly from successful women who'd pondered them in their own careers. No two panelists chased the exact same passions in the same way. But they each embodied what it means to do business on their own terms—and inspired everyone in attendance to follow suit.
After enjoying a range of custom Clinique experiences—including shade-matching for their perfect Clinque Even Better Vitamin Makeup SPF 45 foundation and sipping Clinique-green matcha lattes—and browsing corner office-chic finds from Zales jewelry to Banana Republic and Katie Kime spring outfits, guests settled into a floral-filled ballroom for panels packed with insight. Comedian and podcast host Heather McMahan set the tone by tapping audience members to share where they worked and what drove their passions. By the time she'd finished speaking to a social media manager for the city's mayor and a startup founder, she'd reached her conclusion: "We're a community of women who get sh–t done," she said to applause.
The day's official first panel tapped into another niche community making noticeable change: women's sports. Two-time Olympic gymnast Jordan Chiles, Atlanta Dream COO and President Morgan Shaw Parker, and Jolene Jolene founder Chelsea Fishman each gave journalist Tabitha Turner-Wilkins (and the entire ballroom) their view on women's sports' ascent from their seats on the sideline bench. "We've developed a lot of recognition and a lot of space [...] for a lot of women to really be authentic to who they are. I'm one of those people," Chiles said. While each panelist reps a specific team—and in Fishman's case, a new bar concept devoted to broadcasting women's sports—they shared a belief that winning isn't the only reason to compete.
They choose to break barriers in sports, and when they win, it's "in service of the hundreds of thousands of young girls that need to have visibility and access to see this game," Shaw Parker said.
After a refreshing sound bath from Kemberly Deane, it was time to gear up to face burnout head-on. The phenomenon has claimed many corporate victims with big goals and all the freedom to chase them, but panelists including Who What Wear co-founder Hillary Kerr, AG1 CEO Kat Cole, and designer Katie Kime revealed their secrets for staying energized and grounded no matter what their pursuits bring.
They told moderator Daisy Auger-Dominguez that dedicated time for creative pursuits and clear communication are essential on the journey to making a mark without hurting themselves in the process. Then, when it's time to get rewarded for the hard work, "Advocate for yourself like you're advocating for a friend," Kerr said. (Standing up for yourself? Another defining choice each woman at Power Play had the freedom to make.)
At "Making Your Voice Heard," entertainment leaders Marsai Martin, Carol Martin, and DJ Miss Milan got into the reality of speaking up for their passions with Heather McMahan as their guide. All roads led back to staying committed to their passion no matter the cost. And if a "no" comes in, deciding to go solo is always an option. "I built my own table," Grammy-winner DJ Miss Milan said. "Because when you build it, they can't tell you whether or not you can sit at it."
Freedom isn't just what you can build for yourself; it's what you can develop to help others express themselves. In "The Business of Beauty: How Science-Driven Innovation Fuels Growth and Success" presented by Clinique, leading dermatologists Dr. Uchenna Okereke and Dr. Heather Woolery-Lloyd joined Leyte Winfield, PhD, to unpack breakthroughs in cosmetics and skincare that make more products accessible to more people. "There's not one way to be beautiful and not one way to be a woman," Dr. Winfield said. "What we're seeing now is the industry trying to catch up to those ideas."
The afternoon's conversation speakers, Kandi Burruss and keynote guest Natasha Lyonne, knew firsthand how freedom could involve bending unchanging industries to their wills. Burruss walked through the honest costs of starting her businesses across hospitality, lifestyle, and entertainment. Their fees were money, of course, and lost time—but the mogul says her "firsts" in music (like winning her songwriting Grammy) wouldn't be possible without sacrifice. If she gave up on her goals, how could she bring other women with her?
For Lyonne, taking worthwhile stories from her notebook to screens around the world is the biggest freedom she has in entertainment. Forget rehashing tired plots and living for the reviews: "I think freedom is almost like the freedom to exist and trust it. The results are none of my business. I stay in process," she says. "I can't necessarily change the whole world, but I can just do little things or I can write about things that maybe other people wouldn't."
After soaking up each panelists' segment, attendees headed up to the St. Regis Atlanta rooftop for a toast to the day's takeaways. Turns out, everyone in attendance agreed their definition of freedom wasn't all work—they could choose to find strength in community and fun, too. They definitely earned it.
Take a Closer Look Inside Power Play Atlanta
