What I Learned

People still aren't comfortable with women owning their sexuality. I am adamant about women talking about sex because I feel while a young woman is watching my show she sees these beautiful, professional and fashionable women talking about their own opinions about sex. I think that subconsciously tells that young woman (and all women), you have a voice about sex—whether it be insisting on using a condom, refusing when you're not in the mood, asking him to do it better, or take an HIV and AIDS test. It's very empowering thing to see women talk candidly about sex so that it doesn't feel like something that men own.

I've gotten the most flak from the African-American community, particularly women. They feel that the characters on "Girlfriends" are too sexually free. I wanted to say sex is normal. You are not a whore, which is how television and films have depicted you. I want to give young women a road map of how to have an honest conversation about sex so they can be safe and healthy to live their fabulous lives.

Agnes Gund
Philanthropist and art historian

At The Museum of Modern Art in New York, I was president of the board when we had to redesign the largest modern-art museum in the country. It cost more than $800 million, which we had to raise mostly from individuals or their foundations. We needed to choose an architect who would design a good home for a super collection, not merely a building that was its own work of art. I think the most important thing for me during this process was working with every department of MoMA. It is a lot of work to get everyone to agree. You have to have people who love the institution to make something this big work. MoMA trustees and staff wanted to see the building happen. The staff especially had to sacrifice a lot to get the building to happen, and I was anxious about that.

It's important to get everyone on the same page. My role was making them see that we all agreed even if we didn't start out with the same thoughts. I had to develop skills to persuade people to understand my point of view and to accept what I thought would work best.

I grew up in a family of six kids born a year apart. I'm used to never being listened to, so I don't always listen so well on my own—though I'm learning. I wasn't always flexible. If I thought I had an idea that I wanted to pursue, I would think, Oh, this matters so much. I had to learn to listen to other people and take in their perspective.