In Marie Claire’s monthly series Role Models, we ask women we admire to share the details of their careers, from the pivots and setbacks to the life lessons that shaped their path. To kick off the column, we’re talking to Abby Phillip, the veteran CNN anchor known for her steady presence and sharp political insight. From politics reporter to primetime host, she’s made a career out of following her gut. Her new book, A Dream Deferred: Jesse Jackson and the Fight for Black Political Power, which revisits the civil rights leader's groundbreaking presidential campaigns, channels that same instinct: looking for the bigger story in moments people tend to overlook. Here, Phillip reflects on building her career from the ground up, learning when to bet on herself, and finding balance while writing her first book and raising her young daughter.
On what being a role model means:
