Women to Watch: 2026

An environmentally focused broadcast meteorologist and children’s book author. An entrepreneurial hair artist who grew her passion into an empire. A bold daughter whose unspoken grief fueled her creative endeavors as a playwright, activist, author, and podcaster. A journalist and public speaker who literally wrote the book on keeping the peace in these divided times. There is no four-people-walk-in-to-an-establishment punchline here, and these game-changing women are no joke. Rather, they are our 2026 Women to Watch. Get acquainted with these inspiring women below and then join us at our Sept. 17 live event at Meydenbauer Center. (Tickets can be purchased here.)

Susan Lieu

“When we feel, we heal.” So goes the mantra and philosophy that playwright, activist, and “The Manicurist’s Daughter” author Susan Lieu has continually explored in her wide-ranging body of work.

Lieu grew up in California in a tight-knit family. Together, they operated two nail salons that were managed by Lieu’s mother, Hà Thị Phường, who was also known as Jennifer by her customers. Lieu looked up to her mother — a Vietnam War refugee — who served as the glue keeping the family together.

So when her mother suddenly died at the age of 38 following cosmetic-surgery complications, her death fractured the family. Then, just like her mother’s sudden absence in her life, so were any mentions of her mom or her past.

“Even to this day, it’s been almost 30 years, and my family has still not had a conversation about our mother or what happened,” Lieu said. “So, how do you approach grief with the North Star — the person who is the core to the family, now gone, and no one ever talks about it?”

It took Lieu a long time to explore her grief. She eventually engaged with it through different creative outlets. A graduate of Harvard and Yale, Lieu went on to launch a one-woman show, “140 LBS: How Beauty Killed My Mother,” where she explored body insecurity, repressed emotions, and medical malpractice. When the show premiered at Theatre Off Jackson in Seattle, it was met with acclaim and launched her artistic career. She took the show on the road, embarking on a sold-out 10-city tour.

“Most people would process (their grief) with their family, but without them, my new family was the audience,” Lieu said. “And they kept showing up for me time and time again, and there was a profound love that I’m very grateful for.”

In 2020, Lieu had another life-changing experience: the birth of her son. Today, she credits the show with settling her anxieties around motherhood — something she once feared since losing hers.

Lieu has pursued other endeavors, including a memoir and the podcast “Model Minority Moms,” which she co-hosts with her Harvard classmates Jeanette Park and Kate Wang. Together, the trio discusses everything from hormones and breastfeeding to the preemptive grief that comes with the fear of losing one’s career after childbirth.

She also serves as the official executive director of Theatre Off Jackson, where she plans to give back to the community who gave her her start. Since beginning her tenure, Lieu has been able to get the theater on a 20-year lease, which in the past typically operated on a month-to-month tenancy. She hopes the organization will now qualify for statewide grants to renovate the building and function as an incubator for other creatives who need that kick-start for years to come. With the long-term lease locked in, Lieu looks forward to Theatre Off Jackson serving as a destination landmark to help revitalize the Chinatown-International District neighborhood.

Much like her mother, Lieu is resourceful, never daunted by the prospect of creating something out of very little.

“(My mother) would be fond of my boldness,” Lieu said. “I have been able to create this huge theatrical literary family — this community around me, who care about the same values that I do. And maybe in that light, she would be proud.” — DV

Q&A

What is one random fun fact that people are usually surprised to learn about you?

As a teenager, I co-founded Socola Chocolatier with my sister, selling chocolate truffles in front of my dad’s nail salon. We now have two stores, including one at the San Francisco International Airport.

Do you have a daily habit that’s helped you level up in life?

Exercise four times a week and daily meditation.

If you could meet one woman from the past or present, who would it be?

The Hai Bà Trưng sisters were heroines of the first Vietnamese independence movement and commanded a rebellion against the Chinese Han dynasty overlords and briefly established an autonomous state.

What advice would you give to your younger self?

Invest in relationships and pursue opportunities that feel life-giving rather than life-taking. It may not always be smooth sailing, but you’ll learn more about what you want and who you are — the fundamentals to a fulfilling and purposeful life.

What song makes you feel empowered?

“Wannabe” by Spice Girls

What are you reading right now?

“Inward” by Yung Pueblo

Leah Pezzetti

Though Leah Pezzetti is most widely recognized for her weather forecasts on KING 5 News, her work extends far beyond weekly broadcasting. She also produces environmental programming, serves as director of community projects for the Junior League of Seattle, and has authored multiple children’s books encouraging young girls to pursue careers in male-dominated fields.

Pezzetti was raised by two geologists and grew up surrounded by science. By her own admission, she couldn’t have cared less.

“We would go camping and (my parents would) pull over to show us rock formations, and my brother and I would just plug our ears and scream,” Pezzetti recalled. “It’s like, how many times can you look at a rock?”

Despite her resistance to it as she came of age, Pezzetti later developed a love of science through her career.

Right out of college with a journalism degree from California Polytechnic State University, she took her first job at an ABC affiliate in Bakersfield. The station’s chief meteorologist mentored her, and a few months in, Pezzetti had a moment that sealed the deal on a career in STEM: She forecast rain, walked outside, and it was raining.

“I remember thinking, ‘Oh my God. I did this. It happened,’” she said. “And then I just became so hooked on studying the ‘why’ of weather.”

While working full time in broadcast, she went back to school through Mississippi State University’s online meteorology program, earning her master’s degree in 2020. She remained in the Southwest for two more years before a call came from Seattle. In her words: “When KING calls, you answer.”

After moving to Washington and joining KING 5, Pezzetti’s role expanded beyond weekend forecasting. She helped develop “Environment Northwest,” a regional storytelling collaboration between KING 5 and its sister stations in Spokane, Boise, and Portland.

In one of the program’s recent pieces, “Environment Northwest: On Thin Ice,” Pezzetti backpacked to the Lower Curtis Glacier in the North Cascades alongside scientists who have tracked its retreat for nearly 50 years. Pezzetti’s contribution earned her a 2025 Emmy Award from the Northwest Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Although the entire project also received a nomination, the team has yet to win an Emmy collectively — a long-standing goal they continue to pursue.

At the suggestion of her assistant news director who loved astronomy, Pezzetti also helped launch a monthly space segment, “The Sky Above,” exploring celestial events, space missions, and all things beyond the atmosphere. The program’s coverage proved particularly relevant during the recent Artemis II mission.

“This is going down in history books, and Washington has local ties,” she said. “We are creating the technology that is sending these people to the moon, which is wild.”

Outside the studio, Pezzetti spends time in classrooms, talking to kids about weather, science, and now, her children’s books.

“Emily: The Meteorologist” tells Pezzetti’s own story in a way meant to inspire girls to follow their dreams. Her second book, “Brenna: The Firefighter,” follows a similar format, inspired by the real-life story of a woman firefighter. Pezzetti intends to continue the series, with future plans to write about a carpenter, surgeon, astronaut, and more.

“I’ve always gravitated toward kids. I just feel like they’re hungry and their eyes are wide open,” she said. “We have to put it in their heads that they can do anything.” — HW

Q&A

What is one random, fun fact that people are usually surprised to learn about you?

I can twist balloon animals and do face paint.

Do you have a daily habit that’s helped you level up in life?

Leave yesterday behind if it was rough. I’m generally an optimistic person, so if I ever have a bad day, I just remind myself that every day is a new day.

If you could meet one woman from the past or present, who would it be?

Dorothy Stimson Bullitt (founder of King Broadcasting Co.). I’ve heard she was a bit of a tough cookie. I would love to even just watch her for a day.

What advice would you give to your younger self?

I almost wouldn’t want to give her any advice. I mean, I have made so many mistakes, but I have learned a lot from all of them.

What song makes you feel empowered?

“Party in the U.S.A.” by Miley Cyrus

What are you reading right now?

I’m listening to “The Third Gilmore Girl,” Kelly Bishop’s autobiography.

Mónica Guzmán

Mónica Guzmán has always been a writer. She can recall sitting in the backseat of her parent’s car on road trips penning a record of the day’s sights that were rolling past the window. In grade school, she’d finish her tests before her peers, and instead of putting her head down to wait for the other students, she’d grab a fresh sheet of lined paper and start meticulously scrawling.

“(I would) write what people were doing — like, Jennifer went to get a tissue, Craig uncrossed his legs, the teacher sneezed,” Guzmán recalled.

For Guzmán — known as Moni to family and friends — there was always a conflict between documenting life and experiencing it. It was almost as if keeping a journal of what was going on around her helped her puzzle the world out.

“The world is just so interesting,” she said. “I was a really shy kid, but with people I didn’t know, I would forget my shyness as I would hear (their) story. I’d be like, ‘Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God — that’s so cool.’ And I had to write it down, because it was going to go away.”

It’s no wonder that years later, in October 2024, Guzmán released a book: “I Never Thought of It That Way: How to Have Fearlessly Curious Conversations in Dangerously Divided Times.”

The opening of her freshman work sees her driving to her Mexican-immigrant parents’ home in Redmond on the eve of the 2020 election to watch the results trickle in.

Guzmán, a self-described liberal, said she was confounded about her conservative parents’ electoral choices — especially given their status as naturalized citizens — but she chose to remain open and curious. In so doing, she demonstrated how to cross not only familial, but also partisan, boundaries to find common ground in increasingly tense times.

Navigating these conflicts and divides is something Guzmán is well versed in, not just due to the family dynamics in which she grew or her love of playing a “Dungeons & Dragons” barbarian in her downtime, for that matter.

Guzmán was a 2016 fellow at the Nieman Foundation for journalism at Harvard University. During her time there, she researched how journalists can rethink their roles to better meet the needs of the public. In 2019, she further expanded her worldview by studying social and political division as a fellow at the Henry M. Jackson Foundation.

A career-long bridge builder, Guzmán was a senior fellow for public practice at cross-partisan grassroots organization Braver Angels, and she founded the now-shuttered Seattle newsletter, “The Evergrey.” Today, she works as the CEO of her own brand.

“Reclaim Curiosity is the company I started when my book was coming out,” she said. “It has grown and now takes up, not just speaking and things like that, but I’m building courses and trainings and workshops.”

Guzmán also is the host and executive producer of a podcast, “A Braver Way,” which she said will help listeners “meet division with strength” and “hear and be heard by people who confound you.”

“(The podcast) is my biggest project right this moment, and that one has been out for two seasons, but went dormant for over a year — we just relaunched on June 5,” Guzmán said.

“During that period of dormancy, I wondered if it was time to do something different or dedicate myself to something that would preclude doing the podcast. But I discovered that I couldn’t not do it, because there’s too many amazing people doing too many amazing things. There’s too many cool techniques and tactics; I can’t stay quiet about them,” she continued.

Lighting up when asked whom she’d most like to interview for the new season of her podcast, Guzmán excitedly listed off names like Republican Gov. Spencer Cox of Utah, psychologist and relationship expert Esther Perel, and happiness researcher and author Arthur C. Brooks. Regardless of whoever appears on her pod, Guzman said she has a clear and defined vision.

“This upcoming chapter of the podcast, we’re going to be spreading out into all the areas of our lives where we either do or do not have capacity for complexity,” she said. “So, how grounded you are, how well you know yourself, really does help determine how curious you can be about the world.” — JK

Q&A

What is one random fun fact that people are usually surprised to learn about you?

I won a karaoke competition (with the song “What’s Up?” by 4 Non Blondes).

Do you have a daily habit that’s helped you level up in life?

Meditation and yoga — hot yoga, sweaty yoga.

If you could meet one woman from the past or present, who would it be?

What’s coming up is cliché, but it’s Mother Teresa. Her story is incredible; how well she took care of people and how she had to convince people around her that it was worth taking care of folks that others had just dismissed out of hand.

What advice would you give to your younger self?

Chill … out.

What song makes you feel empowered?

“Scenes from an Italian

Restaurant” by Billy Joel. I know, it’s super unusual, but it is my favorite song of all time. It tells a story of a couple. Every time I hear it, it’s a reminder that everything passes, everyone’s doing their best, and we have really good lives when we focus on our relationships.

What are you reading right now?

“The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World.” It’s by the Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu. I’ve been reading it over the course of months; I do like a chapter every month and just kind of think on it.

Samantha Lawrence

When asked what she owes her successful career in the beauty industry to, Chromatique Salons CEO Samantha Lawrence wouldn’t say it has to do with timing or someone who took a chance on her. Her own durable work ethic and unwavering belief that women deserve to look and feel their best are what led her to her current position.

After growing up in Lake Tahoe, Lawrence earned an interior design degree at the nearby University of Nevada — but her passion for hair unknowingly began much younger.

“I styled my Barbies from an early age, my friends’ hair, or I would do people’s hair for prom,” Lawrence said. “After college, I was wanting to take a break from interior design and my mom said, ‘You’ve always loved hair — why don’t you go to school for cosmetology?’”

Feeling inspired by the words of her entrepreneurial mother, Lawrence enrolled in cosmetology school and graduated in 2007. Post-graduation, Lawrence knew she wanted a change of scenery, so she hunted for a city that offered more opportunity in her field. The same day she received her cosmetology license in the mail; she’d already packed a U-Haul ready to trek to Seattle’s Eastside.

After a few years of sharpening her skills at a Bellevue salon, Lawrence became pregnant with her first child and started craving more stability. In 2013, she took the leap to open the first iteration of Chromatique in Bellevue’s Bel-Red neighborhood with her best friend and co-founder Elle Levine.

“I didn’t have the easiest upbringing, and I didn’t want to rely on others (to accomplish my goals),” Lawrence said. “So, I took out a $10,000 loan and borrowed $1,000 for the deposit and we opened (our first location). We only bought what we could afford … and used every outlet in that place.”

By 2016, Lawrence was pregnant again, and her client portfolio was expanding. She and Levine quickly realized they’d outgrown their space. Lawrence began vying for a spot in Issaquah, and, eventually, her persistence paid off. The pair opened the Gilman Village location in 2019.

“I often joke that I raised babies alongside each of my salons,” she said with a laugh.

In 2022, The Bellevue Collection approached Lawrence after learning that the first salon she had worked at in Washington was closing. They asked whether Chromatique would take its place. In 2023, she closed the Bel-Red branch’s doors and moved Chromatique’s Bellevue operations to its current Bellevue Way location.

Today, Chromatique is known for its precise-cut, color, styling, and hair-extension services. When a client walks into the salon, Lawrence hopes they feel comfortable trusting stylists with their desired hair goals.

“Hair and beauty can be very vulnerable,” she said. “Not everyone feels capable of talking about what we truly want. Sometimes we don’t feel like it’s OK to want to feel really beautiful, especially moms, and sometimes we don’t know how to ask for it.”

To ensure each client is met with the “Chromatique experience,” Lawrence meets one-on-one with stylists — some of whom are graduates of the salon’s robust apprenticeship program — weekly to ensure service and client experience remain on point.

Lawrence is proud of how far Chromatique has come. She recalled the salon’s time at New York Fashion Week and styling the Seahawks Dancers for the past five years. But she’s also looking forward to what’s next, some of which include an in-the-works hair care line.

“We’re constantly pouring ourselves into what’s evolving in the industry,” she said. “I truly believe everybody can work hard and do something for themselves. Whether you’re doing the hair or sitting in the chair, you can work hard, be great at what you do, and still feel beautiful while you do it.” — HW

Q&A

What is one random, fun fact that people are usually surprised to learn about you?

I’ve become a big pickleball player over the last couple of years.

Do you have a daily habit that’s helped you level up in life?

Just focusing on my health. I have an Oura ring that helps me stay on track.

If you could meet one woman from the past or present, who would it be?

The founder of Spanx, Sara Blakely.

What advice would you give to your younger self?

Take a bit more time for yourself.

What song makes you feel empowered?

“Hard Fought Hallelujah” (with Jelly Roll)

What are you reading right now?

“You Can Count on Me: Getting Top Value from Both Your In-Person and Virtual Workforce” by Mike Scott