Cecile Richards says she's been a trouble maker her entire life. "But I hope that more than just make trouble, I've actually been slowly but surely standing up for the things I believe in," the outgoing president of Planned Parenthood says in a video exclusive for Refinery29.
In her new book Make Trouble, Richard talks about her early acts of defiance and the special lessons she learned from her mother Ann Richards, who went from being a housewife to the governor of Texas.
"She raised four children, did tons of volunteer work, but never had a job outside the home," Richard says. "Then suddenly she broke free and decided she wanted to live her life."
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According to Richards, the most important thing she learned from her mother is to just go for it.
Richards has been an outspoken critic of the Trump administration — and advocate for the wave of women running for office in 2018. "I'm really excited in these next few months to make sure that women are not only running for office but they are registered to vote and that they're turning out in November," she told CBS recently. "I think women have the opportunity to change the landscape and change the direction of America."
"Don't wait. Don't ask permission," Richards says. "And I hope this book Make Trouble can encourage a lot of women these days to take a leap and maybe do things they never thought they could do before."
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