Cindi Leive is a journalist, media leader and advocate for women. She is the co-founder of The Meteor, a collective of journalists, artists, media leaders and filmmakers committed to building a platform for modern feminist work.
She is also the former editor-in-chief of both Glamour and Self; a cultural critic who speaks frequently about women, media and the arts; and the co-producer of several New York Times bestsellers, including the 2018 book Together We Rise about the making of the women’s march. She is the host of the second season of The Barneys Podcast, which celebrates fashion, style, and creative personalities.
During Leive’s 16 years at Glamour, she grew the brand’s audience to a record 20 million across print and digital, and built barrier-breaking initiatives like Women of the Year (the country’s preeminent event showcasing women), #PoweredByWomen (a global movement supporting female photographers), #The51Million (about women and politics) and more. As a journalist, Leive has interviewed Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush, First Ladies Laura Bush and Michelle Obama, Secretary Hillary Clinton, Senator John McCain, Vice President Joe Biden, and personalities ranging from Jennifer Lawrence to Angelina Jolie. She also founded The Girl Project to support girls’ education, making Glamour the first women’s media brand with a nonprofit initiative.
A frequent TV contributor, Leive appears regularly on Good Morning America, Morning Joe, CBS This Morning, Today, CNN and many other outlets and live events, discussing everything from the wage gap to women in Hollywood.
Leive has won many media awards—including five National Magazine Awards, an Emmy for Glamour under her tenure, and a Woman of the Year Award – Glamour’s biggest honor. She’s also received numerous awards for her work on behalf of women; among those honors are the Nat King Cole Award from the Entertainment Industry Foundation, the Matrix Award, the White House Project Award, and the Media Partner Award from the U.N. Fund to End Violence Against Women. Leive began her career at The Paris Review and The Saturday Review.
Leive is currently an active board member of Swarthmore College (her alma mater), as well as the Brooklyn Public Library and the International Women’s Media Foundation. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband, film producer Howard Bernstein, and their two children.
Contact Leive at commlead@usc.edu.