BADW (1 of 52).jpg

About the Book

An intimate and inspiring memoir and call to action from Pat Mitchell — groundbreaking media icon, global advocate for women's rights, and co-founder and curator of TEDWomen.

Pat Mitchell is a dangerous woman. What makes Mitchell dangerous is her lifelong insistence on redefining power on her terms, and in leveraging that power to manifest a better world. She shares her own path to power, from a childhood spent on a cotton farm in the South to her unprecedented rise in media and global affairs. Alongside revelatory interviews with other dangerous women, Mitchell takes us on a lively journey, sharing with readers intimate anecdotes about navigating the power paradigms of Washington, DC and Hollywood, traveling to war zones with Eve Ensler and Glenn Close, pressing Fidel Castro into making a historic admission about the Cold War, and matching wits with Ted Turner and Robert Redford. “Dangerous times call for dangerous women,” Mitchell tells us, and in sharing her story, she encourages others to be braver and bolder, to dismantle the barriers to full equality they see in their own lives, and to embrace risk to create a more equitable world.


Pat has been the connector, the spark plug, and the strategist behind more important women’s events and forums than seems possible. — Jane Fonda


Pat is that most rare of leaders, one who is trusted by the decision makers as they now exist, and also by the future decision makers hoping to expand what exists. — Gloria Steinem


Named one of the “Most Powerful Women in Hollywood” — Hollywood Reporter


Becoming a Dangerous Woman illuminates the paths strong leaders take to tackle challenges and gain wisdom. By curating and amplifying the voices of women who have defied categorization, Pat Mitchell delivers a work that will encourage other women to find their dangerous sides.   — Stacey Abrams 


I’ve witnessed what a force of nature Pat Mitchell becomes when she believes in something. And, fortunately for all of us, she believes in making our world better. As a passionate advocate, producer and mentor, her commitment to empowering and inspiring women and girls through telling their stories is changing hearts and minds.  I am glad to both know and work with her, and to watch her impact grow.   — Robert Redford


Pat Mitchell has the qualities of a true War Mare: deep intelligence, agility, loyalty, ferocious endurance, high spirit, leadership by example and an empathetic soul. She is also a great girlfriend and the only woman I know who can make a shower curtain look like haute couture.   — Glenn Close


The life and times of award-winning journalist and producer Pat Mitchell is an inspiration for all who wish to see positive change in the world . . . Pat is a tour de force whose continued advocacy for access and equal opportunities for women is to be applauded.   — Deborah Calmeyer, founder and CEO of Roar Africa  


For decades, Pat Mitchell has been on the media frontlines as an uncompromising force for good. She has used her platform to document injustices in a societal system plagued by sexism, racism, and economic inequalities. To the powers that be who are allowing human rights abuses to be exploited and overlooked, Pat Mitchell is a very dangerous woman indeed. Pat Mitchell makes being a dangerous woman a badge of honor, one that should be worn with pride.   — Thandie Newton 


Becoming a Dangerous Woman is an irresistible handbook for women who want to be powerful and show up for other women—the way Pat Mitchell has her whole life. May it inspire the dangerous woman in all of us. — Ai-jen Poo, director of the National Workers Alliance and author of The Age of Dignity