Cynthia Leive

Cynthia Leive ( ; born January 21, 1967) is a journalist, media leader and advocate for women. She is the CEO of the media company The Meteor, a podcast host, the former editor-in-chief of both Glamour and Self magazines, and the author or producer of numerous books including the 2018 New York Times bestseller "Together We Rise," about the making of the March for Women's Lives. Leive has interviewed heads of state, Hollywood and fashion's biggest personalities, and iconic leaders from all walks of life. She is also a senior fellow at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism.

Career Leive's career began at The Paris Review, where she was an intern while still a student at Swarthmore College. After graduating, Leive took an editorial assistant position at Glamour and worked alongside Ruth Whitney, who was at the helm of the magazine for 31 years. After 11 years, Leive left Glamour as deputy editor and joined Self magazine as editor-in-chief. During Leive's tenure, Self’s circulation increased by eleven percent. Leive rejoined Glamour magazine as editor-in-chief in 2001. She was behind creation and success of glamour.com which together with the magazine reach one out of every eight American women, with 9.7 million print readers and 11 million unique users online. Under her stewardship, the magazine launched a monthly digital edition, popular special editions, apps, and books—including two New York Times best-sellers; Lipstick.com, Glamour’s stand-alone beauty site, and Condé Nast's first-ever digital spin-off; a digital video network featuring original programming inspired by Glamour in partnership with Condé Nast Entertainment. Leive also founded The Girl Project to support girls’ education, making Glamour the first women's media brand with a nonprofit initiative.

She serves on the board of directors for The International Women’s Media Foundation and is a former president of the American Society of Magazine Editors. Leive is a board member of Swarthmore College (her alma mater), as well as the Brooklyn Public Library.

In 2022, Leive served as a judge for that year's American Mosaic Journalism Prize.

Achievements In 2002, Crain’s put Leive on its "Top 40 Under 40" list,

Personal life Leive was born to a Jewish family in McLean, Virginia. A 1988 graduate of Swarthmore College, Leive was an English literature major and minored in religion.