I just genuinely believe in the concept of redemption and renewal, so I was happy. When I get beyond my feelings, I had my own family and friends and so many women across America come to me and say their blood was boiling, asking me how this could happen.

The word is a label and I don't like it at all.

I was a Ph.D. student at a very reputable university, I was a Harvard research associate at one of the world's premier leadership institutions.

I was an academic and I lost my assignment at Harvard. Meanwhile, [David Petraeus] gets invited to Harvard to become a fellow.

I don't have the advocates. I don't have a good old boys network. Part of what I want to do is to create a good old girls network.

I also feel like I've done plenty of wrong things. I'm not innocent here, and I'm certainly not going to be righteous about that.

My local paper, The New York Times, Yahoo News, CBS, and The Washington Post, all agreed to stop using the word 'mistress.' The big one was the Associated Press. They made a style change, and it's the gold standard that sets the guide for news outlets around the world. That's a small step for the American language, a medium step for feminism, and a huge step for me personally.