UPDATE:
As this is one of my most popular posts - I definitely need to update this one! The women below are absolutely inspiring, but now - over a year later, there's a different group of women inspiring me these days, so stay tuned for an updated post!
With March being Women's History Month and today being International Women's Day, I wanted to take the time to highlight some of my favorite women in the public light. Currently, one of my friend's is taking the whole month to feature one woman from his life each day on his Instagram account and it's been truly inspiring!
As I started making this list after watching my friend and thinking of the women in my own life - I just became SO overwhelmed by how many incredible women there are in the world! From fighting for women's rights to promoting creativity and ethically made fashion and everything in between - women are showing UP and their accomplishments and character are taking center stage.
This truly is an exciting time to be a woman and I'm so proud of all the women I look up to and love. If I listed all of them in my life, this would take a LONG time, so I'm sticking with some public figures for now. BUT, I encourage you, as you read over this list - take stock of the women in your own life and be sure to express to them how much you love and appreciate them - it goes a long way!
“As someone who believes in the value of feminine energy - more is more! There is always room to add your voice to collective consciousness that has been shifting their thinking from victim mode when it comes to their health and bodies to a voice of hope and transformation.”
Alisa. Alisa. Alisa. This woman! After hearing her interviewed on a few podcasts talking about how hormones and food essentially control women's lives // bodies and how important it is to synch up with your cycle - I was hooked. I bought her book and devoured it. I converted our meal plan to align with the foods I needed during each phase of my cycle [Follicular, Ovulatory, Luteal and Menstrual] and haven't looked back.
Her protocol goes beyond food though, into exercising, sex and lifestyle adjustments like when you're most creative, when you're most confident, when you're 'nesting', when you're most capable of doing administrative tasks and when you're most pensive and inquisitive. Knowing my creativity spikes during my follicular phase is why I batch create graphics then and it's why I hold off on doing things like taxes, major budgeting and other household tasks for when I'm in my Luteal phase.
As a woman - knowing her protocol will change your life and help you optimize your health and your ability to do the things you want JUST by understanding what your body already wants to be doing based off of what your hormones are doing. It's incredible! Game changer!
“You either walk inside your story and own it or you stand outside your story & hustle for your worthiness.”
Ok. Who doesn't love Brene? Her work on vulnerability and shame led to her having two of the MOST watched Ted talks ever! She's written books and had numerous interviews and talks. What I love so much about Brene is her level of acceptance for herself and others.
If you've heard any of her story, you know it wasn't always that way for her, but ever since her research in connecting vulnerability to living wholeheartedly - she's a changed woman, and she's helped countless women AND men come to terms with their own vulnerability and shame.
Understanding these connections that she talks about helps to take the pressure off. When we can be open and honest with ourselves and each other - we can grow and we can lead MUCH healthier and happier lives. It's my goal to read all of her books - she's just so REAL and calming. If you haven't checked her out yet - do it!
“There is no need to waste your time working to be anything other than you.”
I am new to loving Brie. I first came across her from United States of Tara but then lost track of her - until her movie Room. I knew she was a great actor but that was it. A few weeks ago, I was down an Instagram rabbit hole that lead to her page. I scrolled through her feed and saw she was an activist and that she believes in using filmmaking as activism and raising awareness for the marginalized, sexual assault victims and environmental issues just to name a few.
She's just a beam of light. She uses her celebrity to spread messages of peace and love for everyone and genuinely celebrates others' successes. Love her forever.
“I want to look back and see a life that was full of love and adventure and travel and experience and compassion. And the only way to get to the end of my life and see that is by living those things now.”
Brooke is the creator of Slow Your Home and together with her husband they have created the Slow Home Podcast and Jack Rabbit FM, a podcast network [for your ears.] Brooke and the many women on the Jack FM podcasts have added SO much value to my life. I listen to their shows weekly and have learned so much about how to slow down and how to focus on what really matters in life.
They cover just about every topic - so their shows are a wealth of knowledge. Her take on simple living, slow living and life in general is so filled with grace and acknowledging that this way of life isn't formulaic and that everyone needs to find what works for them. I always feel so at ease after listening to her and ready to soak in the good moments of life.
“Drop your baggage, pick up your freedom, fulfill your destiny. ”
Christine, The Power House, Caine is one of my favorite preachers! She's incredible! I've had the privilege of hearing her preach twice at Elevation Church and each time was beyond amazing. I've heard her speak and preach on freedom probably more than any other topic, which is my #1 value and priority in life for myself and others and explains why her preaching resonates with me so much.
She also started A21, an organization that exists to end human trafficking in the 21st century. Last year, I had the honor to take part in the first ever Walk for Freedom in Charlotte as well as help create a fundraiser [Dressed for Freedom] to raise funds to go directly to A21. I love doing whatever I can to help her and her organization accomplish such a selfless goal. Her heart for people in physical, mental, emotional and spiritual bondage is one of radical love. Look her up - it will change your life!
“Be kind to judgmental people. They are judging themselves the most. And that, ain’t no easy life.”
“Creativity is a crushing chore and a glorious mystery. The work wants to be made, and it wants to be made through you.”
Her Ted talk was one of the first I ever listened to and it made me feel so inspired to create. I love her personification of creativity and the muse as well as her perspective on fear. She says she doesn't want to live a fearless life, because fear is necessary, it just gets confused sometimes.
We need it to let us know, 'Don't get too close to that ledge or maybe go a different way home.' But, when it shows up when we sit down to write, paint, design - whatever - we need to acknowledge that it's there and then remind it that we don't need it, because we're not in a life and death situation - we just want to write a book, or whatever it is.
I haven't read any of her books yet, but I've gobbled up just about every podcast interview and youtube video I could find from her - including her podcast Magic Lessons - and she's another one that leaves me feeling so refreshed after hearing her. I truly hope to get to her level of peace that she has with her creativity.
“If we stop defining each other by what we are not and start defining ourselves by what we are, we can all be freer.”
Emma is an absolute powerhouse. Yes, she's a talented actor, but MORE than that she's an incredible humanitarian. She's worked for years to empower young girls and help provide education for girls around the world.
She's a UN Women for Goodwill ambassador, an advocate for the HeforShe program promoting gender equality and also promotes the use of fair trade, ethically and organically made clothing. She even started an Instagram account solely dedicated to ethical fashion.
She not only talks the talk, but she walks the walk. I'm so excited about how many women in Hollywood are incredible role models standing up for important social and environmental causes. I believe artists have always been at the forefront of this kind of work, but personally, I don't remember the female actors being activists when I was growing up.
It makes me so happy that young girls now have celebrities that they follow that aren't just talking about hair, make-up, clothes, how to be skinny and boys; but rather how to provide education for young girls, why it's important to care about how our clothes are made and who makes them and so much more.
Again - awesome time to be a woman!
“Don’t leave your life like it is all going to happen, you need to happen TO your life.”
Tiffany - the brightest and most colorful of them all! If you've noticed, there's a definite theme to the women I've picked, in that they all just radiate positivity and peace. I can't help but be drawn to them, and Tiffany is no exception. Her CreativeMornings talk is one of my all-time favorites and following her on social media is a joy - which is exactly what she is - a joy.
Making room for color and whimsy and beauty is often overlooked as important work, but it truly is. We need those things in life to help tilt the scales towards positivity and away from negativity.
“Don’t be a complainer. Make things better.”
Wow - Tina. Tina played a HUGE role in my creative journey. A few years ago, I was in a rut. I hated my job and felt so betrayed by my lifelong dream and perception of being an architect. I wanted to spend my days designing and creating spaces for people to gather, working with them along the way, and instead I spent my days behind a screen picking up owner comments about how they could spend less money on their "designs" and looking through code books.
It was not what I wanted. There was no creativity. There were no discussions about how to use architecture to improve people's lives. There weren't people we were helping. There was none of that and I felt like I had wasted my entire life pursuing a mirage. During that time, I discovered Tina and as a result, CreativeMornings.
I wan't prepared to quit my job yet, but listening to her podcast interviews and the many many talks on CreativeMornings, as well as other podcasts I learned about from there spiraled into a future bright with possibilities. My career was not in fact over before it started and I could be creative and help people as I had always intended.
Since then, I've started my own business, switched day jobs to a better work environment in the same industry, joined the Charlotte CreativeMornings team [which has over 160 chapters world wide spreading the message that Everyone is Creative & Everyone is Welcome!] and have been involved with a bunch of meaningful projects. Now I understand that you create the life you want and that people matter over everything else. I guess, I already "knew" that deep down, but Tina helped me understand how to start living that out beyond an unspoken belief.
Ten women doesn't even BEGIN to scratch the surface of just how many incredible women are out there making a difference, but I wanted to share them - as each of them has had a profound influence on me over the past few years.
Who are some of the women who have impacted you? I'd love to hear about them and get introduced to even more incredible women and the projects they're involved in - please share below in the comments - and don't forget to tell all of the women in your life how much you love & appreciate them!
Happy International Women's Day!!!
Love & Blessings,
Genevieve
