Women who inspire us
There were three reasons I started UNMEASURED and one of them was to share women’s stories. In the past three months it’s been a serious pleasure to speak with four women who inspire me, and to share parts of their stories on Feature Fridays.
If you missed any of them, below is the round-up so far - with more to come!
Feature Friday interviews on UNMEASURED
Marking this moment for women
International Women’s Day (IWD) was earlier this week, and March is women’s history month in the United States. IWD is recognized around the world in different ways. I read that in Russia many women are given flowers, in China many women have a half-day off work, and in Italy there is the Festa della Donna. This year women marched in protest in Pakistan, and the United Nations announced a campaign called DigitALL.
Broaching the “the status of women” topic is something I don’t have adequate words for right now (or possibly, ever). If I did, I would mention that it’s still worth noting that a woman holds the second highest position in the United States for the first time in history. That more women than ever are in office, and are running for elected office. That in 2022 more LGBTQ candidates won midterm elections than ever before. That more than 10% of Fortune 500 companies are now run by women for the first time in history (which is still a sad, low number).
I would point out the parts where we’ve gone backwards.
I would call out the social movements that continue to gain momentum. Growing movements that call for anti-racism, reproductive justice, rest as resistance, and more.
All of these things are related, and related to the status of women, as Maya Angelou told us “The truth is, no one of us can be free until everybody is free.”
With Feature Fridays I’ve been lucky to talk with women I know who inspire me. Below are some women I don’t know but who inspire millions, including me.
It struck me after I wrote this list, that there are a couple of things all the women mentioned on this page - those I know personally and those I don’t - seem to have in common. Creativity and boldness. They’ve all been brave in birthing creative projects out into the world. They’ve all worked hard to carve out a life that is their own. I can’t think of a better achievement worth celebrating on IWD, or any day.
Glennon Doyle
I don’t think I’ve ever been as moved by a book as I was by Untamed. Glennon’s podcast with her wife Abby Wambach and sister Amanda Doyle - We Can Do Hard Things - also inspires me every time. Below are a few episodes worth a listen:
Luvvie Ajayi Jones
I’m still reading it but I’ve loved Professional Troublemaker so far. Loved learning about oríkìs. Following Luvvie on Instagram brings such joy.
Bozoma Saint John
I’m looking forward to reading The Urgent Life. I believe I first heard of Bozoma when she was inducted into the marketing hall of fame. What a badass. Following her on Instagram and seeing her style and zest for life is inspiring.
Sallie Krawcheck
I started following Sallie, the co-founder and CEO of Ellevest, on LinkedIn and her updates always catch my eye. Loved this recent post.
Viola Davis
I can’t think of a movie with EGOT Viola Davis that wasn’t great but I loved The Woman King. I am waiting on my copy of Finding Me. Her Instagram account is like a warm hug.
I would love to hear in the comments who is on your list of inspiring women.
Signing off with a song
It’s in no particular order so it might be best to shuffle this playlist I put together for International Women’s Day :) Happy belated IWD and thanks for reading UNMEASURED.