On International Women’s Day I’d like to take the opportunity to share with you some of the courageous, kind, smart, and beautiful entrepreneurial women that have touched and inspired my life throughout the last year. Some of them are my close friends, others are new Toronto friends or Communications Rebel clients, and one woman I’ve never met personally. I listed their names in alphabetical order. Of course, there are many other amazing women who have inspired me and I thank them all by sending loving kindness their way!
Happy International Women’s Day! Here’s to pressing for progress! Together, we can do it!
#PressForProgress #IWD2018
Inspiring Women In My Life
Avdeep Bahra
Avdeep is an occupational therapist who has a gift to help people reconnect with their heart and spirit. As we were uncovering her true voice together last summer Avdeep reflected my voice back to me, which in turn helped me boost my confidence in my ability to guide clients through the personal branding process using #truevoice.
Watch a conversation with Avdeep about her true voice discovery process on my Facebook page.
Farnoosh Brock
Farnoosh is the passionate founder and president of Prolific Living where she helps business owners and executives achieve freedom in both health and profession through the systems and techniques that she has built. Farnoosh is the most dedicated and goal-oriented entrepreneur I know, and she continues to inspire me with her passion for a healthy lifestyle – she is an ashtanga yoga practitioner and green juicing/clean eating advocate – and her tireless enthusiasm to create growth and momentum for herself and her clients without sacrificing your health or happiness.
Charmaine Bryan
Charmaine is the founder of Charmaine Bryan Image Consulting who is on a mission to help individuals enhance their image, improve their communication skills and upgrade their business and social etiquette. Her book “Stop Buying Clothes You Don’t Wear” is the first step into Charmaine’s talent for bringing out the best in people.
Together, Charmaine and I run the Changemakers Mastermind Group at the Centre for Social Innovation in Toronto, and I’m grateful to have her as an inspiration and fellow entrepreneur by my side as we are growing our businesses.
Eva Ihnenfeldt
Eva is a serial entrepreneur in the social media industry based out of Dortmund, Germany. She has been publishing her blog and weekly newsletter SteadyNews since 2004 where she informs on current topics around digital marketing, and business and management in the digital age. What I admire about Eva is her sedulous work ethic and her persistence when it comes to embracing the unpredictability of today’s entrepreneurial world. She is a thinker, a philosopher, and a trailblazer in her industry – and her positive outlook inspires me greatly.
Almut Koesling
Almut has been one of my closest and dearest friends since high school. She is an ashtanga yoga practitioner and teacher offering group and single classes at her own practice Underdog Yoga in Hannover, Germany. Beyond being just an amazing and loyal friend, Almut’s inclusive perspective on the world has always inspired me to adopt an open-mindedness in my own life. Her incredibly supportive and kind nature is not only nurturing but also exudes positive energy that fills your heart and soul – if you’re open to it.
Emily Lewis
Emily is the founder of With Emily Lewis, and she is a storyteller and keen observer of the poetry of our everyday lives. Our friendship was seeded at Chris Guillebeau’s World Domination Summit and has blossomed ever since. I’m continuously inspired by her eye for detail whether it comes observing and analyzing mundane activities or world-changing ideas.
I’m also beyond grateful for her tremendous gift of the use of the English language as her writings help me expand my vocabulary. It’s no surprise to me that Emily found a new home and playground for purpose and play in Paris, France.
Judy Pham
Judy is the originator and producer of The Women’s Hour, a live radio show on Toronto’s community radio station, Radio Regent. The Women’s Hour highlights women’s stories, struggles, issues, and accomplishments from a local point of view that transcends into the world. Judy belongs to a new generation of female journalists who see their mission in challenging the status quo and using storytelling and journalism as a vehicle for social change.
I’m beyond honored to be a co-producer and co-host on The Women’s Hour, and Judy has given me the opportunity to reconnect with my first passion – and that is journalistic storytelling.
Sharon Salzberg
Sharon teaches Buddhist meditation practices in the West, and she is a New York Times bestselling author. Her emphasis is on vipassanā (insight) and mettā (loving-kindness) methods. I read her latest book “Real Happiness” in 2017, which moved me profoundly and helped me add to my daily mindfulness practice as a way to connect with myself and the world around me and nurture what Sharon calls “relaxed perseverance.”
My favorite quote from her book is this: “You could search the whole world over and never find anyone as deserving of your love as yourself.”
Iliana Sergeev
Iliana is the founder of IS Design Labs, an innovative design hub that promotes a holistic approach to branded spaces. Iliana is a member of my Toronto-based mastermind group, and she is a force of nature when it comes to marketing, advertising, branding, interior design, and user interfaces.
Her combination of strategic thinking and creative multi-disciplinary design is fascinating and helps brands move beyond traditional approaches of branding and take the idea of a brand experience into the real world in spaces and at events.
Joan Spiegelberg
Joan is a digital sales consultant with 25+ years of successful sales and account development expertise in Canada. Joan and I have bonded over our mutual love for our puppies and enjoy conversations around business – and puppies! – in the local dog park.
Joan inspires me to always look forward and trust that I will overcome challenges or adversity in life and business by believing in my own power. The only constant in our lives is change – and Joan is teaching me to embrace it with grace and a smile on my face.
Dyana Valentine
Dyana is an oracle. You can ask her questions, and she will dream for you. She calls this the Woke Up Knowing Experience™ or WUKE, and her work is a gift to our world and the challenges or questions we might face as individuals or groups on life, career, or relationships.
I had the pleasure of interviewing Dyana on The Women’s Hour, and her words and her work continue to inspire me as I move through my own journey of life, business, and relationships. I have paid more attention to my own dreams ever since and noticed recurring themes of fear of loss, feeling trapped, being in community, and traveling. All of these are inspiring my #truevoice work, and I’m grateful for Dyana for stimulating more awareness when it comes to connecting to my dreams.
_
Featured image by Molly Adams licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.
