I have had so much fun celebrating Women's History Month with daily acknowledgements of those who have inspired me. Some of these amazing humans touched me for a few moments, while others walked alongside for decades. Some are worldwide names, and others will never appear in a browser search. But all, every single one of them, has a meaningful presence in my mind.
Are there favorites? Of course. My Aunt Anna and Aunt Betty. My 10th grade English teacher, Sr. Carol, and my sister Margaret. Others have set standards for me to strive for, like Hypatia, Rachel Carson, and Eleanor Roosevelt. Others I respect for aligned interests and dogged determination, like Jacinda Ardern and Leah Chase. Every one rests in my heart and mind as motivation to embrace the dawn with the humble confidence the we shall overcome. Every one is a shining example of what we can become and acheive by discovering and embracing our true selves, connecting with those who can give us a hand when needed, a bit of furtuitous luck, and giving back to others as those who have blessed us.
My hope has always been that you will give thought to those women who nurtured your life, and give thanks for them in your own way. My Daily posts for each woman can be found in PEAKD. Here's a recap of my heroes:
Aunt Anna, the greatest influence in my life. Known in her world as the Mother Teresa of Brooklyn.
Jacinda Ardern, who at 37 was the youngest female world leader of her time. She led New Zealand into social reforms and took courageous steps in aggressively locking down the country during the pandemic. 5 months later, they reopened for business. The deaths per 100k citizens was 0.1%, the USA was 1.1%.
Leah Chase, the Queen of Creole Cooking. Her restaurant enabled blacks to enjoy fine dining in the segregated south. Her back rooms were a central meeting place for the civil rights movement.
Janet Yellen, first woman to be Secretary of the Treasury and Chair of the Federal Reserve, and the only person to also lead the White House Council of Economic Advisors.
Sister Carol, my 10th grade English teacher who somehow understood me, and with tough love, opened my world to writing and poetry.
Linda Ronstadt, an interpretive singer who could range from contralto to soprano. She had commercial success at rock, pop, new wave, American standards, operetta, country, ranchera, R&B, afro-Cuban and folk songs.
Hedy Lamarr, actress and inventor. The former made her famous. The latter got her a patent that is the basis for Bluetooth technology.
Mom. I could write volumes.
Katharine Graham, who inherited the Washington Post when her husband died and turned it into a leading newspaper. She also defied politicians and printed The Pentagon Papers that revealed just how much Americans had been lied to about the Vietnam War, then followed that with stories that took down a crooked President.
Laura Ingalls Wilder, who published the first of 9 Little House on the Prairie books at age 65, creating classics that have been translated into forty languages.
Hypatia, a brilliant mind and consultant to emporers and rulers. She was tolerant of all faiths and peoples, which got her killed by Christians threatened by that power.
Annie Leibowitz. I adore her composition and texture. When my parents let me start using their Voigtlander, I ditched my 110 pocket camera & a love of photography was born. I still suck at capturing people, though!😞
Dr. Rachelle Katz, Former Associate Dean & Director of the LMU MBA Program. Dr. Katz was the Associate Dean and MBA Director at Loyola Marymount University when I did my MBA in the early 2000s.
Aunt Betty, or Liesel, was the light-hearted relative in the family. I liked to refer to her as the gorgeous imp. The other aunts had an expression for her, that roughly translated into “When there’s a Liesel in the house, mischief is bound to occur”.
Dolly Parton. Singer, songwriter, actress, philanthropist, businesswoman, and literacy advocate, she has always looked past the politics and divisions of society to genuinely affect and benefit the world. Or as she puts it, "If you don't take the reins, it's going to stay the same."
Rachel Carson. Many people in this world owe their lives to Rachel Carson. An American marine biologist, writer and conservationist who ripped the bandaid off of the scab of lies and misinformation propagated by chemical companies about the effects that the pesticides had on our world, leading to the banning of DDT and other carcinogens. She is widely heralded as the initiator of grassroots environmentalism around the world.
Eleanor Roosevelt. Political figure, diplomat, rights activist. Licensed pilot after Amelia Earhart snuck her from a White House dinner to fly. Spearheaded the UN Declaration of Human Rights. Fought for civil rights. She is an OG of social media influencers who created real, sustainable change.
Yrsa Daley-Ward. Award winning writer, poet, model & actor. Awesome creator whose writings on identity, mental health and race resonate deeply within me.
Robin Roberts. Newscaster, sportscaster, producer. Vaulted into the public spotlight as a sportscaster for ESPN, followed by Good Morning America. Courageously shared her battles with breast cancer and bone marrow disease. Integrity personified.
My sister Margaret. We'd been kindred spirits forever & fed off of each other's energies & interests. Leukemia took her body, but she'll never leave my heart. I wish I'd been more present throughout her life.
Esther Perel. She is a Belgian-American psychotherapist, known for her work on human relationships, couples therapy, and addressing domesticity and desire in long term relationships.
Marjorie Stoneman Douglas. The epitomy of dogged determination. “Be a nuisance when it counts. Do your part to inform and stimulate the public to join your action. Be depressed, discouraged, & disappointed at failure & the disheartening effects of ignorance, greed, corruption & bad politics — but never give up.”
Lady Bird Johnson. A highly educated and successful businesswoman who happened to be the wife of an Americna President. She was a staunch supporter of education, environmental efforts, and women's rights.
Deborah Harry. Her panache and punk persona is unique, and her strong support for upcoming generations of female musicians unwavering.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg. The Notorious RBG, who overcame classism and sexism to become one of the grestest lawyers and Supreme Court justices America has ever had. She was the second woman to be appointed, with a 96-3 vote.
Mary Shelley. Her omnidirectional life created many societal and self-imposed challenges, but the writer of Frankenstein and other works survived in an age when women could be locked away for writing such content.
Alessandra White. A caring, inspirational, and driven woman who has taken her journey through life and created spaces for other to journey alongside in the safe and accepting environments of her Creative Work Hour.
Michelle Obama. Her down-to-Earth personality, educated skills, and unique ability to pull it all together hacvce made Michelle a beacon of inspiration for so many, which is why she consistently appears in list of the most admired women in the world.
Michelle Tsosie Sisneros. Michelle is an award winning artist, designer & activist. We met through a mutual friend. I feel at peace whenever I’m near her. Just looking at her picture grounds me. She entered my world at just the right time, so thankful.
Millie Bobby Brown. Actress and producer? Yes. Youngest UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador ever? Also yes. At age 20, she has already had successes that would fulfill many a lifetime. But Millie has a lot of runway left to explore.
Maya Angelou. American memoirist, poet, actor, writer, and civil rights activist known for her unique and pioneering autobiographical writing style. Maya is recognized as a spokesperson for all people who are committed to raising the moral standards of living in the United States.
This is the second year I've done this. The first year was done in DBUZZ and Twitter, constrained by character count. I've enjoyed expanding content in PEAKD and Medium this year, and have plans for 2025 that will include recorded content. See you then.