Tag: WOMEN WHO INSPIRE

Woman Wednesday: Cynthia

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Q and A with Cynthia from Malta, Europe, living in Ibiza, Spain

“Don’t let go of your vision.”


Q: What are you passionate about? 

A: My passions are wild and colorful. Travel has been my first passion, and although I’m traveling less currently, this is when I feel most alive. I have been passionate about using our full potential doing what we love, since very young. Coming up with creative ideas for the sole purpose to experience wild breakthroughs is my ultimate enjoyment. I have been immersed in yoga for the last 20 years, and this deep connection with oneself started from here.

Q: What were your younger years like?

A: Although I had a happy childhood, things turned less so in my 20s when my parents separated. I was brought up in Malta in a very academic school with not much outlet for creative space. Even though I was left to explore my love of travel and adventure since very young, my dad supported me in more masculine subjects which led me to years of soul searching, “what shall I do with my life?” One example was both my sister and I studied piano. She was an excellent pianist. I wasn’t, or shall I say, not in the strict way I was taught. Studying piano frustrated me immensely, but I still had to sit for one hour per day studying excruciatingly boring scales. My parents talking about my frustrations to friends and family certainly didn’t help with the “something is wrong with me” implications of this. I now know (after much digging in and searching inwards), this was all meant for me to lead me to this path of transformation and spiritual awakening and helping others do the same.

Q: What is something valuable you’d like others to know?

A: For years, I struggled to see who I truly am. Being in a masculine role since I was very young, I lost touch with my feminine (but powerful) side. This led me to choose a career in banking that was soul-sucking and took me a very long time to realize I’m actually a creative person. I am now so passionate about helping women find their purpose in life and, with their zone of genius, they can create wildly successful businesses, creating the income and impact that they desire (whilst still managing a family). Even if you’re stuck for years and years, don’t let go of your vision to create your mission.

Q: What does feminism mean to you? 

A: OMG! It is such a broad term in my opinion. Feminism for me is the women rising above and beyond their minds. I still feel that mum and dad have their place in the household and to a certain extent during childbearing years, his might be unavoidable. But we women need to rise above societal norms of “he can’t take care of the kids and house all by himself” whereas it’s totally fine for women to. I’m still so disappointed our partner/husband earns more than us, and we accept our role as a housekeeper instead of a rising Goddess. This is the time for more women to make more money, so we can make more impact and create communities.

Thank you for reading!

I’d love to connect with you! 🙂 Comment below!

Woman Wednesday: Michelle

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Q and A with Michelle, Tampa, Florida

“Get to know others, step out of the bubble, and really connect with people. This is how we grow.”


Q: What are you passionate about? 

A: I am passionate about how women can be each other’s best allies. When I launched my book Blue-Collar Beauty, Confessions of a Plastic Surgery Coach, I assembled a team of friends, family, former colleagues, etc. that came together to help me reach number #1 [seller] on Amazon. It was amazing! I was so moved by the experience, literally weeping from the overwhelming support from these incredible women and their willingness to help me on my journey. What struck me profoundly was the personal and professional diversity in my connections…women coming together for a common bond. It was powerful, and I could not stop thinking about what’s next.

Q: What were your younger years like?

A: I was blessed to have an amazing upbringing. I come from a small town in upstate NY and was raised in a solid loving nuclear family environment, which I believe has impacted me beyond measure. My parents are both schoolteachers and my father is a coach. I was surrounded by sports and a growth mindset from before I could walk. I had a deep love of music and played several sports all the way through my collegiate years, which too, has contributed to my success and well-being. One of my business partners always mentions to people that I was the prom queen in high school, and it makes me laugh. Yes, I was, and it was because I was friends with everyone.  

Q: What is something valuable you’d like others to know?

A: What I have learned is that we all have a story, and shared experiences are what connect us. Get to know others, step out of the bubble, and really connect with people. This is how we grow.

Q: What does feminism mean to you? 

A: Feminism, as the definition appears, is about equality. We live in a male-dominated world and any woman who has worked inside corporate America has shared experiences on this. Feminism, to me, is standing together and supporting one another as women. All women, regardless of our differences, whether that be faiths, class, gender expression, sizes, shapes. We, as women, need to stand together, support, and uplift one another.

MORE FROM MICHELLE: I have spent twenty years working in the plastic surgery industry. I have met with thousands of women wanting to look and feel their best. There are so many layers to this; however, at the core, it is about doing what’s right for you. This is why I am jumping in feet-first with our new platform-Ask Us Beauty, a digital magazine for women on all things beauty and wellness. We want to take our power back from mainstream marketing and provide a platform with real influencers to educate and empower women so that we can all define beauty on our own terms.

Ask Us beauty launches in August and you are going to love it! Sign up for our inaugural issue which we are offering free! www.askusbeauty.com and follow us on IG @askusbeautymagazine



Thank you for reading!

I’d love to connect with you! 🙂

Thoughts, questions, or comments?

Let us know! Comment below! 🙂





Woman Wednesday: Mariam

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Q and A with Mariam, Montreal, Canada

“I seek out to channel the lessons I’ve learned from Khadija every day.”


Q: What are you passionate about? 

A: I love teaching. I’ve always loved teaching because of being able to help people go through breakthrough moments. It has been my passion from a very young age. Writing was always my coping mechanism. My parents were terminally ill since I was a kid, and I wrote poetry to cope with it.

So, I became an English teacher who also wrote copy on the side. Around 2 years ago, Bill 21 came into effect in Quebec, which prompted me to decide to start a business. I started writing copy full time. I realized I was actually developing most of their content strategy as well as doing their copy, and that is when I started studying it even more (I love studying) and ended up doing this full time. Within 3 months, I was able to make more than my 9-to-5 job and quit. Eventually, I started missing teaching. So now, I teach new entrepreneurs how to make a full-time income out of their business.

Q: What were your younger years like?

A: My upbringing was centered around the fact that my mom had breast cancer and my dad had lymphoma. My mom died when I was 16 from her second cancer and my father from his third when I was 25, so 2 years ago now. 

I’ve always loved writing and have always used that as a coping mechanism. In fact, I have a poetry collection coming out soon entitled, “Eulogy: Our Stories Put to Rest.”

Q: What is something valuable you’d like others to know?

A: That you can do anything you set your mind to! That you are literally the one that decides your faith. Focus on what you have control over and move forward collecting the tools (learn) you need for the outcome of your dreams. 

Q: What does feminism mean to you? 

A: Everything. When I was young, my father told me the story of Khadija RDA, a historical figure in Islamic heritage. She was a business owner and considered to be the mother of Islam. I was so fascinated by the fact that she had proposed to her husband, the Prophet in our tradition; she was one of the wealthiest individuals of her time and space and also one of the kindest. She was so ahead of her time! She would always put out a green cloth over her entry way so people would know to come to her if they needed help. I seek out to channel the lessons I’ve learned from Khadija every day.

I am a strong woman that has always taken care of herself. That is the backbone of my story. In fact, my life today on Facebook is about the 3 lessons I’ve learned from amazing women. And, I will be focusing on Audrey Hepburn, Khadija RDA (historical figure in Islamic heritage), and my mom.

Thank you for reading!

MORE ABOUT MARIAM: I drive my company and my everyday life on empathy. It is at the core of my philosophy and my business. I set goals to give back. In fact, I have a mastermind coming up next week. 100% of ticket sales is directly going to fund food baskets for families in need.

I’d love to connect with you! 🙂

Thoughts, questions, or comments?

Let us know! Comment below! 🙂

Woman Wednesday: Nicole

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Q and A with Nicole, Spokane, Wa

“There are going to be a lot of people who don’t like you, not because you’re a bad person, but because there is something you have that they want.”


Q: What are you passionate about? 

A: I am super passionate about supporting women in business and being able to live a life full of ands. When we grow up, I think a lot of society teaches that we can’t have it all. I want to prove we can balance happiness, success, freedom, family, and money just fine with the right support and strategies! When it came to starting my marketing agency, Diedrich Marketing Strategies, I was passionate about be of service! I knew I wanted to make good money, but the impact I could make on women-owned businesses mattered more to me. This moral has tremendously changed the landscape of my business and also help me reach the goals I was wanting. Now that I get to support clients daily on their visibility, I wanted to start something completely new! Even though COVID-19 set us back a bit this year, we will be hosting a virtual and in-person retreat in Lake Tahoe from September 6th—9th. This retreat will be all about our amazing women-in-business speakers supporting other women in growing their multi 6-figure businesses! Currently, I just have a waitlist link for those who are wanting to buy tickets! And here it is; people need to confirm their subscription though through their email. Sign up here.

Q: What were your younger years like?

A: Growing up, I struggled with being bullied more so because I was never afraid to stick out. I loved being in school and knowing the answers. I worked hard to be accomplished in academics and graduated with my AAS the same time I graduated high school. I’ve always been probably too mature for my age, so being young never really interested me. Now, I wish I could go back and enjoy it a little more. My parents were a huge part of my life and helped me grow into a stable and successful woman, but they definitely dealt with some attitude along the way. I’ve never been someone to take opinions as facts, so I’ve always rubbed people the wrong way at times, and I still do. But owning a business does have its perks! Something I learned over the years, especially when I was younger, is that I didn’t need a lot of people in my life. I’m a firm believer in keeping your circle small and being around people who make you better. I always knew I wanted to go out and do big things when I was younger. But I believed that route would be from being a famous news anchor or actress/singer. Those dreams haven’t come true, but my business’ success is my most prized possession. To know I grew the business from my knowledge and no one’s monetary support is everything. It has helped me realize that no matter what, if we want something bad enough, we will go out and make it happen.

Q: What is something valuable you’d like others to know?

A: There are going to be a lot of people who don’t like you, not because you’re a bad person, but because there is something you have that they want. Try not to take this personal. And trust me, it’s very hard to do. But once you realize a lot of the hate we receive in life usually has nothing to do with us, it helps you continue to grow and try to do better not just for yourself but to prove to others they can do it too. I’ve realized that good relationships are very hard to find, so when you do find them, hold onto them. For most of us, our natural instinct is to be selfish, so if you can find your path living to serve others and not just yourself, you’ll realize true happiness and the reason you were put on this earth!

Q: What does feminism mean to you? 

A: Feminism, to me, means standing up for equity and sharing how women have every ability to create their dream lives alone, let alone create it with an amazing partner. I’m passionate about supporting as many women business owners as I possibly can and so, have created multiple FB groups for ladies to learn how to market! If you’re looking for support with marketing and Facebook ads for free, I’d love to have you join us here.

Thank you for reading!

I’d love to connect with you! 🙂

Thoughts, questions, or comments?

Let us know! Comment below! 🙂