In honor of Women’s History Month, I wanted to team up with a good friend of mine, Erin Gallagher, to celebrate the powerful impact women make on society and each other! Erin’s the CEO and founder of Ella, an inclusive ecosystem unlocking women’s access to human, social and financial capital. Through The Fairway, she works tirelessly to fight for intersectional gender equity. She’s also the creator of #HypeWomen, a term Erin coined in her viral post that turned a moment (Jamie Lee Curtis hyping Michelle Yeoh’s Golden Globes Best Actress win) into a Movement!
We’re keeping the #HypeWomen movement going by recognizing just a few (of the many) amazing women who inspire us every day! Because when we come together to uplift the incredible women around us, we can create a powerful force for change, fostering a world that values inclusivity, respect, and mutual support.
Jen’s #HypeWomen:
She’s not only the inspiration for this article, she also inspires me daily! Erin supports, promotes, and uplifts other women, and she’s dedicated her life to advancing gender equity and helping all women realize their potential and build generational wealth. She speaks up for what she believes in and she stands up for those who may not be able to use their voices. I’m so grateful to know her.
One woman who constantly inspires me is Cree Scott, a fellow breast cancer thriver who helped me in my own cancer journey. She is dedicated to helping leaders and organizations advance DEI, well-being, and mental health, and wants to create a positive workplace culture and actively helps leaders do it. She is an incredible woman and one of the most empathetic people I know!
Deepa is someone I really admire. She is an author, a founder of multiple businesses, and she’s also a brilliant storyteller and advocate for women of color. She advocates for a new corporate environment where we all belong and are accepted on our own terms, and she helps women of color join together in unity. I love that she’s unabashedly bold and unafraid to speak her truth!
Alix is the founder and CEO of Lebec Consulting, a groundbreaking company that is working to re-imagine sustainable finance. She is continuously working at the forefront of financial innovation, gender equality, and social impact, and I find that so inspiring. Little-known fact about Alix: she’s also an incredible dancer! Her positive attitude is completely infectious and she is so much fun.
Erin’s #HypeWomen:
Jen is on speed dial for me, and I’m not usually a person who chooses to talk on the phone. I seek her counsel, her perspective, and her insight on navigating the complexities of the corporate world and collective humanity. Jen has the ability to cut through the most complex of experiences to find the core truth. Her strength inspires, fuels and comforts me. And I will walk beside her every step of the way.
Ambika is the Head of Brand at TIAA and the host of Corner Office Breakdowns podcast. Her gut-wrenching and soul-freeing writing makes me feel seen and heard. But more than that, she makes me feel the power that lies deep inside of me — and inside every woman. From breaking down what happens in the corner office to pulling back the curtain on the breakdowns that occur there, Ambika’s podcast is changing the industries upon which our global community is built. I turn to Ambika for the truth about the world, about motherhood and about me. Wherever Ambika goes, I will follow.
Nicci is a holistic wellness visionary, a transformation expert, author and Associate Director of Inclusion and Diversity at Marriott Vacations Worldwide. I would walk through fire for Nicci. She lives her truth that “behavior is contagious.” And she is paving a new way forward for women leaders who want to create a life they love. She’s done the work to unlearn the conditioning that keeps women trapped in so many places and spaces that they’ve outgrown. And she’s sharing that wisdom with other women who also want to break free from their limitations. Our sisterhood is cosmic, spiritual and spans generations.
Jen is the leader we all deserve to work for — though most of us never have. She’s been a CEO multiple times because she is a visionary. She sees so far beyond where most people can comprehend and knows how to connect minds to hearts to action to impact. Jen takes action. Every time. And because of her gift and her spirit, I have been able to create what I have with Hype Women, Ella and The Fairway these past two years. I credit Jen for her investing her human, social and financial capital in me. Walking through life with Jen is always better. She makes the mundane magical.