Just a note. All the posts on my blog are written by me, excluding my Friends section that is. But in this case, Kayla created this great post and it piggy-backed off of one of my posts, so I wanted to share it on here as well. Enjoy!
About a year ago, this article was posted for the Be Human, Not a Zombie community to help you find some interesting thought leaders. While that first post highlighted some great male voices that could help enrich one’s spiritual journey, female voices were saved for a later date… Surprise!! Today is that date 🙂 The list of amazing female scholars, artists, and “regular women” who have put forward moving content could truly go on and on… To keep this somewhat focused though, here are five solid women that you might want to check out:
Brené Brown is a professor at the University of Houston. Pulling from her background in Social Work, she has delivered highly popular TEDtalks on shame, courage, vulnerability and empathy. Her lectures have been filmed and offered for viewing on Netflix, she has a podcast that focuses on emotional intelligence in leadership, and she has provided voiceovers for animated shorts -perhaps the most widely viewed one being on empathy. In addition to all of this, she has authored five New York Times bestsellers.
An impactful quote from Brené Brown: “We cultivate love when we allow our most vulnerable and powerful selves to be deeply seen and known, and when we honor the spiritual connection that grows from that offering with trust, respect, kindness and affection. Love is not something we give or get; it is something that we nurture and grow, a connection that can only be cultivated between two people when it exists within each one of them – we can only love others as much as we love ourselves.” ― from The Gifts of Imperfection
Kim Eng is a spiritual teacher, who speaks often about the pain body. She creates and shares content online related to Presence Through Movement (PTM), a practice designed to raise consciousness through movement. She also leads workshops alongside Eckhart Tolle, whose teachings accompany her own. In some of her talks, she has addressed listening to intuition, coping with loss, and leaning into authenticity. She has further published a series of books and videos on meditation.
An impactful quote from Kim Eng: “Suffering happens when we expect life to be something more and different than what it is in the present moment. When we let go of all expectations, there is peace.” – from Resist Nothing
Lisa Bilyeu is the Co-Founder of Quest Nutrition and Impact Theory Media Studios. Raised in a traditional Greek family, she was encouraged to be a housewife and focus less on building a career outside of the home, which is what she did for the first ten years of marriage to her partner, Tom Bilyeu. After working through a series of health issues and confronting her own feelings of unfulfillment, she began Women of Impact, a platform that highlights female entrepreneurs, teachers, and speakers who have accomplished incredible things and want to share their insights with others. Using her own story, as well, she spreads messages around building healthy relationships, finding your purpose, and overcoming hardship.
An impactful quote from Lisa Bilyeu: “External validation is kryptonite. Getting anything but your parking ticket validated by others is literally giving your power away! Remember, you are the only one to give yourself the stamp of approval.” – from Women of Impact
Mel Robbins is a social commentator and best-selling author. She is known as being the motivational speaker who hates the concept of motivation. Sharing her own story of overcoming anxiety and depression, she has created a wide array of content to help other people manage their stress and gain control of their lives. In 2017, she wrote, “The 5 Second Rule”, which asserts that life comes down to a series of five-second decisions. To encourage people to “trick their brains”, which are hardwired for instant gratification, Mel Robbins relays the power of counting backwards from 5, to get something undesirable, but necessary, accomplished. Her success has led to her being featured on podcasts, webinars, and she also now hosts her own daytime television show.
An impactful quote from Mel Robbins: “There will always be someone who can’t see your worth. Don’t let it be you” – from The 5 Second Rule
Mari Andrew is a storyteller and illustrator. After battling severe health difficulties and the breakdown of some unhealthy romantic relationships, Mari started illustrating around topics of well-being. Through some simple – but beautiful – graphic art, she has put forward some pretty profound messaging around healthy boundaries, resiliency, self-care, and an abundance of other health-related material. Her Instagram page is an incredible place to start if you need some visually appealing self-affirmations or life tips, and she has also now published two books that are filled with her artwork.
An impactful quote from Mari Andrew: “There were so many times I felt like I was sitting around waiting. So many times I was meandering around with a heavy heart, mourning the loss of a happier season without any idea what would come next, and when, I can see now that those were the seasons of loss–my own personal autumns–and they were some of the most important.” – from Am I There Yet? The Loop-de-Loop Zigzagging Journey to Adulthood