In honor of International Women’s Day today, I’m highlighting a few inspirational womxn and their work. I believe inspiration is key to staying motivated, especially when building a business, and seeking inspiration outside of the business world can bring us fresh perspectives. I hope you will join me in following these women and championing their voices as we continue to work towards gender parity, including in entrepreneurship. 

Nayyirah Waheed

Nayyirah Waheed describes herself as a “quiet poet’, so she hasn’t shared much about herself online, but her poetry speaks volumes. In particular, a line from one of her poems really resonates with me, as an entrepreneur: “Do not disrespect you heart by hearing what it needs and giving it the opposite.”

You can follow Nayyirah Waheed on Instagram. 

Leanne Betasamosake Simpson

Leanne Betasamosake Simpson is an Indigenous writer, artist, musician and scholar. Recognizing the power of community and connection, she says, “Strong com­mu­ni­ties are born out of indi­vid­u­als being their best selves.”

You can find her books here and listen to her music on Bandcamp.

Min Jin Lee

Min Jin Lee is a National Book Award Finalist, author and speaker. Her work has been featured on New York Times lists and President Obama’s reading list. In a recent Clubhouse talk, she said, “To understand how you feel about being marked for violence, about that fear, shame, anger - is how you are able to take action.”

You can find her books here and follow her on Twitter.

For more inspirational quotes and stories, check out these blog posts (20 Inspirational Quotes from Strong Independent Womxn, 10 More Quotes), and follow The Cultivate Method on Instagram. You can also check out our suggested reading list for founders on our Bookshop page.

If you’d like to share a quote or a person for us to feature, email me at hello@thecultivatemethod.com.