Amazing Women: 101 Lives to Inspire You

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Flannery O'Connor with Robie Macauley and Arthur Koestler. / Cmacauley, Wikimedia Commons // CC BY-SA 3.0 I used to believe the problem began with “the suits” at the top, so I would talk to high-level executives about unhelpful labelling and pigeonholing, but women put limitations on themselves too. I’m here to help women question this and change their mindset. Nassar was sentenced to 60 years in federal prison for his crimes, in addition to hundreds of years for charges at the state level. But in a 2017 piece penned for The Players’ Tribune, Raisman made it clear that punishing Nassar wasn’t enough. “We need to change the systems that embolden sexual abusers,” she wrote. “We must look at the organizations that protected Nassar for years and years: USA Gymnastics, the U.S. Olympic Committee, and Michigan State University. Until we understand the flaws in their systems, we can’t be sure something like this won’t happen again.” Raisman made it her mission to enact change: In March 2018, she filed suit against USA Gymnastics and the U.S. Olympic Committee. “Thousands of young athletes continue to train and compete every day in this same broken system,” Raisman said in a statement. “I refuse to wait any longer for these organizations to do the right thing. It is my hope that the legal process will hold them accountable and enable the change that is so desperately needed.” The charity enables sighted volunteers to guide those with sight loss through new environments, and to increase opportunities for social interaction. I can’t recommend the work they do highly enough, and I have also seen just how loved these animals are.’ Christine Lagarde has spent her entire career breaking stereotypes in banking. She was the first woman to serve as France’s finance minister, as managing director of the International Monetary Fund and now as president of the European Central Bank. In her current role, she has been faced with stabilizing the Eurozone banking system during the pandemic. In 2019, Lagarde was named the second most powerful woman in the world. Lagarde is a champion for gender inclusion and notes that although she has faced sexism throughout her career, she is breaking down barriers for future female leaders.

I am determined to give all I’ve got to make a difference. Hundreds of thousands of families in the UK are impacted by dementia, and they shouldn’t face this alone or without support.’ Maria Eitel spent the early days of her career working for the White House and Microsoft before joining Nike as the company’s first vice president of corporate responsibility. In 2004, she founded the Nike Foundation and created the theory of The Girl Effect—the idea that adolescent girls have a unique ability to stop poverty before it starts. Eitel is also founder and chair of Girl Effect, an organization with a goal of helping 250 million young girls below the poverty line in four key areas: ending early marriage and delaying first birth, enhancing the health and safety of girls, increasing secondary school completion and improving access to economic assets. Her work has already helped millions of girls around the world and is only getting started. Sacagawea Monument in City Park, Portland, Oregon, circa 1912; statue by Alice Cooper / Library of Congress // Public DomainIf women be educated for dependence; that is, to act according to the will of another fallible being, and submit, right or wrong, to power, where are we to stop?'

Kate says, "In Nosy Crow, we have been able to build an organization from scratch, and being an independent company means that we’re not in thrall to corporate finances. I love being able to do what we think is the right thing. Commodore Grace M. Hopper photographed in 1984. / James S. Davis, United States Navy, Wikimedia Commons // Public Domain Angela says, ‘I’d always been a healthy eater and active, but as I entered my 50s, I felt everything was going downhill. The tipping point came in 2019 – my father died, my ex-husband was poorly and I felt really low. Mary says, "Brand design puts you at the leading edge of social and economic change—you tell stories that give meaning and value to people and the brands they buy.

But for aspiring Asian American figure skaters across the country, seeing themselves represented atop an Olympic podium had a power of its own. And as Yamaguchi told The Washington Post in 2022, “I didn’t go away.” She started touring with Stars on Ice, and co-creator Scott Hamilton (a fellow Olympic gold medalist) credited her “great, incredible capacity to draw [people]” with doubling the number of shows on the schedule. She’s written children’s books, designed activewear, and appeared in movies like Disney Channel’s Go Figure (2005). She also founded an organization, Always Dream, to promote children’s literacy. We’ve returned to volunteer since and I’ve also been involved with campaigning and fundraising. The work Crisis does is year-round and it’s astonishing. Meera says, ‘My father was diagnosed with vascular dementia and Alzheimer’s disease in 2012. He passed away in September 2018, but the support we received from Alzheimer’s Society was invaluable, particularly from the advisors on the dementia connect support line. Winning is very humbling, especially when you read the achievements of so many outstanding women. It validates the efforts of all the volunteers who work tirelessly to support those most in need.