On the eve of International Women’s Day (IWD) I’m reflecting on the women I’ve been privileged to have in my life as I’ve grown up and grown old.
Some have shared decades of my life’s journey; some are newer arrivals. Others I have connected with for a short time as they passed through my life on their way to someplace else. All have left their mark on me; sharing wisdom, kindness, and encouragement.
What each of us have had in common is that we’ve been inspired by other amazing women. That may have been a teacher, a sporting star, a coach, a writer, a political figure, or a wonderful woman around the corner who did incredible things in her community, was valued enormously by those she supported, but was largely unrecognised.
To mark IWD 2026, I decided to catch up with a few women I admire, to learn which women have most inspired them and why. I asked them to choose two heroines; one who is alive and one historical figure. Here’s what they had to say:
Emma Goode – Founder of 24 Fingers digital marketing consultancy
For me, a heroine is someone who changes what’s possible for the rest of us.
Alive today – Emma Jones
One woman who inspires me today is Emma Jones, now the UK’s Small Business Commissioner. Long before her government role, she created Enterprise Nation, a platform that has supported thousands of founders with education, community and practical guidance. What I admire most is her consistent focus on access. She understands that small businesses are not a side story to the economy – they are the backbone of it. In stepping into public service, she’s taken that advocacy one step further, ensuring smaller firms have a voice at the highest levels. As someone who works closely with entrepreneurs, I’ve seen how powerful that representation can be.
My historical figure – Hedy Lamarr
My historical heroine is Hedy Lamarr. Most people know her as a 1940s Hollywood film star, but she also co-invented frequency-hopping technology during the Second World War – a system originally designed to prevent radio signals being jammed. That invention later became foundational to the wireless communication we rely on today, including WiFi and Bluetooth.
I run my business internationally. I work from airports, cafés and co-working spaces. I collaborate across borders in real time. All of that depends on invisible infrastructure that most of us take for granted. The fact I cannot function without Wi-Fi is, in part, thanks to a woman the world initially saw only as glamorous.
What I love about Hedy Lamarr is the reminder that women contain multitudes. We can be creative and technical. Visible and strategic. Commercial and curious. Her legacy proves that impact is not always loud – sometimes it is embedded in the systems that power everyday life.
Both women, in very different eras, have expanded opportunity – one through business advocacy, the other through invention. Both have helped shape the connected world I’m fortunate enough to work within today.
About Emma
Emma Goode is the founder of 24 fingers, helping business owners who feel all fingers and thumbs with their marketing to build confidence, visibility and sustainable growth. With over 35 years’ experience in digital marketing, she works with founders across the globe, delivering strategic support in content, SEO and lead generation.
A Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and voted the UK’s Top Digital Marketing Adviser by Enterprise Nation, Emma believes digital marketing should feel understandable, manageable and effective.
Helen Reynolds – Personal Style Consultant
My historical figure – Victoria Wood (deceased but not really historical!)
I have always admired Victoria Wood for her brilliance, warmth and unmistakable sense of self. As a young woman, I shared such special times with my mum watching her, laughing until we cried.
Later, as I became interested in style, I realised how much I admired the way she dressed. Victoria never conformed to beauty standards; she simply expressed who she was. She trusted herself to be enough. In my work as a personal stylist, I aim to help women find that same confidence — dressing not to fit in, but to reflect who they truly are.
Alive today – Ashley James
I admire Ashley James for the way she challenges beauty standards from within them. By society’s definition she is beautiful, yet she openly shares her insecurities. When she posted her previously unshared photos on Instagram, highlighting the parts of her body she once felt she shouldn’t show, she exposed how harshly she had judged herself. Something women do all the time. That honesty was powerful. She shows that beauty and vulnerability coexist. In my work, this feels important. True style isn’t about perfection. It’s about acceptance, compassion and allowing yourself to be seen as you are.
About Helen
Helen works with women who love life, seizing opportunities and thinking big. She helps them to bring their wardrobe in line with their outlook so their outfits represent how they feel inside. Having spent many years working in glossy magazines and feeling her style wasn’t good enough, she discovered her true style 17 years ago and it was life-changing! She believes she has the best career in the world and loves spreading joy, confidence and ease to fabulous women who want to step out of the shadows and lead a bigger, braver life where they can shine brightly!
Phyllis Woodfine – Osteopath, Coach and Mentor
My first heroine – Althea Gibson
My first inspiration is Althea Gibson (1927-2003) maybe not seen as an historical figure, but I would say an important one to me.
I wrote my GCSE essay on her in the 1970s as the first Black person to compete at Wimbledon. She won both the singles, and doubles tournaments 1957 and 1958, just two of the 11 Grand Slam titles she won. As a teenager I competed in many sports and Althea’s tenacity and bravery truly inspired me. She had to battle against segregation and overt prejudice; she did not let it stop her.
My second heroine – Maya Angelou
My second inspiration (cheating again as she is no longer with us) is Maya Angelou (1928- 2014) – an incredible woman who again survived and rose above many obstacles, racism as well as prejudice. She went on to become a great writer as well as an incredible orator. I had the privilege of seeing her twice in the 1980s. She was a joy to listen to; her presence was magical. The way she commanded a stage is something I can only aspire to.
I continue to think of Maya and Althea, the struggles they overcame knowing that, whilst I, as a woman and even more so as a Black woman face many obstacles still in the 21st Century, the way has been paved by these incredible women. If they could do that then I have no real excuse not to continue and hopefully pave the way for others!
About Phyllis
Phyllis is an Osteopath, Coach, Mentor and Supervisor with over 40 years’ experience in health and wellbeing. Training originally as a building surveyor and working in local government, she later retrained to become an Osteopath and lecturer. She has a multi-disciplinary approach and integrates neuroscience, ACT, NLP, movement, and mind-body principles to support authentic change for others both personally and professionally. Phyllis has worked with NHS Trusts, corporate teams, and coaching organisations, giving keynote speeches and running workshops whilst continuing to work with coaches, clients and patients.
Sheren Gaulbert – Pain Therapist and Educator
I’ve been influenced by many incredible women but I’m focusing on two unconnected to the therapy or clinical world. Both were important in my early life, shaping the unconscious foundation of my values and reflecting what matters most to me.
My historical figure – Indira Ghandi
Indira Gandhi was India’s first, and so far only, female prime minister. A strong and firm communicator, she was a leader on the global stage before the world was accustomed to women in power. She was already serving her first term when I was born and started her second when I was five. Her statement, “I believe in women being able to do everything” was very powerful. Keen to understand her fellow humans, and their perspectives, whatever their position in society, she declared, “The power to question is the basis of all human progress.“
Alive today – Helen Sharman
My living heroine was also a pioneer. In May 1991, Helen Sharman, a 27-year-old chemist, became the first Briton in space. She’d heard a radio advert two years previously, calling for applications to become an astronaut, no experience necessary. Her focus and dedication meant she beat almost 13,000 other applicants to take her position for the 7-day mission to the Mir Space Station. She believes that democracy must involve public debates on science and, on her return, Sharman started in her role communicating science to the wider public, which she continues to this day, as well as working at Imperial College and being President of the Institute of Science and Technology.
Both women were great communicators, dedicated, focused, believers in democracy with curiosity in other people’s perspectives – all qualities that prove useful in my career now.
About Sheren
Sheren Gaulbert is a Clinical Educator and Specialist Pain Therapist whose breakthrough from chronic pain led her to help people reclaim their lives and to ensure clinicians provide informed, evidence-based care. Her tailored 1-2-1 programs integrate psychological, somatic, trauma-release, mind-body approaches (including EMDR), and cognitive hypnotherapy, helping people more comfortably do the things that bring them joy. Sheren coaches multidisciplinary clinicians in ethical, pain science–based, trauma-informed collaborative care, therapeutic language, and addressing burnout, imposter syndrome, and other clinical challenges. She is a Trustee of the Vulval Pain Society and a seasoned speaker.
Claire Winter – Coach and Co-Founder of Winter Audio
I’m hoping for a time when we don’t need an International Women’s Day to celebrate women. I think women should be celebrated every day, but I am more than happy to share two women who have greatly inspired me.
My historical figure – Emmeline Pankhurst
My historical figure is Emmeline Pankhurst; for me, she represents freedom and democracy. She fought for women’s right to vote at a time when women had very little political power. Through protests and activism, she challenged unfair laws and helped change society so women could have a voice in decisions that affected their lives. Her work shows how determination and courage can lead to greater equality and democratic rights.
Alive today – Julia Cameron
The other woman I have chosen is Julia Cameron, the author of The Artist’s Way. She offers a different way of looking at creativity by encouraging people to explore self-expression, confidence and personal growth. Her ideas suggest that creativity is not just for artists but for everyone, and that developing creativity can help people understand themselves better, something I believe too.
Both women inspire change, but in different ways. Emmeline Pankhurst focused on changing society and political rights, while Julia Cameron focuses on changing how individuals think and create. Together, they show that striving for democratic and creative freedom is important, two things I am equally passionate about.
About Claire
Claire Winter is an ICF-accredited coach, shamanic practitioner and award-winning podcaster passionate about nature, creativity and storytelling. A former journalist and magazine editor, she now helps purpose-led entrepreneurs share their stories and wisdom through authentic storytelling. Claire is the co-founder of a podcast agency, Winter Audio, a columnist for Female CEO magazine, and host of the Creatrix Journey podcast. She believes in the healing power of walking and spends her free time outdoors walking and wild swimming with family, friends and her dog, Leo. You can find out more here.
And my two heroines?
I’m celebrating two incredible women whose brave decisions really made an impact on society during their lifetime.
My historical figure – Rosa Parks
The first is Rosa Parks, the civil rights activist (often described as ‘The mother of the civil rights movement’) who, in 1955, famously refused to give up her seat on an Alabama bus to a white passenger. Whilst she wasn’t the first to do this, she was possibly the most notable, having been an active participant in the anti-segregation and civil rights movement from a young age.
Alive today – Gisele Pelicot
My second heroine is Gisele Pelicot, the French woman who was repeatedly drugged and raped by her husband, and, at his invitation, dozens of other men over many years. At the trial of these men in 2024 she waived her right to anonymity, proclaiming ‘The shame is theirs’. She has become a global feminist figurehead, admired for her courage in the pursuit of justice. She has recently written a book called in English, ‘A Hymn to Life: Shame Has to Change Sides’.
