Who do you genuinely admire and why?

[puzzleofapuzzle]

I've been approached to take part in an International Women's Day event this year where the theme is Inspiring Women, and it's got me thinking about people I've looked up to over the years.

So I'm curious: who do you look up to and admire most, and what is it about them that draws you to them? Could be someone you know, or someone in the public eye, and doesn't have to be a woman.

I'm not talking envy or people who have lives you wish you had – more people who live their lives in a way you can learn from, or who give you hope / motivation.

For me right now it's a woman I share a co-working space with. She's a very successful freelancer, and she's got this amazing blend of deep humility and total authenticity. No pretence, no showboating, she's just completely honest and frank about who she is and how she's feeling, where she's winning and where she's messing up, and crucially, what she's learning about herself all the time.

As I think about it, I think there's something to it about how she's separated her sense of self-worth from what she's getting right and wrong, so she's free to do well, to do something badly, and to be curious and open about it in a way that lets everyone off the hook for being human.

Who is it for you?

Maggie Oliver and Jayne Senior two mighty women who fought like hell for the Rotherham victims and never gave up.

JKR

Gisèle Pélicot

The office manager at the primary school that I work at. She is elegant and beautiful, professional and totally in control.

She knows every pupil and parent at a glance. She keeps pace with every request or family situation. She can deftly steer families towards sources of information and support without drawing any unwanted attention to personal circumstances.

She speaks to every staff and support-staff member to get to know them as individuals. She remembers flowers and cards for birthdays, maternity leave and retirement. She is loved by the community that the school serves, and the staff alike.

When we are short staffed at lunchtime she makes time to join the playground to keep the children properly supervised and make the middays feel supported. She has also been known to support the maintainance staff rolling up her sleeves to pitch in with a plumbing problem.

She genuinely seems to care about every inch of the school. She inspires me as a staff member and a parent. One day I mean to tell her so.

My friend L. I'm completely irreligious and so is she but if anyone spreads spiritual light around them it's her. She's as likely to be found having a beer with mates as she is to be caring for someone who needs a hand - and her caring is about maximising joy, not just existing. Force of nature is a cliche but she is one.

Kim Leadbeater. For the incredible strength she has shown following the murder of her sister, and her efforts to bring very much needed reform to the rules around assisted dying.

What a wonderful mum ! Amazing woman, such an interesting read.💐

@TheCoolBee she's genuinely one of the most amazing people I know, very lucky to have her as my mum, we get on like a house on fire to boot!