Inspirational Women for my weekly Newsletter

[DDatWork]

Hello!

I run a company and we send out a weekly newsletter, written by me.
We working with families and children. I have decided to introduce a segment highlighting weird and wonderful women who have shaped our world.

Can people comment below on women they think should be included. I need about 100 as I want to run this until atleast 2027.

Women in STEM and business is great but also women from little towns that did big things. Wacky women with great stories. 'Witches'. Women like my nan, who look old and diddy but has lived a quiet life of helping those around her, and has no idea of what an angel and an asset she is. Women who survived hardship. Women who found that jewel - peace. Women who broke the cycle. ALL women. The glamourous and the quiet. Women I would have heard of, like good ol Florence Nightingale, Friedha Kahlo and Bisan of Palestine to women like Una Marson, who I only learn of last week. She was the first black woman broadcaster for the BBC.

Thank you!

Golda Meir was an Israeli politician who served as the fourth Prime Minister of Israel from 1969 to 1974.

She was Israel's first and only female head of government and the first in the Middle East.

Maybe someone who already works for your company should do this research for you?

JK Rowling, who’s done an enormous amount to support women & children, including founding the Lumos charity and Beira’s Place, and carried on defending women’s sex based rights despite receiving ‘enough death threats to paper a room’.
https://www.wearelumos.org/

https://beirasplace.org.uk/about/

Jane Goodall, who’s spent her life working in conservation, especially with chimpanzees.

https://janegoodall.org/our-story/about-jane/

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frances_Oldham_Kelsey

Stood up for what she knew to be right in the face of huge pressure from vested interests and prevented huge amounts of damage.

Celia Hammond a successful model in the 1960s who appeared on the cover of Vogue several times gave up her career to rescue cats and has dedicated her life to the welfare of animals.

Keira Bell.

Celia is on my list! I have worked with her in Canning Town and done some bits at Lewisham. Brilliant woman

A little bland. I am not asking anyone to go and do leg work for me but thought rather if people knew of any particular women they found inspirational they may want to sure. To get more of a personal touch as I highlighted in my initial post. You wont find my Nan on google!

Mrs Desai

Dame Stephanie Shirley. Arrived in the UK as a young child on Kindertransport. Set up a computer company in the '60s with women doing the programming at home. They did Concorde's black box. She now does lots of work for autistic charities and others.

Kofoworola Abeni Pratt, first black woman to work as a nurse in the NHS

Baroness Brenda Hale, first female justice of the Supreme Court

Loving all of these and have only heard of a few previously!

Maggie Aderin-Pocock

Hannah Fry, rejected from Cambridge as a student and now a Professor there, a fantastic STEM communicator

The Dead to me podcast is great for this I've found out so much about influential men and women I'd only heard the names of

October's edition - the women in Scotland who got the Witches pardoned and the statue in Edinburgh

If you want STEM:
Grace Hopper
Hedy Lamarr
Rosamund Franklin

Agnes Baden-Powell
Mary, Queen of Scots
Anne Frank
Greta Thunberg
Margaret Thatcher
Laura Kenny
Virginia Wade
Katie Piper
Boudicca
Joan of Arc
Marie Curie
Rosa Parks
Alice Ball
Helen Sharman

Thousands of unsung women to write about.
Although if it's a newsletter for families I think you should write about men too.

Really? 🧐

Rachel Carson, American biologist and author. Her 1962 book The Silent Spring was key to launching environmental awareness.

Yes. I fear I may be a heathen. There are only 3 before your post I had heard of although I did know more than half your list.

A few are on the list but I had totally overlooked Thatcher!

Emily Davies, pioneer for university education for women

Giselle Pelicot.

Seemingly ordinary women doing extraordinary things or making a difference...

Karen Kylleso - recently became the youngest person to reach the south pole solo and self supported on skis. She's 21, it took 54 days to cover over 700 miles and she's tiny, under 5ft and 50kg (sorry for the imperial/ metric mix!) and had to pull all her food and kit, on a sled weighing over 100kg with her.

Emma Kelty - British adventurer (long list if achievements) who was a headteacher she was murdered while attempting to solo kayak the length of the Amazon river

Ellen MacArthur - fastest RTW solo

Jasmine Paris - Winter Spine race & Barkley marathon

Dianne Fossey - conservationist killed by poachers

Bex Band - Author, adventurer, formed one of world’s largest women’s adventure communities, Love Her Wild

International Women's Day is 8th March, and March is Women's History Month, (if you have an American employer,) so there will probably be lots of lists soon.

There have also been past MN threads on inspirational women, so you can search for them.

What about some of the female explorers like Freya Stark and Gertrude Bell? royalhistsoc.org/calendar/early-women-explorers-in-arabia/#:~:text=Lady%20Anne%20Blunt%20is%20credited,first%20British%20woman%20to%20undertake

Gertrude Elles, pioneering geologist.
https://www.palass.org/publications/newsletter/legends-rock/legends-rock-gertrude-elles