As Women’s History Month comes to an end, we wanted to celebrate the creative women that inspire our DoubleShot team members. These women live up to what it means to be game-changers, innovators, creatives, and intellects. They’ve broken down barriers, created art, wrote life-changing stories, and made an impact on women and men alike worldwide.
Shonda Rhimes
A masterful storyteller, dreamer, writer and business woman all in one. Shonda has experience success as a television producers, writer, and author. In addition to creating one of our favorite shows of all time (hello, McDreamy!), she published her first book in 2015. A memoir, Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand in the Sun, and Be Your Own Person, detailed Shonda’s experiment for one year: She said YES to everything that scared her. We are inspired by this powerful woman who isn’t afraid to take risks and step outside her comfort zone. We can’t wait to see the content she creates with Netflix in the future.
J.K. Rowling
This incredible author inspires us to always be creative and never let adversity get in the way. Her wildly-successful Harry Potter books taught millions about life, morality, ethics, friendship, bravery, and so much more from the characters in the series. J.K also pulled herself out of poverty using creativity. She never forgets where she came from and contributes to countless charities and has created her own, Lumos.
Ali Wong
Paving the way for Asian-American comedians, Ali Wong has broken down barriers with both her Netflix stand-up specials, Baby Cobra and Hard Knock Wife, where she addresses the double standards that come with parenting as well as the reality of being a mother, right down to the nitty gritty. (Did we mention she filmed both stand-up shows while being 7 months pregnant?!) With her witty humor and expressive stage presence, Ali has made a name for herself in the entertainment industry. Her upcoming projects include lending her voice to an upcoming animated series on Netflix, alongside Tiffany Haddish, and writing a book of short letters to her daughter that will be published this year. We are excited to see more of this super-mom in 2019!
Tina Roth Eisenberg
Hailing from Speicher, Switzerland, this designer created her soon-to-be popular design blog, swissmiss, in 2005. Tina goes by a philosophy that reminds her: the best way to complain is to make things, which has led her to some of her most successful projects to date. She is founder of a monthly lecture series called CreativeMornings, co-creator of a to-do app called TeuxDeux, founder of a temporary tattoo shop called Tattly, and co-founder of a co-working space called FRIENDS. Her innovative mind and persevering attitude inspires us to take a page out of her book and explore our inner creativity.
Maya Angelou
Beloved author, actress, poet, screenwriter, and civil rights activist, Maya Angelou, is the cornerstone for any great American writer. She made history in 1969 with her memoir, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, as the first nonfiction best-seller by an African-American woman. Her difficult childhood and traumatic life experiences as an adult shaped her as a person and shone through in her writing. We are just a few of many that adore Angelou and her incredible work and will continue to keep her legacy alive.
Halla Tómasdóttir
This incredible woman shocked the entire nation of Iceland when she announced her candidature for presidency in 2016. No one believed she would excel, and to their surprise, Halla went from barely scraping by, to coming in second with nearly a third of the popular vote. With her limited resources, she used different social media platforms to try and reach out to as many young voters as she could — she even found herself campaigning on Snapchat! Her resilience and perseverance showed everyone that women are just as capable of being president. After the election, Halla became a strong advocate for women who want to run for office and reminds us all: “Nothing works when women are not at work.”
Cindy Gallop
You may know her as the woman who gave “the most talked about” TEDTalk in 2009 when she announced the launch of her company, MakeLoveNotPorn, where she surprised everyone by addressing the topic of sex and the misconstrued expectations that come with it. She is passionate about normalizing sex and making it a less taboo topic because it is just part of being human. In 2010 she also launched another business called IfWeRanTheWorld, a web platform designed to bring together human good intentions and corporate good intentions and turn them into collective action. We applaud her for being so bold and real; the world needs more people like Cindy.
Oprah Winfrey
Would a list of inspiring women be complete without Oprah? We all know and love her as the famous talk show host and actress, but we also see her as a fighter. She is a survivor of sexual abuse and overcame her traumatic childhood to create a successful life for herself. Oprah became the woman who welcomed everyone to her show with open arms, regardless of their gender, ethnicity, or sexuality. She announced her television network, Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN), in 2011 and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom (the nation’s highest civilian honor) by President Barack Obama in 2013. Oprah is referred by many as the most influential woman in the world and we could agree more.
We want to know. Who inspires you?