It’s International Women’s Day! Oh yes, today is the day we lift up the women in our lives who have truly inspired us. Just an FYI, the entire country is celebrating women right now because March just happens to be Women’s History Month. From moms, sisters, grandmothers to colleagues, entrepreneurs, businesses leaders, activists, and influencers, any woman making an impact in your world whole heartedly deserves a special shout out. As far as the the women we’re celebrating? Keep scrolling, because you’ll find a list of women who have become trailblazers and are transforming their own industries. So get ready to meet some game-changers, you’ll be happy you did.
Hair & Beauty
Babba , Founder & CEO of Ceremonia
If you haven’t started following Babba, do that right now. This Latina has now become a fierce leader in the clean and inclusive beauty space. Her haircare line, Ceremonia – which is available now at 500 Sephora locations – celebrates the LatinX culture by providing clean, natural and sustainable products to the market. By the way, it’s the first ever Latina owned haircare line at Sephora…so yeah…Go Babba! The line consists of 20 high performance haircare products that help detox, smooth, and style hair for the everyday. Ceremonia will also be opening up its first flagship store doors this summer in SoHo. But aside from providing high quality products that are made with ingredients from Latin America, Babba also believes in the power of her community and looks to consumers to provide real feedback and real discussion about products to meet their needs. Just like tackling healthy hair at the roots, Babba wants people to feel a sense of connection, deep rooted in heritage, as they lather on Ceremonia.
Social Media Landscape:
Isabelle Dias, Pinterest Creator Ambassador
Isabelle Dias is crushing the game of saving, pinning and inspiring over at Pinterest. She was just named a Pinterest Creator Ambassador for 2023 and is a member of the social media platform’s first ever Creator Residency Program. Here’s what we love about Isabelle, she genuinely wants to make people’s everyday life a little easier and a lot more fulfilling. Because data shows Pinterest is the only social media platform where people actively feel better after leaving their feed and they use it to create a dream life. You’ll find Isabelle’s boards cover so much in the wellness and personal development space for women (check out her confidence boards, we love em’), and that’s because this Brazilian born femme tour de force has a desire to change lives and help people see and live their true potential. Isabelle is also a Mental Health Coalition Champion and happy to always advocate for a reset and recalibration.
Nutrition & Wellness:
Mia Rigden, Board Certified Nutritionist & Author, Foodwise & The Well Journal
LA based chef, nutritionist, and author Mia Rigden is changing the game of healthy eating by educating us about the foods we never knew we’d love. Through her culinary and nutritional science background, Mia is helping people understand what foods are good for their bodies only to improve both their physical and mental health. Yup, bet ya didn’t know that there could be a specific food thats playing with your mind. Mia, whose been featured on Goop and The Today Show, isn’t just here to tell us how to make a recipe, she wants to share her wealth of knowledge to help people find realistic and enjoyable ways to improve quality of life. And she does this so effortlessly through her online courses, 1 on 1 coaching, and in her new book, Foodwise. In it, she blends exciting flavors with nutrient rich foods, like a recipe for an avocado based chocolate mousse, which is delicious by the way. She says, if you give yourself 21 days making the yummy recipes in this book, there is no doubt you’ll establish healthy eating habits and make them stick.
Acting & Entertainment:
Thuso Mbedu, Actor, The Woman King
South African actress, Thuso Mbedu, is a walking source of inspiration. The 31 year old just starred in one of the best female led films of the year, The Woman King, alongside Viola Davis, but it’s not just her acting talent we’re praising. Thuso has this incredible and positive outlook on life that can motivate any woman who comes into her space. Her 2.1 million IG followers know this. Splashed across her profile are these captivating words, “Fall in love with life and take the risks of living.” Powerful right? We got the chance to see Thuso at the Power Women’s Summit where she delivered the keynote address that influenced every woman in the room to chase their dreams and not overlook the people you meet through that journey. Thuso also told the Wrap, “she wants to make life better for the next person she meets” and wants to use her craft “as a tool for social change.” On top of that, Thuso is also a fearless leader in fashion. She devises her looks on purpose to mold herself into a total it-girl that is both aspirational yet doable.
Courtesy of Getty Images
Psychology & Therapy:
Dr. Therese, CEO & Founder of Exploring Therapy
Before remote therapy was cool, (thanks Covid) Dr. Therese has been paving the way for people to access therapy anywhere, anytime with Exploring Therapy. She is building a wellness community that helps people build a life they don’t need a vacation from, all the while on vacation herself to help initiate that personal self care. Dr Therese believes people should skip the traditional 9-5 therapist only to be met wherever they are in life. She’s into travel blogging, that anti-hustle culture and loves that she can become a content creator herself while helping her 25K followers on Instagram with her top tips. She strips everything down in her videos by answering all the questions you’re afraid to ask. Dr Therese is a powerful woman pursuing her own ambition while de-stigmatizing the need for people to get help.
Sustainable Fashion:
Sheena Jongeneel, CEO, Stylette
The future of fashion…well at least for our littles…is in the hands of LA based entrepreneur Sheena Jongeneel. She is the co-founder of the children’s clothing rental company, Stylette, a sustainable approach to keeping kids in style, and clothes free from landfills. Sheena, who began her entrepreneurial career in the health and wellness industries, was inspired by her daughter’s ever changing tastes (and growth) in fashion to begin Stylette, but this Latina told us it took a big leap to get it off the ground. “I launched at the end of 2019/2020 right before the pandemic. Can you imagine launching a rental platform with special occasion outfits at a time when no one is leaving the house?” Inspired yet? We are. Sheena has overcame every obstacle in order to see her passion come to life along with setting some fashion standards. And she is totally OK with being a poster child for female entrepreneurs everywhere, especially in LA. “Only 1.9% of institutional money went to women last year. I would love to help more women tale a leading role in business by bringing opportunity and capital to female founders.”
Transforming Activism:
Blair Imani Ali, LA Times Best Selling Author, Read This to Get Smarter, Creator & Business Woman
LA based creator Blair Imani Ali is worth a watch on IG. She is a bisexual Black Muslim woman whose entire mission is to educate her audience (and really the world) about women, the black community , the LGBTQ+ community, and more. She is on a true mission to make this planet a kind, accepting, knowledge place where people are socially conscious and compassionate. Basically, anything you need to know, you’ll learn from Blair. She’s studied gender, race and racism, sociology, and United States history, so yup the smarts are there. And if you pick up her best selling book, Read This to Get Smarter, that type of knowledge will rub off on you, but in a good way. She also co-owns an empowering beauty brand that’s helps uplift through the power of affirmations and application.
Food & Beverage:
Stefanie Garcia Turner, Founder, TUYYO Foods
An innovator in the food industry, Stefanie Garcia Turner is changing the way we see our every day Latin American foods. She is the founder of TUYYO, a modern hispanic food and beverage line that is made with real ingredients and are an easy swap for some of our favorite flavors. As a Mexican American growing up in Texas, she noticed the similarities in every latin market she visited that still seem to exist today. “It’s a lot of the same brands with a lot of ingredients that just aren’t great.” So she invented something better. An organic, gluten free, vegan and non-GMO Aguas Frescas and Cafecito drink mixes to enjoy in minutes and have no more than 4 simple ingredients. “I think it’s something that just doesn’t exist, but, you know, needs to exist. There needs to be a cleaner option for the products that are geared towards the Latino demographic.” Stefanie has also worked with some amazing women as she built her company (Jessica Alba of The Honest Company, just to name one), learning to give back to the community always. And she hopes to see more women join her as she forges a path in the Latin Food industry. “Women can be great founders, innovators, what have you. And I don’t think that we’re being seen as pillars in the business world as much as we should be. And I think there’s really amazing women doing that.”
Journalism and Media:
Lauren Ashely Beck, Host
As a host, Lauren Ashley Beck skipped the route of local news outlets and instead, ambitiously pursued becoming a personality for a living by saying yes to every opportunity that came her way. Every person and event she encountered starting out in the television space was an opportunity to learn. She engaged in coaching events relevant to her career dreams and approached peers with positivity and openness, something that is sometimes a rarity in the city of Angels. So when it came time to play survivor (yes, the reality competition series) she jumped right in and turned even that experience into a way to connect with more people being inspired by the series afterward. Lauren Ashley Beck began sharing parts of herself online, from fun skits, survivor news to delivering pop culture topics that others were interested in, which led to a massive TikTok following as a result of being totally herself. She doesn’t wait for anyone to know at her door, she goes and finds the open windows, inspiring women everywhere to believe in themselves and take control of their narratives.
Humanitarianism:
Nancy Aossey, President & CEO of International Medical Corps
Nancy Aossey has led International Medical Corps since 1986. A non-profit organization and global first responder that delivers emergency medical services to those affected by disaster or disease. Nancy has overseen the expansion of International Medical Corps for the past four decades. In that time she has delivered more than $4.2 Billion of humanitarian assistance to tens of millions of people in 80 countries. Nancy is a woman who takes a fierce can do approach to the obstacles she faces in these countries that need aid. She’s also not afraid to be a powerful advocate and let our leaders know that solutions need to be met when people are in crisis. We love Nancy and her team’s mission.
Now get to know these powerful women in LA, who are successfully breaking down barriers in their industries.
