I don’t know about you but for me, March has lasted about 1000 days. As we are all directly affected by COVID-19 – from the loss of normalcy (Yikes, homeschooling!) to very real fears for family and friends – I’ve found myself looking to others for strength and resolve in both my personal and professional lives. 

As Women's History Month comes to a close, and to share a little joy with our readers, we want to a take a moment to celebrate our network and showcase five leaders we look to for inspiration. Check them out, and their words of wisdom, below.

#1. Brené Brown

Dr. Brené Brown is a researcher, professor, author and speaker. She is also the queen of being human and vulnerable, and leading with those same qualities – something we aspire to create in our work and relationships. She encourages us to be honest and kind, revel in our humanity, rumble with tough conversations, be vulnerable, and forge meaningful connections with the people around us.

If you haven’t gobbled up every one of her books already, check out “Dare to Lead” and “Braving the Wilderness.” You can follow her on Twitter, LinkedIn and listen to her new podcast Unlocking Us.

“If leaders really want people to show up, speak out, take chances, and innovate, we have to create cultures where people feel safe."

#2. Bozoma Saint John

Marketing and branding powerhouse Bozoma "Boz" Saint John first made waves at the 2016 Apple Worldwide Developers Conference as the Head of Global Consumer Marketing for iTunes and Apple Music. Since then, she has been named one of Fortune's 40 under 40, Fast Company's 100 Most Creative People and Forbes’ Most Influential CMOs. 

Boz has bravely jumped into environments with wavering employee experiences to say the least (hello, Uber!), while also working to support Pencils of Promise as the organization's Ghana ambassador. She does all this while championing for leaders and people to bring their whole selves to work and every situation in life.

You can read more about how Boz inspires women to show up and show out in this interview with Forbes. Follow Boz on LinkedIn, Instagram and Twitter. 

"Bring your whole self to work because, that way, you can bring full ideas and the wholeness of your unique abilities."

#3. Liz + Mollie

Liz Fosslien is responsible for content at Humu and previously led workshops for executives at Google, Facebook and Nike on creating inclusive cultures. Mollie West Duffy leads Organizational Development at RALLY, and was previously an Organizational Design Lead at global innovation firm IDEO. Together, they are the masterminds behind Liz + Mollie and work comics you may have already stumbled across.

We LOVE how they collaborate, using humor and honesty to encourage others to listen to and learn from their emotions and create environments where everyone can not just survive, but thrive. 

Their book, blog and newsletter are a treasure trove of insights, research and comics. What more could you want? You can learn more about this dynamic duo in this interview with Forbes and follow them on Twitter and Instagram.

“By pretending we don’t have feelings at work, we’re overlooking important data and risking easily preventable mistakes. We send emails that cause unnecessary anxiety, we fail to make work meaningful, and we are more likely to burn out.”

#4. Jenn Lim

Bringing joy and happiness – not to mention engagement and profits – to organizations? Sign us up! Jenn Lim always worked to bridge passion, profits and purpose but caught the attention of the business world (and New York Times Best Seller List) when she and Tony Hsieh, the CEO of Zappos.com, collaborated on his book “Delivering Happiness.” 

Since then, Jenn has become the CEO and CHO (Chief Happiness Officer) of “Delivering Happiness,” a culture coach|sultancy that works to inspire science-based happiness, passion and purpose at work.

Ready to join the movement? You can learn more about Jenn's work on the relationship between happiness and the bottom line in this interview with the Motley Fool. Oh, and follow her on LinkedIn and Twitter!

"Purpose is your north star, values are the rays that radiate from it."

#5. Rachel Miller

We're big fans of superstar Internal Communications consultant and coach Rachel Miller, who works with teams to boost communication and engagement through her firm All Things IC. Her presence on social media is also unparalleled. She is a founding member of The IC Crowd, a thriving community for IC pros to connect and ask questions on Twitter and share ideas through their annual "unconference," The Big Yak.

Rachel’s blog is a wealth of information with over 1,300 articles on internal communication, PR and social media. You can learn more about Rachel in this interview with The Employee Engagement Awards and follow her on LinkedIn and Twitter (@AllThingsIC and @theICcrowd)!

“What makes a strong brand for a communicator is consistency, clarity, and certainty.”

Moving Forward

We’ll be profiling a new leader the first Friday of each month. Join the conversation over on our socials and let us know: Who are your favorite female leaders in the employee experience and communications space? Or any space for that matter?! We might just profile them next.

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