15 Women You Need to be Following if You’re Looking for a Confidence Boost

In honor of International Women's Day, here are 15 women you can follow or tap into for some ideas on how to be confident.

Some of these are professional women, working like you and me in different industries. Others are writers, speakers, and thought leaders. Some focus on confidence as their expertise, others focus on vulnerability, authenticity, or imposter syndrome. All of them will inspire you as strong, thoughtful women who seek to inspire other women.

In no particular order, here are 15 of my favorite women to follow:

1. Brene Brown | www.brenebrown.com | @brenebrown | I’m guessing you’ve heard of Brene, but if you haven’t, you need to start following her immediately. Brené has spent the past two decades studying courage, vulnerability, shame, and empathy. She is the author of five #1 New York Times bestsellers: The Gifts of Imperfection, Daring Greatly, Rising Strong, Braving the Wilderness, and her latest book, Dare to Lead. Run, do not walk, to follow and learn from her.
2. Mel Robbins | www.melrobbins.com | @melrobbinslive | Mel is a bestselling author, award-winning CNN Legal Analyst and Contributing Editor to SUCCESS Magazine, and she has a new talk show coming out this fall. Best known for inventing the life-changing 5 Second Rule, and delivering one of the most-viewed TEDx Talks in the world, Mel is the go-to expert on change, confidence, and decision-making.
3. Tanya Geisler | www.tanyageisler.com | @tanyageisler | Tanya presents on the topic of imposter syndrome with grace, joy, and humor. She’s a leadership coach who masterfully helps countless women become the leaders there have the potential to be while combating imposter syndrome and limiting beliefs that stand in their way.
4. Amy Cuddy | www.amycuddy.com | @amycuddy | Amy Cuddy is known around the world for her 2012 TED Talk on body language, which is the second-most-viewed talk in TED's history. She is a professor and researcher at Harvard Business School who studies how nonverbal behavior and to snap judgments influence people. 
5. Susan Cain | https://www.quietrev.com/ | @susancainauthor | Susan Cain is the co-founder of Quiet Revolution (www.quietrev.com) and the author of the bestsellers “Quiet Power: The Secret Strengths of Introverts” (Dial Books, May 2016) and “Quiet: The Power of Introverts in A World That Can't Stop Talking” (Crown Publishers, Jan. 2012). She speaks to the souls of introverts, teaching them how to have confidence and banish the imposter syndrome that can come with trying to thrive in an extroverted world.
6. Amy Morin | https://amymorinlcsw.com/ | @amymorinauthor | Amy Morin is a licensed clinical social worker, college psychology instructor. Her Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling book titled "13 Things Mentally Strong People Don't Do" is being translated into 33 languages, and her third book, “13 Things Mentally Strong Women Don't Do,” focuses on the bad habits women can give up to build their mental muscles. Amy's TEDx talk, the Secret of Becoming Mentally Strong, is one of the most popular TEDx talks of all time with more than 9 million views. 
7. Fran Hauser | http://www.franhauser.com/ | @fran_hauser | Fran Hauser is a media executive, startup investor, and celebrated champion of women and girls. She's held senior positions at some of the world's largest digital media businesses, including Time Inc.'s PEOPLE, InStyle, and Entertainment Weekly as well as Moviefone and AOL. Fran is now an angel investor who largely invests in female founders, and her book, “The Myth of the Nice Girl: Achieving a Career You Love Without Becoming a Person You Hate” came out in April 2019.
8. Jen Sincero | www.jensincero.com | @jensincero | Sometimes we all just need a kick in the “you know where”, and Jen delivers just that with her no-nonsense talk and motivation. Jen is a #1 New York Times bestselling author, success coach, and “motivational cattle prod.” She’s helped countless professional women transform their personal and professional lives. Her #1 New York Times bestseller, You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life (2013), has sold well over a million copies,
9. Natalie MacNeil | www.shetakesontheworld.com | @nataliemacneil | Natalie MacNeil is an award-winning media entrepreneur, influential blogger, and thought leader on personal branding for women. Even though her work is geared toward entrepreneurs, I love her supportive, encouraging spirit that encourages all women to be confident and build their own dream career -- whatever that looks like. Her blog and social media platforms inspire and teach on things like confidence, productivity, and a positive mindset. 
10. Arianna Huffington | www.ariannahuffington.com | @ariannahuff | Arianna Huffington is an author, columnist, and businesswoman. She is the founder of the Huffington Post, founder, and CEO of Thrive Global, and has authored 15 books. She self-describes on LinkedIn as a “Mother. Sister. Flat-shoe advocate. Sleep evangelist. Author of 15 books, including international bestsellers Thrive and The Sleep Revolution. Serves on numerous boards, including Uber.”
11. Valorie Burton | www.valorieburton.com | @valorieburton | Valorie Burton is a bestselling author, speaker, and life coach whose passion is to help people get unstuck and be unstoppable in every area of life. She is the founder of The Coaching and Positive Psychology (CaPP) Institute and has served as a Certified Personal and Executive Coach to hundreds of clients in over 40 states and ten countries. For nearly 20 years, Valorie's work has been helping professional women learn how to be confident, 
12. Lolly Daskal | www.lollydaskal.com | @lolly.daskal | Lolly Daskal is a sought-after executive and leadership coach who has served clients in hundreds of companies. She is the founder and CEO of Lead from Within, which is her proprietary leadership program that helps leaders, including professional women leaders, enhance their performance and make a difference in their companies, their lives and the world (and who doesn’t want to do that?). Lolly’s new book, “The Leadership Gap: What Gets Between You and Your Greatness” is a Wall Street Times Bestseller. 
13. Sheri Salata | https://thepillarlife.com/the-beautiful-no/ | @sherisalata | Sheri Salata is a writer/producer, co-founder of the pillarlife.com and co-host of the podcast The Sheri + Nancy Show. Sheri spent 20 years at “The Oprah Winfrey Show, Harpo Studios, and the OWN network.  Her first book "The Beautiful No and Other Tales of Trial, Transcendence, and Transformation" came out in June 2019, and is (as she calls it) “part cautionary tale, part middle-of-life rallying cry.” 
14. Trisha Barker | www.trishabarker.com | @iamtrishabarker | Trisha writes about imposter syndrome on her blog “The Imposter Syndrome Solution.” Check out her free resources and ideas on combating imposter syndrome based on what she learned during her own years in the corporate world.
15. Sara Blakely | https://www.spanx.com/saras-world | @sarablakely | Sara Blakely is the founder and owner of Spanx (I’m guessing we all might own a pair or two). Sara is a self-made billionaire and she got her start selling fax machines (remember those?) door-to-door. She came up with a new kind of undergarment to wear under white pants, starting selling her new invention at Neiman Marcus on the sales floor, and, ultimately, she became one of (if not "the”) most successful female entrepreneurs of all time.