Today is International Women’s Day, and while I think every day is a day to celebrate women, I would like to take a moment to highlight some women that stand out to me. These are women who I either talk to basically every day or who have influenced me via Instagram.
- Kristina Nichol – I met Kristina when we hired her to photograph the birth of our sweet Andee girl. I didn’t know it at the time, but Kristina is a singer and makes some pretty dope tracks. I always find that I just skip through some Instagram stories, but I always watch Kristina’s. This is because her family is super adorable, they are local to Calgary and I don’t wanna miss a release of a sick song. I would highly recommend checking her out on Spotify.
- Cass Olholm – If you’ve read my posts about monthly goals, you know that I am a HUGE Cass Olholm fan. Not only do I love her workouts, but she provides such encouragement through her Instagram account. Her page is one I am constantly referring to for motivation and form technique for exercises. She is hosting a workout specially designed for today on the Sweat App, and I cannot wait to give it ago. Peep her insta stories to hear why this workout is special to her.
- Samantha Heigl – Samantha is technically my soon-to-be sister in law, but has been family to me for nearly a decade. You might know that she is one of my best friends – the Piller boys really know how to pick ’em! She has recently been featured on the podcast called COSIA – Innovative Minds. Her episode is titled Beyond Diversity: Celebrating Inclusion in Energy. It feels super cool to have someone so close to me be featured on a podcast discussing equality for women.
- Cynthia Harper – Cynthia is a DIYer who isn’t afraid of using power tools and learning new skills. She was previously a math teacher (so cool!), but now makes a living designing her home. I love her go-getter attitude and how fearless she is to try and try again.
- Jana MacLaren – Jana is one of my closest friends from Vancouver. I met her while teaching in Van, but now Jana has a dope photography company. She is a freelance photographer and creates online content for small businesses. Looking at her Instagram feed always makes me smile because you can see the happiness and how comfortable she makes her clients feel. She is definitely a powerful female in my life that is crushin’ it!
- Lindsey Campbell – Lindsey Campbell is the owner of Hello Hydrangea, a company specializing in weaving and fibre arts. She is the main artist and teacher I refer to when brainstorming and learning new skills for weaving. I started following her monthly weaving series a few years ago, and have loved everything I have learned from her. She is a mama of two with her youngest baby being only a few weeks older than Andee.
- Megan Crawford – Megan is my cousin and one might say we are kindred spirits. She has the cutest little girl out there (other than Andee of course ;)) and is one of my fitness motivators. She is a certified personal trainer and nutritionist and a dance and group fitness instructor. If you are looking for someone with endless energy and the funniest of personalities, Megan is definitely the one to follow. She’s got a fun loving and sassy way about her that is just infectious and will constantly keep you laughing.
- Leah Howard – Leah is also a relative of mine, my sister-in-law, and is the mother to my most favorite little boy in the world, Hawkins. Leah works with Cultivated Cocktails, a distillery in Asheville, North Carolina owned by my dad and brother. Leah busts it each week making sure the spirits are represented in restaurants and stores. She runs their downtown store where they sell drinks, cocktail kits, sanitizer, merchandise and more. While Leah isn’t labeled as an owner of the distillery, she is definitely one of the main reasons for its success.
- Katie Crewe – Katie Crewe is another fitness idol of mine. She is a fitness coach and a new mama. Her sweet little girl is not much younger than Andee. It is really encouraging to watch her postpartum journey and her authenticity with the ups and downs. She has a super fun personality and you’ll often see her cat make an appearance in her videos. Katie has great recommendations for at home workouts, home gym equipment, strength training and more. She is one of the first fitness influencers I started following several years ago, and I can say that I still thoroughly enjoy following her to this day.
- Lisa Weaver – Now, this should go without saying, but damn y’all, my mom is a huge inspiration for me. So now that I’ve said that, let me fully introduce Lisa Weaver – my mom! 🙂 She works full time as a financial analyst for a grocery store and also is a photographer, basically full time as well. She does portraits with a editorial spin and is amazing at what she does. My mom has always been my biggest cheerleader, but has also taught me invaluable lessons on how to be the strong, confident and independent woman I am today. I will be forever grateful to her and only hope that I can be as good as a mom to Andee as she is to me.
While I have only listed ten women here, there are so many more women in my life who have guided me along the way. From friends to family to strangers I follow online, I can honestly say that I feel blessed to be a woman if only to learn from those around me. I hope you are able to enjoy this day and celebrate the women in your life. I’d love to hear all about the women that mean something special to you and why you celebrate them. Drop a line below and enjoy today. Happy International Women’s Day y’all!