Here at Girlboss HQ, we’re all about celebrating women every day. As in, we’ll take any occasion to shout from the rooftops the names of women who inspire, motivate and empower us be our best selves. Today, though, we have an especially good reason to do so: It’s International Women’s Day. It’s a day dedicated to spotlighting phenomenal women and their achievements while also serving as a reminding for us all to keep working toward gender parity.
Every year on March 8, communities and organizations around the world commemorate IWD in various ways, from hosting local talks featuring women authors to supporting female-founded businesses. (We’ve got some ideas on a few other ways you can celebrate women here).
To jump-start your day of inspiration and calls-to-action, we’ve dug through the Girlboss Radioarchives to select some of our favorite episodes. We’re pretty proud of the trailblazing women who’ve come on Girlboss Radio and shared their gems of wisdomover the years, so we definitely weren’t about to pass up the opportunity to revisit our favorite interviews on a day that’s all about honoring women.
Oh, and in case you’re looking for even more amazing podcasts by women, for women, Apple has a very cool roundup of Inspiring Women up right now, featuring Girlboss Radio alongside other beloved shows like Call Your Girlfriend, Women Belong in the House, and The Longest Shortest Time. (TBH, there are too many great ones to single out, so be sure to head on over and check out the full list on Apple.)
And we know you plenty of you have missed Girlboss Radio while we’ve been on hiatus these past two months. But trust, the wait is nearly over. Up ahead, we’ve got the perfect layover between seasons, where you can go back and hear from some amazing women like journalist Katie Couric and poet Rupi Kaur.
Some of our favorite advice shared on Girlboss Radio
Aimee Song on why kindness always pays
“People are so hungry sometimes that they’re willing to step on other people’s toes, kiss other peoples ass, but I think it shows eventually. I’ve been a good person, I think.
I was never selective on how I treat people depending on what their job was. Throughout over time, the interns became assistant editors, stylers or assistant PR directors then eventually actual PR people or communications director…they’ve gotten higher in their jobs and they all always remember. I think people always forget what you say to them, but you’ll never forget how somebody makes you feel. I’m exactly the same way; I’ll never forget the way somebody treated me in the early days when I was a nobody.”
Bozoma St. John on why knowing your value translates to dollars
“I think most of the time we’ve been told that negotiation, you’re in a weaker position if you make the first move. That’s not true. Why do you think companies make the first move all the time? It’s a power position, actually. So be smart about it, know exactly what you need to make, and then you say that first. If you don’t get that salary or if somebody turns her nose up at you, then you weren’t supposed to be there anyway.”
Katie Couric on how to find your purpose
“Sit down and really figure out why are you passionate about what you want to do. … You have to really go into a space believing in yourself, and I think if you’re passionate about something, figure out a way to communicate that passion to other people.”
Michelle Phan on why success is better when shared with others
“Everyone defines success differently. It’s just like love, like how do you define love? Success to me and has always been taking care of the immediate people around me, my family, my friends. If every single person on earth took care of the people immediately around them, we would have overnight, overnight utopia on earth. I truly believe in that and that’s why I’m a big believer in the crater economy because you have all these people who are going to be independent that are not going to want to work a normal nine to five job because it’s soul sucking.”
Rupi Kaur on why true fulfillment comes from the inside
“I think that success means it’s two things. It’s happiness and it is the ability to do what you love the most. … I’m glad that I learned that so early on because happiness and that fulfillment, it comes from inside. I think that we always have to fight for our time. I think we have to fight for our space. I think we have to fight for our emotional well-being and our mental health. When we do that then we’re at a happier place, in one we’re really doing what we love.”
Tess Holliday on how standing up for herself launched a movement
“I was on Tumblr and a lot of my photos were getting picked up… They were saying like, ‘You’re too fat to wear this,’ and like, ‘You need to cover up.’ I was just really pissed off, really is where I came from. And so I took four photos of myself in things that plus-size women are often told that we can’t wear, which were horizontal stripes, sleeveless, bikinis.
I put them side by side and I posted on Instagram that I was tired of people telling me what I could and couldn’t wear and how I should look because of my body, [and] if you felt the same way to post a photo and something that either scares you or something that makes you feel good and #effyourbeautystandards. And it took off.”
Maria Menunous on the power of the people you surround yourself with
“We have such little time, so you have to choose so wisely with what you’re going to get involved with and who you’re going to get involved with.
The only thing that really matters at the end of the day is who you’ve been and who you’ve helped along the way.”
Arlan Hamilton on why you should never be afraid to dream big
“In 2015, when I was homeless, I said ‘I’m going to invest in a hundred companies by 2020. And now, we’re going to invest in the hundredth company this month.”
“It is important and imperative to stick up for yourself and to know your value, know your worth. Because no check is worth it.”
Lilly Singh on why being your authentic self always resonates
“I didn’t perform well in comedies until I really started to stop being someone else on camera. For my first couple of videos, you can tell the way I dressed, the way I stand, the way I’m acting, I’m trying to be this funny person. Once I was like, ‘I’m just going to be my weird self,’ and have these quirks and talk about my pimples and all the things that make me me, that’s when people were like, ‘Oh, we’re like that too.’ That’s where my career really started to take off.”
Janet Mock on how finding safe spaces helps you build your confidence
“For me, the way I got to being confident and assured has always been ensuring I have spaces where I didn’t have to perform. Spaces in which I can be problematic in closer circles of friends who don’t expect me to perform, who are completely fine with me showing up empty, with nothing to give.”
Roxane Gay on how blocking out the naysayers keeps you focused
“You have to stop listening to all the outside noise. You have to do what you’re going to do. And maybe you’re going to fuck it up. But you’re going to get more things right than you get wrong.”
Gwyneth Paltrow on the grounding power of quality relationships
“Success to me is really like relationships that function really well, where there’s beautiful feedback loop between people. And that, I think without relationships of quality, you are not a successful person. So, if you don’t have a good relationship with your partner, your children, you best friends, then I think it’s very hard to claim success. And it’s also free and it also makes life feel full and rich and happy. Like, the quality of your relationships dictates so much how your life feels, so for me, that’s the number 1.”
To listen to more inspiring tales from today’s leading women entrepreneurs and trailblazers, be sure to subscribe to Girlboss Radio on your favorite podcast app.
For the first time ever, we’re hosting a live recording of Girlboss Radio at the Girlboss Rally. To listen in on some honest-to-goodness chats with the most inspiring women in business, and get access to so much more, register now girlbossrally.com.
