After years of fighting for recognition, women are finally becoming increasingly powerful forces in fields such as literature, business, athletics, and more. Nowadays, it is becoming common to witness the milestone of another successful female when reading the news or watching an award show. The term “girl boss” is a term that has inspired young girls by demonstrating that women can be strong and successful. If you are serious about becoming a girl boss, direct your attention towards these five women:
1. Elizabeth Cutler and Julie Rice
You may not recognize these two women by name, but you will probably recognize the name of the company they started together: SoulCycle. Before SoulCycle, both Cutler and Rice were NOT fitness instructors. They were both moms living on opposite ends of the country with a shared passion for “finding their soul” through fitness. What made these two women “girl bosses” is their belief that they would find successful with their new business. These co-founders faced a lot of criticism when opening a cycling studio. People argued that no one would pay to go to a spin studio because you can enjoy the use of a stationary bike at your local gym. Despite the doubts they faced, Cutler and Rice fostered a worldwide spin and fitness studio that has become a favorite of many.
2. Jenny Zhang
Jenny Zhang is a fearless Chinese-American writer and poet. After graduating from Stanford University and attending the Iowa Writer’s Program for fiction, Zhang moved to Brooklyn, New York. The most notable and powerful asset that she utilizes in her writing is pure and raw honesty. In a majority of her works, Zhang explores the life of a Chinese-American woman in the United States. The way that she does this, however, might make your jaw drop. Zhang challenges traditional writing techniques and completely disregards her readers comfortability through her vulgar, descriptive, and sometimes disturbing language. After you first read her work you might be left a bit shocked, but Zhang’s goal is to be overly honest with her readers to bring light to issues that she thinks are important. If you’re looking for a new read for the upcoming winter break, give Jenny Zhang’s Sour Heart a chance. For those who are aspiring writers and are all about women’s rights, you and Jenny Zhang would get along great.
3. Taylor Cummings
If you play lacrosse, odds are you have heard the name Taylor Cummings. Originally from Ellicott City, Maryland, Cummings played as a midfield lacrosse player for the University of Maryland. During her time in Maryland, she played in four consecutive NCAA Championship games, won two NCAA national titles, was a four-time first team All-American, and won the Tewaaraton Award three times. Beyond her successes as a college lacrosse player, Cummings carried her passion and talent with her after graduation. She began her own business known as Taylor Cummings Lacrosse, “a company centered around providing quality instruction through camps and clinics around the country.” Taylor lives out her dreams by running this business, and she hopes to expand the game of lacrosse and encourage young girls to carry the game into the future. She also runs a YouTube channel where she posts instructional game-play videos, advice videos, and coverage on her current involvement with Team USA and the Women’s Professional Lacrosse League.
4. Jenny Fleiss
Originally from New York City, Jenny Fleiss attended Yale University and Harvard Business School. She is known by business people everywhere as being one of the co-founders of Rent the Runway, a successful company that allows consumers to “rent” designer dresses at an inexpensive cost. She served as the head of business development and was a member of the board of directors. While her business has flourished in the past years, her success does not stop at her start-up. After working at Rent the Runway for nine years, Fleiss has recently joined Walmart’s team to oversee Code Eight, a Walmart portfolio start-up company. As Fortune Magazine put it, “Jennifer Fleiss just went from running her own company to joining the world’s largest company.” Her talents and business acumen made her an excellent candidate to achieve Walmart’s goal of creating a “magical and delightful” shopping experience.
The success of these women is accompanied by the success of thousands of others. Each of these women has faced and continues to face criticism, doubt, and failures throughout their journey. The secret to becoming a “girl boss” is to believe in yourself and never give up!