forging your own path in life and in work sure isn’t easy. it takes a great deal of courage and persistence. i’ve personally experienced many bumps in the road over the years while building sfgirlbybay and running my own company but every obstacle i’ve faced, every success and every failure, has taught me something valuable. i’m so proud of the platform that i’ve built with your support, my dear readers, and i’m grateful for the opportunity to share all of the things that inspire me most with you here. today, in partnership with Uber, i’m doing a bit more of just that by shining a light on my favorite fellow boss ladies who also happen to be drivers of change and major sources of inspiration to me, along with some empowering books that have recently been recommended to me — like You Are a Badass by Jen Sincero, I Thought it was Just me by Brené Brown, and girl, Wash your face by rachel hollis.

my first source needs no introduction: Ruth Bader Ginsburg AKA the notorious RBG. talk about a female powerhouse!  i can’t wait to go see this beautiful documentary about her life and career. if you’re looking for more from this judicial rockstar, you can check out her book, my own words and for those of you with kids, this picture book looks pretty cool, too.

the next woman on my list, Dr. Brené Brown, is someone who’s work has really impacted my way of thinking in recent years. for those of you who may not be familiar with her, she’s a research professor at the University of Houston who has spent the past two decades studying courage, vulnerability, shame, and empathy and the author of four #1 New York Times bestsellers. if books aren’t your thing, you may have caught her as a guest on podcasts like on being, the tim ferriss show, Pod Save the People and shows like Oprah’s Super Soul Sunday. her ted talk on The Power of Vulnerability is still a personal favorite of mine and with almost 35 million views to date, i’m sure i’m not alone. if you’re interested in learning more about living whole-heartedly, i highly recommend checking her out.

these next two ladies both have podcasts that aim to remove the stigma surrounding mental health issues through honest and open conversations mixed with a dash of comic relief and they also happen to be good friends of mine. first up, raw food expert extraordinaire, author, youtuber, and all-around very creative lady Laura Miller and her beautifully brave podcast, Talking in Circles. up next, the creative force behind Ban.do, Jen Gotch, and her brand new podcast, Jen Gotch is OK…Sometimes. this one hit airwaves just last week,  but i’m really looking forward to what jen gets up to. and since we’re on the topic of podcasts, a few more that i turn to on the regular for inspiration include Behind the Brilliance by Lisa Nicole Bell, which is chock full of useful advice in the form of entertaining conversations with innovators, creatives and entrepreneurs, and Jess Lively‘s The Lively Show, which focuses on how to live a more joyful, peaceful and fulfilling life by living with intention. a tough skill to master, in my opinion, but definitely one worth pursuing.

this next source of inspiration may not be intended for me personally, but i’m just so glad that it exists! Smart Girls is a blog for young girls created by Amy Poehler and producer Meredith Walker. i really respect the way their organization aims to help girls focus less on “fitting in” and more on cultivating their authentic selves, something i think most young women and many grown ups struggle with.

i’d be remiss if i didn’t include my favorite female-run magazines in this round-up as well, which include the gentlewoman, darling magazine and their amazing mission to represent and relate to women in an authentic and real way, and Chelsea Sonsken’s Bossladies Magazine. i can’t tell you how often i turn to their lovely pages for inspiration when i’m feeling a bit defeated or creatively tapped out.

honestly, these are just a hand-full of my favorite female sources of inspiration. i could go on and on! but with entrepreneurship steadily increasing among women, i’m glad to shine a spotlight on these women who inspire me by driving change and forging a path for others to follow and companies like Uber, that are dedicated to creating opportunity and supporting equality for women in work and in life. joining forces with them to celebrate my favorite female powerhouses has been such a pleasure. i hope this round-up inspires you to share your own sources of inspiration in the comment section below.

• This is a sponsored post in partnership with Uber and all words and opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that help keep sfgirlbybay going with fresh content every day.

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