Oh this is hard...there are many. But if I had to pick two (pretty different) women, they'd be Bozoma Saint John who has overcome so much both personally and professionally. She's the CMO of Netflix but that doesn't go halfway towards describing the career accomplishments she's had. I'd also say Ursula Burns because she's been so adamant about pulling up other women of color up as one of the only and most prominent black women leaders and CEOs in corporate America. As CEO of Xerox, she had a lot of other priorities, stakeholders, and concerns but managed the extra burden of having to be "the representative" for other women and other Black people at the same time.

I'm not sure if this is an exact match, but one of my role models is Nichelle Nichols who played Uhura on Star Trek. Growing up white middle class left me initially blind to race issues. Uhura represented women in a career when women didn't have careers. I later learned that the actress was an inspiration to Whoopi Goldberg who is another one of my role models. I also love Queen Latifah. I saw an interview with Oprah ( another fav ) where she said, "Somedays you have to be your own cheerleader.". As I write this, the list goes on.

This is an amazing idea! Thank you all for sharing. I was taking on roles that added very little value to what I was trying to do and afraid to shed those roles because people depended on me. Owner of The Confident Career Woman, Ericka Spradley has inspired me to look at the workplace strategically. As a result of her zoom sessions and resources I took inventory of my roles and positioned myself strategically. As a result, I was promoted last year.

I recently got tuned into Dr Akilah Cadet and she has been an amazing source of education and insight. Her Instagram is https://www.instagram.com/changecadet/ where she posts a lot of excellent content! I'm also a huge fan of Samantha Irby, if you're looking for a LOL read, check out her books.

There is a podcast that I listen to called "Gettin Grown with Jade and Keia." They talk about a bevy of topics, including a deep dive taboo topics within in the black community; be it self care, affects of racism in the workplace, how to adult (lol). They each have their own businesses outside of the podcast; jade is a cook, and Dr. Keia is the proprieter of Team Typin Fast. they inspire me by continuing to use their voice on difficult subjects but still being true to themselves.

Dr. Cheryl Wood. She is the Visionary of Cheryl Empowers. INTERNATIONAL MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKER | BEST SELLING AUTHOR | EXECUTIVE SPEAKER DEVELOPMENT COACH Empowering & Equipping Women With The Tools To Courageously Share Their Unique Voice. She is one of the best entrepreneurs in the business of helping women to walk in their God given gifts unashamedly and unapologetically! www.cherylempowers.com

Elizabeth Cotton | Executive Director - Central San Diego Black Chamber of Commerce; Founder - Career Mingle; Executive Director - Black Tech Link; Former Director - Blacks in Technology. She is an amazing leader and collaborator!

Maxine Nwaneri - she is founder of The Future is Greater and is an amazing life coach. I took her Pain to Power program early on in the pandemic and it has helped me tremendously! She has built a community of supportive women from all around the globe. Highly recommend her, she's fantastic!!

I'm a huge fan of Tiffany Dufu, founder and CEO of The Cru, which matches circles of women who collaborate to meet their personal and professional goals. She also wrote an amazing book called "Drop the Ball" — which I highly recommend! If you haven't heard of Tiffany, definitely check her out! I'm sure she'll inspire you, too. Happy Black History Month!