Maya Angelou
Maya Angelou was an author, poet, dancer, actress, singer, producer and activist.
One of the lessons that we can learn from her life is the importance of saying "Yes". She discovered who she was and along the way by saying yes to various opportunities.
"If I'm asked, 'Can you do this?' I think, if I don't do it, it'll be ten years before another black woman is asked to do it. And I say, 'yes, yes, when do you want it?"
Marina Abramovic
Marina Abramovic's art allowed her to push past physical boundaries. In her 2010 groundbreaking performance The Artist is Present at New York's MoMA, she broke attendance records attracting more than 500,000 visitors. One of the lessons we can learn from her life is that when dealing with yourself and pushing past your own limitations you can be a catalyst for others to do the same.
Katharine Graham
Publisher of The Washington Post, Katharine Graham was the first woman to head a Fortune 500 company. When she took over the Post in 1963 after her husband's death, she had no formal training in business and only modest experience in journalism, yet she found her way to success. Life lesson: People can lead very rich and fulfilling careers in the second half of life. "Most people go through life without ever discovering the existence of that whole field of endeavor which we describe as second wind."
Marie Curie
Marie Curie was a Polish-born French physicist famous for her work on radioactivity and twice a winner of the Nobel Prize. She is the most famous female scientist of all time, and has received numerous posthumous honors. One of the lessons one can learn from her life is to follow your intuition and passion. Curie once said, "I am among those who think science has a great beauty. A scientist in his laboratory is not only a technician: He is also a child placed before natural phenomena which impress him like a fairy tale."
Rosario Perez
Rosario Perez is the former CEO and President of Pro Mujer (For Women), a non-profit organization dedicated to the economic development of women in Latin America. After a long successful career at JPMorgan Chase, she repositioned herself to help some of the most disadvantaged women in South America. Her work has reached more than 1.6 million women and their 6.4 million children and family members in Latin America. Lesson from her life: If you give others the opportunities and the right tools, people can lift themselves up.
Muccia Prada
Muccia Prada is a fashion powerhouse that continues to unveil her vision of what a woman can be. Her farsighted creativity extends to other cultural forums, including architecture, art, cinema and design. Her collaboration with acclaimed architects led to creating a revolutionary store concept, combining retail, an art space, and gallery. Life lesson: you can merge all your passions into the business that you have.
Carmen Amaya
Carmen Amaya "The Queen of the Gypsies" is known as one of the greatest dancers of all time, and the mother of modern Flamenco dance. Rising from poverty to becoming an international star and performing on the silver screen, her story is truly remarkable. She was described as: a volcano, a tornado, a cyclone, a young tiger, a serpent, and "furiously animal".
One of lessons from her life is one of loyalty to family and a passion for her art. It is well known that she took great care of her family and brought them along on her many tours.
Victoria Ocampo
Victoria Ocampo was a writer, an editor, a publisher, a feminist and described as "La Mujer mas Argentina" (the Quintessential Argentinian Woman). She pushed beyond on the stereotypes of her wealthy upbringing and made a name for herself in the literary world. Her admiration for her contemporary luminaries motivated her to carve out a series of mentoring relationships that had a huge effect in her path to success. Life lesson: surround yourself with like-minded successful people you admire so that you can draw from their guidance and experience.
Shirin Neshat
Shirin Neshat is a visual artist who has gained global recognition for her work in photography, film, and video. Born in Iran and living in the United States for much of her life due to the political climate of her native homeland, her work reflects the experience of being caught between two worlds. Life lesson: Imagination is one of our greatest resources.
"My imagination is the place that I feel at home. As long as I can go back to my imagination, I am content."
Diana Nyad
Diana Nyad is a world champion swimmer, an author, journalist and motivational speaker. She is best known for her recent feat in becoming first person to swim from Cuba to Florida without a shark cage. Her motto: "Find a way."
Life lesson: Never give up.
Amelia Earhart
Amelia Earhart was the first woman to fly solo from the coast to coast, across the Atlantic, and the first pilot to fly solo across the Pacific. She tragically was lost at sea on her attempt to circumnavigate the globe at the equator. One of the great lessons of her life was that she wasn't afraid to step into the unknown. She had a way of confronting her fears and transforming them into excitement and adventure.
Madam CJ Walker
The daughter of former slaves, she went on to become the first female millionaire in U.S. history. Breaking the cycle of poverty in her own family, she created a thriving national hair care business. Life lesson: It doesn't matter where you come from. You can take a idea and build a future for yourself.
Helen Keller
Although left deaf and blind through a childhood illness, Helen Keller rose above her circumstances to become a US Goodwill Ambassador, an author, and lecturer, and spoke several languages. She would later become the recipient of the US Presidential Medical of Freedom. Life lesson: A rich interior life far outweighs physical limitations. Her life continues to inspire millions worldwide.
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