Let's be honest — nowadays, it's becoming harder and harder to find role models. And it's not that there's a shortage of awesome and inspiring individuals in the world, it's just that finding and feeling that connection between someone's life and yours doesn't come all too easily.
For some people, it's also a matter of accessibility. Take Oprah, for example. She's incredibly inspiring but at the same time a lot of us can't easily relate to her. Instead of being inspired, we tend to look at the differences in our backgrounds, individual circumstance, etc.
So what we wanted was to feature women who are just like us—whether you're a stay-at-home mom, a young yogini, a "foodie," a thirty-something entrepreneur, a photographer, a writer/blogger with a smart, opinionated mind, or simply a woman who doesn't have life all figured out just yet but is sure as hell enjoying the ride.
Here are our picks of modern, inspiring women who are making a difference in the digital world and beyond.
Gabrielle Bernstein
In 2008, she founded HerFuture.com, a social networking site with the aim to inspire, connect, and empower women. Her digital presence, both in blogs and vlogs, inspired a lot of fellow "spirit junkies" and caught the attention of countless online and print media outlets and TV networks. She is now a NY Times Bestselling author, international speaker, and continues to inspire and promote wellness, meditation, and self-healing.
Website: gabbyb.tv
Maria Popova
Maria is a Brooklyn-based Bulgarian writer, blogger, and critic who created and runs BrainPickings.org. What started as a simple email digest in 2006 grew to a digital, cross-disciplinary treasure trove of anything and everything that's interesting, relevant, and useful, combining the creative with the inspirational and intellectual. Her site literally gets over a million visitors a month! She's also written for publications like Wired UK, The New York Times, The Atlantic, Harvard’s Nieman Journalism Lab, and many more.
Website: BrainPickings.org
Katie a.k.a. "Wellness Mama"
Katie started the Wellness Mama blog because she simply wanted to share her love and passion for healthy living and lifestyle. Her site has become a go-to resource for many wellness enthusiasts because she writes with a background in nutrition and makes sure her posts are backed by reliable sources. Her blog covers everything from healthy recipes to DIY and gardening projects, and she even created a 30-day Wellness Challenge to inspire and motivate her readers to start a more green and healthy lifestyle.
Website: wellnessmama.com
Rachel Brathen
Rachel is a Swedish, "instafamous" yogi with an undeniably huge online following on various social media platforms. The 23-year-old (paddleboard) yogi with the charming, sunny personality is a self confessed "dog lover, sun worshipper, chocolate addict, party animal, beach bum" — just like most of us!! Her teachings on and off the mat, and on land and water, inspire not just yogis but everyone who's on the quest for self-love and realization, happiness and peace.
Website: rachelbrathen.com
Gina Homolka
Gina is an author, photographer, recipe-creator, and the brains behind SkinnyTaste.com. SkinnyTaste became the perfect venue for Gina to combine her love of photography and great food. And like the other female bloggers featured here, Gina also didn't expect that this combined passions of hers would be shared by so many people –with over 2 million people visiting her site monthly! She's been featured in countless publications such as Fitness Magazine, Huffington Post, SHAPE Magazine, Oprah.com, etc.
Website: skinnytaste.com
Kris Carr
New York Times best-selling author Kris is not only an author, but a wellness activist and cancer thriver. She has made it her passion to help others live better, happier and more compassionate. Ten years ago, Kris was diagnosed with a rare, incurable, but slow-growing type of cancer. Needless to say that this diagnosis has changed her life completely. But instead of giving up, she started a huge movement to help others improve their own lives and shared her inspiring battle in her documentary film, Crazy Sexy Cancer. Kris has been featured in Oprah and Dr. Oz and has thousands of fans across the globe.
Website: kriscarr.com
Marie Forleo
Marie is the epitome of a young go-getter who uses a smart and positive outlook to make a difference. She calls herself a multi-passionate entrepreneur, and rightly so! She is not your typical Wall Street-type entrepreneur. She's not all about the moolah and profit — she actually wants to empower her readers and help them get rich in ways that go beyond cash and toys. She inspires her followers to nurture their health, happiness, and spirituality. In short, she's a combined force of sass, smarts, and spirituality, which has Oprah, Richard Branson, and Tony Robbins (to name a few) paying attention.
Website: marieforleo.com
Lori Deschene
If you are one of the millions of avid readers of Tiny Buddha, then you already know who Lori is; she is the heart and brains behind this amazing site that's become one of the leading online resources for peace, happiness, and simple wisdom that you can apply to daily life. Even though the site is called Tiny Buddha, it is not religious but rather spiritual, inspirational, and motivational. Lori has provided an effective and postive venue where you'll find authentic tips, stories, and wisdom nuggets from people of all ages in different parts of the world, as well as share your own.
Website: tinybuddha.com
There are SO many more beautiful and inspiring women in the blogosphere that we want to include and feature in this list, but doing so would take us forever! So if you think we've missed out on someone that has genuinely inspired you and how you live, comment below and let us know!