The Women For Women’s Annual Luncheon is Friday October 28th at the Sheraton Centre in Toronto! Produced by Women of Influence Inc. and hosted by Fashion Television’s Jeanne Beker, this special event will support Women’s College Hospital and Advancing Women’s Health.
The lovely folks at Women’s College Hospital Foundation have given me a free ticket to give away to a female guest. Would you like to join me for a VIP reception, swanky lunch, professional networking, girl talk and people watching? Naturally, right!
I’m giving away the ticket by a random draw on this blog. To enter, just comment below and give us the name of a woman who inspires you. On Wednesday October 26th, the mathie robots at Random.org will help us draw the number of the winner. Good luck!
So, you’re probably wondering…
Who’s my favourite influential woman? The answer may surprise you, as for a moment I’m putting all my historical and nonprofit-type heroes aside …
… Kathryn Bigelow! Popularly known as the first woman to win a Best Director Oscar (for The Hurt Locker), but who will always be a hero to me for directing cult classics Near Dark and Point Break.
Okay ladies, now tell us who you admire in the comments!
Update – October 26: The wonderful folks at WCHF have given us an extra ticket, so our draw will now have two lucky winners! 
Yet another update WCHF has picked two numbers thanks to the friendly robots at Random.org – The winners are Mary A & Ashley R! Thank you everyone who participated and shared your favourite female heroes!
Uh, I made this blog on a PC. So it’s a bit crap. Like real people. 
Woman I admire::: Absolutely without a doubt Golda Meir, former Prime Minister of Israel! Looks like a great event. Fingers crossed I win a ticket… thanks
Steffanie Strathdee, Dean of Global Health Sciences at UCSD. Over 400 publications on vulnerable people and infectious disease. And under the age of 50! Amazing!
I admire Vandana Shiva, seed-saving advocate, scientist, and all-round badass.
My mother Patricia inspires me.
Betty Friedan/Gloria Steinam for furthering women’s rights
Annie Thorisdottir- changing fitness for women
How to pick just one? After reading her book I am totally inspired by Arlene Dickinson, not only is she a smart, savvy business woman but she is completely self made from hard work! That’s inspiring!
I would say Aung San Suu Kyi for her dedication to non-violence and commitment to democracy.
My favourite influential woman is Sonya Jf Barnett (aka @keyholesessions) for her brave stance in co-founding the Slutwalk movement; her accomplishments in rallying women in support of each other; her views on women and sexuality and forwarding our rights to express our sexuality as we choose without judgement or violence. She is a constant inspiration to me and a wonderful role model for authentic living.
My favourite influential woman is Maryellen Boyes. She’s not famous, she’s my friend. But she uses her words to encourage other women to make a change in our city by doing justice and loving mercy!
Tzeporah Berman — reading her new book right now.
I recently was inspired by Laura Berg of My Smart Hands.
Among others, I’m quite inspired by Jeanne Beker herself. She worked hard to Be in the position she is in now and deserves every bit of the recognition. From launching @Fashion to the endless interviews, research, fashion lines and hosting opportunities she is an entrepreneur in her own right and a huge inspiration to any woman looking to follow a similar career path in media or business. I’d love to hear her speak
I admire strong entrepreneural women like Cynthia Rowley. She has a successful business donig what she absolutely loves, two beautiful children, a loving husband who supports her, and she is an author to boot. Amazing.
Dame Barbara Stocking, head of Oxfam GB really inspires me.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbara_Stocking
Cathie Black. I strongly admire her character and willpower after reading the “Basic Black” book.
Currently, I would have to say my friend and great role model, Rona Maynard. She is the former editor-in-chief of Chatelaine and a published author (“My Mother’s Daughter”), as well as an engaging speaker. Yesterday I heard Rona speak at a conference on employing people with mental health disabilities, sharing her own experiences as a leader and as someone who has dealt with mental health issues herself.
On a side note, I’m also a big fan of Jeanne Beker!
As cliched as this one may sound, Elizabeth I has always inspired me.
Sheryl Sandberg inspires me to do my best professionally and is a reminder that with grace, intelligence and kindness you can make it to the top.
Marianne McKenna – a partner of the ever-brilliant architect firm, KPMB. She holds her own in a super male-dominated environment and does it well!
wow – so many inspiring women – the late Wangari Maathai, Angela Merkel, Mother Theresa
My grandmother, by far. Although some famous women are inspiring, it’s quite different to be able to known someone inside & out, know their ‘good’ & their ‘bad’, yet still be in awe & fully inspired!
In honor of Women’s College, I nominate my childhood neighbor. My neighbor went to medical school in the 1950s. I think she once said she was one of two women in her class.
Then as if that wasn’t hard enough, her husband died while she was still in school so, as a single mom she finished medical school! Imagine doing that today let alone 60 years ago.
She ultimately remarried and because it was too hectic to be a practicing doctor with six kids, she became a medical researcher. Some of her research was published.
That is determination!
Maude Barlow. Margaret Atwood. Gloria Steinam. Aung Sun Suu Kyi. Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf. Shirin Ebadi. Wangaru Maathai.
My Grandmother, Helena Andrevna Khasanova was a true inspiration to me. She survived the death of her parents while she was a child, civil war in her birth country, two world wars, lived in several countries, lost children as toddlers, and all the while she kept going. A true survivor!
There are many beautiful influential women who changed the world for lots women that many of us admire today. I admire any women who has a decent moral, self respect, self made
entrepreneurial, cancer survival, fight for all women’s right and a role model for many female and childrens
I admire what Christy Turlington is doing to raise awareness for maternal and child heath!
Without a shadow of a doubt the most inspiring woman in my life is Dr. Samantha Nutt http://peaceninja.tumblr.com/post/11780895019/an-unstoppable-force-for-good.
The most influential woman in my life is my mom and she inspires me with how she lives her life every day.
Artemisia Gentileschi – a Baroque painter, and the first woman painter to become a member of the Accademia di Arte del Disegno in Florence.
She faced persecution and violence in a strictly male-dominated industry (and era) but was not dissuaded and her paintings grace the walls of world-class galleries to this date. Her works are not only stunning, but feature stories where women are the protagonists or equal to men – features sorely lacking in most masterpieces of art history.
Learning of her greatness in personal strength and practical talent really inspired me. Especially since I first learned about her at art school.
So many bright, beautiful women who are natural leaders – tough call! I would have to say my Great Grandmother who had 16 children and lived near Hearst Ontario in the 1800s and all the pioneer women who survived Canada’s weather and wilderness and helped to settle our country.
Just a test to make sure commenting is working
At the risk of sounding cliché, I have to say my late Bubby. If she could risk everything, I could risk a cliché.
A Holocaust survivor, she fled the Nazis, was rescued by someone pretending to “save” her, fled Nazis again, reunited with her husband, saved her children’s lives, endured and overcame. Most of all, though it wasn’t her first language, she taught me English as a little girl, and taught me that I have two knees [pronounced KA-neez], which I proudly told my class at school. Yeah, they laughed at me, but to this day, I speak of my KA-neez with great pride. Thanks to my Bubby.
Thank you everyone for sharing your favourite female heroes – this is an amazing collection of fabulous women!. Women’s College picked two random numbers and our winners were Mary A and Ashley R – thank you everyone again!