5 Real-life women who inspire

Jul 18, 2011 3:59 PM by Kat Hobza

Posted in Living

True Inspirations

We all need a little boost in the motivation department from time to time. That's when we talk to a friend or parent, or we hop online to see if we can find something to pull us out of a motivational slump. The following five women are inspiring for a variety of reasons. See if one of their stories helps put you back in the swing of things.

Rhonda Byrne

Author of The Secret

Regardless of your opinion of The Secret, no one can argue that author Rhonda Byrne took a somewhat controversial subject and turned it into a raging success (arguably proving the premise of The Secret). Believing in something, committing to it, and then watching it grow into a worldwide phenomenon is not just inspiring -- it's awe-inspiring. Remember Rhonda and her secret the next time you think of pitching something but feel insecure about your idea.

Photo credit: Michael Carpenter / WENN

Juliette Brindak

Founder of MissOandfriends.com

At 10 years old, this budding artist began drawing a collection of girl tweens. The positive response to her work got Juliette and her sister thinking about the challenges faced by tween girls and the lack of community for this age group. From there, MissOandfriends.com -- a social community for girls in the early teens -- was born. Juliette now employs more than 30 people (her parents included). In 2008, her site was valued at $15 million.

Photo credit: MissOandfriends.com

Lisa Niemi

Actress, dancer, widow of Patrick Swayze

We had to squeeze one celebrity into the mix, because real women come in all shapes and sizes. Lisa inspires us with her strength and grace in the face of what so many women today must live through: a battle with disease in a loved one. And like Lisa, so many women lose that battle, despite fighting with everything they have. Lisa Niemi and Patrick Swayze were married for 34 years, many of them filled with Patrick's struggle with the alcohol and chain-smoking that may have contributed to his pancreatic cancer. Lisa inspires us as a footsoldier in the war against cancer. Even more than that, she inspires us as a woman who meant "for better or for worse" when she said it.

Photo credit: WENN

Gabrielle Bernstein

Founder of HerFuture.com

On a shoe-buying fast track to nowhere a la Sex and the City and Cosmo, Gabrielle realized her happiness wasn't going to come from the outside; it had to come from the inside. She then made it her mission to inspire a generation of women to find happiness within -- not through external factors such as men, jobs and clothes. Thus HerFuture.com was born. Here, women can connect with mentors, give and/or seek advice and avail themselves of Gabrielle's inspiring message.

Photo credit: Gabbyb.tv

J.K. Rowling

**Author of the Harry Potter series**

We've heard snippets of J.K.'s Cinderella story over the years, but her real-life story is just as interesting as the fiction she writes. Divorced, parenting a baby and living on state welfare, Rowling finished a story she began on a train years before. Toting her baby to cafes because they were the only places her little Jessica would sleep, Rowling plunked away on her manual typewriter only to have her manuscript rejected 12 times -- think of that the next time you have a project that doesn't meet with instant success. The Harry Potter author has been quoted as saying, "Rock bottom became a solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life." Now, Rowling's fortune is estimated to be around a billion -- yes, billion, with a b.