IT’S INTERNATIONAL Women’s Day and we’re feeling #blessed. The wellness world is filled with inspiring women making a difference and leading the charge on causes and in companies that matter, and we’ve selected nine that truly stand out to us. Meet them all (and tell us who we missed that you admire!) in the comments below…

THE GURU Think you know what a guru looks like? Think again. Guru Jagat has been guiding more than a few high profile students of kundalini yoga for years inside her Venice studio, and her whip smart take on physical, emotional and spiritual balance is starting to take root beyond L.A. We love seeing what female authority and self-realization looks like in every way, shape and form. Guru Jagat teaches us what it looks like to be authentically ourselves with every chapter of her new book. Learn more 

THE NAP CHAMPION Arianna Huffington has been on a mission to change the way we think about sleep and stress for years – and we think the shift has truly begun. Sleep now has a firm place in the conversation around wellness, and more and more of us are making rest a serious health priority. Arianna’s stature as a successful executive gives her such a valid perspective on this issue and makes her a fitting champion for the cause. Learn more

THE BEAUTY EXEC Gregg Renfrew is the powerhouse female behind Beautycounter, the responsible beauty brand taking the lead on legislation to make our products safer. Instead of carefully curating a non-toxic top shelf for ourselves alone, Gregg has us thinking bigger, namely by lobbying legislators for better regulations. Learn more

THE AGELESS FOODIE Mimi Kirk makes an impression. This ageless raw foodie and wellness aficionado blows our ideas about age and beauty out of the water. Mimi single-handedly reforms our ideas about what our future years could look like with every selfie, raw recipe and tip on living well. Meet her here and be amazed: Learn more

THE HORMONE WHISPERER High-energy medical pro Dr. Sarah Gottfried radiates with the kind of enthusiasm we wish we could conjure from doctors everywhere when it comes to natural health. She is leading the charge on the topic of women’s hormone issues and is a much needed educator on an area that most of us know so little about – but are dearly affected by. Learn more

THE FOOD CRUSADER Robyn O’Brien just won’t stop. Her message is quite controversial, mainly because she dives head first into issues that challenge our reliance on processed foods, chemical ingredients and pharmaceuticals. Some call her the food industry’s Erin Brokovich. As the mother of a child with food allergies, we love the way Robyn directed all the prowess she gained from a career on Wall Street into helping moms everywhere find solutions to avoid toxic influences for their families. Learn more

THE ENDORPHIN SMUGGLERS When Elizabeth Cutler and Julie Rice first founded SoulCycle, did they know just how viral it would become? Now, one hundred years later (in fitness trend years) the feel-good, sweat-hard brand is still going strong, due in large part to the way a SoulCycle class makes you feel. SoulCycle injected emotion back into fitness just when we needed it most. And in case anyone doubted a woman’s ability to build a successful company (we doubt there are any left), what about two? Learn more

THE ADULTING FOOD COACH We haven’t talked much about Whole30 here on TCM because we don’t like focus a lot of attention on formal diet plans, but we’ve loved seeing this brand’s real food message find resonance with so many in a meaningful way. We admire founder Melissa Hartwig for the way she presents her thirty day challenge to participants – namely, her tough talk in an age that often tip-toes. To quote the Whole30 Program Rules: “[This] is not hard. Don’t you dare tell us this is hard. Beating cancer is hard. Birthing a baby is hard. Losing a parent is hard. Drinking your coffee black. Is. Not. Hard. You’ve done harder things than this, and you have no excuse not to complete the program as written.” Kudos to this lady boss for influencing so many with the simple power of real food and for not beating around the bush about it. Learn more

THE PARENTAL WARRIOR JJ Virgin is getting things done. After this successful voice in the natural health community experienced the ultimate scare – a threat to her child’s life, she went all in bringing her son back from the (nearly) dead and is now championing the causes she learned about along the way. Brain injuries and their healing are at the center of JJ’s new passion and her story of rehabilitation through conventional, cutting edge and natural means is nothing short of astounding. We expect Virgin’s new book to make major waves and chalk it up to the fierceness of a mom’s unstoppable love for her child. Learn more

This list would be endless… if we included every woman in wellness who is making a difference. From the countless inspiring women you see featured here on our pages to all the women who read The Chalkboard regularly, we are on-goingly astounded and inspired by the wisdom so many of you have to offer. Share your own recent female inspirations in the comments below and tell us why the women you choose have impacted you so…