hese past couple of weeks have been an important time for self-reflection. Through my reflective work, I have thought about all the women in my life who have nurtured my own personal growth; who have shared with me their courage and wisdom; who have educated me.
In light of the Black Lives Matter movement, there is no better time than now to speak up about the influential work of the black women in all our lives who teach, empower, and inspire us.
As a newly qualified junior doctor with a special interest in mental health, I wanted to dedicate this blog post to celebrate the incredible work of the black females who promote positive mental well-being — the women who have been such an important and personal inspiration to myself, and many others.
Chidera Eggerue
I don’t think many young women today can talk about body positivity, female empowerment and self-love without thinking about the one and only, the incredible, Chidera Eggerue AKA @theslumflower on Twitter and Instagram.
Author of “What A Time To Be Alone” — a book that has inspired many (myself included!) to seek love from within — Chidera is a heroine to many females who have truly struggled with body image, depression and self-identity.
Adrienne Herbert
An international TEDx Speaker, ADIDAS global ambassador, master trainer @fiit, host of her own podcast the ‘Power Hour’ AND wonderful mum, @adrienne_ldn is the epitome of a superwoman.
Oh, and she is also a very keen runner, leading the challenge “100k in May” on Strava (a running app), where she inspired thousands to sign up and run 100km in May to improve their mental wellbeing and health.
Her podcast, Power Hour, never fails to motivate me. Every week, Adrienne talks with today’s leading coaches, creatives, pro-athletes and modern innovators, to share with her listeners lifestyle tips and advice on how to achieve success. Her love for encouraging others to accomplish their personal passions and ambitions is just so admirable.
And on top of everything, all her #goodvibes content on her Instagram profile sure does promise to leave you bursting with everyday positivity!
Jessica Katanga
Three words to describe Jessica Katanga?
Powerful. Wise. Courageous.
5th-year medical student and YouTube blogger, Jessica is a woman who has inspired me from the very first moment I met her.
Her YouTube blog explores medicine, lifestyle and education. In her most recent video “Psychology of Activism, Movements and Allyship” Jessica explains the science perfectly — giving an incredibly unique approach and highly informative explanation on the link between cognitive psychology and modern-day activism.
Her videos are not only educational, they are also hilarious- and you simply can’t watch her blogs without admiring her humour, humbleness and beauty.
Kimberley Wilson
Psychologist and creator of “Whole Body Mental Health,” Kimberley is a passionate advocate of evidence-based medicine and her holistic approach to how our lifestyle choices — our nutrition, sleep, exercise — affects our brain health is truly fascinating.
She introduced me to the discipline of nutritional psychiatry in her book, “How to Build A Healthy Brain,” and her educational IGTV videos on her Instagram @foodandpsych certainly quenches my thirst for neuroscience knowledge.
From helping me discover the power of self-love, to motivating me to challenge myself; from being a source of daily inspiration, to educating me on the philosophy of holistic whole-body mental health: I have learnt such valuable lessons from each and every one of these brilliant women.
Therefore, dear reader, I invite you to take a moment to do the same.
The work of our black peers has been overlooked for too long and certainly not enough has been done to shine light on their talents and creativity but now is the time to change that.
Reflect on the individuals in your life who have inspired you. Speak out about their work and share it with others. Give credit to those who have nourished you. Continue to show them your support.
So, why not start now? Comment below and let’s start the conversation.
NOTE FROM THE EDITORS: We want to say ‘thank you’ to Annabel for writing this uplifting piece for InSPIre the Mind, introducing readers to just a few of the amazing black women who use their platform and voice to encourage others to be their best selves. Thank you, Annabel — excited to read and see more of your work soon!
Header Image Source: See captions of the images throughout the blog.