Who Are the Most Courageous People and Leaders on the Planet?

©2025 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

Ryan Berman spent three years shadowing the most courageous people and leaders on the planet to find out what they have done to accomplish astounding personal or business feats.

I look forward to reading his book, "Return on Courage – A Playbook for Courageous Change."

A New Playbook is Helping Women Entrepreneurs Navigate the Economic Storm

Sinking brand valuations, a shaky economy and the rollback of DEI initiatives are pressuring women founders in fashion and beauty (and other industries) — but a new playbook is helping them navigate the storm.

It’s a tough time to be a founder no matter what your background. High interest rates, the post-pandemic crash in consumer brand valuations and a gloomy economic outlook have made fundraising difficult.

Women and minority entrepreneurs have an extra layer of challenge, as they’re already underrepresented — female-led start-ups received just shy of 20 percent of overall investment in 2024, according to Pitchbook. They’re now seeing many of the initiatives designed to give them a seat at the table rolled back amid legal threats by the Trump administration and conservative activists. 

The picture isn’t entirely bleak.  Here's why.

It’s true that diligence is key for any founder, but women and those from underrepresented groups have to push even harder on all fronts with the playing field stacked against them, experts say.  To come out a winner, you have to be unstoppable with your efforts.

Inspiring People Who Overcame Adversity

©2025 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

Picked up an inspiring little book in a Little Free Library today, "Real Lives:  Incredible Successes," by Lyn Coutts.  It's just what I needed to remember what it takes to change the world for the better.  From Oprah Winfrey to Steve Jobs to J.K. Rowling – each individual came from a rocky start in life yet managed to find their own way and achieve success.

Be inspired.  As Walt Disney said, "If you can dream, you can do it." 

Women Are Creating Their Own Destiny

Countless women are creating their own businesses after corporate glass ceilings pushed them to do so. But through the process, they found ways to build wealth while prioritizing work-life balance and redefining success on their own terms.  They want to design their own lives, create their own destinies.  Much like what we report here at Escape From Corporate America.

This is why fashion designer Rebecca Minkoff created The Female Founder Collective, a powerful, high-impact network and education platform designed to help women build wealth, scale their businesses, and offer access to content, learning and capital.

Women need community to support one another.  

Today, the FFC has grown into a thriving community of 25,000 founders, spanning industries from beauty to healthcare to tech. Most of their early supporters, including prominent founders Aurora James, Zanna Roberts Rassi, Michelle Cordeiro Grant and others, are still part of the network today.

Learn more about the movement here, which is needed more than ever now in such a volatile market.

Alice Walton Joins the $100 Billion Club

These 15 people have 12-figure fortunes. One of the individuals featured is Alice Walton, the only daughter of Walmart founder Sam Walton (d. 1992):

In September, 2024 Walton became the world’s wealthiest woman once again, overtaking French L’Oréal heiress Françoise Bettencourt Meyers, who had surpassed her for the previous two and a half years. The Walmart heiress is best known for spearheading the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in her family’s hometown of Bentonville, Arkansas. She has given away an estimated $1.7 billion, including a recent gift of $249 million to help fund the new Alice L. Walton School of Medicine, also in Bentonville. 

In all, the 15 “centibillionaires” are worth $2.4 trillion, nearly $400 billion more than a year ago—and more than the planet’s 1,500 “poorest” billionaires combined. Put another way, this group of just 0.5% of the world’s 3,028 billionaires holds an incredible 15% of all billionaire wealth.

Here's more focusing on the world's richest women 2025.

How Women Entrepreneurs Navigate Being in a Male-Dominated Field

Wright State University hosted a panel featuring four female business owners in the food and business industry.  The event provided a platform for these entrepreneurs to share their unique experiences, challenges, and successes.

One was Mary Crumley-Effinger, Managing Partner at Texas Roadhouse.  She shares how she navigates being in a male-dominated field.  

"For me, like we said before, it's a male-dominated field, so making sure you find those allies and the people to look up to whether they're in your business or a business like yours. It doesn't necessarily have to be the same restaurant business. Someone that you can ask to support you in your endeavors," Crumley-Effinger said. 

Read the entire article here to learn what other female business owners had to say.

Women Entrepreneurs Are Paving the Way and Motivating Others to Take the Leap

With Women’s History Month this March, we recognize that history is not just about reflecting on the past; it’s being made every day by women around the world. Across industries, in their families, and within their communities, women are forging new paths and reshaping our society. And their remarkable efforts and achievements are not unnoticed as they pave the way for future generations to draw inspiration.

Here are several businesswomen from diverse sectors, including footwear, fashion, beauty, women’s health, food, auto repair and more sharing their stories and what motivated them to embark on their entrepreneurial journeys.

Be inspired.