IWD 2018 | Sisters Doing It For Themselves

International Women’s Day (IWD) is celebrated on March 8th every year. It commemorates the movement for women’s rights.

It’s International Women’s Day and today I want to do something a little different by writing about the women who are killing it in the fields that have proven to be difficult for females in the past and present.

Podcasts

As someone who is a total radio nerd and wanting to work in the broadcasting field, I listen to podcasts daily and it inspires me to hear a female voice. These are just three of the female lead podcasts I like to listen to.

Ctrl Alt Delete by Emma Gannon

Using the same name as her book, Emma uses her platform to talk to her guests about their relationship with the internet, career and life balance. In an age where we are all connected 24/7 this is worth your while listening to, it is the one podcast I am constantly checking for new episodes!

The Guilty Feminist by Deborah Frances-White

Comedian Deborah Frances-White and her guests discuss topics that all 21st century feminists can agree with, while also discussing their hypocrisies that sometimes go against their principals. If you aren’t listening to this podcast then why not? It is a breath of fresh air.

Girls With Goals by Niamh Maher 

Girls With Goals is focused on speaking to women who are in broadcasting, writing, sport, comedy or any field and succeeding, proving there is no limit when you are a girl with goals. Pretty uplifting listening.

Social Media

With us all on social media we’re bound to have our favourite online stars and now I am paying homage to the ladies that have made their own career paths.

Melanie Murphy

Melanie Murphy is the virtual eldest sister figure to many of her subscribers across Ireland. She makes videos on a wide range of topics including body positivity, eating disorder recovery, relationships and mental health but to name a few, and normalises and de stigmatises the ‘taboo’ topics in life. With just over 500 thousand subscribers and a bestselling book under her belt she is smashing the Irish YouTube scene.

Miriam Mullins

Hailing from Cork, Miriam has become a social media sensation by growing her following through making daily vlogs on Snapchat. I have been watching her since she started her YouTube channel and before she really focused on her Snapchat and it has been amazing to see her hard work pay off. Miriam is always so positive and uplifting that her Snapchat really brightens my day and inspires me to work harder on having a more positive outlook on daily life.

Hannah Witton 

Queen Hannah! I adore this UK YouTuber and all she stands for. Having recently undergone surgery to remove her colon due to a severe flare up of ulcerative colitis, Hannah had to get a stoma inserted and although her recovery has been difficult it hasn’t stopped her making waves and discussing topics that are important to her. She is one kickass lady!

Comedy

Anyone who knows me knows just how much of a comedy fan I am, and although I enjoy what the guys of comedy do, it’s really cool to see the amount of female comics coming through providing plenty of laughs and becoming just as successful.

Alison Spittle

Where do I start with this lady? She hosts a podcast (The Alison Spittle Show), had her own sitcom (Nowhere Fast) and is currently embarking on her nationwide tour. A lot of Alison’s humour is based on her rural upbringing which I can relate to and appreciate coming from a rural area myself, but she is not afraid to tackle any issue in her stand up and I love that!

Joanne McNally

Just three years into her comedy career, Joanne has featured in many of Ireland’s top comedy festivals, was a semi-finalist in both ‘So You Think Your Funny’ and ‘Funny Women’ competitions and wrote and performed in her one woman show, Bite Me, which was based on her struggles with an eating disorder earning her rave reviews. Her career is only going from strength to strength and I can’t wait to see where it takes her next.

Lusia Omielan 

One of my favourite British comedians, Lusia Omielan has had two hit stand up shows ‘What Would Beyoncé Do?’ (a book under the same name) and ‘Am I Right Ladies?’ and is a strong female force in comedy. She has had it extremely tough recently with her Mum passing away from cancer in the past year and has now set up a hospice foundation in her Mum’s memory raising funds for others in need. Her strength and courage are really something to be admired.

Happy International Women’s Day – here’s to more progress in women’s rights, we still have a bit to go but I have faith in the fact we can do this.