The editorial team has a special attachment to our new series, The Trailblazers: Rewriting the Narrative, because so many of us feel that media portrayals of women have been too one dimensional. Today, women are doing incredible things in all fields – from science and technology to finance, law, business, athletics and more. With the Trailblazers series, we hope to highlight and celebrate female role models, encourage more equal and just representation in the media, and help foster a more tight-knit community locally helping women find mentors, business partners, friends and more.
Below, you’ll find some incredible trailblazers from in and around Southern Atlanta that we hope you will check out, follow and support.
Janea Waters
I always wanted to work with children. I was a child and thought that I should work with children that were younger than me (lol). I would always try to be a big sister to kids that were younger than me. When I was younger, I remember saying I want to be a teacher so that I can teach children things, and then I wanted to be a judge so that I could help children that were getting into trouble. Read more>>
Constance Hosler
I’ve always been a creative. An activist for women’s rights, LGBTQ rights and Black Lives Matter supporter and advocate. My goal in this life is to fight for those who have been oppressed for so many years. This fight may be just starting for me, but others have been fighting their entire lives. You want to know how I got to where I am today? For one, I’m white. As a child, I was a self-taught artist of all mediums. Read more>>
Raven Ponder
An artist at heart, I’ve always loved to create. I wanted to create a space for those of us that aren’t in just one box and sought to visualize our stories in an intentional way. My story has been through so many turns but I’ll start officially in 2016 when I started freelancing after graduating from college. I landed a few different jobs but nothing truly in my field and I always found myself writing out my ideas during lunch breaks and mornings before work. Read more>>
Armani Franklin
About three years ago, when I was a senior in high school, I honestly didn’t know what I wanted to do when I graduated. I use to do my friends and my hair and makeup, just playing around with it but I eventually decided, “why not go to school for cosmetology. After high school, I started doing faux locs. At first, my clientele was like really slow, but then I move into a shop that help me build my clientele and learn new skills. Read more>>
Chantell Rice
I loved accessories. My entire family would be heading out on a bike ride and I would realize I didn’t have earrings on, or they didn’t match perfectly. I would have to run and change them. It became a running joke that my earrings had to match. It wasn’t until much later that my jewelry making journey began. I went over to my best friend Janine’s house and she was making jewelry. I asked her to teach me. Read more>>
Courtney Arlett
If you ask my momma, I’ve been “DRAMATIC” all my life. What can I say? I’m a middle child and as a middle child, you find ways to entertainment yourself. Storytelling has always been a big part of who I was, so it was no surprise that entertainment would one day become my passion. As a kid, it was normal for my family to find me re-enacting scenes from my favorite movies or television shows. Read more>>
Jamila Glover
I started over ten years doing events for all my family and friends, from birthday parties, baby showers, anniversary parties, etc. It started off as just a hobby but it was always something that I loved to do. It wasn’t until about three years ago that I truly took myself seriously and started my own Event Planning Business! That was when I birthed Beautiful Lyfe Creations. I got the name from the meaning of my full birth name Jamila which means beautiful and my middle name is Aisha which means life. Read more>>
Persiaa Tenai
I started this passion at the age of six singing and dancing at universal studios in Orlando, Florida in front of thousands of people over the summer and then praise dancing at church on Sundays. Once I got to high school, I got even more connected to music and performing arts by joining the International Thespians Society and Theater Club. Loving every minute on stage performing in front of people. Read more>>
Maria Corry
I am a mother of four amazing little blonde girls, and I am married to an incredible man. We have been together since our senior year of high school! Shortly after graduating, we got pregnant with our first and then we got married! A little after a year of being married, my husband joined the military and we have lived in five different states within the last few years. Read more>>
Brittney Chantele
I was born in Staten Island, NY while my dad was still in the Army but shortly moved to a small town outside of Pittsburgh, PA, where I grew up. I didn’t excel in any sports besides football, which I wasn’t allowed to play in high school due to my parents’ fears of me getting hurt. Hand in hand, I joined my school’s Marine Corps J.R.O.T.C. program and immediately surpassed the standards, breaking many records. Read more>>
Donna Marie
I first started performing in high school. It was mainly talent shows and musicals for drama class. I knew I wanted to be an entertainer of some sort but I wasn’t totally sure what route I was going to take. I’ve always loved musicals, so I thought maybe I would be on Broadway. It really wasn’t until half-way through college did I know for sure that I wanted to be a Recording Artist. Read more>>
Kaye Snyder
Videography in general is a man’s world. I had a lot of insecurities about being a female videographer. I didn’t even like the way I looked carrying a video camera (it helped a lot when I switched over to DSLR!) but still having so much bulky gear like tripods/monopods. I didn’t view my role as a feminine job. Read more>>
