In honour of International Women's Day, I reached out to some of the women that have personally inspired me for their best business & fashion advice. These women are the best in their biz - and I'm truly grateful they took the time out to honour us with their wise words of wisdom. After all - what better time than Women's Day to support & lift each other in the sisterhood?    

Lisa Messenger - Editor-In-Chief & Publisher of Renegade Collective

Lisa is the IT-girl, rock-star (not literally but boy can she pull off some rock-star outfits) and publisher of v cool magazine Renegade Collective (yes, that's really Martha Stewart on the cover).

I'm hoping some of her shininess & business success will rub off on me.

Lisa - when you've ever faced a set back or been in a "funk" - what's the one thing you do or tell yourself to get out of it?

I know with all my heart that however hard things get, this too shall pass.

I cannot ever afford to give up on my dreams and my purpose and so I make sure I surround myself with people that will lift me up, I remember why I am doing it, then I dig deep and just keep going.

I make sure I take some time to nurture myself and give myself some time and space away from the issue and then come back and tackle it head on.

Alexandra Franzen - Goddess Of Words (that's not really her title, but it fits)

Alexandra is a genius with words. I mean, she writes like - really, really good. Like, REALLY. (Clearly much better than me - or is that I???).

The magic of her words means I have a total girl-crush on her. (She's also doing a world tour incorporating Sydney & Melbourne - GO - if it isn't sold out already!!!).

Alexandra - what's the one thing you always think about or keep in mind when you write for your audience?

How can I leave my readers ... in significantly better condition than I found them?

Jac Bowie - Red Lipstick Lover & Founder of Business In Heels

Jac is a go-getter. She took an idea and just made it happen. Today, she is connecting women all over the world (literally) with BIH branches in Dubai, Singapore, Bangkok & more, and is warm, hilariously funny and someone I'm blessed to call a gorgeous friend.

Jac - you get the double whammy. Firstly, what's the one thing you wish women would wear more of today?

Red lipstick!!!! Most women can actually wear it it just depends on the shade.

And what's the one piece of advice you'd give to someone who is hoping to start a business? 

Do your research and get out there and give it a go. Don't wait another minute just try it!

Nikki Parkinson - Blogger at Styling You

Fellow fashion lover & stylist, Nikki and I both share a passion for bringing easy style to real people, and I am so HUGELY honoured she is sharing her style wisdom with us.

Simply put - I love her work.

Nikki - what's the one thing you wish women would remember / think about when they stand in front of the mirror?

Find the spark in your eyes. If it's not there swap what you're wearing for something that does make you sparkle. Life's too short to not give yourself permission to shine.

Nathalie Lussier - Digital Strategist at Nathalie Lussier & creator of 30 Day List Building Challenge

Got a website / blog / anything online? Need more website traffic & conversions? Nathalie is your gal. Friendly, genuine and smart - she's the real deal.

When it comes to building a list of fans + followers, what's the best piece of advice you would give us?

If youâ've ever had a slew of people coming to your website, but not very many new subscribers to show for it it's probably because you didn't have the right opt-in offer.

This is sometimes called an ethical bribe, a free gift, a lead magnet but the idea is simple: you're offering something valuable in order to have someone join your email list.

You need to take a look at how you can solve a problem for your ideal customers for free in exchange for an email address and the ability to follow up with this new person.

If you can do that in a way that demonstrates your expertise and value, you’ll get them on your email list and they'll be a lot more likely to share your website with their friends, and sign up for paid programs or services down the line.

Nikki Elledge Brown - Creator of A Course About Copy

Nikki is uber-cute, uber-sweet and uber-wonderful-with-words, and if I'm even HALF the woman she is in terms of values, outlook and faith - I'll be a million times better than I am today.

Her little (actually quite big) biz launched around a year ago, and since then she's been kicking goal after goal.

Nikki - as a (new-ish) entrepreneur, what was the one big lesson you found the most valuable in your first year of (amazing) business?

It's so hard to pick just ONE - because I could (maybe will!) write a book on everything I've learned from this whirlwind of a year.

As it comes to a close, however, the biggest lesson that stands out is to be really intentional about LIFE amidst the business. To take breaks. Regularly. Predictably.

It's really too easy to get swept up, up, and away in business, especially when you're truly driven by purpose and it doesn't FEEL like work. But it is work. And there are precious, real-life people, places, and events to enjoy that have absolutely nothing to do with it. ENJOY THOSE people, places, and events.

Watch some mindless TV. Take a walk. Go to the book fair. (Go to BED!)

A year ago I didn't have to consciously remind myself to do any of those things. My hope is that a year from now I won't have to either ;)

Melissa Ambrosini - Path To Wellness

Melissa has a huge following of fans who love her straight-talking advice, holistic outlook on wellness and "step-it-up" encouragement.

She's got a lots of exciting projects on her plate, so I wanted to get her take on how she "does it all".

What's the one tip you'd give go-getting women who are juggling a million balls in the air?

I'm currently running an online business, coaching women one on one, writing a book, working on a new kick ass online project, planning my wedding, looking after my 8 year old step son and everything else in between. You could say I have a few balls in the air!

But to be honest I rarely get overwhelmed and I fully credit that to meditation. I meditate twice a day. It keeps me grounded, calm and centred. It's my go to tip when ever overwhelm starts to rear it's ugly head.

And over to me....

YOU my wonderful-ess, fabulous readers are the inspiration behind my advice to you.

When I think "why should I" or when I feel "I just couldn't"... I drag my sorry little b*tt off the floor & in to action mode because I know that YOU think I can. I do stuff because I know you'd say to me "but I KNOW you can do [insert wonderful thing here]".

And that's the exact same advice I give to you.

Whether it's being adventurous with wearing colour or prints, starting your own business, healing wounds with an old friend or starting a crazy little blog about business and fashion - whatever you want to do, do it - because I KNOW that you can. 

Happy International Women's Day to you - thank you for helping me feel that I could.

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