A while back my dear friend HowellMarketing and I had a conversation about the influential and inspiring women on Twitter. We were both in awe of how many like-minded, talented, hard working, smart women we had become friends with as a result of Twitter. We talked about how we should write an article about such people.
Now, a year later, the time is right for such an article. We got together and compiled a list of the women who inspire us on a daily basis on Twitter. This list is different from most of the ones you’ll find. These aren’t the most popular women, or the women with the most followers. This is a list of women who are making it happen day in and day out, and they are tweeting their butts off in the process. They share and care consistently, and are always there to engage with their followers.
These women are all phenomenal at what they do. Whether they are known for being an artist, a photographer, a blogger, a marketer, a PR professional, a mom or even a celebrity, each person on this list is very special, and we hope you will take the time to get to know each one. And, before someone asks me, yes, there is even a dog on this list. You can read about her below.
These women are badasses because their style is instantly recognizable, and they exude confidence and humility whether they have 100 followers or 1,000,000 followers. Like a pair of good sunglasses or your favorite pair of jeans, they just feel good, and they know how to make others around them feel special. I listed everyone alphabetically according to their Twitter username; however, whenever possible, I listed their actual names here so you could get to know the person behind the username and avatar. Thank you ladies for all you do to make the Twitterverse a fun place to hang out! HowellMarketing and I had a blast putting this together, and we hope you enjoy reading it.
Adventure Girl
Adventure Girl is known for just that… her adventures! According to Twitter, she is known globally for talking travel. She’s a media expert, journalist and morning show guest. She loves to watch American Idol and Family Guy. With almost 1.5 million followers, she’s definitely doing something right!
Alyssa Milano
Alyssa Milano needs no introduction really. She sets a wonderful example for everyone on Twitter. She engages with her followers, and she is definitely part of the gang. When lots of tweeps got together to give her a special birthday present, she sent out this thank you video afterwards. Twitter definitely wouldn’t be the same without her. She is sincerely loved by many people.
Alys Drake
Twitter | Website
Alys is a Marketing and PR professional. She has lived in Memphis, Tennessee her whole life and is part of the Memphis Social Media Club. She has two little girls and she works for HowellMarketing. She is known for engaging with her followers, and since she has sent over 11,000, I’d say she is definitely a Twitter addict!
Amber Cleveland
Twitter | Website
Amber is a hard working, fun loving, creative, passionate leader. She’s a mover and a shaker in marketing, and she enjoys speaking French. It’s always a pleasure to see her in the Twitter stream. She is very well connected so check out the other people in her Twitter network for more great people to follow.
Amy Oscar is a very dear friend, and she brings tons of positive energy to the Twitterverse. Reading her blog feels like a ray of warm sunshine. According to her bio, she can find your lost keys, she saves spiders, and she talks to angels.
Anita Nelson is all about skin care as @ModelSupplies. She’s an eBay PowerSeller, a blogger and a radio host. She loves music, comedy and art. She calls Detroit, Michigan home and is a wonderful friend to many people on Twitter!
Anne owns her own PR and social media business. She has many high profile connections including Ford. She is fan of powerful language and smart marketing. She is known for sending great tweets and engaging with her followers.
Ann is so humble and gracious, you would never guess she has over 150,000 followers. She lives in Washington, DC, and also loves the beach. She is a spiritual seeker who is happily married. She is a generous RT’er on Twitter, and sends tweets full of love!
Amy, Amy, Amy… where do we start? She is from Texas with tweets bigger than the state. She is the only person I know who loves the color pink and shoes more than I do. She is also very good friends with a man who I wish could be on this list: @PaulBritPhoto Amy is known for all her RT’ing.
Bridget is a chef, food writer, geek girl, culinary craftsman, friend, and the better half of @Iconic88. She is also the founder of The Internet Chef.
Patricia is a brand marketer and media strategist. She has over twenty years of marketing experience. She is also the President of Brand Cottage.
Amy is known for her big heart and positive tweets, especially when it comes to charity. She is an eternal optimist, and a true Twitter addict. I’ve had the pleasure of talking to her on the phone, and he’s as nice to talk to as she is online. She is from Los Angeles, California.
Bella describes herself as an obsessed blogger who loves fashion, glamour, celebrity, make-up and shoes! In my opinion, her blog looks like modern day Sex and the City style. I love it! She is good friends with someone else on this list, Jessica Northey.
Twitter | Facebook | Website
Cindy is known for her consistent, creative, fun tweets. She loves design, illustration, art, photography, smiles, music, race cars, silly dances and her sweet dog. She lives in the Netherlands, and always has something nice to say. I don’t think this girl ever has a bad day. :)
Cheryl Burgess is a power tweeter on a mission. She loves #FF and #MM. She is the Managing Partner and Marketing Technologist at Blue Focus Marketing. She is also the winner of a 2010 Marketing Shorty Award. She is described as being a super connector with a strong grip.
Kathy is such a wonderful Twitter friend. She is an eMarketing trends and technology enthusiast. She believes in balance. She’s also a mompreneur and a foodie interested in design, art, music, coffee and her iPhone. Kathy is an influencer, and many people depend on her tweets for their information.
Christina is a writer, blogger and freelance hobo. Her blog is one of the spiciest you’ll ever read, and she knows how to write to entertain. She believes in perpetual laughter and beards. She’s loud, she says what’s on her mind, she’s witty and people love her for it (including me). She definitely has her own unique style.
Twitter | Facebook
Christina is a Signaporean Christian. She tweets everything, including lots of interesting pictures. She loves fashion, languages, music and traveling. She loves her job at Nike, and she is a huge soccer fan! She is one of those people I’d like to meet in person one day.
As HowellMarketing says, “Diane Brogan keeps @chrisbrogan in line.” (wait, did we just type that?) Diane is a wife, mother, gramma, sister, aunt, niece, friend and lover of life. She also designs and creates jewelry!
Dawn is a Duct Tape marketing consultant and tweeter from Austin, Texas. She is fascinated with how social media is transforming marketing. And, like most of us, she’s not a big fan of auto-DMs.
Elissa is a fast moving PR chick with a twist of foodie tweets sprinkled in with humor. She’s also a pop culturist and a mom. She is from Toronto, Canada.
Elizabeth is a B2B PR girl who is a straight talker with a smart brain. She’s also a pop culture fanatic and mom to three mad men. Her tweets are fun and engaging.
Erin is such a wonderful friend to so many people on Twitter. Her genuine smile and helpful nature make her one of my favorite people to follow. She is also a fantastic writer, and her blog is a lot of fun to read. She’s a stay-at-home-mom with 5 year old twins.
Giselle is a passionate blogger, wife, mother and friend. She works in the financial services industry. She was one of the first people I met when I got on Twitter in 2009, and we’ve been great friends ever since. She truly is full of endless possibilities.
Amy, the co-writer of this article, hails from Memphis, Tennessee where she is always cooking up hometown southern food in her kitchen. She tweets the details and makes us all hungry on a regular basis. She is the CEO of Howell Marketing Strategies, a wife and a mom. She’s also a very special friend to many.
Twitter | Facebook | Website
Mirijam is such a fun person to follow! She has a lot of energy, and is always into something new. She likes Anime/Manga, gadgets, design, stories and people. She recently started a new blog with Barryck called Xcaped Cat which is already on its way to being a huge success. It’s a great resource and a lot of fun!
Twitter | Facebook | Website
Sarah-Jayne is an author and a screenwriter. She is currently writing a book on Social Media. She lives in the UK and she loves to RT on Twitter. Her Twitter username is @grattongirl, and she is married to grattonboy! #really
I can’t imagine my Twitter stream without heykim. She tweets about social media, entertainment, news, sports, music, travel and people. Her blog oooozes with positivity and inspiration. She truly has a heart of gold.
Jazz Baker is another brilliant businesswoman who believes in living the life you want and loving the life you live. She is a CNN media consulting and tech geek. She is interested in journalism, art and her iPhone. She is one of those people who has the cred to be snobby, but instead, she approaches the Twitterverse with her own style of joy, humility and happiness. For that, she is definitely a badass.
Twitter | Facebook | Website
Most of the time when we read “social media expert” in someone’s bio on Twitter, we roll our eyes. Jessica Northey is one of the very rare people who really is that good in social media. She teaches her clients how to leverage social media to fit their needs. She is also a country music writer/blogger, speaker, on-air personality and columnist for AllAccess.com.
Twitter | Website
Sissy Northey is the professional companion and one-of-a-kind accessory for Jessica Northey. She is 50% Pomeranian and 50% Chihuahua. She likes long walks, short goodbyes and boiled chicken. Sissy is a badass because she’s the only dog I know that has sent over 5,000 tweets. :)
Jackie is very passionate about ending world hunger, especially for children. She is also a friend to the animals, and she has a rescue shelter in her home for cats and kittens. Right now her main focus is to save the dolphins in Japan from the brutal annual slaughter in Taji, The Cove. It inspiring to watch Jackie and join her by being a voice for the animals and the people that don’t have one.
Joyce Cherrier is a misplaced Maui girl living in New Orleans. She’s spunky, fun, and if you see her body, you will understand why all the who’s who on Twitter trust everything she says about health and fitness. She is a very dear friend of mine, and her new blog Freaking Fitness (link above) is an outstanding resource for anyone interested in living a healthy lifestyle.
Karima-Catherine is not afraid to speak her mind and challenge popular thinking. She is a social media practitioner, a business strategist, a foodie, a fashion observer and a Twitter addict. She lives in Montreal, Canada.
Kat has a way of looking at life that is full of hope, happiness and possibility. She has been around on Twitter for as long as I can remember, and her words of wisdom are always comforting to read in my Twitter stream. She lives just north of Boston.
Lisa is a marketing pro in the equine industry. She blogs for equestrian business owners and managers. Lisa lives in Chicago, Illiniois. She obviously loves horses, and her spirit is as spunky as theirs!
Kim is a filmmaker and tech personality. Her interests are new media, art, design, film, culture, music and comedy. She is the founder of @ArtWalkTV and an inspiration to many people on Twitter. She lives in Los Angeles, California.
Krys is very passionate about law, all things iphone, all things videogame related and social media. She is the ultimate geek girl and friend. Whether she’s tweeting music for everyone in the Twitterverse to enjoy or talking about her new gadgets, this girl’s got it going on!
Laura Click is known as a marketer, a problem solver and an innovator. She is the founder and chief innovator at Blue Kite Marketing in Nashville, Tennessee. She is a dog lover, a runner and an avid Mizzou fan.
Laura Duran is known for tweeting about leadership and PR. She is a PR consultant and brand manager interested in social media, creativity, art, food, placemaking, infrastructure, historic preservation and sustainability. She lives in Philadelphia.
Laura Walker has got to be one of the nicest most sincere people on Twitter. She is a badass in her own right, but you’d never know it from her humility. She loves musical theatre and working with children. One of her favorite quotes is, “Anything can happen if you let it.” She is addicted to Twitter and television.
Lori McNee is an artist, a blogger, a poetic painter, a quote junkie, a novice photog, a friend to the birds and animals, and a busy mom. She lives in the mountains of Idaho. In my opinion, Lori tweets some of the most creative tweets I’ve seen. She is a very talented artist and a fabulous writer.
Thank goodness Lori decided to leave her career as an attorney because now we get her on Twitter all to ourselves! She is all about spreading love and inspiration around the world. One her quotes is, “The more love you give, the more love you will enjoy!” She is the #LOVE Twitter badass that everyone loves! Thank you for being you Lori.
Lori’s blog called Oh, Shit… She’s Awake pretty much says it all. She is a sassy fun loving sweetheart that so many people on Twitter adore. He blog is hilarious and she is a great writer. Her positive energy has a way of transcending her avatar. She’s truly one of a kind!
Twitter | Website
Lynda is an Italian artist and illustrator. She creates designs for babies, kids and moms. She loves to draw, paint and laugh. When I went through some health issues last year, she taught me that I could be stronger than I ever knew possible. She comes a across as a subtle and soft-spoken tweeter, but underneath, she is one of the strongest women I know.
Marcome is a Canadian singer, songwriter and musician. She does a mixture of pop world music mixed with new age, jazz and ambient voices. Her name is pronounced Marko-may. She is good friends with @zaibatsu. Here is a sampling of some of her new age music to relax to.
Margie Clayman was recently named Twitter’s own “Mother Goose” of blogging. She represents the third generation of Clayman Advertising. Her motto is “Give to get and love every minute!“
Diane Meyer specializes in promotional products, corporate apparel, events/tradeshows and marketing strategies. She is a business owner, and she is very involved with branding efforts through promotional products and print media. She has a big heart and is known for her gracious RTs on Twitter!
Mary Sarah, aka Mary Sarah Music, is more of what I would call a “badass in training.” She is only 15 years old, but she is rockin on Twitter everyday like a pro. She tweets before school, after school and during her performances. She is a country/pop music singer and songwriter who is passionate about life and helping the homeless. Those of us who know her absolutely adore her. This is a song of hers that I tweet every Sunday because it’s the perfect Sunday morning song.
Meryl Evans is the ultimate badass because he is known as an outstanding writer and editor, but she volunteers and referees the kids. She’s one of those people that you ask yourself, “How does she do it?” She still finds time to tweet everyday, which makes her even more special. The editor of PC Today Magazine wrote, “Meryl Evans has been an outstanding freelancer for PC Today Magazine. Her understanding of mobile technology has made her one of our go-to writers.“
Twitter | Facebook | Website
If I could, I would write an entire post about why Misty Belardo is a badass. Her close friends on Twitter know what she has been through over the past year, and yet, she remains strong, focused and positive. Just last month she moved from the Philippines to the United States to work in Cincinnati, Ohio. She is one of my co-writers here on Bit Rebels, and she is also my closest Twitter friend. I am excited that I get to finally meet her for the first time in two weeks!
Michelle Mangen knows everything about Android. Period. If for no other reason, that is why she is a badass. She is also a social media virtual assistant who is a self proclaimed Excel Queen. She splits her time between Wisconsin and Florida.
The name of Debra’s blog, Never Underestimate a Mother, is enough to keep me from misbehaving. She is a mom, entrepreneur, technology addict and musician. She works to unite moms of all kinds, and she reminds us that we are never alone as a mother.
Nini is one of the most creative, talented photographers I’ve ever had the pleasure to know. Her one self portrait a day project, which she started on January 1, 2001, inspires me and many others on a daily basis. She organized many of her social media friends to join her in the fun, and they are creating something really special. You can check out all the deets at One Selfportrait A Day. There is a lot of inspiration that follows this girl everywhere, and I’m so glad she shares the love with us all!
Ingrid is on this list for one main reason… she is a kick ass blogger. Her nittyGriddy blog reads like a social media journal, and it is always a pleasure to learn and engage with her. Her content and copywriting is always spot-on. She is also witty, fun and insightful.
Lucie is another Twitter addict that is a wonderful friend and sincere positive energy in the Twitterverse. She lives, breathes and loves anything social media and technology, and it shows in her blog. Her online world is her real world (hey, mine too!). Her blog Social Media & Hospitality Under Microscope, has taught me a lot about the hospitality industry, specifically hotels.
Pam describes herself as half marketing, half geek, CEO, entrepreneur, social media speaker, best-selling author, coach, blogger, lover of brand, God, family, friends, beach and life. Wow, that is a mouthful of badass if I’ve ever heard it! She’s known as the “Marketing Nut” from Tampa, Florida.
Twitter | Facebook | Website
Since I’ve been friends with Allison for a while, I’ve known about her badass-ness for a decade now. She puts her heart and soul into everything she does, and as a result, everything she touches turns to golden success. She is an incredible speaker and motivator. Her most badass skill though is her ability to spot talented music artists before they become mainstream. She almost always calls it. Yep, badass for sure. She is known on the web as the famous Radio Potato. Check out her blog for great music clips and interviews.
Erika’s award-winning blog bitch slaps have earned her a reputation as a hot-headed fricken brilliant blogger who speaks her mind and always, always has spot-on content written well. If you like rants about brands that miss the mark and ladies who don’t put the seat down, you will love Redhead Writing. Her blog is one of the few in my bookmarks.
Milana is a sweet soul that ooooozes creativity with everything she does. Whether it’s an illustration, a song, a photograph, she shares her love of life with us all. She was one of the first people I met on Twitter in 2009. I was inspired by her then, and continue to be inspired by her today.
Nicky is another “badass in training” that is quickly transitioning into a full on badass. She is only 18 years old, but when you read her blog, it reads like it was written by a seasoned social media enthusiast. She is ranked in the top 64 Indian bloggers on Tech18.com, and she has guest posted at some of the most influential social media blogs on the net. She describes herself as an ordinary girl with extraordinary dreams. Nicky, your talent is so far beyond your years, and it’s a blast watching you grow.
Heather is a real-estate marketing gal who’s unique style and sassy humor make her one of my Twitter favs. If you are in the real estate industry, you can learn so much from Heather and how she incorporates social media into her work and her daily life. My favorite thing about Heather is how she so famously changes the color of her glasses in her avatar for each special holiday. Yep, badass all the way!
Sasha has always been a PR badass, but when she moved from sunny Miami, Florida to New York City, her career exploded and now she is truly a PR Queen. She was recently in Forbes Magazine because of her social media badass-ness. The thing I love about Sasha is that even with all her success, she still keeps it real. Also, she loves the color pink almost as much as I do. *wink*
Sara knows a lot about a topic many people could use a little help with. She knows how to “save for someday” and make her dollars stretch so that she can fulfill all her dreams. Her blog, called Saving For Someday, teaches how to stop wishing and start doing. She teaches others how to make informed choices about spending. That’s one of the most badass things I’ve heard in a long time!
Twitter | Website
Sharon Hayes is one of the first social media queens I met when I joined Twitter. She is a hard working entrepreneur, and she knows everything there is to know about the value of a domain name. She loves music, tech, fitness, coffee, travel, sushi and smiles. She is sincere and gracious. She is a badass in every sense of the word.
Esta is a passionate photographer whose work will blow your mind. She takes a lot of photographs out in nature, and those are always my favorites. She is a professional connector, a strategist and an author. I remember when Esta first joined Twitter about a year ago, and ever since then, she has been sending warm, positive tweets consistently. She has catapulted to badass status in a very short amount of time, and she deserves it!
Everybody knows a “Twitter Badass” article wouldn’t be complete without the famous Shelly Kramer. She is a brilliant marketing/brand strategist, and idea generator, a creator of buzz and awareness, a scribbler, a social media lovah and information junkie. She loves Milk Duds and beer. She is the social media “secret weapon” for her clients. I learn from her everyday, and I can’t imagine my Twitter stream without her.
Shilpi is a best known for being a sarcastic writer who always sends gracious tweets and engages with her followers. @HowellMarketing and I both agreed that she needed to be on this list because she has her own unique style of badass-ness. She describes herself as being independent, friendly, optimistic and almost perfect (except for her addiction to caffeine). Shilpi is also a wife and mom, and lives in Hong Kong.
Simply put, Sima is one of Chicago’s most admired tweeters for her content and “Sway Factor” (the name of her book). She is a consultant, connector, communicator and social networking coach. She is a passionate blogger and the President of Parlay Communications.
Twitter | Facebook | Website
In a word full of fast-paced living, fast-paced technology, and fast-paced social media, I’m glad I have Staci Shelton. She is a joyful evangelist full of gratitude. She is all about passion, purpose and productivity. As she puts it, she “changes the energy in the room.” I agree 100%.
When we were putting together this list, Susan Young was a person that @HowellMarketing instantly thought of. She inspires Amy and countless others on a daily basis. She is from New Jersey, but recently moved to San Antonio. She is all about news, PR and communications. She is an amazing connector and an amazing woman.
Gina, Gina, Gina… where do I start? Gina is a badass mainly because she makes up her own words and tweets them. Of course, being a talented belly dancer and having a rockin blog only add to her badass-ness. Gina is a very dear friend to many in the Twitterverse, and her I have a feeling she is a badass offline as well.
Taryn is the queen of creative marketing ideas. She lives right here in Atlanta, and she’s always cookin up a new networking event or marketing breakfast. She is also the founder of Women Intelligently Networking. She is a fun extrovert that I had the pleasure of meeting in person last month. She’s a badass all the way!
One thing a lot of people struggle with is finding great content to tweet. Terri obviously has that all figured out because every one of her tweets is pure gold. She is a Seattle based graphic designer who likes humor, Apple/Mac, interesting design, art, technology, weird pop culture stuff and breaking news. She RTs often and spreads her positive attitude about life to everyone she comes in contact with in the Twitterverse. She is also a very dear friend to many people, including me.
Cd is the founder of #ungeeked chat on Thursdays at 8pm EST. She has her own very unique style of getting around the Twitterverse and collecting/sharing ideas. She loves coffee and purple martinis. She also believes in karma and faith. She’s a passionate advocate of intimate learning spaces. She’s also a mom, and a big talker!
Xan, a VP of Marketing from Chicago, comes across as soft and sophisticated on Twitter, but underneath it all, this girl packs a powerful punch! She is a social media strategist who is interested in travel, reading, food and wine. She is a very genuine person who is a master connector on Twitter. She also promotes optimism and charity.
Update: Now that I have finished writing this, I can think of so many other women that deserve to be on this list like @beebow, @ellies58, @_Fleur__, and so many others. If you can think of some badass ladies that need to be here, please leave them in a comment below so we can check them out! :)
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