Love Letters to Glorious Women - Women's History Month 2025
- Nikki Cole
- Mar 21
- 9 min read
Preface:
Being a woman has never been easy on this planet for a multitude of reasons. But regardless of the time period and the seemingly insurmountable challenges and unfair power dynamics of the evolving human construct, being a woman has always been inherently glorious. Women are FUCKING SUPERHEROES! PERIOD.
I’ve been reading lots of history books and watching tons of world history documentaries as of late - trying to make sense of human cycles and our current moment in time. I’ve been reading about everything from the Women Warriors of Dahomey to the European Witch Trials to the centuries of chattel slavery and Jim Crow of the United States.
I mean - if you were a woman warrior of the Kingdom of Dahomey in the 17th, 18th, or 19th century for example, protecting your people, fighting off European colonizers - you were and are definitely deserving of praise and renown….an icon of power and protection through and through… got “loyalty and royalty inside my DNA” as Kendrick Lamar would say.
I mean, if you were a woman who liked to grind up herbs, drink tea, and search for crystals and you and your daughters survived three-motherfuckin-hundred years of European Witch Trials - dodging being burned at the stake - you definitely were and are deserving of praise and honor, inherently glorious with royalty and loyalty inside your DNA. Shout out to all the surviving covens across the world!
I mean… if you were an enslaved woman who managed to sow seeds and harvest life in the face of evil and the daily prospect of rape, physical violence, family separation, and death every day for 400 years in a strange and stolen land, and birthed a people who would go on to become the light of inclusive democracy for the world - you ABSOLUTELY were and are FULL OF GLORY, and deserving of ALL THE PRAISE, ALL THE LOVE IN THE WORLD. Deep reverence to my ancestors. Always. #RoyaltyAndLoyaltyInsideMyDNA
All of my research has got me reflecting about the trials and hurdles I’ve jumped over or kicked down in my life as a Black American woman of the 20th and 21st centuries, and all the women who’ve raised me up, pushed me, and supported me throughout my path to power. It got me thinking about all the women who’ve coached me through it all… about the women I admire today in the movements for social, economic, environmental and democracy justice. All the women who are inherently glorious, deserving of praise and honor, but who don’t get the daily flowers they deserve, dammit!
So this Women’s History Month, and really 365 days of the year, I commit to uplifting glorious women! First, I commit to doing this by coaching BIPoC women executives on the front lines of democracy and racial justice. Holla at me if you know someone looking for a great coach! Second, I commit to uplifting women by sharing their amazing and transformative stories and their impact on me and on the world! Third, I commit to sharing more gratitude with the women who've coached and lifted me up along my journey.
So to start, here are 5 glorious women of our time who I just gotta share a lil’ love note with right now…
Sherri B. Jones: Dedicated and Loving Educator, Delta Sigma Theta Soror, Mother, Wife, Auntie, Friend, and fellow Aquarian Genius!
Dear Glorious Woman, Ms. Jones -
I know that they existed, but I don’t remember any of my other high school math teachers except for you. Somehow, using your powers as a math wizard, educator, cheerleading coach, woman of faith, and community builder, you started my transformation out of being a young Black woman conditioned to hate math (and therefore managing money); conditioned to be hospitable and meek; conditioned to always serve others first and forget my own needs; conditioned to dumb down my natural genius and powerful voice in order not to sound or appear threatening to white people. You started my transition into a young woman no longer afraid of the consequences of speaking up, being loud, joyful, and fully vibrant in public. You encouraged me to try out to be the captain of the Cheerleading Squad, not because I had a long history of cheerleading, but because you saw my inherent leadership and team coordination abilities. You lovingly held me accountable to stop apologizing every time I had a question in class or at practice. You made me, and each of your students and cheerleaders, feel safe, seen, and special in an environment and culture steeped in racism, sexism, wealth disparities. For that, you are my hero, a living saint, full of glory. You are a part of me and I love you always. Thank you for coaching me, you glorious woman!
Saru Jayaraman: A Key Leader of the American Worker Center Labor Movement; Co-Founder of the Restaurant Opportunities Center New York and ROC-United, and the One Fair Wage Movement; Founding Member of the Food Chain Workers Alliance; Resource Mobilizer; Best Selling Author, Attorney, UC Berkeley Professor; Dedicated Organizer, Mother, Wife, Friend, Aries Fire!
Dear Glorious Woman, Saru - your vision, commitment, and relentless pursuit of racial, gender, and economic justice in this nation has been and continues to be so needed and so positively transformative for those of us from the bottom, that our oppressors consider you and your family dangerous enough to stalk, harass, bully, and lie about to the public. Let me just say this - You are HANDS DOWN the Baddest, Bravest, Fiercest Babe. In. Total. Control of. Herself. That I have ever known. Period. And it has always been an honor and privilege to organize with you, learn from you, watch how you move, hear how you speak, and witness your faith in our people. And because of that, I will always introduce and defend you with the due respect and praise you deserve to anybody. You have changed my life and the lives of so many women and poor people in this country, by uplifting our stories, developing our voices, connecting us with opportunities and power players, challenging us to do what we felt was impossible but learning we could do it anyway. The times are very dark now, but you continue to shine a light on our path to victory. Thank you for coaching me and shining a light on me, you glorious woman.
Alta Starr - Somatic Practitioner and Bodyworker; Resource Mobilizer; Trainer and Program Developer; Organizer; Writer and Producer; Bubble Queen, Wife, Friend. Oracle of 20th and 21st Century Progressive Black Liberation Movement Organizers!
Dear Glorious Woman, Alta - Wow. I am so grateful to be alive on this planet during the same time you are! And to get to be coached and loved by you is a precious, invaluable gift. Your voice, your Godly hands and energy and healing. Moments spent with you have equated to years less of struggle and toil, had I been left to my own devices. I remember the first time I had a somatic healing session with you - it was like you turned on a soft warm light that had been turned on for the first time in the basement foundation of my house that I had so intentionally tried to keep dark and forget about. You enabled me to see inside of my home - my body - and pinpoint where abuse, assault, and rape traumas had been been holding me in a vice grip spiritually, emotionally, intellectually, physically. And because you shared with me your light, I was able to see a path toward unwinding that vice grip. But then when I finally got there and released myself, it still wasn’t easy to breathe, so I suffered through more years of daily anxiety. So when I came back to you for wisdom, you asked me the most profoundly personal and agitational question anyone’s ever asked me: “What would it be like to live with more ease?” Thank you Alta, for continuing to be my guiding light, and for being the oracle that you are for so many of our people. Thank you for the loving agitation and for coaching me with boldness and dignity, and the most generative of somatics, Oh Glorious Woman!
Wendy Chun-Hoon: Director of the Women’s Bureau of the US Department of Labor appointed by President Biden; National Paid Sick Leave Coalition Builder, Advocate, and Resource Mobilizer; Founder of the Family Justice Network for Racial, LGBTQ+, Reproductive, Disabilities, and Labor Justice; Fierce Mom, Wife, and Athlete!
Dear Glorious Woman, Wendy - has anyone told you how radiant of a human being you are today? Because you should be told everyday. I don’t think I’ve ever told you how grateful I am for your leadership and the PROFOUND impact you had on me during our time working together on Paid Sick Leave and Workers’ Rights Implementation campaigns in DC. Looking back now, I know this sounds ridiculous, but between 2009 and 2016 I was still mentally insecure in my ability as a public leader, strategist, and coalition builder. At that point, I was still letting the forces of casteism, racism, and sexism keep me small and polite. The voices of seemingly more powerful white-identifying nonprofit leaders, union presidents, and politicians did a thorough job of reminding me and my people of their influence and importance, while making it clear to me that I was lucky to be in their rooms, had the obligation to do the heavy lifting while presenting myself and my people perfectly, and must never call them out for any of their undemocratic bullshit. But I did all that work and I am proud of the progressive legislative and systems victories that we won and built through it all. But you saw the invisible weight I carried through these victories, through these messy coalition spaces, and you were THE ONLY FUNDER who ever asked me about my financial stress as an Executive living on crumbs in DC. YOU were the very first woman in my life, who planted the seed in me that not only was I worth more than my $50K salary at the time, but that I could easily earn over 6-figures for my particular skills. My mind was blown and from thereon out, I started negotiating higher salaries and benefits, which DRAMATICALLY improved my and my family's quality of life. Thank you for coaching me, supporting me and for unlocking the economic shackles around my mind.
Rebecca Thompson: All Around Democracy and Electoral Power Player; Candidate and Executive Coach; Resource Mobilizer; Successful Business Owner with a Masters in Medical Cannabis Science; World Traveler. Twin, Auntie, Dog Mom, Friend, More Aries Fire!
Dear Glorious Woman, Rebecca - It was God. It was Mother Earth. It was gravity that brought us together. Thank you for holding my hand the way I needed it through back-to-back years of suffering through child loss, the death of my father, and the totaling of my car. Although I hired you as my business coach, you were and are so much more than that. You supported me through a time that I felt lost and angry, to a place where I recognized myself and found my purpose again. You showed me the blueprint to launch my business, gave me encouragement along the way, have continually referred clients to me, and continue to support me with strategic planning. LIKE, WHAT?! You are the model of the type of business owner I want to be. How profound is that, Oh Glorious Black Woman straight outta Detroit?! It’s under your tutelage and support that I've been running a 6-figure business now for 3.5 years. It is because of your care, your coaching, and your example, that I’ve seen the path and taken the steps to reach a whole new class of life and freedom now. I literally am the happiest I’ve ever been on a daily basis in my whole life since I took the full leap into entrepreneurship. And you can put that on your “Live In Your Light” testimony page! YOU ARE UNDENIABLY GLORIOUS, GRRRRRL!
Look if you knew my full story - you would know that these women right here, are miracle makers. The rape trauma, the depression and suicidal thoughts, the physical pain and family losses, the institutionalized racism and sexism I’ve lived with - all this shit used to keep me from living, breathing, feeling, walking in my fullest light. I probably wouldn’t have made it as far as I have without the light of these women. You know, this “taming of potential” is what happens to most oppressed, abused human beings - UNLESS! we’ve got some real ride-or-die homies in our corner to remind us of our inherent greatness and help us get back up when we’re down.
So Thank God Sherri B. Jones is a ride-or-die educator who has always been in her students’ corner… that Saru Jayaraman is ride-or-die about racial and gender justice for women and immigrants… that Alta Starr is ride-or-die about healing Black and LGBTQ+ movement organizers on the front lines of darkness….that Wendy Chun-Hoon is ride-or-die about the intersections of public health, women’s rights and labor protections…that Rebecca is ride-or-die about increasing Black women’s independence, joy, and wealth! Their impact on me has been profound - so imagine the exponential positive impact they’ve had individually and collectively on all the people they’ve touched on Earth during their lives so far! Calculate them astrophysics Neil deGrasse Tyson!
And because I’ve been so gloriously poured into by these women, I have the capacity, faith, and wisdom to coach BIPoC and progressive women executives on the front lines too. I’ve been coaching women for years and it brings me the deepest satisfaction to see my people blossom and grow. So if you, or someone you know is thinking about hiring an executive coach or sabbatical coach, I’d love for you to consider letting me be your #1 cheerleader and accountability partner. You can see my coaching offerings here and the best way to explore this with me is by scheduling a free discovery call with me by clicking here.
Ok so if you’re still reading this, my question for you is - Who has poured into you? What women have coached you on your glorious journey? Who do you need to send a lil’ love note of gratitude to before this Women’s History Month is over?
With Love,
Nikki M.G.
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