Lessons from History’s Most Powerful Women

(and How to Be One)

History isn’t short on powerful women—it’s just that their stories often get overshadowed or sanitized. But make no mistake: the women who changed the world weren’t waiting around for permission. They were too busy rewriting the rules.

Take Cleopatra, for example. She didn’t just rule Egypt—she mastered the art of diplomacy, spoke multiple languages, and outmaneuvered Rome’s greatest leaders to keep her empire intact. She wasn’t manipulative; she was strategic.

Or Sojourner Truth, who escaped slavery and became one of the most fearless voices for abolition and women’s rights. At a time when Black women were expected to be silent, she stood before an all-white audience and delivered her famous “Ain’t I a Woman?” speech—a moment that shattered expectations and forced people to listen. She wasn’t defiant; she was courageous.

Joan of Arc didn’t just dream of leading an army—she did it. A teenage girl commanding troops in 15th-century France? Unheard of. But she didn’t ask for approval. She rode into battle and changed the course of history. She wasn’t reckless; she was fearless.

And then there’s Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who didn’t just break barriers in law—she bulldozed them. Arguing case after case, she systematically dismantled laws that discriminated against humans based on their gender, proving that justice isn’t given; it’s fought for. She wasn’t difficult; she was relentless.

The takeaway? Power isn’t handed out—it’s claimed. Ambitious women have always been labeled “too much.” That’s just another way of saying they got things done.So if you want to change the game, stop apologizing. Speak up like Sojourner. Strategize like Cleopatra. Lead fearlessly like Joan. Fight for what’s right like RBG. Because history doesn’t remember the women who waited their turn—it remembers the ones who took it.