8 Successful Women Under 30 to Inspire You Every Day
Written by: Cora Gold
You might turn to history books when you’re looking for inspiration, but many people are changing the world today. Check out some of the most successful women under 30 to inspire you daily. There’s still plenty of change to achieve — all you need is some motivation to make it possible.
1. Malena Rice
Astronomers of the past can take a seat — Dr. Malena Rice is here to reveal the universe’s biggest secrets. She’s a Yale professor seeking undiscovered planets using her own algorithm. It combs images from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA’s) Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS).
Dr. Rice’s inspirational work allows other women to follow in her footsteps. Women comprise only 27.3% of the astronomy industry, so her work is twice as incredible considering the limited number of women she had to look up to when pursuing her dreams.
2. Nastassia Ponomarenko
When you think of tech gurus, picture Nastassia Ponomarenko. She raised over $600,000 at 22 years old to launch Corecircle. More than 300,000 people connected with the company’s Patreon to learn about exercise and start healthy habits. The company is worth $18 million and isn’t Ponomarenko’s only success. She also developed a fitness apparel company at 18 that’s now worth seven figures.
3. Katie Ledecky
When Katie Ledecky decided to compete in the Olympics, she didn’t just win — she crushed the individual competitions in swimming. Over her Olympic career, she broke 14 world records and 37 American swimming records. Ledecky’s the most decorated female swimmer in history, all before age 30.
She crushed NCAA records with Stanford University’s basketball team between the Olympic games. Now she uses her education and professional success to open STEM opportunities for the next generation of female leaders.
4. Harshita Arora
The trucking industry tackles daily challenges, but fueling is always an issue. Sometimes drivers use company cards to buy things other than gasoline. Harshita Arora created a solution by developing AtoB in 2019. Over 24,000 trucking corporations use AtoB to track gas prices, taxes, purchasing, and accounting needs. It led the company to an $800 million valuation in 2022, with no end to growth.
5. Jenny Kim
The next time you’re on TikTok to get your daily positive affirmations from popular influencers, remember to say thank you to Jenny Kim. She’s one of the leading creators who put TikTok on the map. By negotiating with corporations like Disney and Netflix to host their live-streaming events, she made TikTok the modern social media platform for all things live. Her work drew more users to the app than live-streaming options on Facebook or YouTube.
6. Alisha Fredriksson
Cargo ships release nearly endless carbon emissions into the atmosphere as they transport global goods. They’re a necessary part of the shipping industry but significantly contribute to the carbon gasses accelerating global warming.
Alisha Frediksson started Seabound to reduce that negative impact. Along with her co-founder Roujia Wen, Seabound began selling a device that traps exhaust pipe emissions before they leave the ship. It stores the gas in pebbles that get unloaded and replaced when the ship returns. The carbon gas gets sold to companies that can use it, so it never reaches the atmosphere.
7. Ayo Edebiri
If you’ve been catching up on “The Bear,” watching “Big Mouth,” or seen a “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” showing, you’re well aware of Ayo Edebiri’s multifaceted talents. At just 28, she has nearly 30 IMDb credits in everything from comedy to drama. Edebiri’s breaking all expectations for young women of color in Hollywood, jumping between genres to media types while making it look like a breeze.
8. Brittany Diego
Leaders pave the way for the people looking up to them, which is exactly what Brittany Diego did when she started a 2018 blog called Fashion Mentor. She recognized that only 6.29% of fashion stylists were Black and wanted to change that by creating mentorship opportunities.
Diego’s business now provides career-development coaching online and academic courses to cover interview skills, career coaching, and more. Hundreds of thousands of clients have learned from her experiences, as Diego has gone on to style celebrities for events like the Academy Awards and the Grammys.
Find Inspiration for Your LifE
You can achieve whatever you put your mind to. Even when facing challenges, these successful women invented new ways to continue the path forward. Use their stories to inspire you daily as you turn your dreams into reality.