2026 Women of Impact

"Impact is not always loud. Often, it is found in the quiet, consistent ways a life touches others."

That's how my friend and fellow portrait photographer Tassie Winters opens every conversation about why the Women of Impact portrait project exists.

In a world that measures worth in titles, follower counts, and accolades, Women of Impact was built on a different premise: that the most meaningful influence rarely announces itself. It's found in the women who show up faithfully, who lead with integrity, who shape their families and communities in ways that may never be fully seen, but are always deeply felt.

Winters is the founder and editor of the 2026 Women of Impact portrait project. Earlier this year, she invited me to a talented group of female photographers across the country who were photographing and writing about women in our own local communities who were making a big impact in small ways.

"Impact is defined not by position, but by presence," Winters said.

There may be no better time to sit with that idea than right now. Ask anyone who runs a business, a household, a nonprofit, or all three at once, and they'll tell you that August doesn't ease you into Fall. It surprises you. It shoves you. School supply lists appear overnight. Fall bookings stack up on summer's leftovers. Wedding season is still in full swing, harvest is bearing down, and everyone who put off "getting to it later" suddenly needs it now.

It's exactly the kind of season that separates presence from performance. The kind of busy where showing up quietly, day after day, matters more than actually being seen doing it.

This month, I am putting the spotlight on the Women of Impact honorees in our community. The ones who aren’t just surviving this special kind of busy. They are the ones running toward it. Because underneath all the chaos is purpose, and underneath the purpose are people who are counting on them.

Over the coming days, you'll meet:

A Village Trustee who believes local leadership starts with just showing up. (Published Aug. 1)
A regenerative farmer rebuilding the food system one family at a time.
A therapist and practice owner who leans on music and community to stay grounded.
A florist and garden center owner who has learned to stop calling it "balance."
A foundation founder who turned unimaginable loss into a living legacy.
A benefits analyst turned health coach turned stage manager juggling three callings at once.
An artist who traded approval for authenticity.
A hairstylist who found her softer definition of success after cancer.
A wellness executive raised on an avocado ranch, now helping people navigate a healthy lifestyle.
An acupuncturist healing from the root, not just managing symptoms.
A medium and intuitive healer who trusts what she feels before she understands it.

None of them set out to be "impactful." They just kept showing up in the quiet, consistent, often unglamorous ways that this project was created to honor.

As Winters puts it: "Impact is not reserved for a few; it is found in the lives of women all around us, often in ways that are quietly lived each day."

Grab your coffee (or your planner, or your third cup of coffee). Let's meet them.

Chrissy Sherry Creates Her Truth

For working artists, late summer often means a rush of commission deadlines, mural projects timed to Fall openings, and back-to-school portraits of a different kind.

The ones that live on canvas.

It's a fitting season to sit down with Chrissy Sherry, an artist whose whole creative philosophy has become about slowing down instead of keeping up.

Chrissy's calling arrived early, almost as soon as she could hold a pencil.

"My grandfather was an artist and also one of the most amazing humans," she said. "If he wasn't painting, he was drawing, building, making — always creating. He could make art out of stones or with a stick in wet sand."

That sense of boundless creativity shaped her path, which unfolded across both fine art and graphic design — designing logos for emerging businesses early in her career, then gradually shifting toward murals and painting.

Creating for People, Not Just Portfolios

Chrissy has always been drawn to people chasing dreams without the resources to fully support them, often offering her time and expertise freely.

"The most rewarding part of mural work is seeing the glowing smiles of clients when they walk in and see their final piece," she said.

Over two decades, the industry around her has shifted dramatically with the addition of accessible design platforms, the rise of AI, and a field she once found intensely competitive.

"It feels like being an artist today means knowing how to capture your work and turn it into something exciting just to be seen," she said.

Redefining Success

Where she once measured success by how many clients she could take on or how long her waitlist stretched, Chrissy now measures it differently.

"Success used to be about how much I could take on," she said. "Now it's about delivering something to a client and watching them light up with genuine excitement and gratitude."

The shift shows up in her personal work too.

"I used to think success meant having my work displayed and my name known," she said. "Now, it's about fully expressing myself in a piece without thinking about how it will be perceived."

Her Influences

Among the artists who've shaped her, Edvard Munch stands out. His raw, psychologically driven work mirrors her own path from imitation toward something unmistakably her own.

But her most enduring influence is much closer to home. First her grandfather, Richmond Given, and now, her daughter, Everleigh, whose imagination sparked Chrissy's "Dreamer" fiber art series.

"Her creativity is boundless," Chrissy said. "Watching her create is an experience in itself. Capturing that sense of dreaming, through color, through texture, has been incredibly fulfilling."

Grounded Behind the Scenes

Behind the art is a steady foundation: her husband Tim, whom she calls her "greatest cheerleader," along with a close circle of friends and fellow creatives. She also teaches and practices yoga, using movement and meditation to stay grounded amid the constant ebb and flow of creative life.

Ask her to describe herself in three words, and she offers: multifaceted, loving, creative.

What Matters Most

"People will always have opinions. Society, clients, even those closest to you," Chrissy said. "But staying true to yourself, your style, and what genuinely moves you, that's everything.

"Creating from your heart and soul can feel intimidating. But that's what builds not just your talent, but your confidence. Staying true to who you are, that's where fulfillment lives."

As commission season heats up and the fall gallery calendar fills in, Chrissy's approach hasn't changed: create the work that tells the truth, and let the approval sort itself out. That, in itself, is a quiet kind of impact, and the kind that doesn't need an audience to be real.

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