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.

Raven Fisher Finds Her Joy

August has a particular way of testing anyone who runs a mental health practice. It's the calm before the back-to-school storm — the last stretch before schedules fill up with new anxieties, transitions, and the ripple effects of a summer ending. For Raven Fisher, founder of Nave Wellness Center in Frankfort, Illinois, that means wearing even more hats than usual, right when everyone else is trying to catch their breath.

As founder, Fisher is the therapist, the supervisor, the clinical training director, the marketing agent, and the administrator. often all in the same day.

"My typical day involves a mixture of seeing my own therapy clients, supervising the clinicians in my practice, and attending to other administrative needs of the business," Fisher said.

It's a lot to carry. But Fisher is quick to credit the people who make it possible.

"I am extremely grateful for support in my village, which enables me to balance professional responsibilities with my family and personal life," she said. "I founded Nave Wellness Center in 2021 just after my son was born. I couldn't have done any of it without my parents' support, which included primary childcare, allowing me to focus on working while knowing that my son is well cared for.

"My husband has also been a beautiful recent addition to my life, making it much easier for me to separate work and home. My church community has also been an encouraging outlet and provided tangible support."

The Thing That Keeps Her Grounded

For Fisher, music is more than background noise. it's a lifeline on the hardest days.

"On challenging or heavy days, or when sadness, anxiety, or negativity try to dominate my mental space, I am so grateful for the joy music provides," she said. "I can just think of a song and start humming a tune, and it instantly lifts my mood.

"The negative things may not disappear, but they don't weigh as heavily because I have this buoyancy afforded me by way of music."

How She Found Her Calling

Fisher studied linguistics and African-American studies at Harvard, never expecting therapy to be in her future. It took her own experience in therapy during her senior year to change that.

"Through trial and error, I finally found a 'right' therapist who helped me on my journey," Fisher said. "During one session, the therapist offhandedly mentioned that I would make a good therapist. The career path had never crossed my mind before, so I started to look into it a bit more."

Before pursuing her master's degree, she spent two years working at an aftercare home for girls recovered from trafficking and abuse in Northeast India; a proving ground for whether this work was truly right for her.

"And it was," Fisher said.

From Solo Therapist to Practice Owner

Growing from an individual clinician into the owner of a group practice brought challenges she never learned in grad school.

"This role has required significant growth in business acumen," Fisher said. "I approach my employees and staff the same way I approach my clients: with a heart to see people grow and develop along their life's journey and path.

"I love being able to pour into other clinicians and see them grow and develop professionally alongside the growth and healing that I see take place in clients."

Advice for Anyone in a Season of Growth

Fisher's own path started in a painful place, but she doesn't see that as wasted time.

"View everything as a learning and growth opportunity," she said. "The circumstances that enabled me to stumble into this career path were quite painful and not ideal. But I would not be in the position I am today were it not for the challenges that I faced along the way.

"Don't give up. Instead, stay curious about the better days to come."

As Nave Wellness Center heads into its busiest season, Fisher's approach hasn't changed: hold space for her clients, pour into her team, and hum a little music along the way.

"Our world is made so much better when we support and celebrate one another," she said. "Genuine kindness and joy toward each other do so much to make the world a better place."

It's a quiet kind of leadership — the kind that doesn't need a title to matter.

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