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.

Sarah Beach Cultivates Community Ties

August tends to be one of the busiest stretches of the year for a florist, with weddings still booked solid, fall arrangements already being planned, and the garden center side of the business shifting into its own new season.

For Sarah Beach, second-generation owner of Sunshine Garden Center and The Flower Room in Diamond, Illinois, this kind of overlap isn't the exception. It's the whole job.

Beach never set out to be a florist. As a kid, she pictured herself as a graphic designer, then shifted toward interior design. When she came back to the family business, she started in landscape design, following in her father's footsteps.

"That didn't feel right, though," Beach said. "It was a couple of years after I opened our florist that I realized floral design was where I was supposed to land."

Nearly 50 Years in One Small Community

The garden center has stood in the same spot for more than 40 years, and Beach has watched generations grow up around it.

"It's a really cool thing to watch as a new generation starts to put their spin on the business, with a new generation of customers coming in with memories of visiting when they were kids, and then buying their first house, or putting in their own gardens, as their grandparents did," she said.

"I love watching the kid customers grow up around here. We have celebrated potty training, recitals, dances, and graduations. In a small community, we know many of our customers by first name."

Retiring the Word "Balance"

As a mom to 13-year-old Olivia and a small business owner, Beach said she has stopped chasing balance in the traditional sense because the word itself stresses her out.

"As a small business owner, I don't work a typical nine-to-five job. Being a mom means I'm on call 24/7, so I have to get creative with my time," Beach said. "This means that I might do some office work early in the morning before getting my daughter off to school, or bringing some design work to soccer practice.

"If I have to run work errands, then I might bring the family with me and do something fun on the way. The nice part of being the owner is that I can choose my hours to fit my commitments on both sides, which might mean one day working through the night to complete all my work obligations so I can spend the day at a soccer tournament."

Her morning ritual helps her reset before the day takes over.

"I get up early in the morning with my coffee and some twinkle lights before the family wakes up," she said.

The Weight Behind the Beautiful Arrangements

Most people know Beach's shop for the joyful side of flowers: weddings, recitals, promotions, get-well bouquets. But there's a quieter, heavier side of the work that doesn't come up as often, the celebration-of-life arrangements.

"I really take all my celebration-of-life pieces personally," Beach said. "I read the obituary, and really listen to the person who is placing the order and how they talk about them.

"I pay special attention to small details: favorite colors, hobbies, sports teams, or other special interests. Then, I try to give a tasteful nod to the life they lived.

"There are more than a few pieces that I have created that have left me with an ache in my chest or tears in my eyes while working at the design table. I am incredibly grateful to be trusted with such an honor by these families, and so proud to create something that tells their stories."

Trusting Her Gut

Beach's advice to other women building a business is simple. "Listen to yourself."

"Listen to your intuition. You know your gut better than anyone else. Trust it," she said. "If it scares and excites you at the same time, DO IT. If something doesn't seem quite right, it's okay to hold off until it does."

Looking Ahead

Beach has spent recent years expanding into new offerings and a second location, building something sturdy enough to weather whatever comes next.

"It's been a really cool, but not always easy, process to watch things grow and evolve and see all my hard work pay off," she said. "I am really looking forward to spending more time strengthening all these different areas and building them a solid foundation."

As late summer gives way to fall's wedding and holiday rush, Beach will be doing what she's always done. Reading the room, trusting her gut, and making sure every arrangement tells the right story.

It's presence, not position, that's kept customers coming back for three generations.

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