How One Community Of Women Provides Support And Empowerment 

The Short Version: What began as an idea between sisters has grown into a worldwide collective of female leaders, creatives, and activists. The Passionistas Project is Amy and Nancy Harrington’s community of women and non-binary individuals who support and empower each other in business and beyond. 

Nothing heals my broken, battered heart quite like a hug from a woman. Through disappointment, heartbreak, and setbacks, my female friends and family have been there for me, and I’ve tried to do the same for them. But not everyone is so lucky.

“Over the years, so many women have said to us, “I wish I had what you two have,” Amy and Nancy Harrington told us. As the founders of The Passionistas Project, Amy and Nancy are more than inspirational women; they’re inspirational sisters, too. 

At the height of the #MeToo movement, Amy and Nancy started The Passionistas Project. “We wanted to create a platform where women from diverse backgrounds, especially underserved women from marginalized communities, could be seen and heard,” they told us. 

The Passionistas are a sisterhood of “solopreneurs, activists, artists, and more” who needed a “space where they could connect with other women to get support, take courses and workshops, and foster relationships,” the sisters told us. 

The Passionistas Project supports women and non-binary individuals as well, ensuring everyone has a voice and a support system. 

#MeToo ushered in a new phase of the women’s rights movement. So why does it often feel like women stand alone? From marginalized communities to exclusive boardrooms, our voices often go unheard. 

Luckily, Amy and Nancy were listening. “We were hearing the stories of brave women who were coming forward and sharing their experiences,” Amy and Nancy recalled. “We decided that we wanted to help tell positive stories of women who don’t often get the spotlight.”

The Passionistas Project brings women of all ages and backgrounds together to tell their stories, find strength in empowerment, and create unbreakable bonds. 

It’s inspirational to open up to people about your past failures and hopes for the future, which is why Amy and Nancy created The Passionistas Project Podcast. “We launched The Passionistas Project Podcast to give a platform to women who were following their passions, and to inspire other women to do the same,” they told us. 

In The Passionistas Project community, connections aren’t only made on the podcast. “The podcast led to us hosting our annual Power of Passionistas women’s equality summit and Passionistas Persist Awards ceremony,” Amy and Nancy told us. Former award recipients include Dr. Jane Goodall, comedian Margaret Cho, actress Bellamy Young, activist Carolyn Koppel, CEO Kim Roxie, and comedian Laraine Newman. 

Of course, some of the most unbreakable connections are made online, when you join The Passionistas Project sisterhood. In the sisterhood, women actively support each other in meaningful ways. “Our community is based on three pillars: Business development, personal growth, and social impact,” the sisters told us. 

For a real Passionista, “sisterhood” isn’t just a word. It’s backed up by actionable ideas and proven support. “Women and gender nonconforming non-binary people can take courses and workshops, promote their projects, and build meaningful relationships with each other,” Amy and Nancy explained. 

The Passionistas Project is one of those rare communities where achievement is marked by self-love and inner growth, not only by dollars and cents. Joining the sisterhood is just the beginning; the real magic is what happens when women inspire other women.

When you see someone you admire succeed, you’re undoubtedly curious about how they made their success a reality. “By living in alignment with their passions and embracing abundance, women not only show up as their best selves, but also create a ripple effect,” the sisters told us.

Inspiring women create equally inspiring women; it’s the ripple effect Amy and Nancy mentioned. 

Yes, opportunities are born from the ripple effect. But the ripple effect goes deeper than a woman giving another woman a job, a reference, or a leg up over a man. The ripple effect relies on inspiration. 

“When women care for themselves and pursue their passions, they not only feel more fulfilled, but also inspire those around them.”

When one woman dares to pursue her passions in a world that wants nothing more than to see her fail, she inspires other women to pursue their dreams, too. “When women care for themselves and pursue their passions, they not only feel more fulfilled, but also inspire those around them,” the sisters emphasized. 

There’s a common belief that prioritizing your passions (or your pleasure) is selfish. As a mother, shouldn’t you care more about your kids than your career? As a wife, shouldn’t you prioritize your husband’s comfort over your own? As a woman in a male-centric field, shouldn’t you expect to dream smaller?

Amy and Nancy were quick to nip this misconception in the bud. “Prioritizing [your] dreams isn’t selfish,” they said. “It’s an essential part of living a fulfilled life.” 

Amy and Nancy have watched inspiration and fulfillment spread throughout their community of Passionistas time and again. They told us a success story about their storytelling workshop, where women wrote memoir essays for an anthology collection. One woman wanted to contribute her story, but wasn’t confident in her writing abilities. “She had been told long ago by a teacher that she was not a good writer,” Amy and Nancy told us. 

The Passionistas’ sisterhood helped the woman overcome her insecurities. “After working together for just a few weeks, this amazing woman told us she was finally able to write from a confident and authentic place,” the sisters shared. This woman’s accomplishment benefits her and all the women and girls who read her story. 

“As a result, she will inspire countless others through her essay about standing up to injustice and healing trauma from her past,” Amy and Nancy said. When women come together to support each other, the positive effects can stretch far into the future. 

Perfect body, perfect house, perfect makeup, perfect lover … Do you see a pattern? 

Women have long been expected to operate at the height of perfection, whether this means being a sexual ideal, a maternal ideal, or both. “We believe the biggest obstacle women face is perfectionism,” the sisters told us. And perfection, of course, doesn’t exist. 

This doesn’t stop women and other minorities from trying, again and again, to achieve some vague, preconceived ideal.

And most of the time, this “ideal” in your head has been shaped by the male gaze.

“As women, we often have to work twice as hard to get ahead in our careers, and feel the need to prove that we are flawless to be worthy,” Amy and Nancy said. Many women feel pressured to look, act, and speak in ways that inspire confidence, jealousy, and even sexual desire. But one of these spinning plates is bound to falter and fall at some point, and when it does, the crash can be devastating. 

Amy and Nancy brought up an unexpected point: “Perfection is an obstacle to success.” If you’re solely focused on being the perfect wife, mother, and friend, you’re going to miss out on what really matters: your kids, your friends, your career, your creativity, and yes, especially your own happiness and fulfillment. “All that worry about living to some imaginary standard is holding us back from doing the task and moving forward,” the sisters told us. 

The Passionistas sisterhood’s motto, “Done is better than good,” has inspired countless women to pursue their dreams and make mistakes along the way. After all, there’s beauty in chipped china and smile lines. They’re all signs that you’ve lived your life and continue to evolve. 

“We still strive for greatness, but we give ourselves and others grace to let the beauty of the imperfections shine through,” Amy and Nancy said. Plus, imperfections can often teach you the best ways to move forward. 

“The women in our sisterhood have found a place where they can truly be their authentic selves,” the sisters added. “Our community now can lean on each other, learn from one another, and celebrate the wins we all experience.”

At the end of a long, hard day — or week, or month, or year — you can depend on your sisters in the Passionistas community to hear your story, listen, and provide emotional support. “We are all chosen sisters, and because we have each other, we are finding greater fulfillment in our lives,” the sisters explained.