Women’s Day 2024: Inspiring female athletes to follow on Instagram

“I wish everyone knew that almost everything is fake!” This was one of the impactful things that runner and founder of the Badass Lady Gang, Kelly Roberts, said to me when I sat down for an interview with her.

Social media these days is oversaturated with iNFLuencers whose standard feels impossible to reach and who promote things like “running is easy!” and “anyone can do anything!” This article is not about those people. Indeed, social media can be a toxic place where we see seemingly successful people and compare ourselves, wondering why we’re not where this person is or don’t look like that person does.

Instead, this Women’s Day, let’s choose to follow authentic, inspiring women who make us feel more empowered and less alone.

Kelly Roberts - runner

@kellykkroberts

The reason I chose Kelly as a featured female athlete to follow is because she was one of the first accounts I ever found that talked about running in a way that I could relate to, as a regular person and not a professional athlete. She talks about the joys and struggles of running, how to overcome body image issues, how to deal with judgmental people, and gives plans to runners at all stages.

“A lot of what I’m doing nowadays is just trying to help put tools in people’s tool belts to help them understand that progress is not linear. You might sign up for an eight-week, become-a-runner plan, and it might take you 12 or 16 weeks. It doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t run. It doesn’t mean that you are a shitty runner. It doesn’t mean that you are, you know, like a lost cause. I just wish more people knew that,” said Kelly.

“It just takes a different amount of time for everyone. Some people take this really naturally and are really gifted runners, and those tend to be the loudest people in the sport. And if we’re all looking to them for advice, you are not going to see your experience represented. So it is very important that you’re looking to people who who have a struggly-er time running and who understand that it is worth it. And hearing why it’s worth it to them will help you define why it’s worth it to you.”

After overcoming an eating disorder and over-exercising, Kelly started a movement called the “sports bra squad”, which encourages women to run in what they feel most comfortable.

“If that’s running in your sports bra, you shouldn’t have to put on layers and suffer in clothing that makes you hot if it is more comfortable for you to run in a sports bra,” said Kelly.

She also pointed out that there are many nuanced reasons women are hesitant to run in a sports bra - self-judgment, violence against women, and fatphobia amongst them. But there was one moment when Kelly was running 13 miles on a scorching day that she basically just said “screw it”, took off her soaked shirt, and decided to silence that voice in her head that worried what people might think.

“As terrifying as it was, I felt like a 50-pound weight was lifted off of my shoulders. I have since realized that the things I say to myself are infinitely worse than anything a stranger could possibly say to me,” Kelly writes. “And let’s be honest, though hurtful, why should I care if someone thinks it’s appropriate to comment on what I look like while I run?”

What started out as just a silly Instagram account that accidentally went viral has developed into an entire movement, a beautiful community of women, and a Business. Kelly started the Badass Lady Gang, a running community of women focused on “ditching diet culture and feeling strong”. Kelly is planning to take it beyond the world of running and help women with other resources, like how to train for a triathlon, deal with emotional struggles, and make smart, independent financial plans.

“I really do believe that community is the most important in our lives, and anything we can do to provide women with tools to help them thrive is the direction that we want to be headed,” said Kelly. “A lot of us aren’t raised with this information. So anything I can do to help women just thrive, that’s what we want to do. So that’s kind of like the next five years.”

On her page, along with inspiring and relatable content, you’ll find raw and hilarious sports bra reviews (though she admits that much research into personal body type and sports bra style are important to know first), reminders that different plans, clothes, and routines work differently for everyone, and funny reels that make you remember why you love to hate working out some days.

Jessamyn Stanley - yoga

@mynameisjessamyn

Jessamyn Stanley is as inspiring as she is hilarious. She is a yoga teacher, advocate for inclusive wellness, and founder of The Underbelly Yoga. On her page, you’ll find yoga instruction, meditation, motivational mantras, hilarious reels, and personal stories about how yoga positively impacted her life. She is breaking the stereotypes of a “yoga body” and preaching radical self-acceptance.

Jenny Gaither - Fitness professional and wellness coach

@movemeant

Jenny Gaither is a former competitive dancer and Soulcycle instructor and current fitness professional and wellness coach who started a non-profit organization called Movemeant Foundation. Her goal is to empower women to live fearlessly, using fitness as a tool. Through the Movemeant Foundation, she provides education on body positivity, scholarships, and youth coaching. She also hosts the biggest body-positive fitness charity festival called We Dare to Bare. On her page, you’ll find mental health tips, motivational quotes, and real stories that will move and inspire you.

Mirna Valeiro

@themirnavator

Mirna Valeiro is a Black, female runner and advocate for inclusion in running - for people of all sizes, races, genders, and backgrounds. She has run several trail runs, marathons and ultramarathons. She talks about how trail running helps her feel connected to nature. As a female with a larger body, Mirna decided to document her running journey in 2012 when she ran her first full marathon. Despite running literally dozens of marathons and ultras, her athletic abilities continue to be questioned online simply because of her size, color, and gender. But Mirna proves that you can run at any pace and in any body, and still be an incredible athlete, and get the mental health benefits of running. Her posts will make you feel happy, motivated, connected, and perhaps best of all - represented.

Serena Williams - Tennis

@serenawilliams

Serena Williams is the only world-famous woman I decided to feature here, and there is a reason for that. As a professional tennis player, Serena Williams is one of the best athletes in the world. Even still, she’s had her body criticized from a young age - something most girls can relate to. Now that she has a platform, she uses it to be a body-positive influence and encourage young female athletes of all colors and sizes to push on and ignore the negative comments.

Beatie Deutsch - runner

@marathonmother

Beatie Deutsch is a Jewish marathon runner with five children. But wait, it gets more impressive. She started running much later in life, and now, she is the Israeli national champion in both the half and full marathon. And she runs every run in a skirt. Talk about a badass female. Beatie uses the knowledge she learned about in running to apply to her real life. Her story is extremely motivating, and she is authentic in sharing her journey, talking about all the ups and downs - physical and mental - that come with running. She uses her social media to raise awareness of mental health issues and help children who are struggling with them. If you think you’re limited for being a woman or being a mother, just take a look at what she’s done and she will remind you that women are so strong and capable of doing so much more than we’re told.