The Women Who Raised Us

An International Women’s Day Reflection from Intrigue Ink

At Intrigue Ink, we talk a lot about confidence. About showing up boldly. About building something that matters.

But none of us learned that on our own.

This International Women’s Day, we’re sharing the women who shaped us. The ones who taught us resilience, strength, kindness, and how to laugh when life gets a little wild.

Arina: Tenacious, Adaptable, Funny

For Arina, inspiration starts at home with her mama, Natalya.

If you ask her what stands out most, it’s resilience. The kind that keeps going. The kind that dreams big. The kind that doesn’t take life too seriously.

Natalya taught her to get after her dreams, no matter how big or small, and to laugh along the way. Especially at yourself. Especially when things feel overwhelming.

Growing up, Arina saw that strength up close. And now, whenever she’s facing a big challenge, she still feels it.

Tenacious. Adaptable. Funny.

And yes, Natalya would absolutely be rocking the Howdy From Montana Crop Tee or the Spaghetti Western Tank without hesitation.

Tatum: Tough. Steady. Unapologetic.

Tatum’s inspiration is her 96-year-young grandma. A lifelong rancher who has lived her entire life on the land.

A force. A woman who never asked permission.

Her resilience isn’t loud. It’s quiet. It’s waking before the sun. It’s feeding animals. It’s tending the land season after season.

Tatum says her grandma taught her that strength is steady. It’s showing up every day as yourself. It’s rolling up your sleeves and meeting life head-on, dust, wind, heartbreak and all.

One of her favorite memories? Visiting a few years ago to check the cows. As they climbed into the pickup, her grandma paused and said she needed to move her fence-mending tools so they could fit. She was 92 at the time.

Still tending what she loved.

Tough. Resilient. Loving.

If she walked into Intrigue Ink tomorrow? She’d grab Horsepower and head straight back out to the ranch.

Gunner: Strength & Softness

For Gunner, inspiration comes from two women. His mom, Tammy, and his mother-in-law, Amy.

Tammy embodies strength. The kind that carries you through dark seasons and reminds you that you will overcome. That you never give up. That if you lead with love, love will find its way back to you.

Amy inspires in a different way, through kindness and care. Through loving with your whole heart. Through showing up attentively and thoughtfully in the everyday moments.

Both women inspire him daily. Not just in big life milestones, but in the small, quiet ways they move through the world.

Tammy - Strong. Resilient. Loving.
Amy - Caring. Kind. Attentive.

Tammy would absolutely wear Cowboy Chicken.
Amy? Vintage Boots, no question, pretty sure she already owns it!

The Women Who Taught Us to Turn It Up

Not all of our inspiration came from a kitchen table or a ranch fence.

Some of it came through blown-out car speakers.
Burned CDs.
Bedroom dance parties with the door locked.

For our team, the women who shaped us also wore mic packs and platform boots.

Dolly Parton showed us you can be sparkly and strategic. Soft-spoken and sharp as hell.
Madonna proved reinvention is power. Evolve, provoke, pivot, own the room.
Dolores O'Riordan gave us emotion with edge and strength with vulnerability.
Stevie Nicks made feminine power feel mystical, layered, and untouchable.
Salt-N-Pepa told us to talk about it. Boldly.
And TLC reminded us to have standards and protect our peace.

They didn’t just give us songs.
They gave us permission.

So obviously… we made a playlist.

🎧 Turn it up and celebrate with us: CLICK TO PLAY

Because empowerment doesn’t always look serious. Sometimes it looks like a full-volume kitchen dance break in your intrigue ink oversized tee, hairbrush microphone in hand, reminding yourself exactly who you are.

So Let's Talk About What We’re Celebrating

Different women. Different stories. Same thread.

Resilience.
Strength.
Kindness.
Steadiness.
Laughter.

At Intrigue Ink, the women who inspire us aren’t just icons. They’re mamas, grandmas, mentors, and mother-in-laws. They’re fence-menders. Dream-chasers. Heart-led leaders.

They’re the reason we show up the way we do.

Happy International Women’s Day to the women who raised us and to the women inspiring everyone everyday.