4 World-Changing ENFP Women

Half-finished seems to be the permanent state of my life. I have drafts of unfinished articles, books and poems on my hard-drive. There’s an embroidery project that was meant to be a Christmas present, but alas, the recipient got a gift card instead. The rose-colored thread from said project is poking out beneath boxes I have yet to unpack from our move seven months ago. 

As an ENFP, any new and novel adventure takes my complete attention and whisks me into realms unknown. But sticking with tasks to the bitter end often takes the wind out of my sails—I want my options open and my schedule cleared for magic and inspiration to strike whenever it fancies. Sometimes, I look at this side of myself and wonder: will I ever finish something worthwhile? Or will my very nature be my biggest obstacle in making the impact I wish to have on this world? 

So, as any certified “Champion” would, I went searching for examples of women who are ENFPs like me but with one major difference: they finished something great! These women leaned into their imaginative, effervescent nature and, while maintaining the tiny thrum of madness that drives each ENFP forward, created a better world with their contributions. 

If you need a pick-me-up after dropping your lofty resolutions (but hey, it’s March, congratulations on making it this far with your goals) or if you simply enjoy tales of inspirational figures, read on. 

Anne Frank: Full of Optimism, Hope and a Love of Ping-pong

Any list of influential ENFP women would be incomplete without Anne Frank. She’s classically categorized as an ENFP given her whimsical-yet-grounded nature. As psychology writer and ENFP, Heidi Priebe, explained, “ENFPs are wings and roots,” meaning they are in the clouds while simultaneously deeply grounded, a definition which perfectly encapsulates Anne Frank. 

Her widely read diary shows a rich inner life, restless energy, and all the spirit of a Champion. Her famous quote, “In spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart,” is equal parts heart-breaking and inspirational. But I find her last entry to be her most relatable. She discusses her “dual nature”—a frivolous, joking, talkative Anne that everyone saw, and a deeper Anne that no one else knew. Wings and roots, goofiness and deep waters. A duality any ENFP feels deep in their bones. 

One delightful detail that isn’t strictly an ENFP trait is Anne’s love of ping-pong. The summer before she went into hiding, she formed a club with her friends called “the little dipper minus two” and would frequent an ice cream parlor in Amsterdam to cool off after a tough game. Joy comes in many flavors, but it always comes for an ENFP. 

Anne had no idea her diary would be one of the most translated and read books in the world. Her words gave a face to an unfathomable statistic tied to the Holocaust. She is the symbol of “the triumph of the human spirit;” incredibly funny, sweet and flawed, and made a lasting impact writing her thoughts from a cramped attic space in the midst of a world falling apart. 

Elizabeth Cady Stanton: The Unflinching Soul of the Suffragette Movement 

Fascinating INTJ Susan B. Anthony is a familiar name from any U.S. History class as the leader of the women’s rights movement. Lesser known is Elizabeth Cady Stanton, the soul to Anthony’s management. It was Stanton who insisted on including women’s right to vote in the Seneca Falls Declaration of Sentiments when even reformers thought the idea was taking women’s rights a bit too far. A classic ENFP, Stanton refused to budge on her vision of what she knew to be right. She even famously insisted that the word “obey” be removed from her wedding vows when she married her husband, such a radical request from an unmoveable woman!

In a speech she gave, Elizabeth Cady Stanton argued that every human is “responsible for their own soul.” This will resonate with ENFPs everywhere. Individual sovereignty, the “live and let live” ideal, is why ENFPs are often counted among the open-minded allies for various groups. 

One of my favorite quotes from Elizabeth Stanton was her assertion that every person was the “arbiter of their own destiny” and must learn to captain their own ships. Those who know me will recognize that this is exact life advice I stick to. Rather than a prescriptive list of dos and don’ts, I generally encourage those close to me to steer their own ship rather than take advice from another (which my ISFJ husband finds incredibly unhelpful as advice goes). 

Elizabeth Stanton’s lifelong contributions took women’s rights beyond divorce law and property rights. Her partnership with Susan B. Anthony shows that every cause needs feet to walk the path and a beating heart at its core. 

Isadora Duncan: The Fiery Dance Rebel Who Reinvented an Entire Art Form

Isadora Duncan was a gifted dancer and absolute rebel. At just twelve years old (twelve!) she walked out of her very first ballet class because she felt its rigidity “unnatural and ugly.” What gumption she must have had! 

Instead, she developed her own standard of movement, performing in “flowing Greek tunics” and—clutch those pearls!—without a corset. (What scandal!) Regardless of the established structure and expectations in the world of dance, she believed that movement should come from the soul, an authentic medium for self-expression. Her ideas were so powerful that, during a performance in Munich, students were so taken with her dancing that they unharnessed the horses from her carriage and pulled it through the streets themselves, all while singing and throwing flowers, their own performance to honor such a revolutionary figure in the world of dance. 

Isadora listened to her soul. She believed that the source of all movement was located in the center of the body and would spend hours standing perfectly still, waiting for the inner vibrations of wisdom to tell her how to move. This indisputably places her at the helm of modern dance as we know it. 

Without Isadora Duncan and her ENFP (ahem, rebel) ways, we would have no fluidity of movement. No emotional performances that act as catharsis for dancers and audiences alike. She threw away the ballet slippers and corsets, embraced expression, and influenced an entire shift in the art of dance all because of a conviction she had as a twelve-year-old young woman. 

Nellie Bly: The Gutsy Reporter Who Exposed Mistreatment

Nellie Bly needs a movie made about her life, stat! In her lifetime, she took investigative journalism to a whole new level, in only the way an ENFP can. In fact, she got her first journalism job by writing a scathing letter to the editor of a newspaper that published a sexist article. The editor was so impressed by Nellie Bly’s writing that he took out an ad to find out who she was—and offered her a job! 

This lady had guts. After reading Jules Verne’s Around the World in Eighty Days, Nellie decided to beat the record, which she did—72 days around the world with nothing but a seven-inch satchel and her lucky golden thumb ring! But it’s her work as a journalist that truly shows her backbone.

In her career, Nellie Bly invented going undercover for a story. She exposed abuse in mental asylums by feigning insanity to get admitted, and then used her story to trigger social reform. She was not afraid to put herself in the middle of an uncomfortable situation or two so she could uncover the truth. She never backed down from what she believed to be right. 

The steely interior of an ENFP forever changed the way the mentally ill were treated in the United States and simultaneously shattered the stigma of women working in news. Thus is the legacy of Nellie Bly. 

ENFP Women and the Power to Finish

Each of these women bucked the system in one way or another, setting forward a new path for those who follow. Instead of coloring within the lines that exist on the page, they wove an entirely new tapestry by merely being themselves. The very traits that come naturally to an ENFP quietly influenced change in the world. 

And who’s to say they never had an unfinished project sitting in the corner?