I have a new friend. This person runs Ultra Marathons, has a bit of a potty mouth, recently started a business and wears muscle-tees and biker jackets.

Oh, and she’s a woman.

Newly inspired from your responses from my first post about What Makes Women Beautiful, I knew this new friend of mine was the perfect subject for my first personal feature. Meet Rebecca Egbert.

Having built her career around methods of women empowerment, it felt like Rebecca and Shabby Apple were a match from the start. Working as a midwife for the past 8 years she has been a beacon of encouragement and strength for many women, in particular - for mothers. She describes herself as a tomboy, but I'd characterize her more as a feminine feminist, both in style and swagger (and without the hairy armpits).

Case in point - Rebecca's favorite Shabby Apple outfit pairs the Blossom Skirt with a white muscle tee, some ankle boots, and a leather biker jacket - with a splash of red lipstick.

“I have a classic, modern, edge and a bit of rustic in my style, I think it's the mountains in me. Adding some sweetness with the Blossom Skirt makes me believe it is the ONE thing that will pull me out of tomboy mode. Just feels like a really fun outfit to rock in the world.”

The way we met was so serendipitous, that it couldn’t have been just chance. I recently read one of her blog posts about vulnerability and was struck by her matter-of-fact reasoning and depth. When Rebecca and I finally met it was like a flurry of ‘Me too’s and ‘I know what you mean’s. Turns out, we know some of the same people, lived in and share a kinship for the same city in Montana, and basically just missed each other at a birthing center down the street.

But it wasn’t just our commonalities that struck me. She is doing some pretty amazing and beautiful things… all in the name of women empowerment. Her new business focuses on teaching women, specifically mothers, how to be happy. But as I learned, this isn't just another "six-steps to a better life" strategy.

I sat there sipping on my heart-whipped cappuccino listening to my new friend tell me about her background and current plans, and I knew I had to try and encapsulate this tangible energy that radiated from her. Her mission - her personal vendetta - is to ensure that women not only live their life, but they must actually thrive. We’re talkin’ physically, emotionally and spiritually thrive.

And she's tireless in this mission. She has a relentless drive and rawness that instantly makes you want to be her best friend.

“There are so many ways for women to be empowered, and coaching and mentoring is one crucial way women are empowered to live the lives they dream. I sat with many women in labor, when they were stuck and at critical moments, listening deeply to them and coaching them out of stuck moments. I believe the skill of empowerment is in your blood, you just know what to do and it all is born from listening with your heart and giving solutions from your heart. You give that to a woman and she can move mountains. I truly believe this deep inside my heart.”

What's more beautiful than that?

Now I want to see how you'd style theBlossom Skirt. Would you take after Rebecca and go for the feminine-but-edgy look, or stick to a softer side?

...and don't forget how beautiful you are!