Girl News is Bringing Women's Stories to the Forefront, Step by Step

Founder Blair Arbuckle shares how she built her media platform, why she combines the news with running and the surprising facts she has learned along the way.

Blair Arbuckle

After seeing the lack of coverage about women in the news, Blair Arbuckle hit the ground running (in more ways than one) to launch Girl News. As a self-professed Swiss Army Knife at her former tech companies like Zappos and WeWork where she worked in marketing, her roles allowed her to solve complex problems across a lot of departments and teams. It was during a meeting with colleagues in India where she realized one major issue needed that same attention and that was the fact that over 75% of the world’s news is about men.

“At that moment, I knew I needed to create something that would allow people to see women’s stories,” she tells SI Swimsuit. “We all know that what we consume becomes our reality, so it felt urgent to close that gap. Overall, it’s astounding to run through the headlines of a major news source and count how few stories include women as the subject and/or source. The stories [on Girl News] are from all around the world, span from the extremely positive to the (sometimes horrifically) negative and cover topics anywhere from sports to healthcare to tech.”

Without much knowledge in coding aside from a 10th grade high school computer science class and her Myspace page, Arbuckle took a leap of faith and a mega dose of girl power to create Girlnews.co. She does hope that the news aggregator will one day make money, but for now the mission is what it’s all about. “As I consider monetization strategies for Girl News, I want to be really careful about staying true to what Girl News is and what benefits the community,” she explains while mentioning she is using her savings to fund this and her life.

Along with sharing the curated news, the California native’s followers are with her every step of the way on her runs that mostly entail training for marathons and ultramarathons – yes, those exist! “[It is] technically anything longer than a marathon (26.2+ miles),” she shares. “So far, I’ve completed two (one road 50k and one trail 50k) and have a 50-mile race coming up in May!”

Blair Arbuckle

Arbuckle wasn’t always a runner. In fact, she despised the activity. After her mom passed away from Stage IV Pancreatic Cancer, just 7.5 months after her diagnosis in 2019, she had to figure out how to keep moving forward. Instead of just putting one foot in front of the other to get through the days, it became a much quicker step. “I only started to run because I couldn’t imagine living the rest of my life without her,” she reveals. “It sounded like the hardest thing, and I didn’t understand how I was going to do it, so I tried to think of the second hardest thing and landed on running. I thought if I could teach myself to run, I could teach myself to live the rest of my life without my mom. Four years (and thousands of miles) later, I think it’s working.”

Persistence and perseverance are two major factors in her life. Keep reading below for how the five-time marathoner, who will be running her first New York City marathon in November, navigates a new business and how the most insane runs help keep her sane.

What made you think of pairing running with sharing Girl News?

“I found out that in distances over 195 miles, women are faster than men. It’s one of my absolute favorite facts of all time. I also wanted to show a woman doing something hard in every video as well as a real, unfiltered body moving. When filming our documentary (to be released summer 2025!), I was nervous to just wear a sports bra and shorts because I thought I wouldn’t look perfect. But I’ve leaned into that so much since because I am perfect just the way I am. My body does incredible things, and I want everyone to know that they are perfect right now.”

Since launching, how has it grown?

“At first, the growth was a slog. I needed to figure out the right content format, see what resonated with people, and just do a lot of testing. I also had to make mistakes (which, in hindsight, seem so easy to spot!). It took about three to four months before I started seeing exponential growth. As of March 19, Girl News has over 170,000 followers across platforms, with thousands getting added every single day. It’s really exciting.”

Blair Arbuckle's mom Noreen at Unity Day / Blair Arbuckle

Any lessons from your mom that you incorporate in business and life?

“My mom was the greatest empath, a school counselor for decades, and someone who always stood up for everyone around her. Her favorite day of the year was Unity Day, where she’d organize a school assembly and the entire school would wear orange. My parents weren’t always the biggest fans of me going into business, because they weren’t sure business could really be good for the world. I look at businesses all around and completely understand that sentiment, but I always thought (and still think!) that business can be good. Girl News is the perfect intersection for me of the things I care about most –helping others, empowering women, believing in yourself and being a good human.”

What media do you consume?

“I start every morning by going to Girlnews.co and the Brutalist.report. After that, I listen to anywhere from three to seven podcasts when I’m getting ready, running, walking my pup, etc. I also love listening to audiobooks, which especially come in handy during super long runs. I feel like I’m constantly listening to music (50% Taylor Swift, 50% everything else) or scrolling through social media. I’m very intentional about listening to women whenever I can, no matter the media type. Some of my recent listens include: I’m That Girl by Jordan Chiles, Finding Me by Viola Davis and Ambition Monster by Jennifer Romolini.”

What does training look like for that?

“I’m typically running about 70-80 miles per week at the peak, and my runs are usually all over 12 miles. I get two rest days per week and try to get myself on a yoga mat on those days.”

Do you remember how that first mile went?

“The first mile was horrendous. The first thousand miles were horrendous. I still have horrendous miles. But for me, it’s now about proving to myself that I can do something that feels absolutely impossible. It’s about pushing myself when I think I have nothing left. It’s about being close to my mom (who was a runner herself), feeling strong and doing something really, really hard. When I finished that first mile, I probably thought something like ‘I never want to do that again.’ When I finish races, I usually think ‘I can’t believe I just did that.’ It’s an overwhelming sense of pride in your body and headspace.”

After that first day, how did you go from one mile to ultramarathon runner?

“I just kept raising the bar. Once I ran my first race, I immediately signed up for more. And every time something felt attainable, I chose something that didn’t. For example, running 50 miles sounds impossible. Truly impossible, but that’s why it’s scary, intense, motivating and exciting.”

Any other physical goals?

“The ultimate physical goal is to love myself, my body and live a long and healthy life. It can be really difficult to focus on health over something superficial. I want to live a full life that prioritizes my holistic health while pushing myself to feel strong. Women tend to live longer than men, but they spend 25% of their lives in worse health conditions often due to prioritizing others, leading to reactive healthcare versus proactive health. Oh, I’d also love to complete the (7 marathons over 7 continents in 7 days!), but I need to find a sponsor!”

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What have you found the most challenging with running your own business?

“The most challenging thing is believing in yourself. At the end of the day, you have to believe in yourself relentlessly. No one is going to believe in you more than you believe in yourself. You will be told no (or just be ignored) a million times. I know everyone hears that and kind of believes it, but when you actually feel it, it can be hard to keep going. I have a quote on my laptop by Amelia Earhart that really helps me: ‘Decide whether or not the goal is worth the risks involved. If it is, stop worrying.’ I also rewatch Mindy Kaling’s 2018 Commencement Address at Dartmouth ().”

What is the most rewarding aspect?

“The most rewarding aspect is that I know women are discussing women more because of Girl News. Girl News is giving women access to their stories. I see it in my own life with my conversations - they’ve truly changed. I’m talking about women constantly, and as a result, the people around me are talking about women more. I love getting messages and comments telling me how much people appreciate Girl News, and I hope they never stop!”

What do you hope to accomplish in the next five-10 years?

“I hope that Girl News is not only completely sustaining my life but also has grown into a brand that employs thousands and impacts billions (yes, billions). At the very heart of it, I want women to see themselves. After that, I want to help change the state of the world for women. Followers are great, money is nice, but lasting change for women in the world is what I’m after.”

What did you learn about yourself in starting this business?

“I am so badass, even when I’m scared.”