30 Empowering Songs

This Post May Contain Affiliate Links. Please Read Our Disclosure Policy

Here’s my playlist for 30 Empowering Songs! These are my favorites tunes to inspire, empower, and motivate. Let the music play!

Today is the first post of another new series on IBC. As you know, I turned the big 3-0 a few weeks ago, plus I love to make lists. Put those two together and the idea of 30 lists of 30 things over the course of the next year was born.

I’ve actually been wanting to start making some videos, too. I thought a cool first video would be “30 Things About Me.” What do you think? Hopefully, this new plan will give me the courage and motivation to create it. (Check out more of my favorite tunes HERE.)

30 Empowering Songs | Inspired by Charm

For my first list of 30, I’ve decided to share some motivational, feel-good, empowering songs. You know those songs that you turn up as loud as you can in your car and feel unstoppable when you listen to them.

Yes, those songs. I wanted to put together this list after the release of Katy Perry’s latest, “Roar.” (I may or may not have been listening to it nonstop since last Tuesday.) For as long as I can remember, music has had a profound way of speaking to my heart.

I often find myself turning to music when I’m sad or when I need a quick pick-me-up. A song can instantly change my mood. For the past few months, I’ve been in a really weird rut and completely off my game. I’m doing everything in my power to dig my way out of it.

I’m thinking some sort of change is in order, but I haven’t figured out what. Anyway, even though it’s technically a break-up song, “Roar” has been an awesome source of encouragement for me. So, before I get completely sick of it, I thought I would create a go-to list of all the songs that make me feel awesome.

As I’ve mentioned here before, my taste in music can sometimes be confused with that of a teenager girl, but I’m totally okay with that. Whatever makes you feel good, right?

30+ Empowering Songs Playlist:


You can listen to my 30 Empowering Songs playlist above via Spotify or directly on Spotify by clicking here.

Don’t miss a beat. Subscribe to my Spotify profile to stay in the loop with all of my playlists. Know a song or artist I’d enjoy? Please let me know in the comments below. I’ve also linked up all the songs below to their coordinating videos on YouTube.

Also, be sure to visit my NEWEST motivational song list HERE!!

You’re welcome! Enjoy!

1. Bulletproof – La Roux
2. We Can – LeAnn Rimes
3. Who Says – Selena Gome
4. Fighter – Christina Aguilera
5. Roar – Katy Perry

6. Defying Gravity – Wicked
7. Titanium – David Guetta
8. Born This Way – Lady Gaga
9. Stronger – Kelly Clarkson
10. Strip Me – Natasha Bedingfield

11. Play On – Carrie Underwood
12. I Will Survive – Gloria Gaynor
13. Champion – RuPaul
14. Bitch – Meredith Brooks
15. Good Life – OneRepublic

16. The Climb – Miley Cyrus
17. I Got A Feeling – Black Eyed Peas
18. We R Who We R – Ke$ha
19. Don’t Stop Believing – Journey
20. Settlin’ – Sugarland

21. Proud – Heather Small
22. Raise Your Glass – Pink 
23. Stand – Rascal Flatts
24. Firework – Katy Perry
25. Brave – Sara Bareilles

26. Rolling in the Deep – Adele
27. So What – Pink
28. I Love it – Icona Pop
29. Wide Open Spaces – Dixie Chicks
30. Shake it Out – Florence + The Machine

I hope you enjoyed this playlist of empowering songs? Did I miss any of your favorites? Let me know in the comments below.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

44 Comments

  1. These are great, as I am prepping for my first 5k coming up in May I need all the help I can get. 42 year old mom who has lost 80 pounds and trying to stay healthy for my beautiful 9 year old little boy!! Keep em coming!! many blessings (/)

  2. I love making music and expressing myself. Thank you for sharing this with us! This is my favorite quote that has really served me, “There is nothing more important than you feel good.”- Abraham Hicks. I also created a whole video dedicated to motivation and feeling good. I titled it, “Inspirational Love Quotes”. If you want to check it out, Click Here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBcEGRH4ARk If you like it, Share it! Put a smile on someone else’s face too. 🙂

  3. I have been listening to “Roar” a lot and decided I needed more songs like it for a playlist, so I searched “Empowering, motivational songs” and this popped up. Thanks so much!

    1. Me too, needed some more songs besides Roar and Stronger to get me through finals, and this popped up when I Googled too! This is a great list, thanks!!

      Since we seem to have similar taste in music, I’ll add a few too. Directly inspirational: Tubthumper (Chumbawumba – I think just cause it takes me 🙂 ), Carry On and Some Nights (FUN.), Kyrie (Mr. Mister), What Makes You Beautiful (One Direction), Supermodels (Kendall Payne), Loser Like Me (the Glee cast), and Choose Your Battles (Katy Perry). Tunes/beats that get me going even tho the lyrics aren’t necessarily inspirational: Blow Me One Last Kiss (Pink), Come & Get It (Selena Gomez), Royals (Lorde), and 22 (Taylor Swift). OK, anything by Pink and Taylor Swift, I’ll admit it.

    1. I’m embarrassingly obsessed too, so I completely understand. Glad you love the mix! How are you by the way!? I miss seeing you every month! Haha. Buick reunion?

      xo Michael

  4. Hi Michael,

    I’m excited to try out some new tunes. One song that I saw, and instantly thought “Yes!” was Stronger. Last spring while I was struggling at a difficult job, I would play “Stronger” in the car loudly during my commute (often more than once)5 to try to pump myself up to make it though another day. Music can be so very powerful. Thanks for the list!

  5. Michael, you are such an inspiring and gifted young man! Glad I found you on pinterest. Thanks for the playlist-I will play the songs for my students when we are doing projects and I need background music.

    1. A monthly mix tape is such a good idea. I was going to put together a playlist with all of these songs on 8tracks, but most weren’t available. I’ll have to do some research.

      xo Michael

  6. Love this list! I did a Color Run in July, and as a chubby 43 year old mom of 3 I was in the midst of the longest rut in history and I was terrifed…of looking like a fool, feeling like a fool, etc. But with each step my fear melted away and I felt happy and loved and accepted (elusive feelings sometimes). At the end, there was a DJ playing a lot of the songs on your list. When he played “Firework” I felt a sense of joy and freedom that I have never felt before; I sang and danced my heart out and it was a moment I will never forget. Music is so powerful; thanks for this list. xo

    1. What a fabulous story! And congrats to you! That is quite the accomplishment. You should be SO proud! And yes, I totally understand how it must have felt in that moment with that song playing. So awesome! Thank you for sharing!!

      xo Michael

  7. La Roux is SUCH a good call. Not heard that in ages and totally playing it now!

    I love Strip Me by Natasha Beddingfield – I think it might be at the end of the film Morning Glory, which I just LOVE!

    I also love to listen to ‘UP’, ‘All Fired Up’ and ‘Notorious’ by The Saturdays for some feel good music!

    1. I will always love that song. There’s just something about it. And I loved Morning Glory too – that’s how I know that song so well.

      Thanks for the other recommendations. Hope you’re enjoying life across the pond!

      xo Michael

  8. Hi Michael,
    Not trying to be picky but #3 and #18 are the same….don’t wanna miss the other empowering song
    not listed. Thanks. Oh and I really enjoy your site!!!!