Fanny Fern
Fanny Fern (born Sara Payson Willis) was born into a literarily inclined family in 1811, her father being a newspaper editor and her brother going on to start a publication company of his own. When Fern separated from her second husband, she turned to writing to support herself and her children, but received no support from her family in gaining notoriety (hence the use of a pseudonym, rather than the name she shares with her father and brother). She developed a professional relationship with Robert Bonner, the editor of the New York Ledger, which is where her road to success began. These circumstances led to her believing that women needed to be self-sustaining and find a respectable place for themselves within society - and that they could not rely on their male counterparts to give them that respect.
Sarah Josepha Hale
Similarly to Fern, Sarah Josepha Hale was left without a husband and had young children to support, which led her to a career in publication. Upon gaining moderate success for her novel, Northwood, Hale was brought on as the editor of Godey's Lady's Book. Through this position, Hale was able to publish the voices of women who held beliefs similar to hers, and influence women who didn't hold those beliefs. The vast amount of women that read Godey's read what Hale wanted them to, making her as influential as those who she featured in the publication (she, herself, wrote pieces for the publication as well). Hale used this position to promote the education of women and the importance of women having the right to work outside of the home, which became the political center of Godey's.