Today we celebrate Women. And I am so proud to be one and to be raising one. Though the road is not easy. I certainly have faced my fair share of prejudice and discrimination in my 15 plus years in the workforce and my 35 plus years on earth and continue to face certain things that hold me back being a mother and a wife and a business woman.
To me it is vitally important to continue to be a strong, working woman to set the best example possible for my daughter. That is what drives me ultimately. I also love what I do! I want to make an impact on the world and always view others as equals. That is why I find it exceptionally frustrating when women (and anyone) do not receive equal and fair treatment. I strive to "do unto others as I would have them do unto me," as my mother taught me years ago.
What does International Women’s Day mean to me?
To me, this day is important to bring to light and celebrate women for their contributions. Often we go on with our daily lives, not realizing or celebrating the regular accomplishments of people, balancing life and work, family and friends, exercise and health, internal conflicts, external pressures...the list goes on.
Before starting my own marketing agency, I spent many years in corporate marketing. I made it my mission to recognize female colleagues and clients who worked in our industry. It was always a fantastic campaign that I would begin in the new year, meeting, interviewing and celebrating women with a variety of backgrounds. They would share their stories and struggles and celebrate their victories. Women are great at putting on a good face to see the good, reflecting upon the struggle.
Today, I strive to work with strong, intelligent women who are carving out their own path and sharing their brilliance with me. I am so pleased to have met these ladies who I wouldn’t have otherwise met, if I hadn’t taken this path!
My Inspiring Network
While this list is very short, I could spend a year profiling the many wonderful women in my life. This is just a selection of 4. If I missed you this International Women's Day, perhaps next year we will make this an annual event! :)
Alex is a graphic designer and website designer, extraordinaire. Our paths crossed randomly through a Facebook group message, asking if people wanted to be part of a mastermind accountability group and we got paired! We immediately hit it off and started working together on various projects and endeavors. She has been an amazing source of inspiration and business guidance and I certainly wouldn’t be as successful without her!
I was introduced to Raquel by my former CEO who thought we might make a good pair. And he was right! Raquel has a lot of experience working with companies around the world, from small scale growing startups to multinational corporations. In addition to building and selling her own business, Raquel has most recently built a “demand-gen strike team." I immediately was drawn to her passion, intelligence and strength. Since joining her team, I am in awe of the business acumen and professionalism that she brings to each project.
I met Meredith through a mutual connection I made through a Facebook networking group. During a pandemic, Facebook networking groups are great places to meet contacts. But so are networking groups which have gone digital. And that is exactly what Meredith has built. She is the founder of the Hervana Collective, a business collective which started as a member-driven coworking space, and has flourished as a fantastic platform for female entrepreneurs to learn and engage with like minded individuals. The monthly sessions she puts on are fantastic, covering a wide range of topics from contract negotiations, to marketing tactics, accounting best practices and tackling our favourite, imposter syndrome.
Elena and I met at the gym many moons ago. I was always drawn to her amazing personality and interesting tales of international travel and exclusive events in NYC. By day, Elena is a very accomplished Nurse, and by night and weekend, she is an equally accomplished writer. Having published her first book in 2013, she has catapulted that experience into becoming a successful writer, tackling many subjects from zero-waste consumption to resilience during the pandemic and everything in between. She has been a huge supporter and inspiration to me; challenging me to write things down and to be bold.
Women and COVID
There are countless other fantastic females out there, in my network and in yours, today we celebrate everyone. COVID has not made our struggle any easier, with so many women being forced to leave their jobs to homeschool children or care for family members, that shouldn’t be seen as a step backwards. This speaks more to their resilience in adapting to what the world throws at us and taking on more pressure and challenges, despite the perceived costs to our careers and actual cost to our bank accounts.
In a study produced by McKinsey & Co., they find that "women’s jobs are 1.8 times more vulnerable to this crisis than men’s jobs." The burden of caring for family or community is still being felt, on a whole by women. And to add insult to injury, those who are losing their jobs, at a staggeringly higher rate are women. Speaking from first hand experience, I am glad that my husband hasn't lost his job during this period of uncertainty and I am so thankful that I have been able to not only land on my feet, but thrive.
For the mums working from home and balancing their children and family responsibilities to the stay at home mums challenge to entertain their children while being stuck at home, you are all heroes! It's amazing what you can do!
Happy Monday - Sunday all year round, which really is when we should celebrate International Women’s Day!
