In our last newsletter, we opened the floor to hear insights and reflections from this year’s International Women’s Day. After looking through the common threads, we’ve synthesized the key takeaways that resonated most.
What was the most impactful thing you have heard, learned, or experienced this International Women’s Day so far?
- Sharing your perspective while you are still in the middle of the learning process or figuring things out is actually more relatable for others and keeps you human. You don’t always have to have everything figured out.
- Learn to advocate for yourself as loudly as you do for others.
- Careers are rarely a straight line, and the quiet periods of growth are often just as important as the big, visible milestones.
- Understanding the critical difference between mentorship and sponsorship, while a mentor talks to you, a sponsor talks about you in rooms you haven’t entered yet.
- Building a Personal Board of Directors around you: a group of trusted voices who know your aspirations and can offer the right support or a bit of inspiration when you need it most.
- Define success on your own terms rather than letting the corporate ladder or societal expectations define you.
- Network when you don’t actually need anything, so that you have a foundation of support when you finally do.
In a world where we all juggle and give so much, how do you plan to keep this momentum alive in a way that feels sustainable?
- Remembering that everyone is on their own unique journey with invisible challenges; giving grace, understanding, and kindness to both ourselves and those around us.
- Reframing rest as a productive part of the work cycle rather than a luxury or something we only do once we’ve hit burnout.
- Finding time for the things you love, or better yet, integrating those small moments of joy into your daily life so they aren’t always being pushed to the back burner.
What is a favourite quote, book, podcast, or resource (by or about women) that you’d love to share with our community?
- “The best thing about being a woman, is the prerogative to have a little fun!” – Shania Twain
- Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado Perez for anyone wanting to understand the hidden gaps in our daily systems.
- Adam Grant’s WorkLife podcast, specifically the episodes on rethinking how we network and how to find more joy in our routines.
- The First, the Few, the Only by Deepa Purushothaman for a powerful look at how to navigate and lead in corporate spaces from a unique perspective.
- The Authority Gap by Mary Ann Sieghart, which offers a great deep dive into why women are still taken less seriously in professional environments.
- The Dare to Lead podcast by Brené Brown, which has been a staple for many of us learning to lead with more courage and empathy.
- Quit: The Power of Knowing When to Walk Away by Annie Duke, which provides a fresh perspective on knowing when to walk away from a project or role that is no longer serving you.
- Harvard Business Review: IdeaCast episodes that feature female leaders discussing how they navigated pivot points in their careers.
