Why I’m sick of International Women’s Day

I'm sick of International

Women's Day I finally said

the thing that so many of the

women, the incredible women

in my community have been

thinking and have been talking

about for the last few weeks.

And I'm convinced that

there's probably a few of

you listening to this podcast

that may be thinking the same.

I'm sick and tired of

International Women's Day and

not because I don't believe in

what it actually stands for.

not at that at all.

I ferociously work

towards empowering and

bettering the lives of

women in my community.

It's why I do what I do.

I'm passionate about

helping incredibly smart

women, many of which

have been very redundant.

They've held senior positions.

they've suffered from

burnout, or they've

just gone, is this it?

And I ferociously work with

them to help them build

businesses and life on

their terms, where they're

not building something that

becomes shackles around their

ankles, or that is negatively

impacting their lifestyle.

That is why I do what I do.

And because I want to

work to better the lives

of women in my community.

In fact, I've created

charities over the years.

I still get involved in

charities that are all about

raising up women of abandoned

communities, because I know

that by empowering women, we

improve the lives of every

single person that they touch.

I'm working towards currently

some plans to bring this back

into my business as I grow

so we can make more impact.

So it's not that I'm not

passionate, ferociously

passionate about women.

So why do I feel my stomach

churn more than ever as

we approach yet another

International Women's Day?

Because it feels, quite

frankly, like Groundhog Day.

Here we go again.

Another International

Women's Day.

Another flood of pink

cupcakes, of corporate

panels, of pushing away and

responding to email after

email of Can you speak?

Brilliant.

We have no budget.

Can you speak for free?

No.

And hundreds of LinkedIn

posts about celebrating women.

Brilliant, as we should.

And yet Outside of the

hashtags and the feel

good marketing campaigns,

real power imbalances

continue to exist.

Women are still underpaid.

Women are still unsafe

in their own homes, their

workplaces, and public spaces.

Women's rights are still

being debated, controlled,

and stripped away in

parts of the world.

And this International Women's

Day theme of March Forward

for all women and girls is

a stark reminder that if we

want real change, we have

to go beyond the slogans.

We've got to think about

what true empowerment

actually means, because

it's not about handing

women a seat at the table.

It's about burning down the

damn table and rebuilding in

a way that serves everyone.

That's right.

Everyone.

So what does real action

look like and how do I

think, how do I think

that we can actually

make sure it's not just

today, but it's every day.

I think, first of all, this

slogan of advancing women's

and girls rights, absolutely.

Women's rights are

not a privilege.

They are a

fundamental necessity.

Yet across the world,

women and girls are still

facing systemic violence.

Discrimination and

exploitation from wage

gaps to reproductive

rights, from sexual

violence to child marriage.

There is no justice until

every single woman and girl

has control over her life

and her choices and her body.

So what can we do?

I think we have to work

harder at calling out

injustice when we see it.

Whether it's a sexist

joke in a meeting or a

major policy issue, the

reality is silence, our

silence, equals complicity.

Vote for policies and leaders

who prioritize women's rights

because systemic change

doesn't happen by accident.

We've got to protect

the most vulnerable.

Indigenous women, women

of color, LGBTQI women,

disabled women, and

women in marginalized

communities who are facing

even greater challenges.

Fighting for women's

rights means fighting for

all women, not just the

ones that look like us.

Protection also doesn't

mean infantilizing.

These are women who deserve

to have their voices heard.

And by making space

for them, we allow them

to empower themselves.

And through doing that, they

empower people around them.

And this is how we

create lasting change.

I think secondly, we

absolutely have to

promote gender equality.

True gender equality isn't

about empowerment branches.

It's about power

redistribution.

It means dismantling those

patriarchal structures

that continue to exist.

If a system benefits from

keeping women small and

profiting off women's

free labor, it has to go.

Holding businesses

accountable.

If a company is celebrating

International Women's Day,

but it hasn't paid its

female speakers or it has a

gender pay gap, call it out.

And amplify women's voices,

especially those on the

margins, women with privilege.

I have to use my platform

to uplift others,

not just themselves.

And finally, we've got

to foster empowerment.

If we want women and girls

to thrive, we need to stop

waiting for permission and

start creating opportunities.

All of us ask for the money.

Stop undervaluing our worth.

Demand pay that reflects

your skills and impact.

It's time to take up space

and stand in your spotlight.

Stop apologizing for

being in the room.

Stop shrinking.

You deserve to be in

every single room where

women's decisions and where

decisions overall are made.

Your voice matters.

You matter.

Invest in women, hire

women, mentor women, fund

women led businesses, buy

from women owned brands.

It's time to lead

unapologetically as amazing

women and also as amazing men

that want to drive change.

It's time to stop

playing small because the

world needs more of us.

It needs more women in

leadership as thought

leaders, as decision makers.

Progress isn't made in a

single day, and whilst I love

the fact that International

Women's Day switches the

lend and focuses in on

Women and Girls, progress

isn't made in a single day.

It's made in the

choices we make.

every single day to push

forward to demand better

and to refuse to accept

a world where women and

girls are treated as

second class citizens.

So this International

Women's Day absolutely

celebrate, please do, yes,

but let's also do the work.

Let's hold each other up,

not just when it's easy, not

just when there's a day to do

it, not just when there are

cupcakes involved or lunches

involved or amazing beautiful

bottles of wine involved.

Let's do it every single day.

Let's hold each other up,

not just when it's easy, not

just when there are cupcakes

involved, there's free

lunches involved, there's

beautiful wine involved, not

just on International Women's

Day, but every damn day.

Let's choose connection and

curiosity over the division

that is so drastically trying

to take away the power that

those in control are so

scared of us stepping into.

Because I can feel the fire

inside the women in my world,

inside the women in my life.

I can feel the power amongst

the females in my client base.

I can feel it amongst my

daughter, her friends,

their friends, my nieces.

I can see it

inside of you too.

It's time to set the world

ablaze and to create something

that benefits not just some.

that benefits everyone.

And why everyone?

Because I'm a mum.

I'm a mum of two

beautiful boys.

I'm a mum of an

incredible daughter.

And I'm also married to one

of the biggest advocates

for my work in this world.

And I know that we

need to work to a

better future together.

It's never about someone

being better than anyone else.

It is about equality in its

purest form and all of us

need to take action together

if we're going to achieve

this, if we're going to

achieve change, if we're going

to achieve true equality.