March 6

Why I’m sick of International Women’s Day

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I’m going to say it: I’m sick of International Women’s Day. Now, don’t get me wrong – I believe in what it stands for. I’m ferociously passionate about empowering and bettering the lives of the women in my community. 

However, International Women’s Day, in my opinion, has become a predictable parade of pink cupcakes, corporate panels and unpaid speaking requests. While the day’s core mission of empowering women remains crucial, the annual flood of hashtags and feel-good messages isn’t creating the systemic change we desperately need. 

Today, I’m talking about how real progress demands action, not just awareness. This means actively calling out injustice, voting for policies that prioritise women’s rights and most importantly, fighting for our most vulnerable sisters.

So join me as we explore breaking free from superficial gestures and using our voices to demand change that builds a new, inclusive foundation for every woman and girl.

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Transcript
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I'm sick of International

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Women's Day I finally said

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the thing that so many of the

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women, the incredible women

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in my community have been

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thinking and have been talking

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about for the last few weeks.

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And I'm convinced that

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there's probably a few of

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you listening to this podcast

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that may be thinking the same.

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I'm sick and tired of

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International Women's Day and

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not because I don't believe in

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what it actually stands for.

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not at that at all.

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I ferociously work

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towards empowering and

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bettering the lives of

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women in my community.

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It's why I do what I do.

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I'm passionate about

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helping incredibly smart

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women, many of which

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have been very redundant.

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They've held senior positions.

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they've suffered from

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burnout, or they've

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just gone, is this it?

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And I ferociously work with

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them to help them build

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businesses and life on

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their terms, where they're

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not building something that

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becomes shackles around their

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ankles, or that is negatively

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impacting their lifestyle.

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That is why I do what I do.

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And because I want to

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work to better the lives

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of women in my community.

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In fact, I've created

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charities over the years.

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I still get involved in

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charities that are all about

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raising up women of abandoned

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communities, because I know

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that by empowering women, we

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improve the lives of every

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single person that they touch.

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I'm working towards currently

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some plans to bring this back

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into my business as I grow

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so we can make more impact.

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So it's not that I'm not

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passionate, ferociously

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passionate about women.

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So why do I feel my stomach

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churn more than ever as

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we approach yet another

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International Women's Day?

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Because it feels, quite

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frankly, like Groundhog Day.

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Here we go again.

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Another International

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Women's Day.

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Another flood of pink

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cupcakes, of corporate

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panels, of pushing away and

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responding to email after

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email of Can you speak?

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Brilliant.

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We have no budget.

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Can you speak for free?

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No.

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And hundreds of LinkedIn

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posts about celebrating women.

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Brilliant, as we should.

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And yet Outside of the

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hashtags and the feel

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good marketing campaigns,

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real power imbalances

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continue to exist.

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Women are still underpaid.

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Women are still unsafe

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in their own homes, their

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workplaces, and public spaces.

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Women's rights are still

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being debated, controlled,

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and stripped away in

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parts of the world.

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And this International Women's

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Day theme of March Forward

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for all women and girls is

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a stark reminder that if we

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want real change, we have

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to go beyond the slogans.

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We've got to think about

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what true empowerment

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actually means, because

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it's not about handing

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women a seat at the table.

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It's about burning down the

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damn table and rebuilding in

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a way that serves everyone.

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That's right.

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Everyone.

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So what does real action

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look like and how do I

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think, how do I think

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that we can actually

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make sure it's not just

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today, but it's every day.

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I think, first of all, this

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slogan of advancing women's

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and girls rights, absolutely.

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Women's rights are

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not a privilege.

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They are a

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fundamental necessity.

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Yet across the world,

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women and girls are still

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facing systemic violence.

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Discrimination and

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exploitation from wage

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gaps to reproductive

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rights, from sexual

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violence to child marriage.

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There is no justice until

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every single woman and girl

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has control over her life

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and her choices and her body.

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So what can we do?

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I think we have to work

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harder at calling out

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injustice when we see it.

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Whether it's a sexist

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joke in a meeting or a

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major policy issue, the

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reality is silence, our

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silence, equals complicity.

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Vote for policies and leaders

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who prioritize women's rights

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because systemic change

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doesn't happen by accident.

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We've got to protect

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the most vulnerable.

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Indigenous women, women

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of color, LGBTQI women,

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disabled women, and

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women in marginalized

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communities who are facing

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even greater challenges.

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Fighting for women's

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rights means fighting for

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all women, not just the

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ones that look like us.

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Protection also doesn't

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mean infantilizing.

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These are women who deserve

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to have their voices heard.

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And by making space

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for them, we allow them

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to empower themselves.

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And through doing that, they

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empower people around them.

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And this is how we

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create lasting change.

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I think secondly, we

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absolutely have to

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promote gender equality.

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True gender equality isn't

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about empowerment branches.

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It's about power

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redistribution.

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It means dismantling those

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patriarchal structures

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that continue to exist.

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If a system benefits from

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keeping women small and

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profiting off women's

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free labor, it has to go.

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Holding businesses

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accountable.

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If a company is celebrating

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International Women's Day,

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but it hasn't paid its

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female speakers or it has a

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gender pay gap, call it out.

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And amplify women's voices,

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especially those on the

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margins, women with privilege.

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I have to use my platform

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to uplift others,

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not just themselves.

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And finally, we've got

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to foster empowerment.

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If we want women and girls

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to thrive, we need to stop

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waiting for permission and

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start creating opportunities.

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All of us ask for the money.

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Stop undervaluing our worth.

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Demand pay that reflects

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your skills and impact.

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It's time to take up space

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and stand in your spotlight.

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Stop apologizing for

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being in the room.

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Stop shrinking.

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You deserve to be in

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every single room where

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women's decisions and where

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decisions overall are made.

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Your voice matters.

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You matter.

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Invest in women, hire

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women, mentor women, fund

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women led businesses, buy

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from women owned brands.

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It's time to lead

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unapologetically as amazing

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women and also as amazing men

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that want to drive change.

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It's time to stop

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playing small because the

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world needs more of us.

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It needs more women in

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leadership as thought

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leaders, as decision makers.

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Progress isn't made in a

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single day, and whilst I love

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the fact that International

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Women's Day switches the

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lend and focuses in on

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Women and Girls, progress

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isn't made in a single day.

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It's made in the

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choices we make.

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every single day to push

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forward to demand better

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and to refuse to accept

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a world where women and

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girls are treated as

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second class citizens.

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So this International

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Women's Day absolutely

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celebrate, please do, yes,

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but let's also do the work.

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Let's hold each other up,

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not just when it's easy, not

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just when there's a day to do

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it, not just when there are

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cupcakes involved or lunches

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involved or amazing beautiful

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bottles of wine involved.

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Let's do it every single day.

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Let's hold each other up,

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not just when it's easy, not

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just when there are cupcakes

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involved, there's free

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lunches involved, there's

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beautiful wine involved, not

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just on International Women's

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Day, but every damn day.

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Let's choose connection and

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curiosity over the division

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that is so drastically trying

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to take away the power that

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those in control are so

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scared of us stepping into.

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Because I can feel the fire

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inside the women in my world,

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inside the women in my life.

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I can feel the power amongst

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the females in my client base.

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I can feel it amongst my

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daughter, her friends,

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their friends, my nieces.

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I can see it

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inside of you too.

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It's time to set the world

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ablaze and to create something

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that benefits not just some.

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that benefits everyone.

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And why everyone?

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Because I'm a mum.

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I'm a mum of two

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beautiful boys.

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I'm a mum of an

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incredible daughter.

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And I'm also married to one

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of the biggest advocates

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for my work in this world.

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And I know that we

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need to work to a

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better future together.

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It's never about someone

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being better than anyone else.

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It is about equality in its

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purest form and all of us

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need to take action together

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if we're going to achieve

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this, if we're going to

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achieve change, if we're going

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to achieve true equality.


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