International Women’s Day 2022: Be the change to see a change. Today, tomorrow and everyday!

I love this day and what it represents.

To me it’s about supporting women and girls across the world today and every day.  It’s about women uplifting women and about girls supporting girls.  Knowing and believing that we CAN, and we WILL – and consistently spreading that.  Being mirrors for the young girls growing up in our presence and them believing that they are worthy of all they desire.  Watching them manifest but also watching them work for it!  Whether in business or in sport, gender equality is our right.

The above is what I live for and what I work hard to emulate to the girls around me, especially my 10-year-old but it is also a day to commemorate the social, political, and economic achievements of women across the globe.  The theme this year is #breakthebias,  gender equality for a sustainable tomorrow.  Beautiful and powerful!

Personally, I’ve experienced gender discrimination too many times, in many different settings and while it does seem to slowly improve, and organizations are encouraging gender equality, it’s not an overnight fix.  Our work as humans who support gender equality is not yet done.  In fact, in many ways, it’s only just begun.  From the boardroom to the sport field and everything in between, we’ve all been there or know someone who has.  Told they can’t, overlooked, treated differently, not heard and invisible and when we see it, let’s all #breakthebias and call it out by its name.  Inequality.

Gender inequality is all around us.  I’ve seen it tenfold over the years and it still happens today.  It’s our duty to speak up and to educate those who don’t want to change or just don’t know any better – which in today’s world is not an excuse BUT people know what they know.  My why on the topic is exactly this.  Speaking up doesn’t always mean you want to expose someone; it means there’s a learning opportunity or in my world, a coaching opportunity.  A moment to highlight a problem to someone who may or may not know that they’re doing it OR to flip it, are a victim of it.  Educate them today for a better tomorrow.  I like to believe that if people know better, they’ll do better.  Thoughts?

Seeing other women succeed, overcoming obstacles and breaking barriers is a beautiful thing that needs to be celebrated.  March 8^th is just one day to elevate that, but the work must be done 365.

But…it starts with YOU!  The way you talk to yourself and about yourself.  Seeing a beautiful sister and telling her so.  Seeing another sis win and celebrating her.  With social media it’s easy.  We have all the tools to uplift, share and repost one another’s success stories for the world to see.  As well, and very important, accepting and receiving the compliments and accolades we deserve and work so hard for is another point to highlight.  We’re quick to say “oh it was nothing” when we got the job or scored the goal – because we’re supposed to be humble BUT, we need to celebrate those wins.  Every single one of them.  For us and for the girl watching.  The win you didn’t share could have inspired another women or girl.  Representation matters.  Always.

When my daughter comes home from school or from the boxing gym excited that the soccer ball was passed to her so she could score or she focused on her defense while she worked with the best one in boxing class and it worked, my heart smiles.  Her #breakthebias is already in action at such a young age.  I encourage her to celebrate her wins but according to her teacher, she is the child that brings others up and along for the ride.  Music to a parent’s ears.

She is also the child, or toddler way back when who, until she saw boys train and compete, thought boxing was for girls because it’s something mommy went out and did every night – cute yeah?  As she got older though, and started going to boxing events with us, she quickly realized, at around age 4 or 5, that there were very few girls who actually competed and took the opportunity to point that out to me.  Fast forward to today, there are many more girls in the sport, and I love that she attends both all girl boxing classes as well as co-ed classes.  She recognizes and praises Canadian Olympian/Boxer Mandy Bujold and all she’s done for the sport and for women in sport.  Hey, she loves her some Lizzo and Zendaya and can tell you about why Harriet Tubman is legendary, but the beauty is that she sees them and us as equals to our male counterparts.  I don’t want that to change.

Let’s all proceed to be the change we want to see when it comes to gender equality.  I will strive to empower women and girls to be the best they can.  Make sure they believe they can move mountains to pave the way for others to come after them.  Build workplaces to help us thrive and grow and ensure we continue to celebrate all our wins to continuously inspire and showcase that it’s possible!

Happy International Women’s Day today and every day.

Break the Bias