Happy International Women's Day!
March 9, 2020
As I sit in a train station waiting to head back to New York, I couldn’t be prouder to be sporting my “Female of the Future” shirt and Aspire to Her canvas tote bag on this year’s International Women’s Day. A year ago, Aspire to Her was a bi-weekly newsletter providing inspiration by women, for women. It was sparking a sense of curiosity and motivation in young women in their early career across the country. It was – and still is – a place where we could finally see ourselves represented in positions of leadership and power. But today we are so much more.
Today, Aspire to Her is a living, breathing community. It is a network of women made up of those new to their career and seasoned professionals who are inspiring, motivating, and encouraging each other every day. Aspire to Her is connecting people from New York to LA, from legacy corporations to novel startups, from entry-level employee to CEO. Whether we’re enjoying sips and snacks at ClassPass HQ - learning about how to build our personal brand from a Creative Guru - or sitting in Sasha’s apartment gushing over Reshma Saujani’s book, Brave, Not Perfect, we are learning from our mentors and our peers what it means to be a successful professional in today’s world. We are sharing our career success – new jobs, promotions, good days – and we’re reflecting on the tough stuff – jobs we didn’t get, the confidence we wish we had, the days that feel like they’ll never end. Through it all, we’ve created a place where young women in their early career are celebrated. Where being inexperienced, not knowing what to do, and most of all while being an underrepresented woman in business is celebrated, not looked down upon.
When I think about Aspire to Her’s progression in the past year, as well as where we see it going, I see a parallel to women’s societal advancement. At first, Aspire to Her was content-based. We provided value in the form of stories from the comfort of our homes. Eventually, words transformed to action. We were gathering, networking, and connecting people. Today, friendships are forming, we’re helping each other land jobs, and we are rising in our careers. We’re nowhere near the top yet – that’ll take many more years and much more hard work to come to fruition – but we’re well on our way. Similarly, the women’s movement began behind closed doors. Later, we took to the streets protesting and demanding rights. And while it’s been far too long since the beginning, we are still passionately fighting for what’s right. No, there won’t be a female U.S. president in the next 4 years, and men continue to dominate Wall Street today, and women are still receiving dismal amounts of VC funding, but things are getting better.
The women of Aspire to Her – and women everywhere – are fighting for an equal world. This year’s International Women’s Day theme, #EachforEqual, pushes us to fight for a world where women are enabled to the same degree as men. Where the biases against us don’t exist. Where we’re not bossy, we’re bosses. Where we’re not emotional, we’re passionate. Where we’re not cold, we’re focused. Where the words we use to describe men and women are the same, where the dollars we pay them are the same, and where the power they exert are the same.
Happy International Women’s Day from the Aspire to Her community to women everywhere. The future is female, but so is the present. #AspiretoInspire #IWD2020 #EachforEqual
What did you think? Let’s chat. Comment below!
OUR MISSION
Empower future female leaders
JOIN OUR COMMUNITY
Inspiring interview delivered each month
You might also like…
Check out our interviews…
