First thing - I don't only celebrate women's history on a day or month each year, it's a core part of my daily purpose. As a woman who has built a business supporting female founders and leaders, my purpose every day is to uplift, empower and help women succeed and realise their potential with more ease. For me personally, I take inspiration from the women who came before me. After a breakdown, I moved from my corporate city life to a remote Hebridean island where my ancestors have lived for over 200 years and run my business from here. My grandmother raised 9 children here including my dad, with no running water or electricity in a small Croft house. Every day I take inspiration from her strength and tenacity and I never forget that I am my grandmothers dream. When she toiled to provide for her family and wished for a better life for them, I am here honouring her through the life I live and positive impact I create every day. That is what women's history is all about. Standing on the shoulders of the women who came before and doing what hat we can to create a better world for our daughters and sons.
Hi Dr. Angela, As CEO and founder of Sundae Foods, which is built to meet the needs of modern food shoppers, and with women accounting for over 70% of household food purchasing decisions, I mark Women's History Month by reflecting on how our work serves those shoppers and by ensuring that our product choices stay aligned with the practical needs of women managing family nutrition. That practice deepens my sense of purpose as a founder: it reminds me why I started Sundae and keeps our team focused on making healthy, recipe-driven eating actually usable. I can share brief examples of how that focus shows up in product decisions if that would be helpful. Our mission is to help millions of people adopt healthy eating habits in a convenient and affordable way using technology. Best regards, Anastasia Trofimova
Owning a female majority business in a male dominated sector changes the way I experience Women's History Month. In the industries we recruit for, women are often the minority in the room. That is still the reality for many technicians, engineers, and leaders. But inside our company the dynamic is different. Most of our team is women, many are working mothers, and they are building careers in a space where women are not always highly visible. That contrast makes the month feel personal. We spend time sharing stories from candidates and clients about the barriers women have faced and the progress that has been made. It connects the bigger historical story to the work we do every day. For our team, it's empowering. When you see other women succeeding in a tough industry, it changes what feels possible. Leadership starts to feel more accessible. And for me, it's also a moment of gratitude. I think about the women who pushed into these industries when there were few mentors and even fewer opportunities. Because of them, our team can build careers today with more support and visibility. It is also a reminder that the way we run our company matters. The flexibility we offer parents, the leadership opportunities we create, and the way we advocate for candidates all shape what the next generation will experience. Women's History Month is not just about looking back. It is about recognizing that we are helping shape what comes next.
I approach Women's History Month as a framework for designing legacy through daily practice. Each March, I reflect on the women who shaped my path, the scientist who first showed me that curiosity could be a career, the entrepreneur who demonstrated that reinvention is a strength. But reflection without action is just sentiment, so I translate that reverence into mentorship conversations, storytelling choices, and leadership decisions that create ripples for the next generation. This year, I'm using March to launch three specific practices: weekly mentorship calls with women navigating career pivots, sharing origin stories from women in my network through The Ripple Network platform, and speaking at stages where I can amplify the message that legacy isn't what you leave at the end. It's built in how you show up daily. Honestly, I'm still working on that balance myself. As the author of Beyond the Ladder and founder of The Ripple Network, I've learned that honoring women's history means actively building women's futures. The women who came before us didn't just break barriers, they designed new pathways, and our job is to keep designing. About: Sabine Hutchison is CEO & Founder of The Ripple Network, author of Beyond the Ladder, and an international speaker on women's leadership with stage credits including World Woman Davos.
Women's History Month is a time when I intentionally pause to reflect on the women whose strength and sacrifices shaped the foundation I stand on today, especially my mother. For over thirty years, my parents ran a group home for children who had experienced abuse, neglect, or abandonment. Growing up, I watched my mom pour endless compassion, patience, and guidance into thousands of kids who needed safety and stability. She showed me that leadership isn't always loud or public, it's often the quiet, consistent work of caring for others and creating environments where people can heal and grow. Each year during Women's History Month, I make it a point to honor her as a woman, mom, and the legacy of that work. It's a way of recognizing that the values I carry into my own life like empathy, resilience, and the belief that people deserve support and opportunity were shaped long before my own career began. That reflection also shapes how I move forward. As a mother to a daughter, I'm deeply intentional about empowering her to grow into a confident, capable young woman who knows her voice matters. I celebrate her curiosity, encourage her independence, and remind her that her worth isn't defined by expectations placed on her by others. Beyond my family, I also see Women's History Month as an opportunity to uplift the women around me by celebrating friends, colleagues, and creators who are doing meaningful work in their communities and industries. For me, honoring Women's History Month isn't just about looking back. It's about recognizing the lineage of women who shaped us and making sure we actively contribute to shaping a more supportive and empowering future for the women coming after us.
In honor of Women's History Month, I look up a woman from history that I had never heard of. Every year I pick a person whose life and work I think didn't get enough attention and read about them. I focused a lot about Madam C.J. Walker and the business techniques that helped her succeed last year. I heard about Mary Kenner, a Black inventor who had five patents but had a hard time getting recognized because she was black. Doing this reminds me that progress did not happen by accident. A lot of women fought for chances that other people now have. Their stories help me stay grounded and keep me going. When things at work get tough or I feel like I'm not being noticed, I think about the women who kept going even when things got harder. That point of view also helps me keep going.
The way I mark Women's History Month has less to do with celebration and more to do with remembrance. I go quiet with it. I think about the women who carried things in silence that I now get to carry in the open, who did the internal work without language for it, without communities built around it, without anyone naming what they were doing as brave. I work in a field that asks people to go inward, to sit with the parts of themselves that were never given permission to exist. And when I think about the lineage of women I come from, what strikes me most is how much of their inner life was unlived. Not because they lacked depth but because the world had very little room for a woman's full complexity. So this month, and honestly every month, I try to practice what I'd call intentional continuation. I use my voice in the places they couldn't. I name things directly that were only ever spoken around. I give my clients, many of them women, permission to take up space in ways their mothers and grandmothers were quietly taught not to. The impact that has on my sense of purpose is hard to overstate. It reminds me that the work I do isn't just clinical. It's ancestral. Every woman who sits across from me and finally says the true thing out loud is, in some small way, saying it for the women behind her too. That's what Women's History Month means to me. Not just honoring what was. But finishing what they started.
Each year during Women's History Month I dedicate time to mentoring young women entering the tech industry. This practice connects me deeply to the women who mentored me when I was starting out and reminds me that progress is not automatic but requires active participation from those who have already walked the path. I host informal coffee sessions where aspiring female entrepreneurs can ask candid questions about the challenges they will face and the strategies that actually work. This practice reinforces my sense of purpose because it transforms my own struggles into something valuable for others. It reminds me that my identity as a leader was shaped not just by my own efforts but by a lineage of women who refused to accept limitations.
Women's History Month is observed as a deliberate pause to reflect on the lineage of resilience and leadership that continues to shape modern workplaces. In practice, this recognition extends beyond symbolic gestures into structured actions—mentoring emerging women professionals, documenting and sharing stories of overlooked contributors, and creating intentional spaces for women to lead critical business conversations. Research from McKinsey & Company and LeanIn.Org in the 2024 Women in the Workplace report shows that organizations with strong sponsorship and mentorship programs see women at the manager level promoted at nearly 1.5x the rate of those without such support, reinforcing the tangible impact of these efforts. This approach deepens a sense of purpose by connecting individual leadership journeys to a broader legacy, turning reflection into responsibility and ensuring that progress is both personal and systemic. From the perspective of Edstellar's leadership, Women's History Month is recognized as a moment to operationalize inclusion through learning and development. This includes amplifying women-led knowledge sessions, embedding leadership storytelling into training programs, and encouraging cross-generational mentorship that transfers both skills and confidence. According to a 2023 report by World Economic Forum, closing gender gaps in leadership could add significant economic value globally, yet progress remains uneven without intentional capability-building. Anchoring this month in action-driven initiatives strengthens identity not as a static label, but as an evolving force shaped by contribution, influence, and the responsibility to elevate others within the ecosystem.
Women's History Month is approached as a time for intentional reflection and active amplification of underrepresented voices within the workplace and beyond. One meaningful practice includes creating structured spaces for storytelling, where women across different levels of the organization share lived experiences, career journeys, and defining challenges. This not only preserves institutional memory but also reinforces a sense of belonging and continuity. Complementing this is a strong focus on mentorship—particularly cross-generational mentorship—which research from McKinsey indicates can increase the likelihood of women advancing to leadership roles by up to 24%. There is also a deliberate effort to translate recognition into action by sponsoring skill development initiatives for women in emerging technology areas, ensuring representation in future-facing roles. According to the World Economic Forum, closing gender gaps in digital skills could add $1 trillion to global GDP, underscoring the broader impact of such efforts. These practices serve as more than symbolic gestures; they reinforce a deeper connection to purpose by aligning leadership with legacy-building. Honoring the resilience and achievements of women from previous generations creates a renewed responsibility to foster inclusive systems that enable the next generation to lead with confidence, equity, and innovation.
Women's History Month is approached as a deliberate pause for reflection and amplification. Time is set aside to revisit the journeys of women who shaped industries, challenged norms, and expanded access to opportunity, while also creating space to spotlight emerging voices within organizations and communities. Mentorship circles, storytelling sessions, and knowledge-sharing forums become powerful rituals during this period. Research from McKinsey's Women in the Workplace 2024 report highlights that companies with strong mentorship and sponsorship programs for women see up to 27% higher career advancement rates among female employees, reinforcing the importance of intentional action over symbolic recognition. This practice strengthens a deeper sense of purpose by connecting leadership to a broader legacy rather than an individual milestone. Recognition of progress alongside persistent gaps—such as the World Economic Forum's finding that gender parity may still take over 130 years at the current pace—creates both urgency and clarity. Women's History Month, therefore, becomes less about celebration alone and more about responsibility: to open doors wider, elevate more voices, and embed equity into everyday leadership decisions.
Women's History Month is often marked by campaigns, events, and public recognition, but for many professionals the most meaningful way to observe it is through reflection and action. Personally, I see the month as an opportunity to highlight the contributions of women whose work may not always be visible and to reflect on how their experiences shape the opportunities available today. One practice that has become important to me is intentionally amplifying the voices and achievements of women within professional environments. This can be as simple as acknowledging the leadership, ideas, or innovations that colleagues bring to the table and ensuring those contributions are recognized in meetings or team discussions. Women's History Month provides a natural moment to revisit these conversations and encourage a culture where contributions are noticed and valued consistently throughout the year. For example, during one Women's History Month initiative, a team created a short internal series where employees shared stories about women mentors or leaders who had influenced their professional journeys. The stories ranged from senior executives who had championed opportunities for younger staff to colleagues who had quietly mentored others behind the scenes. The initiative not only celebrated achievements but also helped employees reflect on how mentorship and support can shape career paths in powerful ways. Research from organizations such as McKinsey and LeanIn highlights that visibility and sponsorship remain critical factors in advancing women in the workplace. Their studies show that when women's contributions are recognized and supported through mentorship and advocacy, organizations see stronger leadership pipelines and more inclusive cultures. Recognition alone is not enough, but it often becomes the first step toward broader cultural change. Observing Women's History Month in a meaningful way reinforces the importance of recognition, mentorship, and continued progress. By highlighting the achievements of women and encouraging conversations about leadership and opportunity, the practice strengthens both personal purpose and collective awareness. Ultimately, it serves as a reminder that honoring history is also about shaping the future.
Women's History Month hits a little differently when you work in western style and western furniture. Women's contributions are still easy to miss. In my experience, this industry loves the look and the legend, but it doesn't always name the women who made it possible. At Western Passion, I use this month to put the focus where it belongs: on the ranchwomen who built homesteads from the ground up, and on the designers who helped move western furniture forward into pieces you can actually live with today. I keep it practical. When I meet with younger women in retail and product development, I like to sit down over coffee and talk through their options, their setbacks, and the unglamorous work that eventually turns into real results. I've noticed a lot of pressure to have a perfect, straight-line story. Most careers don't work like that. I tell people the detours are often where you pick up the skills that make you better at the job. I also think about the women who mentored me. The right mentor doesn't just give you advice. She changes how you see the business. The women who taught me global sourcing and merchandising didn't hand me a playbook. They helped me build good judgment. That's shaped how I develop product, how I choose partners, and how I think about what a home needs to feel authentic without feeling dated. This month helps me stay focused. Western Passion is built around a lifestyle that respects tradition while staying current, and women have always helped maintain that balance—often quietly, often without credit.