Celebrating International Women's Day

March 8th is International Women's Day and we wanted to take a few minutes to celebrate all the incredible women we love.

As a company primarily staffed by women, we want to celebrate all the trailblazers, the door crashers, the envelope pushers, and the inspiring leaders of yesterday and today.

We asked our team to name some women that inspired them. They were able to list dozens of women from history, politics, business, sports, the arts, and more. In fact, it quickly became obvious that we could never include all of them in one blog post. Here are just a few of our choices. How many of them do you recognize?

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Q&A with Clear Path 

​Is there a woman in business, human resources, politics, or elsewhere that you particularly admire and respect?

Kelly Auld: I really admire [former Clear Path consultant] Denise Williams because of the success she has achieved with her business DWSC Safety Consulting and her upcoming book “Safety is Your Business.” She is proof that one can always accomplish so much more!

Margaret Sullivan Williams: I admire anyone who challenged the status quo and served as pioneers for all the women to follow. If we look back at the Suffragettes like Canada's Famous Five, who fought so hard to get women's voting rights, they are truly inspirational.

Anna Aceto-Guerin: There are many women that I admire in both business and life. I was so impressed with Arlene Dickinson from Dragon's Den who came to speak at the Grand Valley HRPA Executive Night last year, who came from nothing and has made such a success of her life. I also respect Facebook's Sheryl Sandberg, particularly because her book "Lean In" has helped change women's perceptions about their right to pursue their dreams. Personally, the woman I've learned the most from is Isabel Hetherington from The Rose. She has been a tremendous mentor and great friend to me over the 12 years of owning my own business.

The theme for this year's International Women's Day is "Make It Happen." What does that mean to you?

Kelly Auld: To me, this means that it’s not about overcoming obstacles, it’s about slamming through them to show why they shouldn’t have been there in the first place.

Anna Aceto-Guerin: I think "Make It Happen" emphasizes how you can't rely on anyone else to make things happen for you. Be self reliant. Take chances and take action. That doesn't mean you have to do it alone, just don't sit back and hope things work out.

Hover over each picture to see the names and click to be directed to each woman's Wikipedia page: 

Dr. Roberta Bondar

Maya Angelou

Clara Hughes

Malala Yousafzai

Louise Arbour

Hayley Wickenheiser

Taylor Swift

Nellie McClung

Tina Fey

Susan Aglukark

Sheryl Sandberg

Rosa Parks

Queen Elizabeth II

Oprah Winfrey

Kathleen Wynne

Blessed Mother Teresa

Martha Stewart

Michelle Obama

Marie Curie

Margaret Thatcher

Margaret Atwood

Madonna

Angela Merkel

Hazel McCallion

Princess Diana

Hillary Rodham Clinton

Jane Goodall

Golda Meir

Gloria Steinem

Aung San Suu Kyi

Anne Frank

Arlene Dickinson

Amelia Earhart

Buffy Sainte-Marie

Benazir Bhutto

Ellen DeGeneres

Do you have any comments on how women can help other women to succeed? 

Kelly Auld: Women can help other women by working together, celebrating each other’s successes and stopping thinking the worst about each other. A prime example of this is the #likeagirl commercial that trended and brought me to tears. (See video below)

Anna Aceto-Guerin: There was a time not too long ago when it seemed that if you were a woman in business, you wouldn't necessarily trust other women in business. Now, women have worked hard to become more supportive of each other and develop more mentorship relationships.

Margaret Sullivan Williams: I was impressed by Plan Canada's "Because I'm A Girl" initiative. The biggest take-away for me is that educated women in developing countries directly impact the economic progress of their communities and continue to make improvements in those communities over their whole lives. In contrast, men who become educated often leave to find work elsewhere. By focusing on women's education and the issues surrounding it, initiatives to alleviate poverty are more impactful and sustainable. We are so blessed in Canada to have equal opportunities for education - imagine what the world would be like if all girls and women were able to access education and put their skills and ingenuity towards community improvements!  Check out stats at http://becauseiamagirl.ca/page.aspx?pid=4654.

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So how will you be celebrating International Women's Day? We'd love to hear about your plans or details about which women have inspired you. Leave your responses in the Comments section. You can also contact us at anna@clearpathemployer.com.

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