Can we please NOT stop talking about International Women’s Day? Week? Month? Year?
Let’s just recognize that this should be a lifelong conversation.
Celebrations last week were absolutely amazing. I felt like it was my birthday. Being celebrated for being a woman is a feeling we need to hang on to and never let go of!
My week started with being asked to speak at the Junior League of Hamilton-Burlington’s lunch conference. Before I took my turn I was absolutely knocked out of my seat listening to their main speaker, Riya Karumanchi.
Riya is an eighteen year old student, recognized as one of the top 20 teen entrepreneurs worldwide. Riya shared her passion with us. She will most certainly change healthcare as we know it today. She dedicates her life to observing people as they age and works with her team to develop technology to help them with the health challenges they face. In 2018, at the tender age of 15, she secured $56,000 in funding to develop “Smart Cane”, a white cane with smart technology including a GPS and an electronic sensor. The cane was just the beginning for Riya. She is working on so much more and her ideas are limitless. I would put my life in her hands. Believe me, we want young women like Riya taking care of us as we age. This is why scholarships are so important and that’s why I’m helping the Junior League to raise money for their bursary for educational scholarships.
If Monday wasn’t exciting enough, Tuesday came and I was delighted to be interviewing our very own Wonder Woman Burlington Mayor Marianne Meed Ward! It was such a fantastic celebration! Not only was the Mayor joining me on this incredible week of celebrating women but I was also celebrating one full year of interviewing so many inspiring women I know. Mayor Meed Ward was a delight to interview, completely candid with all of my questions. We covered toxic workplaces, working in a male dominated industry and the Mayor’s #ChooseToChallenge. She is an open book. Speaking of books, did you know she wrote one? Our Mayor has paved a road in her career that she admits was one of the hardest most challenging times of her life, she shares the mental, physical and emotional toll that was taken on her during this time. Click HERE to watch the interview.
My week continued with accolades from all of you! Reassuring me and celebrating a challenging year with me.
I will tell you this, we’ve all met challenges we never expected this past year. The reason we make it through and keep going is because we are women. We are strong, we are resilient, we communicate, we collaborate, we support, we cry, we try, we take action and we keep going!
We must celebrate ourselves and our sisters every single day of the year! The day we were born the world started changing.
Let’s continue to cover the streets with glass, ladies!
Monica XO
Are you looking for a Mother’s Day gift with meaning? Here are four amazing women who I am working with. Not only will these gifts add some sparkle, they will give back to our community in a way that empowers women to reach for their goals and have security.
Check out –
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