Wednesday Wisdom: Women Must Change the World for Women

Wednesday Wisdom, Inspiration for Women Entrepreneurs, Female Business Owners

It was hard to top my high pink energy level, especially on a day like International Women’s Day, when we are asked to “imagine a gender equal world that is free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination and encourages women to work together to forge women’s equality.” But, dressed in bright pink garb, after hosting 25 women at a breakfast event in Rochester, I set out on my bike once I got back to Syracuse.

Biking with my iPods in, I saw a man waving to me to get off my bike. I couldn’t hear what he was saying, only that he had something important to tell me. So, I stopped my ride, to see what he wanted. If you know me, I might have been grumbling a bit under my breath wondering why a “dude” was disrupting my bright pink mood. He said, “Look, do you see it?” As I looked out over the bike trail on a higher part of the hill, I only saw trees until he said, “It’s a bald eagle!”

“Wow,” I said continuing, “I wonder if we could attach a note to his talon and send it back to Uncle Sam to ask for pay equality for women?” He looked bewildered to which I said, “Honestly, thank you for showing me this majestic bird, I appreciate it,” and off I rode. I made sure on the way back past him to thank him again since I’m sure he wasn’t looking for a smartass remark from a woman wearing bright pink.

As I finished my ride, I thought about all the magnificent international women who have crossed my path the past 27 years in business, some of them athletes and some entrepreneurs, like Inga from Iceland who owns a sailing and running business, or Chen Zucker from Israel, who was one of Women TIES first members, so she could sell jewelry to American women, or Dr. Juliet McGrattan from England, an author with an interest in educating women on how their bodies react to running.

They are just a few of the global women who come to mind when I think about International Women’s Day, and most of them live comfortably. Then there are our sisters in Afghanistan, who have less freedom to run on their own, or the poor women in Ukraine, struggling to get their children out of their homeland. American women have so much more access, freedoms, rights, and support in business, sports, and equality issues. We owe it to our sisters across the globe to befriend and support them.

Today’s Wednesday Wisdom, the day after International Women’s Day, is to inspire you to visit www.internationalwomensday.com and see how you can get involved in one of their seven initiatives to support global women. I hope you are also motivated to find and buy from our sister entrepreneurs across the world. It is easy to do. And thirdly, check out local organizations on ways you can support women refugees in your community.

The world is only going to improve for women, if women step up and do more than they are doing now. We can’t rely on men to change the world for women, women must change the world for women. Let’s keep proudly wearing pink and show up where we are needed the most – with and for women, period.