A Fresh Breath of Optimism on International Women’s Day

Is it the rapidly melting snow, the timing of International Women’s Day, or perhaps residual energy from the Self-Made Breakfast Tour in Ottawa that has me feeling so inspired and engaged? My head and my heart point to all three. The icing on the cake is with the impact that feeling “seen” has had on me. 

On this day, I’m excited and optimistic about the future of female-owned businesses in our country. At the end of a long, cold winter, amid dense news cycles, this positivity is the breath of fresh air my soul needs. And by extension, it’s the breath of fresh air my business needs.

Just as soul-filling as the momentum gained by female-led businesses are the men who readily acknowledge roadblocks for women, while actively changing the landscape. These men empower their partners to lean-in. In the short-term, they may exact change only in their own households, but ensuring their partners feel like genuine partners goes a long way in the battle. In my household of boys, my husband’s modeling of this behaviour and the thought that it could influence the next generation of partnerships is powerful…and seen.

Whether male or female, “solopreneurship” is difficult. Often for women, businesses are labours of love – reflections of who we are and what we believe. For this reason, truly being seen can have such a great impact. To carry this realization forward, I’m adding recurring “empowering community activities” tasks in my calendar. I do so not only to enjoy this supportive community, but to ensure others feel seen. Now, I’m motivated not only by my love of simplifying, my clients and my family, but also by the desire – no, the demand – for my entire gender to succeed. And let’s define success as the ability of each and every woman to choose how she defines success.