Mother’s Day – Women who help define us
Mother’s day celebrates and honours the mother of the family and the influence of mothers in society. The modern Mother’s Day began in the United States, at the initiative of Anna Jarvis in the early 20th century. Ann Reeves Jarvis was a peace activist who tended to the wounded soldiers during the American Civil War. She was also a founder of the Mother’s Day Work Clubs that worked in the area of public health. Her contribution towards the society and Anna’s utmost respect towards her mother led to Mother’s Day being declared as a national holiday by the American statesman and lawyer Woodrow Wilson. Reflect on this day and appreciate the women who nurture, lead, protect, advocate for, and raise future generations.
“To describe my mother would be to write about a hurricane in its perfect power. Or the climbing, falling colours of a rainbow.” Maya Angelou
The women in our lives “shape and define us”
A study.com article refers to “The Importance of Mother’s Day from a Psychological Perspective.” Celebrating Mother’s Day is not just a fun way to show appreciation for the one who loves you unconditionally; it has important psychological benefits as well. Whether it’s your mother, grandmother, a favourite aunt, teacher, or friend, the women in our lives shape and define us in ways both large and small. Explore the ways your mother and the other women in your life have helped make you who you are:
- Caring from the Start
- Growing and Connecting
- Nature and Nurture Together
- It Takes All Kinds of Mothers
- Celebrate the One Who Loves You
Mothers have been called the glue that holds the family together, although the glue is often underappreciated. Celebrating Mother’s Day by acknowledging the woman who gets it all done not only provides a lift to her spirits, it helps to unify the family unit by pulling us together in a way that Sunday evening dinner does not. The celebration of Mother’s Day allows us to reflect on who we want to be as a family and how we’re all connected to one another—a gift a mother is sure to appreciate no matter how it’s packaged.
Powerful women “Inspire, Support and Challenge” us
Sara Potler LaHayne outlines “8 Lessons from Female Leaders on Becoming a Better Mother and CEO.” During Women’s History Month, I’m thinking a lot about what it means to be a woman in leadership. A woman entrepreneur. A woman who is breaking old systems down, encountering resistance while doing so, and building new ways of interacting, sharing and being. While I encountered each challenge, I couldn’t help but allow the thought to cross my mind: Would this be easier if I were a man? Probably. Would they be facing these challenges? Certainly not all of them. However, I forced myself to simply acknowledge the obstacle at hand and then push onward. By focusing on what was in my control and dedicating myself to the impact I can have on students, teachers, school leaders and even future female entrepreneurs across the country, I kept the course. As I reflect on Women’s History Month, I also reflect on the many powerful women who have inspired, supported and challenged me on my personal journey as a mother, wife, female entrepreneur, and leader. They taught me a lot of lessons around:
- Focus
- Play
- Laughter
- Empowering others
- Owning my time
- Being fulfilled by my work, interests, and sense of self outside of motherhood
- Never showing my CEO face
- Accepting help
My mother, aunt, female coaches, and mentors have shown me that it is possible to be the kind of mother I want to be as well as the kind of leader I need to be in order to fulfil my purpose. These two roles don’t need to be mutually exclusive. If these inspirational women had not shared their wisdom, I would not be where I am today: a dedicated mother leading a rapidly growing company and prioritizing the work that matters deeply to me. These women are some of the most creative, strong, compassionate I know, and I’m grateful for their mentorship. Having Sadelle almost 20 months ago, and now with another baby girl on the way, it’s more important to me than ever to show the aspiring women around me that we are strong, that we are capable, and that being a mother does not mean we are less worthy of any opportunity.
I hope my daughters, my female employees, and all women of the world will continue to band together, to support and elevate one another, and to continue to show our country and our world that if you discount us, you will miss a serious return on investment.
Ground Breaking Women
In my blog, “What makes women inspiring,” I show you don’t have to look very far to come across inspirational female leaders – they can be identified in almost every industry. These ground-breaking women are leading the way and have created change, although it wasn’t always this way. Let’s look at some inspiring women who dared to challenge with great passion and enthusiasm:
- Eleanor Roosevelt. “We gain strength, courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face.”
Eleanor Roosevelt took her role as the first lady seriously. She was the first presidential spouse to hold press conferences, write a newspaper column and speak at conventions on a variety of subjects including expanded roles of women in the workplace, the civil rights of African Americans and Asian Americans and the rights of World War II refugees. Eleanor became a shrewd manager of her public image, using it to further the cause of women’s rights. We admire her for challenging the norm and bringing women’s issues out in the open, going so far at times to publicly disagree with her husband’s policies. Even after her husband’s death, Eleanor continued her humanitarian efforts and helped develop the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and UNICEF.
- Gloria Steinem. “Unless we include a job as part of every citizen’s right to autonomy and personal fulfilment, women will continue to be vulnerable to someone else’s idea of what need is.”
Gloria Steinem was never going to be one to stand on the sidelines. She actively campaigned for the Equal Rights Amendment, as well as other laws and social reforms which promoted equality of the sexes. In 2004, she co-founded the Women’s Media Centre, a feminist media analysis group, alongside Jane Fonda and Robin Morgan. Often referred to by the mainstream media as the “leader” of the Second Wave feminist movement her passion and drive helped strike down many long-standing sex discriminatory laws allowing women equal economic opportunities.
- Oprah Winfrey. “Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focussing on what excites you.”
Oprah Winfrey is a successful daytime television host, philanthropist and businesswoman. The power of her opinions and endorsement to influence public opinion is unparalleled and as such has been termed “The Oprah Effect”. She overcame struggle and impoverishment to build up a media empire and she has been ranked as the richest African-American of the 20th century. She has the ability to create change and her natural born leadership skills have been evident from a very young age.
- Sandra Day O’Connor. “Society as a whole benefits immeasurably from a climate in which all persons, regardless of race or gender, may have the opportunity to earn respect, responsibility, advancement, and remuneration based on ability.”
Sandra Day O’Connor was the first female justice on the United States Supreme Court, nominated by President Ronald Reagan, ending 191 years of the court as an exclusively male institution. It was an important achievement for Sandra especially as upon graduation, she could not find work at a law firm due to the simple fact she was a woman. Considered a trailblazer, her voting often determined winning rulings on significant cases such as sexual harassment, election law and the death penalty. Showing political independence with many of her votes, she was a determined woman who became a positive role model, particularly for women.
Great leaders make a difference and these four women certainly did that. Not afraid to stand up for what they believed in, despite the negativity it incurred, they allowed their vision to inspiring individuals the world over. If you want to follow in their footsteps and become an inspirational leader, too, be prepared to shake up the world in which you operate and perhaps challenge even some of your own ideas about leadership.
SHAKE THE WORLD: take on your NEXT LEVEL of Leadership
McDonald Inc. has a vision to: “Lead 1 million women to have Courage, Step in, Step up and Start up.” Through a compelling need, McDonald Inc. has the solutions and is now taking women’s leadership to the next level. This will help women across the globe become courageous in their lives, careers and through leadership especially in sectors where women are under-represented. Choose one of our programmes to take your leadership to the next level:
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Get in touch today to learn more about building leadership skills and set yourself up for success!
Stay Kind. Stay Courageous.
Sonia x
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