Each year, on March 8, we celebrate around the globe, the extraordinary contributions women make, oftentimes without fanfare and acknowledgment. In the home, the community, the organization, and government—women are leading the way.
For so long, we did not acknowledge the contributions that women make. Today, global leaders understand their nation’s physical, emotional, and financial well-being all depend upon the state of women.
Former President Barack Obama said, “If women ran every country in the world there would be a general improvement in living standards and outcomes.” I couldn’t agree more. When women lead, negotiate, and legislate, everyone does better.
Of course, we continue to do the work to create greater equality—as we have much work to do. However, on March 8 each year, we take the time to celebrate all that we have achieved, individually and collectively.
I hope this list of highly accomplished women will fill you up with hope and inspiration—to be all you can be in this amazing world we live in, filled with both challenges and opportunities for you to shine.
Justice Sotomayor Swears In Vice President Kamala Harris
A beautiful sight to see. Our first female U. S. Vice President, and our first African American and Asian Vice President, was sworn in by Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, our first woman of color, and first Hispanic, and Latina member of the Court.
The Women of the 117th U.S Congress
Yay for America for electing the largest number of women Congressional members in our history. Of the 539 total seats in Congress, 144 of them are currently held by women. That’s about double the seats held by women in the 112th Congress, a decade ago.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, at the age of 29, is the youngest woman to be elected to Congress, defeating a 10-term incumbent.
Cori Bush is the First Black woman to represent Missouri in Congress.
Sarah McBride of Delaware became the first openly transgender state senator.
Nanaia Mahuta is the first indigenous female Foreign Minister of New Zealand.
Janet Yellen became the first woman to head the Treasury Department since it was founded in 1789.
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala became the first woman and first African to lead the World Trade Organization.
Jacinda Ardern, prime minister of New Zealand, leads a country that is now considered COVID-free. Only 25 people have died from COVID-19 in New Zealand.
Stacey Abrams was named one of People’s Women Changing the World, founding the New Georgia Project and then Fair Fight, adding approximately 800,000 new voters between the 2018 and 2020 elections in Georgia.
Queen Elizabeth II has served as Queen of England for 65 years, making her the longest-reigning monarch of the United Kingdom.
Wally Funk was top of her aviator class yet denied the space program due to her gender. Her dream came true at the age of 82 when she flew in space with Jeff Bezos on his Blue Origin rocket.
Sarah Thomas became the NFL’s first female referee to officiate a Super Bowl.
Carli Lloyd became the oldest soccer player at 38 to score a goal for the U.S. women’s national team.
Cynthia Marshall is the first black female CEO of an NBA team. Before joining the Dallas Mavericks, she was at AT&T spearheading inclusion and diversity.
Chloé Zhao was the first Asian woman to win a Golden Globe for best director. She and Emerald Fennell became the first two women to be nominated for best director at the Oscars.
Beyoncé has won more Grammys than any woman in history.
Taylor Swift became the first woman to win the Grammy album of the year three times.
Viola Davis is the most nominated Black actress with four Oscar nominations and the only Black woman to be nominated twice for best actress.
Mary Barra is the CEO of GM. She enjoys the highest compensation of any of the Big Three automaker CEOs.
Kathrin Jansen is the head of vaccine research and development at Pfizer.
Marillyn Hewson is chairman, president, and chief executive officer of Lockheed Martin
Safra Catz is the CEO of Oracle. Her net worth is around $1.2 billion, according to Forbes.
And take a look at what these young women have accomplished before their 25th birthdays:
Amanda Gorman, at the age of 22, became the youngest known inaugural poet at President Joe Biden\’s inauguration when she recited her poem “The Hill We Climb.”
Greta Thunberg, at the age of 17 started a worldwide movement for climate change. Time Magazine named her Person of the Year in 2019.
Gitanjali Rao, 15, was named Time’s first Kid of the year in 2020. Rao creates science-based solutions for societal ills. Her app, Kindly, helps kids revise messages that might be hurtful—before they send them.
Simone Biles became the only woman who has attempted and completed a Yurchenko double pike vault at the US Classic.
Naomi Osaka is the highest-paid female athlete ever and has won four Grand Slam titles. People Magazine named her to their list of Women Changing the World in 2021.
This, of course, is just a handful of millions of inspiring stories and contributions, many of which we will never know about, yet positively contribute to your life and mine. Regardless of your age or circumstances, I hope you are inspired. Neither age nor circumstances are truly relevant when it comes to accomplishing your dreams or breaking down barriers.
The world is waiting for you to shine—and join the list.
Happy International Women’s Day!
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Laurie Levin refers to herself as a Transformation Coach. She helps others transform and master their own wellbeing. She specializes in emotional and physical well-being including healthy nutrition and lifestyle habits, healthy weight loss and the HeartMath® stress reduction techniques.
