I Share a Birthday With International Women’s Day: Reflections on Leadership and Ownership

It wasn’t until high school that I realized my birthday falls on International Women’s Day. The older I get, the more fitting that feels!

I was raised by a single mom who is one of the strongest people I know. She earned her master’s degree while working full time, stayed deeply involved in our church, and somehow still made sure I never felt like I was missing anything. My grandmother, “Jazzy,” lived across the street, and my mom’s two sisters stepped in constantly. I grew up surrounded by bold women who showed me, without ever having to say it, that women are capable of building, leading, sacrificing, and succeeding at the highest levels.

There was never a narrative in my home that women should shrink themselves. I watched my mom make decisions, carry responsibility, and create stability. So when I decided to start my own company right out of college, it did not feel radical. It felt natural. Confidence had been modeled for me my entire life.

It wasn’t until college that I realized not everyone shared that perspective. While serving on executive council in a student organization, a counterpart shared that he did not believe women should be preachers or lead a church. What followed was a broader conversation about whether women should lead in general. And to be honest, I was emotional. Not because I doubted myself, but because it was the first time I had come face to face with the reality that not everyone believed in the leadership capacity of women the way I had been taught.

That moment did not weaken my confidence. It sharpened it. It helped me understand that belief in yourself is powerful, but cultural narratives and systems still influence opportunity.

Today, women own more than 40 percent of businesses in the United States, generating approximately $2.7 trillion in revenue each year. And yet, women receive less than 3 percent of venture capital funding. Only around 10 percent of Fortune 500 CEOs are women. The data tells a complicated story. Women are building at record rates, employing millions, and contributing significantly to the economy. And still, access, representation, and capital do not always reflect that contribution.

Those realities are not complaints. They are context.

Owning a business as a woman means understanding both truths at once. We are capable. And the playing field is not always even.

I would be lying if I said I feel at a major disadvantage in my career because of my gender. I do not. In many ways, I believe people enjoy working with me because of it. Marketing is an industry led heavily by women. Creativity, emotional intelligence, and a sharp eye for detail are strengths many women consistently bring to the table. That perspective has served me well.

And to be fair, I have to give credit where it is due. Jack, who has worked with us for three years now, can build a beautiful website and design in Canva with the best of them. Talent is not gender-exclusive. But there is something powerful about the creative instinct and relational awareness that many women bring into this industry.

At the same time, I still notice when I walk into certain rooms and there are fewer women present. Boardrooms. Investment conversations. Strategic partnerships. The imbalance is not always loud, but it is visible.

As a woman who runs a business, I have also thought about questions that many male founders rarely have to consider in the same way. What would maternity leave look like for me when I am ready to start a family? What happens to the business if I step away? How do you scale while preparing for a season of motherhood? I have watched friends and colleagues navigate pregnancies, postpartum seasons, childcare challenges, and unexpected hardships while still carrying enormous professional responsibility. Those realities shape how women think about risk, growth, and timing in ways that are rarely discussed openly.

I feel fortunate that, outside of that defining moment in college, I have largely felt respected in my career. That has not always been the story for women in business. Progress did not happen accidentally. Doors have been opened because women before me pushed through far steeper resistance so that I could walk confidently into the spaces I now occupy.

I am aware of that. And I feel a responsibility because of it.

I have always championed women. Not because I believe in exclusion, but because representation matters. I believe in celebrating female founders. I believe in highlighting women who are building, scaling, leading, and taking risks. I believe in speaking their names in rooms they are not yet in. There is power in seeing someone who looks like you doing something you once questioned was possible.

That is why I invest time back into organizations that shaped me in college. It is why I mentor young women through the EIC. It is why I intentionally support and collaborate with other female founders and business owners. Not because women need special treatment, but because visibility creates possibility.

Not everyone grows up surrounded by examples of strong female leadership the way I did. Sometimes seeing someone build a company, lead a team, navigate hard seasons, and take up space with confidence is the permission slip someone else needs.

If I can be that example for even a handful of young women, then the women who paved the way for me will have multiplied their impact.

The conversation around women in business does not need to be dramatic to be meaningful. The numbers show growth. The rooms still show imbalance. Both can be true. I have built my career with confidence, supported by women who showed me what was possible. Now I lead with the awareness that my presence in certain spaces carries weight.

I do not want special treatment. I want strong leadership, equal opportunity, and room to build. I am proud to be a woman who owns a business. I am proud of the resilience it has required and the perspective it has shaped. And I am even more proud that the next generation of women will walk into rooms with more confidence than the generation before them.

That is how progress works. Steadily. Intentionally. One woman building at a time.

Cheers to women everywhere. I see you. I respect you. And I am your champion.