March 8th marks International Women’s Day. This year, the theme is #ChooseToChallenge, and we could not let this slide without celebrating some of the amazing women who challenged norms to achieve. 

A bone of contention is, they shouldn’t have had to challenge these things in the first place, but because of their strife, they have paved the way for other women to follow in their footsteps and continue to do great things!  

In no particular order: 

Malala Yousafzai 

Malala is a female activist for education, and the youngest Nobel Prize laureate. Malala was born in Pakistan, where being born a girl isn’t always a celebration. Malala had an incredible thirst for knowledge, and when the Taliban took control of her town they banned many things, including allowing girls to go to school. Malala, being incredibly courageous and brave spoke out on behalf of girls and their right to learn. 

This selfless act unfortunately made her a target, and on the bus on her way home from school in October 2012, Malala was shot on the left side of her head. Once she had recuperated and relocated to the U.K, I heard Malala speak at WeDay in 2014 at Wembley Arena, London, and it was truly breathtaking. Everyone in the room was captivated by her story.   

Marie Curie 

Marie Curie was a Polish scientist, and undeniably one of the most famous scientists of all time. Together with her husband, they made waves with their discoveries on radioactivity, as well as discovering radium and polonium. I know it just sounds like random words, but they’re so important because they came on to develop radiotherapy, which can help treat certain illnesses. Marie also developed a portable X-ray unit… Essentially, Marie paved the way and changed the world of medicine as we know it. AND, she was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize. WOW!

Ruth Bader Ginsburg 

Ruth Bader Ginsburg spent a lifetime flourishing in the face of adversity before being appointed a Supreme Court justice, where she successfully fought against gender discrimination and unified the liberal block of the court. She has inspired so many girls to become lawyers when they grow up! 

Other fabulous women who chose to challenge:

Madam Vice President – Kamala Harris 

American politician and attorney serving as the 49th vice president of the United States. Kamala is the United States’ first female vice president, the highest-ranking female official in U.S. history, and the first African American and first Asian American vice president. Do we need to say more? 

J.K. Rowling 

Despite coming under criticism as of late for her questionable remarks, prior to the controversy, J.K. inspired millions of witches and wizards worldwide to pick up books and get lost in an entirely different universe. J.K. used a pseudonym as she struggled to get published as a woman. How crazy is that? As a millennial, it’s hard to think of a world without Harry Potter.  

Whitney Wolfe Herd 

Fed up with the dating scene, Whitney took matters into her own hands and created Bumble, a dating app that puts women in the driving seat. From this marvelous creation, Whitney became the world’s youngest, self-made billionaire. We love it! 

Dolly Parton 

Dolly Parton chose the challenge fashion norms with her coat of many colours, and she chose to challenge Covid by donating $1 million towards funding the Covid vaccine!  

There are so many more incredible women who chose to challenge, who would you like to highlight for International Women’s Day? #ChooseToChallenge