IWD 2026 - Give to Gain: A personal journey

International Women's Day hasn't always felt positive for me. Growing up behind the Iron Curtain, the day seemed more like political propaganda than a genuine celebration of women's rights. The regime pretended to give women recognition of their contribution, but in reality it was taking the opportunity to congratulate itself.

Some years later, when I moved to the UK and began my career in digital advertising, my perspective changed. I stepped into an industry that was starting to question itself by looking at diversity not as a slogan, but as a genuine business and cultural movement.  

We examined uncomfortable data, we challenged ingrained behaviours, and we had conversations that weren't easy, but were necessary. International Women's Day took on a new meaning. 

And with that awareness came discomfort. Once you recognise bias, you can't unsee it.  

I didn't want to see inequality from a distance. I wanted to be part of changing it. I joined employee resource groups, sought out mentors, and worked on developing my voice. I learned that confidence isn't a personality trait but it's a skill that needs to be practised.  

As that confidence grew, I noticed younger colleagues who reminded me of who I used to be - ambitious but holding back. I started making time for them, sharing what I'd learned. In giving that support, I started to deepen my own confidence further. The giving gave back.  

But nothing reshaped my sense of self more profoundly than becoming a mother. Parental leave transformed me in ways I hadn't anticipated. I learned to prioritise fiercely, to adapt under exhaustion, to find value in stillness, and to trust my own abilities in a way I hadn't before. I also discovered the weight of guilt that comes with returning to work and leaving your child behind.   

Thanks to the experience of being a parent, I negotiated flexibility at work when I returned, which became one of the most impactful professional decisions I've ever made. I am deeply grateful to those managers who allowed me to have better workplace flexibility and supported me wholeheartedly through that transition. By giving myself permission to ask for what I needed, I could create a better balance for myself, and for my family.  

That, to me, is the heart of "Give to Gain." It's not transactional. It's transformational.  

So, on this International Women's Day, here is what I'd like to offer:  

Speak up, even when your voice shakes. Don't apologise for being a parent. Start the conversation about what you need. Look around you and lift someone up with you as you climb. Keep learning and give back what you've gained.  

The giving and the gaining are more connected than we think.