March | International Women’s Day Reflection

March is a powerful month of reflection, celebration, and recommitment. Each year, International Women’s Day invites us to recognize not only how far women have come but how we choose to lead, lift, and create opportunity for those rising behind us.

This month began for me at Western University, returning to the place where my own journey in science and movement truly began. I had the honour of participating in Western’s STEMposium a day focused on women in STEM, exploring careers, confidence, and choice.  Standing on that panel felt both grounding and full circle. It reminded me that careers are rarely built in straight lines they are built through curiosity, courage, and the willingness to evolve.

Grounded in Science, Guided by Purpose

My career began deeply rooted in science, anatomy, physiology, biomechanics, through my education in physiotherapy and movement science. What fascinated me early on was how the human body adapts, heals, and performs when movement is applied intentionally While my initial passion was to serve the injured and critically ill as a physiotherapist, my curiosity expanded beyond the clinical environment. I saw a gap between healthcare and fitness, two worlds that should work together more intentionally and I built my career at the intersection of both.  

Over the past 40+ years, I’ve worked as a practitioner, educator, leader, and advocate, helping elevate standards, professionalize fitness, and position movement as a critical part of healthcare. I didn’t follow a predefined path. I followed my values, my curiosity, and the impact I wanted to make

Careers Are Choices Not Checklists

Students often ask whether they should pursue graduate school, industry, or something else entirely. My answer is rarely about titles. It’s about alignment.

I encourage three reflections:

• What energizes you: deep learning or hands-on application?
• Where do you want to have impact: research, practice, leadership, innovation?
• What skills do you want to build in the next five years?

If clarity doesn’t come immediately, I share Stephen Covey’s reminder to begin with the end in mind. When you envision how you want to serve the world, who you want to help and what problems you want to solve, your decisions become intentional, not reactive.

There is no single “right” path. Most careers are nonlinear. What matters is staying curious, building transferable skills, and giving yourself permission to pivot.

Leadership Modeled: Women Who Build What Doesn’t Yet Exist

One of the most powerful validations of women’s leadership is seeing women build careers that are true to their strengths not templates.

A prime example is this month’s podcast episode, A MO’ment with MO with guest, Michele Colwell, Executive Vice President at GoodLife Fitness.  Early in her career, Michele recognized an unmet need and went on to create and launch GoodLife’s Personal Training department, a move that didn’t just grow the business, but reshaped how personal training was valued and delivered across the industry. That moment matters.

It reinforces what I’ve seen throughout my career: women don’t just lead teams they lead innovation. They see what’s missing, ask better questions, and build what doesn’t exist yet. Michele’s journey is proof that when women lead authentically, businesses don’t just grow they evolve.

Confidence Follows Courage Not the Other Way Around

I’m often asked if I’ve ever felt underqualified. The answer is yes, many times!  I’ve learned that feeling underqualified is often a signal of growth. Instead of treating it as doubt, I treat it as data. What do I need to learn? Who can I learn from?

Confidence doesn’t come before competence. It comes from building it. And one of the most common patterns I see, especially among women, is waiting to feel “ready” before stepping forward. Growth happens when we step forward anyway.

Learning, Leadership & Bringing Other Women With You

This belief that leadership grows stronger when shared is why I continue to prioritize spaces designed by women, for women, grounded in learning and leadership.

Each year, I am proud to attend the All Women L.E.A.D. event held in London, ON and I intentionally bring other women with me. Leadership isn’t meant to be experienced alone. All Women L.E.A.D. embodies what I believe in most: lifelong learning, courageous leadership, shared wisdom, and collective growth. When women gather in rooms designed to challenge and support them, confidence grows, ideas sharpen, and possibilities expand. Just like STEM, leadership is a discipline and the more we practice it together, the stronger we become.

International Women’s Day: Giving So Others Can Gain

International Women’s Day reminds us that leadership is not about climbing alone. It’s about creating space, opening doors, and using influence to lift others.  When women lead with intention, when we bring others into learning spaces, and when we use our platforms to amplify voices beyond our own, we don’t lose power, we multiply it. That is how we build stronger businesses, stronger leaders and a future where women in STEM and leadership don’t just participate, they shape what comes next.

This month, my invitation is simple:

Stay curious. Stay grounded in science. Lead with courage. And wherever you rise bring other women with you.