International Women’s Day is a good excuse to pause and remember the women whose thinking has changed the way we see things.
Here are three talks that have done that for us.
Teach Girls Bravery, Not Perfection – Reshma Saujani
Reshma Saujani starts with the story of running for Congress and getting absolutely humbled. She raised a ton of money, got some big attention, then walked away with 19 percent of the vote. Her takeaway isn’t “failure is good.” It’s more specific than that: it was the first time she did something without trying to be perfect first.
Then she connects it to something you’ve probably seen in real life. Boys jump off the monkey bars. Girls get told to be careful, get it right, don’t mess up.
She even shares what this looks like in a coding class: girls will write code, delete it and leave a blank screen because showing “almost” feels worse than showing nothing.
It’s one of those talks that quietly reframes things. You start noticing where you’ve hesitated, or where you’ve expected perfection from yourself before taking a risk.
We Should All Be Feminists – Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie starts with a story about being called a feminist at fourteen—and not even knowing what the word meant.
From there, she moves through small, everyday moments: losing the role of class monitor because she wasn’t a boy. Tipping a parking attendant who then thanked the man standing next to her. Wearing an “ugly, serious suit” so she’d be taken seriously.
None of the examples are dramatic. That’s the point. They’re small, everyday exchanges that add up.
By the end, her definition of feminist is simple and disarming: a person who says there’s a problem with gender as it is—and we should do better.
If I Should Have a Daughter – Sarah Kay
Sarah Kay starts with a poem for a future daughter — “instead of Mom, she’s going to call me Point B.” It’s clever and warm, but it doesn’t stay there.
The talk moves between performance and reflection. It’s about voice. About not pretending to be cool and unfazed. About saying something out loud and realizing someone is listening.
It’s one of those talks that makes you want to write something down after.
Sometimes the best way to mark the day is to listen.
Happy International Women’s Day.
