International Women’s Day 2020

Happy International Women’s Day, friends! IWD started in 1911 as a way to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women and is now a rallying cry for accelerating gender equality.

Equality and equity is not just a women’s issue, it’s a business issue. Diversity and inclusion, particularly in tech, is essential to creating new and innovative products. The beauty of diversity lies in the variety of approaches to solving problems. While the business case for diversity is undeniable, more importantly, it’s the right thing to do.

At Hudl, we prioritize celebrating each others’ differences and building community. Today, we’re celebrating our employees all over the world who identify as women and asking to hear their stories: who inspires them, what challenges they’ve faced and what IWD means to them.

Who inspires you?

• “Mindy Kaling. She tackles issues on gender, race and image with insightful humor and has risen to the top of a male dominated industry with her confidence, determination, intelligence and wit.” — Debbie (Remote)
• “My children inspire me to be my best self. They love me unconditionally and look to me for guidance on how to live a productive and useful life. They inspire me to continue to improve my thoughts and actions without needing to be perfect.” — Julie (Den Bosch, Netherlands)
• “My mom inspires me every day. Not only is she the best mom, she also served in the Air Force for more than 20 years. Growing up, I always had so much pride watching my mom get ready for work by putting her uniform on. While serving in the military, she was a Nurse Practitioner in women’s health helping all women get the services they needed.” — Casey (Lincoln, Nebraska)
• “I don’t have a specific person who inspires me particularly, but I admire all people who reach what they want and they work very hard to obtain that.” — Elisa (Chiavari, Italy)
• “I have so many! My first and closest inspirations are my mother and grandmothers. My maternal grandmother served as Immanuel Hospital’s Director of Nursing for many years. My paternal grandmother completed both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in the late 80s after raising six sons with her husband. My mother is a bad ass, always. After completing nursing school, she decided she wanted to be a lawyer. She now serves as Mutual of Omaha’s Senior Associate General Counsel. The women in my family rock and continually serve as excellent examples — and I get to be named after a long line of them! I am also lucky to be surrounded by influential, powerful women every day at work.” — Shannon (Lincoln, Nebraska)
• “Many women inspire my life. The most relevant are Margherita Hack for her brilliant mind, Mother Terese for her altruism, Lady D for her kindness, Frida Kahlo for her unconventionality, the suffragettes because they were the first who fought for women’s rights and, of course, the first woman in my life…my mother because it’s thanks to her if I am the woman I am today and I’d really like to be the mother she is.” — Sara (Chiavari, Italy)
• “Arlan Hamilton. Arlan is dedicated to increasing access to capital for tech founders who identify as people of color, women and/or LGBT. As a gay, black woman who was homeless, she defied the odds and started a venture capital fund that has now raised over $10 million and invested in more than 130 companies.” — Lauren (Boston, Massachusetts)

Looking back, what advice would you give yourself 5–10 years ago?

• “You don’t have to bake cupcakes for the entire office. You can, but you don’t have to. Focus on the things that make you tick and invest your energy there.” — Brooke (Lincoln, Nebraska)
• “Invest in the stock market early.” — Wendy (Lincoln, Nebraska)
• “Realize everything you do is your choice. No excuses. In the past, I cared more about pleasing others and making others proud or happy than I did about being intentional and focusing on accomplishing my goals. When I realized that I was in charge of my own destiny and could do whatever I wanted, I made choices that aligned with who I wanted to be and how I defined success.” — Kari (Lincoln, Nebraska)
• “I would have liked to hear that I should never forbid myself to face challenges, that I have to see my own value and that I shouldn’t listen to people saying what I can and what I cannot do, but instead trust myself. Nowadays more and more women are talking about what they are facing, and it helps us see we are not alone and we should stand up against all these injustices. If 10 years ago we would have talked more openly about it, it might have moved faster.”- Mylene (Barcelona, Spain)
• “You are capable of more than you know. You are not an imposter, don’t be afraid to learn and force yourself to grow.” — Elizabeth (Lincoln, Nebraska)
• “Stop comparing yourself to others. Do the inside work to know who you are. Ask the tough questions, dream bigger and get outside of your comfort zone to achieve those dreams.” — Jess (Lincoln, Nebraska)

What setbacks or challenges have you faced in your career to get to where you are now?

• “I’ve been extremely lucky to grow into an unconventional but exciting field that I really love. But that growth largely happened at the pace it did because I switched jobs so many times. At previous companies, internal promotion was never really an option if I wanted to stretch and challenge myself — especially not when I had male managers who had clear ideas in their heads about what my career path SHOULD look like. I’m beyond grateful that that hasn’t been the case at Hudl — I didn’t have to comply with someone else’s vision for my future and was even encouraged to write my own job description!” — Caroline (Boston, Massachusetts)
• “Being a full-time working mother of two young children is not easy. I remember dropping off my daughter at childcare, driving an hour to work while pregnant, and then getting a call not long after arriving at work about my daughter being sick and needing to be picked up. I started to wonder if successfully balancing work and life was possible…until I joined Hudl. I am so grateful for Hudl’s flexible work environment where I can get my work done and done well on a schedule that makes sense for me and my family.” — Debbie (Remote)
• “Doubt — but I’ve turned it into my biggest driving factor. Now that I have found my voice and confidence I love proving people wrong.” — Angie (Lincoln, Nebraska)
• “Recently I was at a football clinic and struggled to find my confidence as the only woman in the entire conference. I stuck out like a blonde sore thumb. After a few interactions, I realized that I knew my stuff and could be the resource these coaches needed.” — Casey (Lincoln, Nebraska)
• “Retiring as a professional soccer player to switch careers entirely. Not only did I have to adjust to leaving the game, but my day-to-day routine changed entirely — different schedule, different city, different living situation, different life outside of work. It was the right decision for both my physical and mental health, but I (and others around me) often overlook how hard that transition can be.” — Christina (Boston, Massachusetts)
• “What I did was not always recognized. However, this did not discourage me, but rather gave me the push to do better and better.” — Ilaria (Chiavari, Italy)
• “I’ve chosen an unconventional career path. I’ve been a founder, a freelancer, a business lead and a product manager. Twice I’ve shut down startup companies I believed in. My curiosity drives me to keep learning new skills, and my failures push me to learn what success looks like. Along that unconventional path, I’ve struggled to find mentors that support the vision I have for my career. I’ve had to figure out a lot on my own, and learn to spot advice that feels inauthentic to my mission. The biggest challenge has been clarifying my own voice, and trusting it to guide me.” — Lauren (Boston, Massachusetts)

Why do you think diversity and gender equality is so important in the workplace?

• “Diversity is essential to getting to the best solution quickly. Without including other ways of solving the same problem or need, you will continually make the same mistakes over and over. I think women are one of many groups of people that might approach problems in a different way. Their input in the conversation is invaluable to reaching the appropriate balance in a team.” — Julie (Den Bosch, Netherlands)
• “A diverse workplace is a stronger workplace because you have a wider variety of skill sets, experience and ideas.” — Hannah (London, UK)
• “People should be judged by results of their work, not by any other characteristics. Women have more challenges in business as they usually spend more time caring for their families and kids and it’s more difficult for us to combine these two jobs: being a professional and a wife/mother.” — Elena (London, UK)
• “Without it, you stunt your own growth. Any company/organization that doesn’t foster an environment full of diverse perspectives and experiences already sits five miles behind the competition before the marathon even starts” — Christina (Boston, Massachusetts)
• “Gender equality is vital to the creation of a civil society. It is directly related to democracy and to the enjoyment of civil rights.” — Raffaella (Chiavari, Italy)
• “We absorb unconscious beliefs from the voices we listen to every day. The stories that unfold around us either expand our perspective, or limit us. This year, I’ve sought out the voices of women and people of color on podcasts, through books, at conferences, and in my friendships. I’ve learned and grown so much, but also realized how limited my perspective was before I put in the effort. It scares me to think how few people put in that effort, and what unconscious beliefs young women form without diverse representation in leadership. We have all chosen our workplace as the place we want to grow and develop. But without diversity, our growth will always be limited.” — Lauren (Boston, Massachusetts)
• “For me, diversity stands for different personalities and different talents people can bring to the table. If you have a good balance between that, you will make the most out of your company. I believe there are no standard gender profiles anymore and therefore gender shouldn’t play a role when employing people, but their profile and the talents they have.” — Simone (Barcelona, Spain)
• “Because it’s just right. Equity across your workforce shouldn’t come down to being a good business decision or good for your hiring brand — it comes down to just being good humans. What matters at the end of the day is treating one another well.” — Haleigh (Lincoln, Nebraska)

International Women’s Day started in 1911. Why is it still relevant today?

• “Whooooo boy, do we still have a long way to go. We’ve made great strides, don’t get me wrong. But gender bias still permeates our culture, even if we don’t see it every day. Hudl does a good job taking actionable steps towards combating discrimination in the workplace. But there’s always more we can do to get better, and to influence the world around us.” — Caroline (Boston, Massachusetts)
• “Women are seen as caretakers to society, always putting others before themselves. International Women’s Day allows us to be front and center, take time for ourselves, and celebrate our accomplishments, both throughout history and in everyday life.” — Shelby (Lincoln, Nebraska)
• “This is still relevant because praising all women who have made an impact in our world is very important. We honor their achievements to keep the movement alive! This is a day to gather and fight for gender parity and women’s rights!” — Angie (Lincoln, Nebraska)
• “Gender bias — or any socially-accepted bias — takes a long time to filter out of the system. With every generation, we’re undoubtedly getting closer to deadening that bias, but we still have work to do.” — Mikaela (Omaha, Nebraska)
• “It’s still relevant because in the 1900s the image of being a woman changed: showing her independence and capability to do a lot of things as an open-minded person.” — Adele (Chiavari, Italy)
• “International Women’s Day will always be important. While society and the business world are making strides in the right direction, we still have a long way to go to reach equality. To me, International Women’s Day represents the hard work of those who came before me to give me the rights I have today.” — Shannon (Lincoln, Nebraska)
• “I think it’s even more relevant today. We need a reminder to pause and reflect on what each of us is doing to advance women around the world. Regardless of circumstances, women have so many similar challenges. We all have opportunities to advance causes to address these challenges. We are all on this planet because of a woman. Recognize the power and value of women around the world and what can be accomplished if that power is harnessed and developed.” — Kari (Lincoln, Nebraska)
• “What could be better than a special designated day to celebrate the strength that women show in different shapes and forms around the world.” — Asma (Sydney, Australia)

Thank you to all our awesome Hudlies who helped us celebrate IWD by sharing their thoughts and wisdom.