Speak Out. Stand Out. IWD 2026: Eight Women, One Conversation
Every year, International Women’s Day invites us to pause, reflect, and listen. This year, through Mothers as Leaders: Learning Across Borders, I wanted to create something more intimate and more courageous — a space where women across generations, cultures, and life journeys could speak out and stand out.
The result is the IWD 2026 Cross‑Generational Interview Series: eight women, eight stories, eight visions for a better world.
Each conversation is just 20 minutes long, yet each one opens a window into a different way of leading — through healing, through faith, through storytelling, through art, through aspiration, through courage, through community, and through the quiet power of presence.
A Theme That Connects Us All
Every speaker answers the same three questions — a simple framework that reveals extraordinary depth:
- If you had a magic wand, what would you change about the world?
- What would you change about your community?
- What would you change about yourself?
Across continents and generations, these questions remind us that leadership begins with imagination — the courage to envision something better.
Women Who Lead in Their Own Way
Our speakers come from Australia, the Philippines, Mexico, Louisiana, Texas, and beyond. They are mothers, artists, healers, communicators, engineers, poets, and professionals who carry their cultures, their families, and their lived experiences into the way they lead. They show us that leadership is not a title — it is a practice.
A practice of presence.
A practice of courage.
A practice of connection.
Why This Series Matters
As mothers, mentors, and community builders, we often lead quietly — through the stories we tell, the rituals we create, the values we pass on, and the spaces we hold for others. These interviews celebrate that form of leadership: grounded, relational, cross‑generational, and deeply human.
They remind us that when women speak, the world shifts — sometimes loudly, sometimes gently, but always meaningfully.
Join the Conversation
Throughout the first week of March, I invite you to listen, reflect, and share your own aspirations. Let these stories move you, challenge you, and inspire you to imagine the world you want to help create.
Links to our first 3 LinkedIn live events:
Kara van de Rijt (Teen view) – March 1st, 11.30 CST
Cherrie Clark-Moore (The power of Balance) – March 2nd, 12.30 CST
Camille Vaughan (The power of aspiration) – March 2nd, 12.30 CST
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About the Author:
I’m Steliana van de Rijt-Economu, founder of ‘Mothers as Leaders – learning across borders’ and author of ‘Parentship’ and ‘Mothers as Leaders’. My mission is to bring shared leadership into families, teams, organizations, and society by empowering the next generation and breaking generational silos.