By Ann-Marie Burton
Co-Founder of LeftTurn Strategy & Co-Host of the Living Left Podcast
International Women’s Day has been around for more than a century — but for many of us, it still feels surprisingly new.
We love a chance to hoot and holler in support of our fellow women, so it should come as no surprise that International Women’s Day is something that excites us at LeftTurn.
The cluster of events around this time of year feels like a party that matches our values, and we do our best to support and participate. Recently, we spent time with brilliant women and supportive causes at the Chamber of Commerce Women Leaders & Allies Breakfast, the United Way Empowered Women, Empowered Communities event, and the Halton Women’s Place IWD Luncheon.
On the Living Left Podcast, Tanya and I talked about IWD and realized something: we were mostly speaking from our personal experiences with the concept. We talked about annual themes, the policy and cultural changes, the day highlights, and the values behind them.
We love the mix of awareness-building on women’s topics, fundraising for female initiatives, investing in female opportunity, and conversations about helping women rise to their full potential.
All positives.
But we missed something important.
The history.
On the podcast, we guessed the “holiday” might be 15–20 years old.
Turns out we needed a history lesson.
A Brief History of International Women’s Day
International Women’s Day is more than 100 years old.
Its roots trace back to 1909 in the United States, when the Socialist Party organized the first National Women’s Day. From there, it moved to Europe between 1910 and 1917, where it became closely tied to women’s suffrage and labour rights movements.
Fast forward to 1975, when the United Nations began celebrating International Women’s Day during International Women’s Year, declared to draw global attention to women’s rights and gender inequality. That moment helped turn the women’s movement into a truly global one.
1975 also helped establish March 8 as the annual International Women’s Day.
Which means IWD has been formally recognized for about 50 years — within our lifetime.
So why doesn’t it feel that way?
Why didn’t many of us grow up recognizing this day with our mothers, our girlfriends, and our communities?
When International Women’s Day Went Mainstream
Part of the answer came in the early 2000s. Around 2001, corporate adoption helped amplify the message of IWD — bringing with it the breakfast events, leadership panels, and workplace programming many of us now associate with the day.
The focus slowly shifted away from its original feminist and political roots toward corporate conversations.
Then social media arrived.
From 2010 onward, hashtags like #IWD gave the day new traction. Campaign slogans, brand campaigns, LinkedIn posts, and global conversations made it easier to participate and easier to share.
Awareness expanded dramatically.
Yet even now, most participation remains corporate rather than personal.
The Part We’re Still Missing
And that realization made us pause — including here at LeftTurn.
Because women’s rights and needs extend far beyond professional spaces.
Women’s safety and security.
Her ability to raise a family independently.
Financial freedom.
Mental and physical health.
These priorities are just as important — if not more — than her seat at the professional table.
So we started asking ourselves:
Are friends gathering to honour IWD the way we rally for a girls’ night out?
Are we talking with our daughters — and our sons — about the progress women have made, and the shifts still needed?
It’s a small but meaningful paradigm shift we’d like to encourage.
Pause with your circle of friends and have real conversations about what “Give to Gain” means to you.
How can your community help the cause?
It might be donating menstrual products to your local women’s shelter, like through United Way’s Period Promise program.
It might be mentoring young girls through organizations like Big Sisters.
It might be sharing your expertise and time with a younger colleague.
Sometimes it’s simply about showing up for others.
The 2026 theme — Give to Gain — resonates because it reflects how progress actually happens.
Not through solo wins.
But through shared space, shared insight, and shared opportunity.
When women support women — and when men support women — confidence grows.
And when confidence grows, everything else follows.
At LeftTurn, this isn’t a message we roll out once a year. It’s how we try to operate, professionally and personally.
Giving isn’t soft.
It’s strategic.
Leading Left: Where Connection Actually Happens
Our Leading Left community exists because women don’t need more panels.
They need more rooms.
Rooms without performance.
Without hierarchy.
Without an agenda.
What we hear from participants says it all:
“I really needed this.”
“I don’t have many friends at this stage of life. This helped.”
“I forgot how good it feels to talk to people who get it.”
That’s Give to Gain in practice.
You show up.
You listen.
You share.
And you leave steadier than you arrived.
Living Left: Where the Conversation Begins
Our Living Left Podcast is where many of these ideas first take shape.
The conversations often land in the realities of midlife for women — the unexpected left turns, female empowerment, and the chaos of middle age.
We host candid conversations with guests who lead with honesty, experience, and substance.
We’re grateful to every guest who gives their time to help others gain.
Recent and upcoming guests include:
- Dr. Ashley Worobec — Chiropractor, clinical menopause support. Listen to the episode.
- Alanna McGinn — Founder of Good Night Sleep Site, expert on sleep and stress. Listen to the episode.
- Dr. Brenda Vrkljan — McMaster Professor, expert on aging and mobility
- Shelagh Cummins — Road to Seven, capital access program for women founders
- Christine Marchetti — Family Lawyer supporting women through divorce and life transitions
These conversations are generous by design. They offer real insight — and a little humour — without ego or pretense.
🎧 Listen now on the Living Left Podcast.
When Women Gain, Everyone Benefits
When women are supported, teams — and families — are stronger.
When women are mentored, everyone grows.
When women are given space, they create space for others.
Giving isn’t performative.
It’s practical.
It’s how progress compounds.
This International Women’s Day
Give what you have.
Time.
Insight.
Encouragement.
Opportunity.
Support women visibly and quietly — in rooms and behind the scenes.
When women gain confidence and momentum, the impact lasts far beyond a single day.
That’s not just good leadership.
That’s how real change happens.
This International Women’s Day, give where it counts.
Listen to the Living Left Podcast and be part of the conversations happening through Leading Left.