International Women’s Day is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. Marked annually on March 8th, International Women’s Day is one of the most important days of the year to celebrate women’s achievements, The theme for this year is #ChooseToChallenge THE UPSIDE chatted with some of the strong women who inspire us.
A challenged world is an alert world, what are some of the ways in which you have been able to stay alert and aware throughout your career and how has this shaped who you are in business today?
J: One of the greatest ways I have been able to stay alert and aware is with the help of meditation and practicing staying present. Books like The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle have helped me with this. It’s easy to lose yourself in work, but when you’re present, you are much more open to alternative ideas and solutions which is the true spirit of collaboration, a mode of working I have evolved to embrace over many years.
Where or when do you feel your most empowered?
J: I feel my most empowered when I remember I am 100% accountable for all of the results (good or bad) in my life. It’s a Jim Collins principle that has stuck with me for years and is the opposite of feeling like a victim or blaming anyone else for conditions. It’s not always easy to accept, but it is truly empowering, as you realise you always have the power to shape your life.
International Women’s Day is about celebrating women’s achievements, what is your biggest and proudest achievement to date?
J:I’m very proud of the Stylerunner team and everything we have achieved over 8 years, but as a new mum, my proudest achievement would have to be my 3-month-old son, Rio!
What does International Women’s Day mean to you?
J: IWD is a great time to reflect on how much has positively shifted in recent years to empower women, and remember that this did not happen by accident, and we still have a long way to go. It is with the hard work of many strong female role models that progress has been made (the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg being one of my favourite examples), and whatever our position, we can all do more to help build on this progress to reach ultimate equality.
Individually, we’re all responsible for our own thoughts and actions – all day, every day, can you share with us a positive affirmation that gets you through a challenging day?
J: A quote that opened my eyes and changed my life – “If it’s important to you, you’ll find a way, if not, you’ll find an excuse.” It forced me to really assess my priorities, and find a way to follow my dreams and I still think back on this piece of advice today!
Alyce Tran is the co-founder of the successful accessories brand, The Daily Edited (TDE) Launched in 2014, Alyce and her co-founder created an accessories line, with an added touch of monogram customization. TDE now has stores around the world from Sydney to New York, Alyce’s latest venture is a successful homewares brand in the roundhouse.
Can you tell us how you feel you have challenged the status quo over your many years in business?
A: I think I’ve challenged the status quo by being in an industry that I have no formal training in – design and retail! I was previously a lawyer!
International Women’s Day is about celebrating women’s achievements, what is your biggest and proudest achievement to date?
A: I suppose being able to start two businesses – The Daily Edited and In the Roundhouse
What do you think helped you get so far in your career? How can we mentor young girls to dream bigger?
A: I think the trick has been to just try really hard all the time and always try to deliver a 10/10. If you are constantly putting yourself out there and trying there is no reason you can’t succeed in any aspect of your life
What has been your most difficult challenge to date? And how have you overcome this?
A: I think how COVID affected the TDE business has been most challenging and pivoting our product and service offering, working with my team in new ways has helped us overcome this
What does International Women’s Day mean to you?
A: It is a symbolic day where I feel like we can really celebrate being a part of a very female-centric business
Individually, we’re all responsible for our own thoughts and actions — all day, every day, can you share with us a positive affirmation that gets you through a challenging day?
A: Whatever you’re going through, it is only temporary and won’t last. Got that from my spin instructor at Shelter.
Jodhi’s vision for THE UPSIDE came to her when she was spending time between NYC, Hawaii and Sydney. While deepening her yoga practice she was witnessing the powerful infancy of the athleisure movement. Established in 2013 and within a year of launching in Australia, THE UPSIDE had gained great traction, growing its reach around the world. We can now be found in some of the finest stores and websites from around the world, including Matches, Carbon 38, Net-a-Porter, Nordstroms, Lane Crawford and Selfridges to name a few.
The theme for International women’s day being held on Monday, March 8, 2021, is Choose to Challenge… IWD is all about choosing to seek out and celebrate women’s achievements. As a successful woman in business, what advice would you give to young women wanting to forge a similar path to you in business?
J: I’d advise young women to follow their own truth, their own vision, seek council from mentors that you trust and you know have your best interest at heart. Endure the ups and downs, it’s all part of the adventure.
What challenges did you face when you were first getting started in business and fashion and how have you learned to overcome these over the years?
J: Life is full of challenges in every area of life. You’ve got to have a lot of love for what you do because when you come up against those inevitable difficult periods you need a great deal of heart and mettle to see you through them.
International Women’s Day is about celebrating women’s achievements, what is your biggest and proudest achievement to date?
J: I’m a brave person – I’m proud of that. it’s a quality that is important to me. Also my ability to find humour in difficult moments. Laughter means a great deal to me – it’s a gift that’s been given to me by others when I’ve really needed it. I try to give that to others when they need it, sometimes it’s the only thing you can offer. There’s wisdom in lightheartedness
What does International Women’s day mean to you?
J: International Woman’s Day is a day to celebrate woman, all the incredible qualities they bring to the human experience… a day to appreciate women globally, their triumphs and to acknowledge the devastating atrocities that are committed against women every day, hopefully having these incredibly important conversations will change the future for woman everywhere.
The spoken word and poetry seem a perfect medium to reinforce and amplify this year’s International Women’s Day #ChooseToChallenge theme. Individually, we’re all responsible for our own thoughts and actions – all day, every day, can you share with us some positive affirmations that get you through challenging times?
J: I have this notion that if we have enough of the right conversations, the right action will follow and those words will change the future. I try to stay open to as many diverse ideologies as possible, I try to listen to others deeply and offer up what little I know back their way.
Listening to the woman’s diverse personal experiences and the endless wisdom that comes with those conversations has empowered me to find my own path and to stay in my own truth.