inspire inclusion
Friday, March 8, 2024 :: International Women’s Day (IWD)
The theme of this year’s IWD is “inspire inclusion” — celebrating diversity and empowerment today, tomorrow, next year and beyond!! Read more about what it means to inspire inclusion at internationalwomensday.com.
So what does this day look like for me & my business?
Immersion PT is a business that was founded and is fully owned and operated by a woman (me!)
The impetus for having a mobile practice rather than owning or renting space in a building? YOU. We all lead very busy lives, and women — especially moms — have a lot of juggling to do to get through every single day. I never want time to be a limiting factor in your access to my services, so I put the travel time on myself (usually paired with a podcast, like one by Theresa DeLorenzo!) and let you get things done instead of driving to me!
Mentorship & education: these are two of my favorite pieces of working in healthcare. Whether I am working with a physical therapy student, a teenage athlete recovering from an injury, or a mom returning to running after having a baby, I want to be able to provide the most supportive, informative and positive experience possible. While my reach may not be huge (I definitely would not classify myself as a celeb or a social media influencer), I still feel that I have a responsibility to use my “platform” for the greater good.
[empowering female athletes] — the name is pretty self-explanatory! The entire premise of this retreat is to provide you the tools — from a variety of females who own a business or healthcare practice, or have a special skill to offer — to feel stronger and more capable of overcoming obstacles & reaching your full potential. (Registration is still open and we are currently about half full so please consider joining us!)
[secret 3k] — this was a new addition to my plate this year. The event was inspired by the film “The Secret Marathon” detailing the first marathon in Afghanistan, where men and women (secretly) ran together. Now, almost 10 years later, the event hosts organize group runs across Canada, and offer the opportunity for others to join via virtual runs. I can’t believe I didn’t find this sooner, but it’s definitely something I want to continue to invest in moving forward!
for emma: my girl, who literally changed my life. It was during my maternity leave that I decided I needed to build my PT practice — and be able to provide the healthcare services that I want to provide, and that my clients deserve. So while I can’t say that this practice is for her (because it’s for YOU), it is here because of her.
“a rising tide lifts all boats” … “empowered women empower women” … “alone we can do little; together we can do so much” … “every time a woman stands up for herself, she stands up for all women” — i could go on with the empowering women quotes, and feel inspired by each of them! But, the truth is: we have to be in it together. Whether our mission is to provide better (any?) paid maternity leave, improve access to postpartum care, assist women into leadership roles in businesses big & small, optimize athletic performance, protect reproductive rights — we are in it together. Women have to stand for each other and with each other in the fights we fight. Men have to stand with us, and fight with us. (Let’s face it — biology rules, and none of us would be here without a male’s contribution! — so we definitely can’t count them out)
I have had a lot of thoughts and feelings today, this week, the last several months … life as a woman in America is hard. Life as a woman anywhere in the world is hard. Life, in general, is hard. It’s been hard to organize it all into a post that’s somewhat concise — and ideally, something that gets your thoughts and emotions revved up a little too without leading you with my biases and opinions. I don’t know if I’ve accomplished that here, but I hope this post at least gets you thinking about what battles you want to fight, how you’re going to fight them, and — maybe most importantly — who you want next to you. I know who I’d pick …
Happy International Women’s Day — and here’s to women: may we know them, may we be them, may we raise them. Let’s keep climbing mountains and breaking down barriers!!! Cheers!!
Check out our runs & walks from the virtual Secret 3K!!! Thanks to all who joined my team & did their part in supporting safe running for women around the world! Be sure to join my team in March 2025 to add to the fun!
Group run/walk @ Vischer Ferry: Holly Serrao (another mom & business owner!); Rick Reynolds (my dad, who is always supportive of his kids' & grandkids’ endeavors!); and me! Holly & I walked for a few minutes with my dad but we struggled to keep up (seriously — he walks so fast!) so off we went on our run.
Lauren Kirkham (another mom & business owner) logged her miles while taking a break from editing her photos :)
Theresa DeLorenzo (yet another mom & business owner — do you see a trend here?) had surprisingly few cul-de-sacs on her route that day before catching up with her nutrition & yoga clients for the rest of the day.
Kendall Cietek — a new friend & running partner just in the last couple of months! (yay!!) She nailed her 3x1K workout on the track — coincidentally, she spent some time on the BH-BL track team herself as a pentathlete, and now she’s back there crushing workouts again!
