International Women’s Day: Our Inspirations
International Women’s Day is a moment to recognise and celebrate the women who inspire us — the ones who have shaped our thinking, influenced our paths, and shown us what strength, creativity, and determination can look like in many different forms. For some of us, that inspiration comes from public figures whose work has changed culture or challenged expectations. For others, it comes from the women closer to home who have guided, supported, and motivated us along the way. This year, the team at The Mind Collective are sharing the women who inspire us most, and why their stories continue to resonate in our lives and careers.
Mikayla
My Mum
International Women’s Day celebrates strong, inspiring women, and the woman who inspires me most, today and every day, is my mum. I am forever grateful for your guidance; your courage and resilience when facing life's challenges, unwavering support through good times and bad, and fierce loyalty to all those around you, have shaped who I am today. You are the rock of our family, and carry so much with such grace. Today we celebrate women everywhere, and I celebrate you - my role model and best friend. Thank you for everything you've done, everything you continue to do and everything you are. I am so lucky to have you.
Lyra
My Mum
When I think about International Women’s Day, I think about my mum, Shelagh Hancock.
She’s spent over 30 years in the food & agriculture industry, and for the past nine, she’s been the CEO of First Milk, one of the UK’s largest farmer-owned dairy co-operatives, dedicated to regenerative farming. It’s an industry that’s long been male-dominated, but Mum never let that slow her down. She’s built her career on determination, resilience, and the belief that hard work always pays off - something she’s passed on to me every day.
Over the years, she’s been featured in The Grocer numerous times, from interviews to being named top of “The Power List: The Most Influential Women in Dairy”. She’s also won the Dairy Industry Award, and under her leadership, First Milk received the King’s Award for Sustainable Development. And that's not all! She's presented at a range of events, including the Women in Dairy Conference, sharing insights on leadership and change, and continues to champion women’s voices in agriculture.
And somehow, she still finds time for herself, completing the Devon Coast marathon, plus two half marathons in Birmingham and the Malvern Hills. To me, that says everything about her mindset: if you put your mind to something, and you work for it, you can do it.
Whilst I'm endlessly proud of her achievements, that’s not the only reason she inspires me. She’s an incredible mum. Supportive, grounded, and always there when it matters, from helping me clean out my rabbit hutch when I was younger, to cheering me on at graduation, and everything else in between. Growing up, she never pushed me to follow her path, but she did push me to find my own. To think, to question, and to believe I could do more.
Now, as I start my own career in marketing, I see how much her example has shaped me. Her drive, passion and dedication are all things I try to carry with me, and they’ve shown me that success doesn’t mean missing out on the rest of life – it means embracing it.
Carys
Margret Atwood
Margret Atwood is an author and poet, who is best known for writing the Handmaid’s Tale. Atwood has become one of the most influential voices in modern literature, known for blending fiction with commentary on real world issues such as gender equality, and political power. She has also written essays and spoken publicly about women’s rights.
I first read the Handmaids Tale in an A-Level English class, and it became one of my favourite books to this day. It depicts a future society where women’s rights are severely restricted under a totalitarian regime. The story feels incredibly important and relevant to today’s world, which is why I am always reminded of it.
Ultimately, Atwood is influential to me because she is a successful and talented female writer, and her work helps to create conversations highlighting the importance of protecting women’s rights and freedoms. She has inspired me to go delve deeper into feminism, since first reading the Handmaids Tale I went on to complete my dissertation on ‘Feminism in Advertising’ and then after finishing University I went on to volunteer for ‘The Feminist Shop’ a feminist brand and online info hub.
Elle
Sylvia Plath
For me, one of the most influential women I know is Sylvia Plath. I first discovered her writing as a teenager, and it was one of the first times I felt that a female voice in literature spoke with complete honesty about the complexity of being a woman. Through her poetry and her novel The Bell Jar, Plath explored identity, ambition, creativity, and mental health in ways that were raw, intelligent, and deeply personal. What makes her so important to me is not just the beauty of her writing, but her refusal to soften her experiences to make them more comfortable for others.
She wrote about pressure, expectation, and the struggle to define yourself in a world that often tells women who they should be. Decades later, her work continues to resonate with readers because it captures something universal about the female experience. For many women, including myself, Sylvia Plath represents the power of expressing difficult truths and using creativity as a way to understand ourselves and the world around us.
Kirsty
My Nan
The woman who has inspired me most is my nan. She’s 89, lives on her own, and is one of the strongest people I know, even if she’d never describe herself that way.
She’s been through a lot in her life. There have been moments that would have understandably knocked someone down for good, but she has this quiet determination to just keep going. She doesn’t pretend things are easy, and she definitely doesn’t shy away from telling you when something’s annoyed her, but she always comes out the other side. She's got this strong resilience.
What I admire most is that even now, when she needs our help a little more than she used to, she still values her independence. She lives alone, makes her own decisions, and wants to do as much as she possibly can for herself, and that mindset hasn’t changed with age.
But more than anything, it’s her generosity that stands out. No matter what she’s dealing with, she’ll always ask about you first, she’ll always think about everyone else, she has this instinct to care, to give, and to show up for her family, regardless of what’s going on in her own world.
She’s shown me that strength isn’t about being loud or perfect, it’s about perseverance, independence and kindness. I hope that throughout my life, I also have her strength.
Charlotte
My Mom
The most inspirational woman in my life is my mom, Tina.
Twenty years ago, she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) a lifelong neurological condition that affects the brain and spinal cord, impacting mobility, energy and balance. MS brings daily unpredictability but my mom has never let it define her or limit the way she lives her life.
Despite the challenges she faces, she remains one of the most positive and resilient people I know. She adapts when she needs to and faces obstacles with quiet strength. Watching her navigate MS has taught me that resilience isn’t about pretending things are easy, it’s about accepting reality, adjusting and continuing forward with courage and optimism.
She has always had my back and supported me in everything I’ve done. Her belief in me has shaped my confidence and the way she approaches her own challenges has influenced how I approach mine with perspective and gratitude.
To me, she represents strength in a very real and human way. And being from the Black Country, she’ll always be “mom” and I couldn’t be prouder of her.
Isobel
Captain Charity Adams
The first woman who comes to mind for me (alongside all the incredible women I’m lucky enough to have in my own life!) is Captain Charity Adams.
She was the first African American woman to be commissioned in the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps, here in Birmingham, back in 1945. She went on to lead the only all Black, all female battalion deployed overseas during WWII. Their mission was to clear a huge backlog of undelivered mail for US troops in Europe, helping reconnect millions of soldiers with their families back home.
If you haven’t heard of Charity before or watched 'The Six Triple Eight' on Netflix yet... I highly recommend it!
International Women’s Day is ultimately about recognising the many ways women shape the world around us. The women we’ve shared here are just a small snapshot of the countless figures, both famous and personal, who inspire us every day. Their stories remind us of the impact that courage, creativity, resilience, and leadership can have across generations. As we celebrate International Women’s Day, it’s a chance to reflect on the women who have influenced our own journeys, and to continue supporting and uplifting the voices of women everywhere.
