The Power of Embracing Your Uniqueness | Celebrating International Women’s Day with Adidas

The archetype of what a woman ‘is’ and what a woman ‘should be’ has constantly evolved throughout history- we see a near fluid and cyclical ebb and flow of power and prominence from warrior queens to the subservient mistresses of Tudor times. The stories that usually fill textbooks and epic poems are now playing out in real time as today’s women are reclaiming their power, their voices, and their identities, and thus embracing their own innate uniqueness. I’ve teamed up with Adidas to showcase the rise of women’s empowerment and celebrate International Women’s Day as it applies to the incredible women in my life, and how the lines of what a woman ‘should be’ are blurred in a society working towards true equality.

I was raised by a powerful woman who eschewed societal norms before it was easy- she grew up playing on men’s teams before Title IX was passed because she worked so hard to be free from the constraints that society liked to put on her gender. Because of my mother, and how I was told from an early age I could be exactly who I was and who I wanted to be, I started to grow my tribe of wonderful women from an early age. And now,I am so grateful to be surrounded by women who are forces of nature. Women who know who they are, what they need, and who aren’t afraid to take up space in the world and change it for the better. Women who can juggle life, love, work, and family and on top of all of that reach a hand out to help others thrive.

These same women are capable of reinvention, of growth, of recognizing their own faults and bettering themselves because they want to- not because they need to. They know when to work their asses off and when to ask for help, and they know that those things aren’t mutually exclusive. These women waltz from the locker room to the board room while still wearing killer leggings and they own both of those rooms with confidence. By the way these Adidas Believe This 2.0 Tights I’m wearing are phenomenal for just that- with their high waistband and no-sheer material they look professional and put together for working in an office or a coffee shop and with their stay dry breathable fabric they transition from a yoga class to work without a puddle of sweat!

As with most women, I’ve gone through periods of time when I don’t feel like I know exactly who I am or who I want to be, where I feel like wearing a cropped jersey tee isn’t something that I should do or could do because my body isn’t perfect or that I feel too old to wear something that shows off my belly. But being surrounded by women who build each other up, I feel confident in my choices whether it be to start my own business or wear a fun tee shirt like this International Women’s Day Tee. I am who I am today not because of the messy life I’ve lived, but because of the support system that bolstered me through the chaos and showed me that I am capable of saving myself. That I am powerful not because I am surrounded by incredible humans, but because I see my own worth.

So to the women I love in my life and to all the women who are so unapologetically themselves no matter what creed, race, religion, orientation, or origin they are, happy International Women’s Day! May we all continue to create and be the change we want to see in this world and keep supporting the women in your life- life each other up, help each other thrive, and embrace the unique aspects of your friends, your loved ones, and those who are strangers now but have their own ability to shape this world!