Today is International Women’s Day (IWD), which is “a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating women’s equality.”

Here at Litmos, we want to use today to celebrate all of the strong, intelligent, inspiring, amazing women in our lives and will do just that by introducing you to a few of the great women who make up our team!

We asked some of our team members three questions:

1. Who is a woman who inspires you and why?
2. What are you most proud of doing?
3. What is the most important piece of advice that you want to give to a young woman starting her career in tech?

Here is what they had to say in honor of IWD:

Madelane Cervantes
Account Executive

• Who is a woman who inspires you and why?
  My aunt Maribel inspires me in many ways! I’ve always been drawn to her because I admire her willingness to take chances and never take “no” for an answer. She’s a strong, hardworking woman who, as an Industrial Engineer, works with mostly men and has never let that make her feel any less. Despite many challenges she has faced in her life and career, naturally she is always able to find a way to persevere and move forward.
• What are you most proud of doing?
  Even though it was not ideal, I’m proud of managing to work last year and take care of my one-year-old at home while the world was still adjusting to the pandemic. I’m a first-time mom but I learned to become more organized, patient, and make my tasks more productive which does not really come naturally to me. Last year also made me realized that one of my strong suits is adaptability and in addition to my home-life there was even more that I needed to adapt for in my work-life and I managed to pull through successfully.
• What is the most important piece of advice that you want to give to a young woman starting her career in tech?
  The best advice that I would give to young women starting their career in tech is to always stay confident and don’t ever ever be afraid to ask questions or speak your mind. At the start of my career, I was always worried at how that would be perceived or if I would be taken seriously or not. But you come to learn that no question is really a “dumb” question, it’s just a question that nobody but you had the guts to ask!

Yiling Chen
Marketing Intern

• Who is a woman who inspires you and why?
  My Grandmother was an extraordinary woman. Her fearless independence and perseverance in the face of adversity are why she is my soul’s inspiration. She has taught me the value of life, being humble, brave, never giving up, and love. She never put restrictions on my dreams and inspires me to dream more. Although she passed away twelve years ago, I still see the spark I inherited any time I look in the mirror, and she is my motivation to going forward.
• What are you most proud of doing?
  In 2018, I did the unthinkable. I left a great job, my family, and my friends in Taiwan to venture to America – a country that I had never been to. By facing my fear, I achieved some amazing milestones. I graduated with my MBA and joined Litmos, all while navigating a pandemic and having a baby. And I am also proud that I can give back to others through volunteer work.
• What is the most important piece of advice that you want to give to a young woman starting her career in tech?
  Seek out and find responsibility regardless of the risk of failure. Opportunities are made, not given. Successful people take chances. Catch new information, try new tools, and refresh yourself every day to feel comfortable in this fast-paced industry. In that endeavor, you must be brave, speak out, approach problems with a beginner’s mindset, and do not be afraid to ask for help – it is a strength.

Jennifer Cox
Senior Customer Success Partner

• Who is a woman who inspires you and why?
  My Grandmother because she is full of life and has sought a sense of fulfillment for 92 years.
• What are you most proud of doing?
  I’m most proud of the successes I’ve had at Litmos. I’ve been with the company for about six years now, and I have transitioned throughout three roles within the company, SDR, Strategic Account Manager, and now a Senior Customer Success Partner. With the successes I’ve had with Litmos, it has given me the opportunities to see the world and buy my first home!
• What is the most important piece of advice that you want to give to a young woman starting her career in tech?
  Don’t be afraid to ask questions to your colleagues or customers; it’s likely they are thinking it themselves. Also, trust your gut. If you think an action is for the betterment of the company or customer, go after it!

Narelle Davis
Solutions Consultant/Litmos Mentor

• Who is a woman who inspires you and why?
  I take my inspiration from my grandmothers and mother, when I think about the time they lived in, the clothes they had to wear, the working conditions, the day-to-day chores of home life (without the technology of today), of raising children, putting food on the table, and in general how women were treated and looked upon in their time. I count myself lucky to live in a time where females are encouraged to be ourselves, wear what we like, be educated, speak up, and say enough is enough! We are women; hear us roar!!!
• What are you most proud of doing?
  I switched industries seven year ago. I was working in the travel industry and had been for around 20 years. I was unhappy in my role and was given the opportunity by a friend to apply for a role at Learning Seat (which became Litmos). I got the job and have never looked back. Sure, it was tough and I doubted myself so many times, but it has taught me that resilience and hard work do pay off, and more importantly to believe in myself, my abilities, and the comfort zones are so overrated.
• What is the most important piece of advice that you want to give to a young woman starting her career in tech?
  Network – especially within big organisations, it’s important to ensure you get your brand out there. Attend work social gatherings and introduce yourself to others within the business.  Challenge yourself to meet two or three new people on a regular basis. You never know what opportunities might present themselves just by getting your brand out there.

Samantha Lang
Marketing Content Director

• Who is a woman who inspires you and why?
  Rather than name a specific person, I’m inspired by the incredible women who over the past two years have managed to work full-time, raise kids (even while they were homeschooling), nurture a relationship with a partner/spouse, and possibly even care for a parent(s) – or any combination therein. The women I know who have pulled this off did it with a great sense of humor or at least a snarky joke and a smile. While it has certainly been lonely at times being a single woman during the pandemic, I’m reminded that so many women shoulder weighty responsibilities with a gorgeous combination of grace and grit – and that is INSPIRING.
• What are you most proud of doing?
  Every single day I’m inspired by all of my female colleagues on the Litmos Marketing team; (sorry, guys, you too, but this is for International Women’s Day)! We are such a small team but manage to move super quickly, cover a ton of ground while still insisting on quality, and have a bunch of fun doing it. I’m proud to be a part of this group.
• What is the most important piece of advice that you want to give to a young woman starting her career in tech?
  Remain openminded and try on as many [figurative] hats as possible. Ok, go ahead and try on lots of actual hats, too, if that’s your thing, but while doing so be observant of what you like doing, what you’re good at, and what fulfills you. This will draw you in the direction of a career with purpose and passion, even if it’s not what you thought you’d end up doing when you started.

Danielle Rigby
Director of Learning, Litmos Soft Skills Content

• Who is a woman who inspires you and why?
  Brene Brown – I love how academic she is; I find her research fascinating and get completely absorbed in her books! I’ve always appreciated social psychology and research. Brene makes it accessible to the masses!
• What are you most proud of doing?
  I am so proud that I created a learning programme that gave back, by recruiting disadvantaged youths, rehabilitated offenders and unemployed army veterans to help turn their lives around by offering them free, intensive training to become highly skilled Plant Operators. This initiative got a lot of media attention as it was the first of its kind in the UK, offering trainees a well-paid role at the end of their training. Creating opportunities for those who didn’t otherwise have them was so fulfilling for me.
• What is the most important piece of advice that you want to give to a young woman starting her career in tech?
  Always be your authentic self and never stop asking questions! The only way you will learn and thrive is being unapologetically yourself, and seeking the support and experience of others to help you thrive!

Cindy Padilla
Sr. Customer Success Partner, Litmos

• Who is a woman who inspires you and why?
  My Aunt, Lupe – she was the first career women I saw. She worked hard and I idolized her strength and wanted to be just like her.
• What are you most proud of doing?
  I’m the first in my family to go to college. I like to think I inspired other family members to pursue the same path.
• What is the most important piece of advice that you want to give to a young woman starting her career in tech?
  Work hard, believe you belong, and take up space.

Annu Takhar
Chief of Staff, Senior SolutionsAdvisor, Center of Expertise, Litmos/PreSales Solutions Advisor Consultant

• Who is a woman who inspires you and why?
  Mother Teresa for dedicating her life to the poor and ailing as a foreigner in a country that was not her own and my mother for being one of the most successful women that I know. Mother Teresa was admired by many for her charitable work.
• What are you most proud of doing?
  What I’m proud of doing is living in a different country with 2 very young children – stepping out of my comfort zone but that didn’t deter me – It’s one of the best decisions I’ve made and has taught my children to step out of your comfort zone as well.
• What is the most important piece of advice that you want to give to a young woman starting her career in tech?
  Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Actually, just don’t be afraid! Asking questions shows tenacity, not a lack of knowledge.  Not to be intimidated by others who appear to be more intelligent than you – sometimes people like to talk a lot of techno jargon with the. Intent of intimidate others. Help others. Never be too busy to help your colleagues.