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Women’s History Month and International Women's Day

March is Women’s History Month, a time for celebration of the amazing progress in women’s rights over the years and the work being done today. International Women’s Day is on March 8—we’re proud to represent a roster of IWD and WHM speakers who embody the 2025 theme, Accelerate Action. Our speakers share their stories of women who lead, innovate, and spark action for social justice and equity, and who work every day to make gender equality even more of a global reality.

28 Women’s History Month and International Women's Day
Speakers

Heather McGhee

Author of New York Times Bestseller The Sum of Us

Racism has a cost for everyone—so when we fight it together, we all win.

Minnijean Brown-Trickey

Civil Rights Legend who Helped Desegregate Public Schools | Member of the Little Rock Nine

When we challenge what we know to be morally wrong, we grow as a society.

Margaret Atwood

Two-time Booker Prize-Winning Author of over 50 Books, Including The Handmaid’s Tale and its Recordbreaking Sequel,The Testaments

Literature can show us our future—if we look.

Nikole Hannah-Jones

Pulitzer Prize-Winning Creator of The 1619 Project | Executive Producer of the Emmy Award-Winning 1619 Project Hulu Docuseries | MacArthur Genius

Black history is American history.

Ellen Ochoa

The First Latina in Space | Former NASA Director

When we all come together as a team to learn and innovate—we can aim for the stars.

Kristin Neff

Author of Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself | Co-founder of the Center for Mindful Self-Compassion

Self-compassion makes you strong.

Laura Huang

Distinguished Professor at Northeastern University | Faculty Director of Women's Entrepreneurship Initiative | Author of Edge and You Already Know

Are you looking for an edge to help you succeed? Good news: You've already got one.

Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman

Editor of The Black Agenda | Harvard Researcher on Inequality, Education, and Work | Winner of the UN CEDAW Women's Rights Award

A better world for our most marginalized communities is a better world for us all.

LaToya Ruby Frazier

Award-Winning Photographer | Member of the TIME100 | MacArthur Genius

Art is a weapon. Photos can change society—our view of ourselves and our communities.

Margot Lee Shetterly

Author of Hidden Figures: The #1 New York Times Bestseller and #1 Hit Film

A greater diversity of voices in science, in the STEM fields, is key to the future of American innovation.

Jessica Nordell

Author of The End of Bias | Award-winning science and culture journalist

Bias has a real cost for your organization. Fighting it is your greatest superpower.

Gabby Rivera

Author of Juliet Takes a Breath and the Marvel comic series America

Living a revolutionary life starts with joy.

Isabel Allende

Most Widely Read Spanish-Language Author Ever | Author of The House of the Spirits and The Wind Knows My Name | Winner of the Presidential Medal of Freedom

Write what should not be forgotten.

Ashton Applewhite

Anti-Ageism Activist | Author of This Chair Rocks: A Manifesto Against Ageism | Co-Founder of the Old School Hub

Ageism is prejudice against our future selves. What if we were free of it?

Katy Hessel

Instant New York Times Bestselling Author of The Story of Art Without Men | 2021 Forbes 30 under 30 Europe | Guardian Columnist | Art Historian and Curator

The story of art has always excluded women. But we can write a new, more equitable story for the future of art, and beyond.

Denise Hamilton

Author of Indivisible: How to Forge Our Differences into a Stronger Future | Founder and CEO of WatchHerWork

To lead in today’s changing world, your teams can’t just be inclusive—they need to be indivisible.

Ellen Bennett

Founder and CEO of Hedley & Bennett | Author of Dream First, Details Later

Overthinking kills innovation. You need to dream first, and worry about the details later.

Manjit Minhas

Co-Founder of Minhas Brewery, Distillery and Winery | Owner of the 10th Largest Brewery in the World

It’s time to demolish outdated stereotypes in business—one boardroom at a time.

Stephanie Mehta

CEO of Mansueto Ventures | Former Editor-in-Chief of Fast Company

Any company can become a Fast Company by pushing their creative boundaries.

Lori Gottlieb

Psychotherapist | New York Times Bestselling Author of Maybe You Should Talk to Someone

Revealing the truth of who we are is the glue that binds us together.

Soraya Chemaly

Author of Rage Becomes Her and The Resilience Myth | Award-Winning Journalist | Co-Founder and Director of the Women’s Media Center Speech Project

Resilience is a group effort. Leaning into our emotions and community can help us build strength at work and at home.

Corinne Low

Associate Professor of Business Economics and Public Policy at Wharton | 2024 "Top 40 Under 40" Business Professor | Author, Femonomics (Forthcoming)

There's an economic benefit to inclusion. Companies that leverage this value will not only build a stronger company culture, but boost their bottom line.

Laurel Braitman

Bestselling Author Of Animal Madness and What Looks Like Bravery | Director Of Writing and Storytelling At The Stanford School of Medicine

Telling our own stories has the power to combat burnout and bring us together in community.

Minette Norman

Author of The Boldly Inclusive Leader | Co-Author of The Psychological Safety Playbook | Former VP of Engineering Practice, Autodesk

If you want to create a culture where diverse teams flourish, you need boldly inclusive leaders.

Waneek Horn-Miller

Olympian, Activist, and Speaker on Indigenous Health and Reconciliation

Your struggle is your motivation in disguise.

Maureen Chiquet

Former Global CEO of Chanel | Former president of Banana Republic

Finding power in empathy will revolutionize leadership and the way we do business.

Sarah Kaplan

Founding Director, Institute for Gender and the Economy at Rotman School of Management | Author of The 360° Corporation

Diversity, equity, and inclusion are our greatest innovation challenges—risky, transformative, and ultimately worthwhile.