The Gifts We Can Give Other Women
In honor of International Women’s Day, five actions that can lift another woman’s voice, opportunity and confidence
In December, during the season of gift giving, I wrote about the gifts we can give ourselves — reflection, courage, investment in our own growth.
But leadership doesn’t stop with what we cultivate internally.
One of the most powerful things we can do is pass those gifts forward.
This year’s International Women’s Day theme is Give to Gain. When I first heard it, I thought: that’s exactly what women do for each other when we’re at our best.
In that spirit, I’ve been thinking about the gifts we can give other women — at work, in our communities, and in the everyday moments where leadership shows up.
These gifts don’t require money, titles, or formal authority. They are centered on simple actions. Things you can actually do to lift another woman up.
In a moment when progress for women feels uncertain, these acts of intentional generosity matter more than ever.
Gift #1: Amplification
Use your voice to elevate another woman’s ideas.
It happens in rooms everywhere. A woman speaks, the moment passes, and minutes later someone else says the same thing and gets the credit. If you’ve experienced it, you know exactly how it feels. If you’ve witnessed it, you know how easy it is to let the moment slip by.
Amplification is the antidote.
Simple phrases can make a difference:
“I want to build on what Sarah just said…”
“That idea came from Maya earlier — I think it’s worth exploring.”
These small moments of credit restore visibility and ensure women’s ideas don’t disappear in the noise. And sometimes this is harder than it sounds — not because we don’t want to lift someone else up, but because it requires consciously redirecting attention away from ourselves in a moment when we might also want to be recognized.
Sometimes the most powerful leadership act is simply making sure another woman’s voice is heard.
Gift #2: Opportunity
Recommend someone for a role, project, speaking opportunity, or introduction. Many capable women are sitting on the sidelines, unsure of how to break in. If you have the position, authority, or access – use it. Give another woman a seat at the table, make the warm intro, put her name forward for the project or opportunity.
I was helping organize our company’s strategy and presence at a large conference. One of our confirmed speakers for a highly visible session had to cancel at the last minute.
We had two options: remove the session from the program entirely, or find someone new to step in.
I immediately thought of a woman in our community who had deep expertise on the topic but hadn’t yet spoken on a stage like that.
When I reached out, she was both excited and terrified.
She ended up delivering an incredible talk.
Watching her stand on that stage — owning the moment — was a reminder of how powerful it can be when someone simply opens a door.
In another instance, I was organizing a high-visibility event featuring our CTO. I could have been the one on stage as the CTO’s interviewer and host. Instead, I invited a senior manager on my team to take that role. She was extraordinary, and it opened doors for her that I couldn’t have predicted.
You don’t always need to be the one in the spotlight. Sometimes the most powerful thing you can do is hand it to someone else.
Gift #3: Sponsorship
Sponsorship means intentionally making another woman visible. Publicly crediting her work, saying her name in the rooms that matter.
You’ve likely heard of mentorship. But sponsorship is different, and the distinction matters. Mentorship is what happens when she’s in the room with you. Sponsorship is what happens when she’s not — when you’re the one advocating for her, saying her name, and making sure her work is seen by the people who matter most.
One senior VP I worked with was exceptional at this. A brilliant, quietly competent leader on his team was developing breakthrough strategies and leading data analysis in genuinely innovative ways. He made it a point to always say her name, credit her work, and shine a light on her approach — in meetings, in leadership forums, in conversations she wasn’t part of. I watched her rise from near obscurity to increasing responsibility, high-visibility presenting opportunities, and eventually a promotion.
That’s what sponsorship looks like in practice.
And it doesn’t require a senior title or an in-person meeting. You can do it on LinkedIn, in a Slack channel, in the comments of a shared document. Anywhere her work shows up — make sure her name shows up with it.
Gift #4: Honest, Specific Encouragement
Tell someone what you see in them.
We often skip this because we assume she already knows. Or that someone else has told her. But here’s the truth: many women have been conditioned to downplay, or outright doubt, their own value. She may not see what you see. And until someone names it, she may never fully claim it.
Early in my career, a senior leader pulled me aside and described something specific she had noticed. She told me I had a rare ability to work seamlessly across teams — proactively communicating decisions, changes, and implications in ways that brought people along rather than leaving them behind. She described the impact: less confusion, faster responses, fewer missteps across the organization.
I remember thinking: that’s just what everyone does, isn’t it?
It wasn’t. It was a strength I hadn’t named or claimed as my own. Her words changed that. That cross-functional ability became something I consciously leaned into for the rest of my career. A thread I could trace through every role, every team, every challenge.
That’s the power of a specific compliment. Not “you’re amazing,” but “here’s exactly what I watched you do, and here’s why it matters.”
She may not know she’s doing it. Tell her.
Gift #5: Permission
Sometimes the most powerful gift we can give another woman is permission.
Permission to try something new.
Permission to speak up.
Permission to lead differently.
Often that permission doesn’t come from words.
It comes from watching another woman do something brave.
One reason I write openly about my own leadership journey — the uncertainty, the pivots, the messy middle — is because transparency can create possibility for someone else. When I reflect on my own path, I realize how powerful it was to hear the full story of another woman’s career. Not just the polished ending or the bio-worthy highlights, but the setbacks, the uncertainty, and the messy middle along the way. Hearing those stories gave me permission to try something new, to lean into uncertainty, to push myself to grow.
They modeled courage. And in doing so, they gave me permission to find my own.
Now, when women tell me that something I shared openly changed how they saw their own path, that’s when I understand the true impact of a single act of honesty.
You don’t have to have it all figured out. You just have to be willing to share where you are.
One Small Gift
In December, during the holiday season, I wrote about the gifts we can give ourselves — investing in our growth, honoring our own path, believing in where we’re headed.
The gifts we give ourselves build confidence.
The gifts we give other women build something bigger.
This month, consider one small gift you could give another woman. A word of recognition, an introduction, an opportunity, or simply the courage of your own example.
None of these gifts cost money. They require something more valuable: attention, intention, and a willingness to use your voice, your platform, and your story in service of someone else.
You may never know the ripple effect it creates.
That’s the thing about momentum. It compounds quietly, long after the moment has passed.
Which of these gifts do you most want to give? Or receive? I’d love to hear in the comments.
A Small Gift for Women This Month
In the spirit of International Women’s Day and the theme Give to Gain, I’m offering a limited number of complimentary Carve Your Path Coaching Sessions this month — my gift to women who are ready to invest in themselves.
These are 45-minute, one-on-one sessions with me. Space to think through whatever leadership or career challenge is most alive for you right now. A transition, a decision, a moment of uncertainty, or simply a desire for more clarity on what’s next.
Spots are limited. If this resonates, sign up here.
📌 PS - One more gift you can give: If this post resonated with you, share it with a woman in your life who needs this reminder?
Forward it to a colleague, restack it on Substack Notes, or share it on LinkedIn. Spreading the word means more women get these reminders when they need the most.
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