Why Does International Women’s Day Matter for Women in Leadership?

What Is International Women’s Day Really About?

International Women’s Day (IWD) isn’t just a date on the calendar. It’s a moment to pause, reflect, and ask: What are we still not saying about the lived experience of women in leadership?

Because in truth, many organisations still approach IWD as a single day of celebration, a talk, a panel event, a themed newsletter, without looking deeper at the systemic issues women face all year round.

For women in leadership, especially, International Women’s Day offers an invitation to surface what often goes unspoken: the inner weight of proving, performing, and persevering. The invisible mental load. The emotional suppression. The belief that to be successful, you must stay composed—even when you’re overwhelmed.

It’s time we changed that.

Why Are Women in Leadership Still Facing Hidden Barriers?

On paper, progress has been made. More women are holding senior titles. Gender pay gaps are closing in some sectors. Flexible work is more common.

But beneath the surface, many women in leadership are still operating in survival mode.

You don’t see it in the polished presentation or the team meeting. But it shows up:

• In the overthinking before speaking up.

• In the second-guessing after sending that email.

• In the emotional exhaustion at the end of the week.

• In the quiet sense that something still feels off, even though on the outside, everything looks “successful.”

These hidden barriers aren’t just structural. They’re emotional, psychological, and often deeply conditioned. And unless we address those, we keep expecting women to fit into leadership cultures that were never designed with them in mind.

How Does Imposter Syndrome Affect High-Achieving Women?

Let’s talk about imposter syndrome—because it’s real, and it’s common.

One of the most read blogs on our site is Overcoming Imposter Syndrome: A Guide for Women in Leadership. Why? Because so many high-achieving women secretly feel like they’re winging it. Like any minute now, someone’s going to tap them on the shoulder and expose them as a fraud.

They’ve internalised the belief that they’re not really good enough. That they’ve somehow tricked their way into the room.

And what happens when this belief runs unchecked? Women work twice as hard to prove themselves. They take on more. They say yes when they mean no. They stop asking for what they need.

The truth is, imposter syndrome isn’t a personal failing. It’s a by-product of systems and environments that have conditioned women to question their authority, doubt their worth, and measure their value by how little they need.

Is Perfectionism Silently Draining Your Top Female Talent?

There’s another pattern we see often in women in leadership: perfectionism.

It’s not always loud. Sometimes it’s hidden behind the high standards. The flawless delivery. The “no room for error” mindset.

But underneath, perfectionism often stems from one question: Am I enough?

And when you scratch the surface, it’s rarely about performance. It’s about protection. Because for many women, getting it “right” is how they’ve kept themselves safe. It’s how they’ve coped in environments that felt emotionally or psychologically unsafe.

But perfectionism has a cost. It leads to overwork, burnout, emotional suppression, and a fear of being seen as human. And the longer it goes unchallenged, the more it creates cultures where women don’t feel they can soften, ask for help, or let their guard down.

Why Is Nervous System Regulation a Game-Changer for Female Leaders?

You can give women all the strategy, mindset tools, and coaching in the world—but if their nervous system isn’t regulated, it won’t land.

That’s why in our leadership work, we focus heavily on nervous system education and regulation.

Because what many women describe as “stress,” “burnout,” or “overwhelm” is often a nervous system stuck in fight, flight, freeze, or fawn.

We see it in the woman who can’t switch off at night.
We see it in the woman who avoids conflict at all costs.
We see it in the woman who over-functions at work and under-nourishes herself at home.

When you understand how the nervous system works—and how to regulate it—you stop trying to fix your mindset and start listening to your body. You start leading from sovereignty, not survival.

And that shift changes everything.

How Can Organisations Go Beyond Celebrating for Just One Day?

One of the most powerful things an organisation can do for International Women’s Day?

Don’t make it about the day. Make it about the culture.

That means asking:

• Are we giving women space to be real about what they’re feeling?

• Are our leadership development programmes trauma-informed?

• Are we teaching emotional regulation, not just performance strategy?

• Are we modelling vulnerability, not just resilience?

• Are we rewarding presence—not just productivity?

IWD isn’t just about celebration—it’s about recalibration. It’s a chance to examine what’s still not working, and to commit to real change.

What Kind of Culture Do Women in Leadership Need to Thrive?

Women don’t need more policies. They need safer spaces. They need leadership cultures where emotional intelligence is normal, not niche. Where being human is an asset, not a liability. Where presence, power, and regulation matter just as much as results.

At The Mind Solution, we believe in empowering women leaders to return to who they truly are—not who they’ve been conditioned to be. And to do that, we have to honour the whole woman.

That means creating space for:

• Honest conversations about burnout, boundaries, and expectations.

• Deep, experiential learning around how the mind and body truly work.

• Tools like EFT tapping and MAP that help regulate the nervous system, not just intellectualise it.

• Permission to lead from inner authority, not external approval.

Because when women feel safe in their own bodies and minds, they lead differently. They create differently. They show up as themselves.

And that’s what the workplace needs now more than ever.

Final Word

International Women’s Day isn’t a box to tick.

It’s an opportunity to create a workplace where women can show up as their whole selves.
Where nervous system regulation is just as important as time management.
Where imposter syndrome isn’t a secret burden, but something we name, dismantle, and heal.
Where perfectionism is no longer a badge of honour, but a signal to soften.
Where leadership means being human—and being allowed to be.

Ready to take your support for women leaders beyond the panel events and hashtags?
Book a discovery call and explore how we can co-create deeper, lasting change in your organisation.