In 1908, women marched through the streets of New York demanding better working conditions, fair wages, and the right to be recognized as workers. That moment would later become part of the foundation for what we now know as Women’s History Month.
More than a century later, the context has changed, but something else has remained. Much of what women build is still carried in ways that are not always visible. It shows up in how knowledge is shared, how support is given, and how confidence moves quietly from one woman to another over time.
This Women’s Month, women across DreamStart Labs were asked a series of questions. About what they have gained from other women, what they have passed on, and what they hope will continue.
What came through was not a set of isolated answers. It felt more like a thread. Something continuous. Something shared.
What Do You Hope the Next Generation of Women Will Inherit?
For Sarah Mwaitenda, Regional Manager for East and South Africa, the answer begins with culture.
I hope the next generation of women inherits a culture of supporting one another. Real progress happens when women lift each other up instead of competing. By sharing opportunities, encouraging each other, and celebrating every success, we create stronger paths for those who follow and help more women grow into confident leaders.
The same question, asked again, takes a different shape with Omotola Sanni, Marketing & Communications Manager.
I hope the next generation of women inherits audacity from us. The confidence to take up space, ask for what they want, and pursue their ambitions without shrinking themselves. I also hope they inherit a deep commitment to learning, the humility to learn from anyone and the wisdom to learn from other women.
Taken together, these responses do not compete with each other. They complete each other. One speaks to how women show up for each other. The other speaks to how women show up for themselves.
What Have You Gained from the Communities of Women Around You That You Could Never Have Built Alone?
For Teresa Gailey, Business Manager, the answer is not framed as growth. It is framed as reassurance.
I’ve gained the knowledge that there is a community of people always ready to help in times of need. The patriarchal world generally seeks to divide us, but I’ve seen women continually choose to come together in solidarity when it matters the most. Our strongest asset is that we are not alone. We have each other.
That same question carries a different weight in Sheila Saidimu’s experience as a Customer Success Representative in Kenya.
Balancing work and motherhood requires intention, flexibility, and understanding not perfection. Women gain strength from workplaces that value output over optics and empathy over rigid expectations. When organizations create space for flexibility, mentorship, and honest conversations, mothers don’t just survive professionally, they thrive.
Community is not just something you feel. It is something you experience. It shows up in support that is practical, consistent, and present when it is needed.
What Is the Most Important Thing You’ve Passed On, and Where Did You Learn It?
For Benita Ikpeamar, Social Media Associate, the answer begins with conviction.
The most important thing I’ve passed on is the practical belief that we are the solutions we’ve been waiting for. In my own way, I pass it on by sharing free resources, opening doors to opportunities, supporting women-led work, and creating content that connects women to real solutions. I learned this by watching the women around me lead.
For Pham Le Truc Quynh, Customer Success Representative in Vietnam, what she carries forward is rooted in discipline.
I think it is the initiative to improve one’s own knowledge, not only academically but also in everyday life. A woman with knowledge can achieve remarkable accomplishments in life. I learned this from my mother, who has always supported me, stood by my side, and given me advice whenever I faced difficulties in life.
Different experiences. Different starting points. But the same pattern. What is passed on is not abstract. It is observed. It is learned up close. And then it is lived out.
What Is Something You Carry from the Women Who Raised You?
For Jenchat Bishen, Customer Success Representative in Nigeria, the answer is deeply personal.
To the women who raised me: you demonstrated that being a woman means many things and anything but never fitting into a stereotype. By watching you navigate life’s complexities with grace and grit, I learned the resourcefulness and adaptability that allow me to deliver efficiently in my work today. I carry your resilience into every challenge I solve.
Some things are not taught directly. You see them enough times, and they stay with you.
What Is Something You Know Now That You Wish You Could Tell Your Younger Self?
For Abena Achiaa Boakye, Customer Success Representative in Ghana, the answer is simple, but it carries weight.
I would tell my younger self not to be afraid. I would tell her not to be afraid of trying, failing, and even succeeding. I would remind her that time is not endless, so she should grab opportunities as they come. It’s better to make ‘mistakes’ early, while you are still learning and discovering yourself, than to wait for the ‘perfect’ moment.
Experience has a way of turning into clarity. And clarity, when shared, becomes guidance.
What Is the Most Powerful Thing You’ve Seen One Woman Do for Another?
For Grace Mureithi, Director of Customer Success, the answer is simple. But it carries more weight the longer you sit with it.
Show up. Watching women boldly and consistently show up for one another reshaped how I understand confidence. I’ve learned that confidence is both contagious and collective. When one woman shows up with courage, it strengthens the rest of us, and together, our impact is multiplied.
It sounds simple because it is. But it is not easy. Showing up consistently, for others and for yourself, is what makes everything else possible.
What This Leaves Behind
Across these reflections, a pattern begins to form. What women gain does not stay with them. It moves. Support becomes support given. Knowledge becomes knowledge shared. Confidence becomes something others can build on. This is how things grow. Not through single moments, but through continuity.
Women’s History Month began with women demanding to be seen. Today, that visibility continues to expand. Not only through recognition, but through the ways women continue to shape each other.
What is learned is passed on. What is experienced is shared. What is gained becomes something to give. And that is how progress continues.