Today is International Women’s Day but aside from my social media feeds being flooded with more quotes and photos of and by inspirational women than usual, today looked and felt just like any other.   I didn’t stay home from work or wear red clothing, instead I sowed two small seeds into the passions of two phenomenal women that I am blessed to know.

My phenomenal friend India Gary-Martin left Financial Services at a senior level to follow her passion and build her empire as the Founder and Owner of Only Fingers and Toes, a luxury, eco-friendly nail polish company. She built this successful business from the ground up and is such an inspiration to me as I develop my ideas and plans to further pursue my passions on a larger scale. Although I am sadly addicted to my non eco-friendly gel polish, I purchased a few bottles in rich and gorgeous hues that I can’t wait to use and give as gifts to other friends. The Only Fingers and Toes brand successfully launch a few years ago in the UK and is now about to launch in the US so check them out.My extraordinary friend Thasunda Duckett is the CEO of Chase Consumer Banking and is an inspiration to me in my career and in life. I remember clearly meeting her for lunch when I first moved to London 2 ½ years ago and she shared with me her vision to establish a foundation in honor of her parents Otis & Rosie Brown to give back to her community in Texas where she is from. Fast forward two years later and she has established the foundation raising over twenty thousand dollars and has awarded 11 scholarships to date. I needed no excuse but I donated to her foundation today as it has been on my heart for a while to support her mission and on what better day than Women’s Day.

For me today isn’t about the colors I’m wearing or whether or not I stay home from work today in silent protest. Today is about supporting the women that inspire me and other women to own businesses, take care of ourselves and the environment, create jobs and opportunities for education and make the world a better place. These are the things we should do everyday.