It's a great time to be a woman -- my three reasons why

Happy International Women's Day! What a great time to be a woman. We have so much further to go in terms of equality and equity for women and all the -isms we hold, but it's hard not to be optimistic about the change that's afoot and the resources at our disposal. As President Obama said last year, "When in human history would be the best time to be born?’ — the time would be now.” Personally, I'm grateful on this day for a few reasons:

1.Community. I am indebted to all the women in edtech that helped give wings to an accidental idea I had in 2013 which eventually became EdTechWomen. Yesterday was our fifth annual meetup at SXSWedu and like usual, the conversation was electric and the participants were energetic, open, and committed to helping each other. We chose #metooedu as our topic. We wanted to help bring the transparency, the amplification, and the commitment to structural change that the #metoo movement helped galvanize. Of course, the #metoo movement isn't perfect and so our goal for the day was simple: help bring workplace issues to light in a safe space where we can help each other. Education is a large and fragmented ecosystem so there has not been much opportunity or media coverage to discuss gender issues with colleagues. We heard about pay inequality within the education industry; the prevalence of double standards towards women and their appearance; and the pervasiveness of an old boys club that make it hard for female entrepreneurs to break in. At our events, we always try to focus on the privilege and power we do have so that we can more clearly identify solutions that we can collectively support. We heard solutions related to the "inclusion rider" and to maintaining regular and close female networks in the workplace. We also made an appeal for more men to attend our events (they're always warmly welcomed!). One of the most poignant share-backs on Twitter was a reminder from @ReetuGupta that " #metoo did not just happen to adult women but also happens to elementary school girls. So talk to your young girls and empower them to deal with it." Check out other responses to #metooedu on Twitter.

2.Girl Friends: In 2013, a super-smart and energetic woman named Margaret Roth (Co-Founder of Yet Analytics) came up to me at the very first EdTechWomen event and told me she wanted to help me "make this a thing." She came on board and we haven't looked back, building 12 chapters within one year and winning the first ever SXSWedu Change Maker of the Year Award. We open-sourced the brand in 2016 and we're proud to say that the ETW footprint is international with local chapters in Tokyo, Vancouver, and London. Margaret is not only a phenomenal co-lead of this network, but she's become one of my closest friends and business advisors. How lucky am I to have found the right work wife? (It's totally a thing -- check out yesterday's NYTimes article on the topic). For women, female friendships are integral to how we show up as ourselves at work, home, and anywhere else. I could not survive without my network of female friends, which was reinforced yesterday as I made an urgent call to my BFF to get her advice on my own #metooedu moment that happened at SXSWedu. Here's to all the women in our lives who carry us through.

3. My employer. I have been fortunate to work at various places and I can unequivocally say that my current employer is the most supportive, transparent, and fair culture I've experienced. I could not be more proud to work for Metis (part of Kaplan Test Prep) and to be part of a team that is wholly committed to student success and to the talent within their walls that make the company successful. It is a rare find, but Metis and Kaplan Test Prep enable my ambition both as a professional and a mother, which are the two most important roles in my life. My colleagues are phenomenal -- kind, open, and goal-oriented -- and make it fun to come to work. We've built phenomenal things together and that satisfaction is critical to keeping me engaged and productive. It is sometimes hard for a woman to bring their whole self to work, but I've stumbled into something really good. As a testament to its support of women and the broader team, in the past week Metis funded my trip to SXSWedu for EdTechWomen and also hosted 92Y's Women inPower workshop; here's more on why celebrating IWD is important to us and our parent company.