More Women, Please
Some thoughts on International Women's Day 2026
We’re at war across the world, aligned with misogynistic madness, and I can’t help thinking about something one of my dearest friends from San Diego shared last year–”We need a circle of grandmothers leading right now.” Imagine how different everything would be. I keep thinking of leadership structures in some Native American tribes where a circle of women elders were part of all decisions that were made about war, who know what it means to put their own and others’ children and partners lives on the line, who are grounded in wisdom, the earth, and community first. I was also just in the South for the 2026 Civil Rights Learning Trip hubbed out of The Refuge’s Practicing Equity group and was ever-reminded of the power of ordinary women who put their lives and livelihood on the line in the movement for human and civil rights throughout the years because hope for a more equitable world is a fire that cannot be extinguished. This morning, I was in a circle of women I’ve been connected with for 20 years and damn, the hard-won wisdom in that room never ceases to amaze me.
Swimming in this stream of thought, I’m going to start with being as clear and concise as I can be today, International Women’s Day, March 8th 2026:
We need more women, please.
Clearly, we need more women leading right now--in all the places, in all the ways, in all the circles, in all the days.
And when I say women, I mean the breadth of what that can mean because women know the value of spectrums and nuance.
Not women like our current Attorney General or former Department of Homeland Security, but women I know all over US and world of all ages and realities who lead with love, integrity, wisdom, courage, passion, and hope in many different contexts–work, faith, family, community, government, education.
Who are wise.
Who are kind.
Who are fierce.
Who are vulnerable.
Who know how to be amazing teammates and call out the best in others.
Who support one another and cheer each other on because they are secure and free.
Who are always learning and practicing and growing and healing and evolving.
Who build webs of connection, not ladders of hierarchy.
Who know their power and use it for good.
Who advocate tirelessly for the most marginalized in their communities.
Who laugh at themselves and try not to take everything so seriously.
Who mentor and support young people because we know they will make a better future.
Who draw on nature’s wisdom because it’s one of our wisest guides.
Who are creative not just in art but in making beautiful things out of nothing, of doing more with less, of making sh*t happen that no one else can.
Who know when it’s time to let go of trying to change a system that refuses to become more equitable and plant new ones instead.
Who use their voice even when it shakes.
Who refuse to stay silent.
Who ask for help despite messages that say it’s dangerous to do.
Who know that power is not like pie, that it’s way more like loaves and fishes.
Who call out injustice.
Who try new things even when we’re scared to fail.
Who are learning to live with disapproval.
Who live out their spiritual beliefs in tangible actions instead of empty words.
Who embody their values in places that aren’t crazy about them.
Who keep evolving and changing and healing and becoming more of our truest true.
Who do not give up on their families or communities and even as bombs are dropping.
Who lift up others because they know we rise together.
Yeah, more women please.
In all the places, in all the ways, in all the circles, in all the days.
It’s so hard to say Happy International Women’s Day when so many women are suffering the consequences of men’s wars, but we have an incredible capacity to hold it all-grief and anger and gratitude and hope.
That’s what I see every day in the lives of so many women; today, I want to say thank you amazing women in my life of all ages and realities who make my world, the world, so much better. Keep leading the way with your lives, because no question, we need….
More. Women. Please.
With you from Colorado,
PS: If you’re new, you can go to my blog and put “International Women’s Day” in the search button. Some of the titles make me smile, especially rock boats, upset apple carts, ruffle feathers, it’s worth it. Anyway, these words are from 2008-2019 but I always hope that someone finds what they might need for today. Also, Phyllis Mathis and I processed War and our Dream for Better Leaders on this week’s Soul + Practice Podcast, too. Warning: it’s pretty raw. I also had a great conversation on The Beautiful Kingdom Builders podcast that was released in the past few weeks, led by an amazing pastor and passionate advocate for equity and freedom, Rev. Ruth Perry. You can listen to it here. Yes more.women.please.