Every year, Women’s Day reminds us of something powerful. Women do not just live lives. They carry worlds. They carry families, dreams, responsibilities, hopes, and often the quiet weight of starting again. When I look back at my own journey, I realise that everything I do today is shaped by the many times I had to begin again, rebuild myself, and rediscover who I was becoming.

My story, like so many women’s stories, is one of reinvention. I moved across multiple Indian states, then to Singapore, and eventually to Australia. Each move meant stepping into the unknown. I still remember sitting in a small apartment in Singapore in 2008 with my two daughters beside me, wondering how to rebuild my career in a place where no one knew me. I had experience, passion, and ambition, but I also had doubts. I questioned whether I still belonged in the professional world. I questioned whether I could keep up. I questioned whether I was enough.

Those moments of uncertainty taught me something important. Reinvention is not a sign of weakness. It is a sign of courage. Women reinvent themselves more often than anyone realises. We reinvent ourselves when we move countries. We reinvent ourselves when we become mothers. We reinvent ourselves when we return to work after a break. We reinvent ourselves when life forces us to choose a new direction. And every reinvention requires strength, support, and the willingness to learn again.

Over the years, I met many women who reminded me of myself. Women who had paused their careers for their families. Women who had immigrated and felt invisible in a new country. Women who were brilliant but doubted their own abilities. Women who had dreams but no roadmap. Women who had talent but no confidence. Women who had experience but no opportunities. Their stories touched me deeply because I had lived parts of those stories myself.

I met a woman who had not worked for ten years because she was raising her children. She told me she felt lost and unsure of where to begin. After attending one of our sessions, she said she finally felt hopeful again. I met another woman, an immigrant professional, who felt she had lost her identity after moving to Australia. She told me she felt like she had to prove herself all over again. After upskilling and rebuilding her confidence, she secured a role she once thought was out of reach. She told me she felt like herself again. These moments stay with me. They remind me why this work matters.

My daughters have also shaped my purpose. Watching them grow in a world that is constantly changing made me realise something important. If our girls must thrive in the future, our women must thrive today. I want my daughters to see a world where women do not apologise for wanting more. A world where women do not shrink themselves. A world where women feel proud of their ambitions. A world where learning is not a luxury but a right. A world where women support each other instead of doubting themselves.

Women’s Day is not just a date on the calendar for me. It is a reminder of every woman who has ever whispered, “I wish I could start again.” It is a reminder of every woman who has ever felt unseen, unheard, or underestimated. It is a reminder of every woman who has ever put her dreams on hold because life demanded it. And it is a reminder that it is never too late to return to yourself.

This is why I do what I do.My promise is simple. I will continue creating spaces where people feel safe to learn, safe to ask questions, and safe to start again. I will continue making upskilling affordable, practical, and human. I will continue reminding women that they are not behind. They are simply one step away from their next breakthrough. And I will continue doing this work because I have seen, again and again, how a single moment of learning can change the entire direction of a woman’s life.

This Women’s Day, I celebrate every woman who has ever reinvented herself. Every woman who has ever chosen courage over comfort. Every woman who has ever dared to dream again. And I celebrate the beautiful truth that when one woman rises, she lifts many others with her.

~ Shakun Narang, Director, BIRD MOIS 

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