Sometime one month ago I came across call for International Women’s Day LIVE event, organized by one Michelle Frechette and Samah Nasr from Underrepresented in Tech. Little did I know what would that, seemingly small announcement, do to and for me.

To celebrate International Women’s Day, Underrepresented in Tech hosted today a live global event that brough together more than 25 inspiring women from all parts of the world that are across the technology industry. With its goal to amplify voices, foster connection and celebrate the incredible contributions women are making in technology today, to me personally it developed into something even more.

It’s where I got my chance to chat with Michelle and Samah, both whose actions have a significant impact for me and other women in the WordPress community, to say first. Then, to meet so many wonderful, strong, fearless women who shared their stories of how they ended up in tech industry and WordPress, what shaped them, who inspired them and learn from all the advice they shared throughout the day.

Lastly, I had a pleasure and honor of speaking at the event, together with this amazing person, Rosie Sherry from Ministry of Testing, a woman whose life and work principles – if applied to the tech industry and all industries as a whole – can make a significant impact for the better.

If you’ve missed the live event, make sure you follow Underrepresented in Tech on YouTube, as they will upload all the sessions for all to enjoy and learn from. That is why I won’t bother you with the event’s details and instead share some internal thoughts and revelations that came while preparing for my panel and also, while listening to so many inspiring stories, that are also tied with the overall goal of today.

A bit about me

I’m a digital marketing consultant for 15+ years, that works across various industries and WordPress and I focus on organic growth, content strategy and visibility. Over the years my work has been about helping people and companies build their presence online through knowledge sharing and meaningful participation in tech and other communities. Since last year, I’ve been fortunate to work with amazing people and team members in WPBakery Page Builder as marketing specialist and to be chosen as a WP Credits mentor that helps guide the next generation of WordPress contributors.

I am also an owner of a digital marketing agency since 2015, providing organic marketing and social media strategy services, both locally and across the world. I am also a wife, a mother of 3 young men, an eldest daughter, sister, niece. To say that all that didn’t come overnight or easy, would be an understatement.

Barriers that I’ve seen

Thinking about my story and my journey, particularly around this very day, it wasn’t quite easy for me to acknowledge what I am about to share. I was always looked at through traditional roles first – as a mother or someone expected to support rather than lead. In many situations I felt (and knew, as I was directly told to, from school days forward) that I had to prove my credibility more than once and more because I am a girl.

Everything I am today, I worked for hard, fought for hard and am thankful to each and every woman that inspired me and helped me go through it to where I am today and also privileged to be in position to do so. I grew up in pretty male dominated society, being born and raised in Balkans – Belgrade, Serbia to be exact. Taught from an early age to be small, polite, quiet and obedient – I always struggled with it and asked, demanded even to know – why. Why is there a difference between me and my younger brothers, how come they have more rights than me, why do they get to experience life with more – more of anything, than me. At the same time, I grew up surrounded by strong, loud, demanding women – my mother and her sisters, who taught me valuable lessons and shaped me into what I am today.

So today, I do my best to uplift other women and also teach my boys to do the same as the strength of those women, and others that came after, helped me understand that you don’t need to shrink yourself to fit expectations (among other things).

My journey into WordPress

In short, it started pretty randomly as I needed a solid, reliable platform for my initial hobby, an online magazine for women. It was 2008 and I debated between WordPress and Joomla – even if I didn’t know anything about it, I just needed a tool that works. Sadly, WordPress at the time wasn’t it, so I opted for Joomla and it lasted about 3,5 years. Then came 2011., Joomla was heavy behind the trends and user requirements, so I gave WordPress another chance and the rest is, well, history 😊

What started as a hobby, in time developed into likeness then love for WordPress and everything I learned it represents: the open web and the way community create opportunities for people from very different backgrounds to build careers and collaborate globally.

Over the years, I shifted from WordPress user to contributor, WordCamp volunteer, speaker and organizer, then strong digital marketing strategist that found her way into the community to collaborate and work with.

Women in WordPress that inspired me

I couldn’t finish this piece without acknowledging several women whose overall work and stories inspired me and motivated me to find my place in WordPress and tech industry, as someone who doesn’t code or develop in technical way. Starting with Petya Raykovska from Human Made – her energy, point of view, truly supportive being is to this day unique and helpful.

Ivelina Dimova WP Developer for her never-ending positivity and feminine energy she brought into perceived male dominated industry, through which I saw and recognized enormous strength and resilience.

Helen Hou-Sandí – whose session during WCEU 2016 blew my mind in the best possible way and showed me how you can literally be what you make of yourself – wherever you are. That you don’t have to shrink or change or do anything to be fully present wherever – not to spoil anything, you really need to watch her session on WordPress.tv 😊

What I promise you – none of them knows nothing of what I’ve just shared, as we never discussed about it, and Helen I haven’t had a chance to meet (unlike Petya and Ivelina), just watched her from afar, that one time in Vienna. And I’m sharing all this so you get inspired and moved by them just as I did.

Women in tech – today and tomorrow

For me, the conversation about women in tech is not about competition between genders, but about recognizing that talent, intelligence and leadership exist everywhere and across all genders. We need more women in tech not simply because we are women, but because we are capable, we bring valuable perspectives and we deserve equal space to contribute.

The bottom line is: the more diverse the people who participate in building technology, the better the outcomes will be for everyone.

Which is why I love WordPress – it truly represents the spirit of the open web. We have people from all perspectives and parts of the world entering tech right through WordPress and not just as developers, but as designers, writers, marketers, contributors, organizers. As I said, that openness creates opportunities that might not exist in more closed systems. And that gives me hope.

If I could change one thing about the tech industry that would make it easier for the next generation of women to thrive, what would it be?

It would probably be the expectations placed on us women, as we are taught that we could either have it all or choose work or family – that is not attainable and is hurtful, to say the least. And there is a simple solution – hold women to the same standards as men, not higher ones. I’ve read a tweet recently that said: the way I would prosper and improve if I too would have a wife at home doing it all and it sums it up nicely. Give us the same space to grow, to learn along the way, and to build our careers without the expectation that everything has to be perfect.

Wrapping up

I could probably write for weeks about this, as it is something that I hold close to my heart, as woman, as unrepresented not only in tech, but life in general. And if this was a live, it would last for days 😊 So, I better stop now, thanking once again Michelle and Samara and all the wonderful women who shared their stories today.

I want and invite every organization and company who reads this through to take inspiration from it and do something to move things forward. For us women and all underrepresented in any and every category.

Happy International Women’s day!