Happy International Women's Day

Otherwise known as International Women’s Day, today is one of my favourite days of the year; a day of celebration and pride of a whole sex, of MY sex. In light of this day, we wanted to take the opportunity to revisit an interview from TicketSellers & Eventree co-founder, Mo Jones:

International Women's Day, for me, is an opportunity to stop and reflect on a variety of things; our role as women in modern society, the balance between career and parenting, the rights we have won, the gaps we have closed and the work we still need to do.

I don’t really differentiate myself as a woman when I think about my career and that’s how I think it should be.  Business is founded on relationships and I believe women can be better at nurturing relationships as they don’t have the burden of testosterone or masochism getting in the way of good decisions, so I feel lucky in that respect.  Women are often the ones who aren’t afraid to ask a silly question or seek confirmation of assumed knowledge.

I’m enjoying seeing women being pushed and given the platforms they deserve and my set in the main tent at Shambala a few years ago, for example, was definitely due to being female, although given as a result of years of playing late night sets in smaller venues and hence, proving my worth.  A truly momentous moment in my life and hopefully really inspiring to any women in that crowd to see a female in a typically male-dominated environment.  If one lady out there thought, that’s great, I can do that, then job done!

The famous women I most admire are sensible women, famous because they talk sense and don’t preach.  Women who inspire and lead without making a big fuss about being a woman.  Michelle Obama is probably top of my list.

-Mo Jones - Founding Director of TicketSellers, Jungle DJ aka 'Mistress Mo'.

IWD seems like the perfect day to thank all the women out there who make me burst with pride and gratitude. To the women who came before us, to Jane Austen, to Emmeline Pankhurst, to Elizabeth Cady Stanton, to Rosa Parkes and to all the incredible, brave and inspirational women to paved the way before us in order for me and you to be where we are today. The women who made it possible for us to vote, to get an education, and to simply be. Thank you.

To the celebrities who continue to inspire me every day, who use their discourse for change and to highlight all that still needs to be done before we reach equality. To Roxane Gay, Caitlin Moran, Laura Bates, Maya Angelou and all the other incredible, intelligent authors who I find power within when reading their work, who are brave enough to write about their own stories and their own injustice’s, in order to empower young women, to provide consistent reassurance that it does get better. Thank you.

Thank you to those who have embraced today and thanked your female friends and family. I cannot stress how important it is to lift one another up, to ditch the body-shaming of each other and to empower one another. To the women on my social feeds, who I don’t know but who I consistently find myself feeling proud of despite the lack of contact. To the women from my days in education, peers and teachers, who I don’t see anymore, thank you for making me the woman that I am today.

Thank you. I am grateful to each and every one of you.