The Foundations of Courage: Celebrating Each Step in a Lifelong Journey
DATE
Judith Martinez
CEO & Founder of InHerShoes, Judith is redefining traditional standards of what it looks like to be a successful woman today, particularly at the intersection of entrepreneurship, media, and social impact. Featured in Forbes, NASDAQ, Refinery29, BuzzFeed, and more, Martinez is a sought-after voice as a leader at the intersection of social impact and the future of human capital - emphasis on the human.
I am the product of immigrants. This is a fact I am proud of. I am also a product of strong, immigrant women. This is a legacy I am proud of.
In the midst of Filipino American History Month this October, I have been taking time to reflect on the unique intersections of my identity and how it has shaped me into both who I am, what I stand for, and what I am building. Especially as the founder of InHerShoes, the modern woman’s community for courage, and even more so as our yearly Catalyze Courage Summit is this weekend.
My name is Judith Martinez and I am a first-generation Filipino-American. I have the double edged sword experience perhaps many first-gens do: the life of privilege to be born in the U.S.-- the land of “the American dream” -- and the expectation and sometimes daunting task to fulfill what those “American dreams” are, even if those dreams aren’t necessarily yours. The same age I walked across the stage as one of the first in my family to ever graduate college, my mother crossed 7,332 miles and came to the United States for a new life. The first and eldest of her five siblings to come to America, once she became a citizen she petitioned for her parents, my grandparents, to come to America, too. Growing up, I often straddled a fine line between dutiful daughter and resistant rebel when it came to the expectations that were laid before me, and a life I stubbornly believed was full of possibility. This is a line I am still learning to dance alongside today, learning how to relate to the past as a place of reference, not residence.
For as long as I can remember I was destined to be a lawyer. The yellow brick road to success that was laid out for me looked like going to the right schools, getting the right grades, and doing the right things so I can live the “right” life. A life that was filled with success, which was measured by money, which equaled stability, safety, and opportunity. As a granddaughter of cacao and rice farmers in the barrios of the Philippines, as much as my lineage of women comes from strength and perseverance, it also came from a narrow path of survival. Following your passion was not an option for my mother or grandmother in their upbringing. Passion was a privilege.
As a first-generation founder, passion is the groundswell I have built InHerShoes upon and is part of our rallying cry for all women to tap into to catalyze courage for themselves and their communities. As a daughter, granddaughter, and founder, I am clear the sacrifices the women in my family have made are a direct line to the passions and possibilities I am afforded, and am determined to pay forward. In essence, our choices have an impact.
That impact stems from one question at the heart of our work: what would you do if you were 1% more courageous? Being InHerShoes and furthering our mission means answering this question for yourself every day, in your own way, and having that courage positively impact the communities you care about. Whether it's through a conversation changing the trajectory or your life; or simply mustering up the courage to raise your hand in class - InHerShoes's impact lives in the in-between moments that ultimately make up our lives. At InHerShoes, we believe the lives we love are on the other side of fear and it's a lifelong journey - one act of courage at a time.
Thinking about the foundations of courage and where our courage can come from, I believe that everyone has the capacity to be courageous -- cultivated by nature and nurture. Some of us learn how to be courageous by looking at influences in the outside world: friends, school, work or those we look up to. Others know how to tap into the courageousness that is innately within us, doing the inner work of awareness and healing. To build a strong foundation of courage, you must be willing to merge internal and external forces in a way that is authentic and genuine to you. Learning this dance, how to be courageous, is a key part of work that we do daily at InHerShoes.
The magic of InHerShoes is that everyone’s 1% courageousness is drastically different. Even if an act of courage is the same, someone’s intentions may be different and the nuances that paint our lives are different. In our diverse community, people are truly living in their own shoes. With each generation we muster up the courage to traverse our own “unchartered waters” - whether they are literal, like for my mother immigrating to America, or perhaps symbolic, like deciding to carve your own path and build your own dreams.
This October, I am celebrating the courage of women in our lives across generations, and the courage we all have the ability to catalyze for generations to come. I can’t wait to be a part of the conversations and actions coming out of this weekend’s 2021 Catalyze Courage Summit: I’m Speaking. Our summit celebrates the diverse voices of women in our community (the clarity seekers, wisdom sharers, stubborn optimists, and table builders) who are activating their truths and their talents to pursue their hopes and dreams to build their own unique legacies.
We all have a legacy to leave. What will be yours?