Women are at the core of our company — this is just one of the reasons why we want to help you celebrate International Women’s Day. So, mark your calendar for March 8, 2021, and get ready to celebrate the wonderful women in your life! These are the best things to do on Women’s Day 2021:
Have a Women’s Day 2021 Virtual Celebration
Virtual celebrations are pretty common these days, so why not have one for International Women’s Day? That way, everyone can stay safe while you celebrate the women who make your life worth living! Here are some ideas:
Virtual Women’s Day 2021 Idea #1: Create a Gift From Family Pictures
Today, there are many online platforms where you can upload pictures and make scrapbooks, photo albums, posters, and more. We recommend Shutterfly. You simply choose your gift, add the pics and commentary, and they do the rest! They’ll even send the virtual photo album for you!
Virtual Women’s Day 2021 Idea #2: Set Up a Zoom Meeting
Even with families scattered around the country, a Zoom meeting brings everyone together! If you’re not familiar, Zoom is a videotelephony company that allows its users to talk face-to-face in a group video call. It’s free to use, which is what makes it a great choice for a socially-distanced thing to do on Women’s Day.
Virtual Women’s Day 2021 Idea #3: Use a Food Delivery Service
Nothing brings people together like food! Is one of your favorite memories with a woman in your life the conversations you’ve had at mealtime? If so, use a delivery service like DoorDash or Uber Eats to send them their favs. Then, order some for yourself. Set up a video chat, and BAM, you’ve reignited that cherished memory!
iStorage’s Virtual Celebration of Women’s Day 2021
Now that we’ve mentioned some of the things to do on this International Women’s Day, we want to take you through a virtual celebration of our own. Here at iStorage, we’re lucky that inspiring women surround us. After all, women are a core demographic in our business. Not only is the CEO of our parent company, National Storage Affiliates, a woman, but 62 percent of our iStorage field team is made up of women. Check out this breakdown of our corporate office below:
We’re highlighting some of the women who make our company so great in celebration of our balanced office. We sat down with them to get their stories and learn about the women that inspire them.
Meet Property Manager Brenda McFadden
Cincinnati iStorage Property Manager Brenda McFadden has been in the business for 30 years. We have been lucky enough to work with her for the last 2.
ISTORAGE: What values do you look for in a company?
“Time off is more important to me now than when I was younger. For example, when my daughter gave birth, I had the flexibility to go out of town to be with her. In addition, with my mother in the late stages of her cancer battle. I was able to adjust my days off so I could take her to chemo weekly. […] I believe that a company that adjusts to the changing aspects of a person’s life will get loyalty from their employees.”
ISTORAGE: Who is a woman in your life who’s influenced you?
“Like most women, my mom was a huge influence in my life; a single mom when life was so much harder for women. She worked many hours in a hot factory, [then came home and took] care of us. We lacked nothing. A good work ethic was part of my upbringing [..] I was taught if your job is to sweep the factory floor, your floor should be the cleanest it has ever been.”
ISTORAGE: Any closing thoughts on International Women’s Day?
“It is my opinion the biggest challenge women have now is between their ears. The mind is all that can stop you. This is due to the many amazing women that blazed a path before us, by not believing that they were not good enough or capable of the job, just plowing ahead.”
Read more of Brenda’s interview on LinkedIn.
Meet Property Manager Sharon Anderson
iStorage Property Manager Sharon Andersen has worked at the Center Line, MI property for more than 9 years.
ISTORAGE: Who’s a woman in your life who’s influenced you?
“It’s been the women in my family, my grandma, my mother, my sisters. All very strong women with a strong work ethic. They taught me those values from [the time I was younger] and they continued to encourage me all through my life. Still do, actually.”
ISTORAGE: What values do you look for in a company?
“Ethical behavior is huge. I also appreciate the fact that I am able to manage myself and not micro-managed. I’ve had that ability here. When I started, I worked for someone that told me, “I will support you if you feel you’ve made a good business decision. [If you haven’t], I’ll try to understand.” That was very important to me.”
ISTORAGE: Any other thoughts around International Women’s Day?
“There’s a lot of very smart women out there, and it’s nice when […] we are given the ability to use our intelligence to do a good job for a company. I think that’s the one the absolute thing that has kept me here, is that I’ve had good results and it’s been such a pleasant work environment where I was allowed basically to be me.”
Read the rest of Sharon’s interview on LinkedIn.
Meet Corporate Leader Melissa Cameron
Melissa Cameron, vice president of marketing at our parent company, National Storage Affiliates, spoke with us about how to have compassion in everything that you do.
ISTORAGE: What values do you look for in a company?
“I would say [the value most important to me is] compassion. Every relationship is a two-way street, and that’s no different when it comes to a relationship with a company. […] Compassion to me [means] having empathy for the people you’re managing.
But also, that return [of compassion] from the company is important as well. I think traditionally, companies weren’t run with compassion in mind, but it’s so important to have […] empathy for people.”
ISTORAGE: Who is a woman that inspires you?
“My mom — that sounds so cliche to say your mom, right? But she is. First of all, I would say she is my best friend besides my husband. She’s a true example of [compassion] to me. I think that’s kind of how it comes full circle: my mom has taught me the importance of being compassionate to the people we interact with outside of work, and that’s translated to my work life so seamlessly.”
Read Melissa’s full interview on LinkedIn.
Let’s celebrate this International Women’s Day by showing the women in your life the appreciation that they deserve. If you’re interested in learning more about our balanced offices, check out NSA Brands. Until then, Happy International Women’s Day!