Some women quietly change the way we see the world.

Donna is one of them.

In our private shorthand, she is the Goddess of Dignity. Its relentless steward.

Over dinner recently, we talked about what it means to be claimed by a passion and the rare gift of recognizing it in time to follow it. For Donna, that calling has been dignity: understanding it, protecting it, and helping others see its power in our lives.

As the conversation unfolded, she told me about a small cabin she had found tucked away in Maine. When she first walked the land, she resisted the urge to move the rocks and boulders scattered across the clearing. Instead, she arranged her place around them. Over time, she came to understand the clearing differently, because nothing essential had been disturbed.

It struck me as a quiet metaphor for the work she has devoted her life to. Dignity doesn’t ask us to erase what is difficult. It asks us to recognize what is essential in one another and create space around it.

Before the menus arrived, she slid a small envelope across the table. Inside was a bracelet for women committed to advancing dignity in the world.

Dignity sisters.

On this International Women’s Day, I’m thinking about women like Donna. Extraordinary ordinary women who pursue their Meraki with patience, conviction, and care, and who remind us how powerful it can be when people feel safe, seen, and supported.

Excerpt from reflections on the extraordinary ordinary women we honor through The Meraki Dignity Project.

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by Stephanie Georges
Founder and CEO
The Meraki Dignity Project