For the first time in more than a decade, I went two months without writing a blog.

That may not sound like much, but for someone who has been posting regularly since 2014 – often reflecting on leadership, health IT, and the advancement of women – it felt unusual. The truth is, I wasn’t sure what to say.

This has been a discouraging moment in our nation’s history.

And yet, it’s Women’s History Month. That feels exactly like the moment when reflection – and perhaps a bit of courage to speak honestly – matters most.

For years I’ve used March to reflect on the progress women have made and the work still ahead. This year, I find myself thinking about something different: how our history might look today if it already included our first woman president.

We had our chances.

I can’t help but wonder how our country might feel if women had reached the highest level of leadership. Would our national priorities look different? Would we see greater attention to economic security, healthcare access, environmental sustainability, or global cooperation?

Of course, no single leader determines the course of history. But representation matters. Leadership matters. And the absence of women at the very top of our political system remains striking.

Those of us who work in healthcare know something about leadership in challenging moments. The past several years have tested healthcare organizations and the people who lead them in unprecedented ways. One lesson stands out: progress rarely follows a straight line. It requires resilience, collaboration, and people willing to keep moving forward even when the path feels uncertain.

Hope can feel hard to hold onto in times like these.

Recently I was reminded of that while listening to reflections from former Presidents Obama and Biden at Reverend Jesse Jackson’s celebration of life. Their remarks about Jackson’s lifelong commitment to justice underscored something important: every generation experiences moments when it feels like the country is moving backward. Yet progress happens because people refuse to give up on the possibility of a better future.

That feels especially relevant this year.

The theme of this year’s Women’s History Month from the National Women’s History Alliance is “Leading the Change: Women Shaping a Sustainable Future.” The theme expands the idea of sustainability beyond environmental concerns to include economic security, community resilience, leadership succession, and intergenerational equity.

In other words, sustainability is about building systems that support both people and the planet over time.

Women are doing that work every day.

We see it in leadership roles across healthcare, technology, education, and public service. We see it in community organizations and civic movements. And often we see it in quieter ways – in mentorship, advocacy, and coalition-building that doesn’t always make headlines but shapes the future, nonetheless.

This year’s International Women’s Day theme – “Give to Gain” – also resonates with me. The idea is simple: when we invest in others through mentorship, resources, visibility, and support, the benefits multiply.

When women thrive, communities thrive.

In my own life, I’ve been reminded of that in several ways recently.

I am joining my daughter at a fundraising event supporting the Women’s Fund of Rhode Island, where she is part of the current Women’s Policy Institute cohort. Watching the next generation engage in policy and civic leadership is both inspiring and reassuring.

I also participated with Girls Inc., helping judge scholarship applications from high school students and am participating in their Workforce Development Committee. Listening to the aspirations of these young women is a powerful reminder of why this work matters.

And in my professional world, I co-hosted with Sarah Richardson the first ever This Week Health 229 Women’s Summit, where women health IT leaders gathered to learn from each other and strengthen the networks that support leadership in our field. In healthcare especially, leadership pipelines and mentorship matter – because the decisions being made today shape the systems patients and communities will rely on tomorrow.

These experiences reinforce something I’ve believed for a long time: progress happens through community.

At the same time, it’s impossible to ignore the broader climate we’re operating in.

We’re hearing declarations that DEI is “dead”.  Legislative proposals like the SAVE Act raise new concerns about voting access that could disproportionately affect women.

These developments send a message. But they also make something else clear: the work is far from finished.

In many professional settings today, political discussions are avoided entirely. We keep our heads down and focus on the work in front of us. I understand why. This may be the most politically divisive period of my lifetime.

But values don’t disappear just because we stop talking about them.

For me, Women’s History Month is a reminder that progress has always required people willing to live their values – through leadership, through community involvement, and through the choices we make about where we invest our time and energy.

History reminds us that progress is neither automatic nor guaranteed.

Each generation has to decide whether it will continue the work.

For those of us who care about advancing women, strengthening communities, and building a more equitable future, the question is less whether the work continues and more how each of us chooses to participate.

In my own case, that means showing up where I can – supporting organizations doing the work, mentoring emerging leaders, and staying engaged in conversations that matter. None of us can do everything. But each of us can do something.

In other words: give, so that we all gain.

Women’s history isn’t just something we celebrate each March. It’s something we are still writing – every day, in ways large and small.

And that gives me hope.