My mother worked full time my entire life. One time when she changed roles, her replacement was not one person, but THREE people. She had been doing the role of three people all that time. Once, she replaced a man in the same position and later discovered she was receiving 60% of his salary in the same role.

In my own career, I’ve had bad male moments. I had a boss who referred to me in front of others as “his little Georgia peach.” I was removed from giving a steering committee update because the “client prefers to work with men.” I’ve been invited to a company golf event where the women were shuttled to the outlet mall for the day. I had a peer put his hand between my legs at a work event. And of course, I’ve been asked to get the coffee and take the notes more times than Excel can calculate.

And, I owe some of my most significant career moments to men.

• My confidence to take risks and do what I want to do. Dad.

• My first job offer pivoting from acting to strategy consulting. Paul Fuhrman.

• My first partner promotion. Walt Shill.

• My most ground-breaking client work. Bob Easton.

• A really big promotion milestone. Chris McManus.

• My greatest personal growth as a leader. Arjun Bedi.

• My equal. My husband.

Women’s History Month is a time to celebrate the strong women who took all the hard punches before us. It’s also a time to celebrate the men who stand on our side of the ring. Thank you.