Integrity, Resillience and Finding Your Tribe

There is something profoundly powerful about a woman who stands in her truth. A woman who refused to shrink, who makes choices rooted in integrity, and who moves through the world with purpose. It is not always the easiest path. In fact, it can often feel like the loneliest. 

But integrity, the choice to align without values, even when no one is watching, shapes not just our individual lives, but the collective strength of women everywhere. And today, on International Women’s Day, we are reminded that we do not walk this path alone. Women across the world, across generations, and across cultures have fought for their voices to be heard. Many of us have left the homes we knew, the communities we once belonged to, in search of a new tribe, a new purpose, and a new beginning. We’ve had to start over, to build from scratch, to find the women who see us, hold space for us, and remind us who we are when we feel lost. We stand next to women who share nothing but gender, yet everything about our experiences are the same. We have all fought, we have all lost. We have all had to start over. And in that, we find in essence what today represents. 

Losing Your Tribe, Finding Yourself

Leaving home, whether physically, emotionally, or spiritually is one of the hardest things a woman can do. It’s not just about geography, its about identity. When we leave the people who have shaped us, we are forced to answer the question, 

Who am I without them?

This question comes in stages. It comes in those first moments of isolation, when you realize we no longer have the comfort of familiar voices cheering us on. It comes when we struggle to find like minded women who share our passions, our beliefs, our fire. And it comes when we find ourselves longing for connection but unsure where to turn. This is the moment integrity matters most. Because of the absence of external validation, we turn inward. We stand in who we are, in what we believe, in what we know to be true. Even when no one is watching. And, in time, incredible things begin to happen. We begin to attract women who are meant to be a part of our story. Women who lift us rather than compete with us. Women who challenge us to dream bigger, take up space, break the mold. Women who remind us that we were never meant to do this alone. This is the power of finding your new tribe.   

The Women Who Came Before Us Standing In Their Strength

I was raised by women who never sat still. My grandmothers, Oma Maggy and Wela Flor, shaped the way I see the world. They were go getters before the world had a word for it. Oma Maggy was bold, relentless in her ambition. Wela traveled through life steadfast and unwavering, sharing life lessons. They both taught me that integrity wasn’t about doing what’s right, it was about knowing who you are and never letting the world make you forget it. 

A Women Who Spoke Even When No One Wanted to Listen

And then, there are women beyond our own families, those that shaped history. Allow me to share with you the story of Sojourner Truth, a woman I have come to know and love fondly.  Today we happen to live on one of the roads she walked to freedom, a daily reminder that women always had to fight for their rights. Sojourn Truth knew what it meant to be silenced. Born into slavery she freed herself and became one of the most powerful voices for abolition and women’s rights. She stood in rooms where no one wanted to hear her words, and she spoke anyway. Her famous speech “Ain’t I a Woman?”, was a radical act of truth telling, She challenged the idea that womanhood was fragile, that strength and femininity could not co-exist. She reminded the world that women, especially black women, immigrant women, working class women had been carrying the weight of society on their backs for centuries. Sojourner Truth did not wait for acceptance, she didn’t wait for permission, she spoke because it was right, and because of her, we speak today. 

Passion, Purpose and Strength of Women Who Stand Together

Women’s Day is not just about celebrating how far we have come, it’s about coming together to acknowledge the work we have to do now. It’s honoring the women who stood in integrity even when the world tried to silence them. It’s for the activist who fought for our right to vote, for the mothers who raise daughters to believe they can do anything, and mentors who show other women the way. Women’s Day is about moments of solidarity between strangers, women who stand side by side, knowing they fight the same fight. It’s in the power of women choosing each other, choosing support over competition, choosing connection over division. Standing in integrity doesn’t mean life will be easy. We will experience the heartbreak, we will feel unseen. We will grieve friendships that did not survive, opportunities that slipped through our fingers, and versions of ourselves that we had to leave behind. And in these moments, resilience is our greatest tool. Allow yourself to feel everything, because growth doesn’t come from avoidance. Know that every painful experience is shaping us into the women we are meant to be. And, that somewhere in the world, another woman is feeling what you’re feeling, walking through similar fire, and emerging just as strong. Need proof. Look around. 

Integrity is the Pathway to Collective Growth 

Integrity is not just a personal practice, it’s a collective movement. It is the quiet revolution of women refusing to play small, refusing to apologize for their ambition, refusing to betray themselves for acceptance. It’s the women in boardrooms speaking up when they are the only female voice. It is the women in leadership advocating for the ones coming up behind them. It is the women in friendship choosing to celebrate instead of compete. This is how we change the world. By standing firm in our truth. By choosing each other. By walking through discomfort together, and knowing we will be stronger on the other side. 

Why Women Are Here. 

We are here to break barriers. We are here to support each other. We are here to take up space, unapologetically. So today, ask yourself, 

Am I showing up for myself with integrity? Am I supporting other women around me? 

Because, that’s what it means to be a woman, that’s what it means to lead with purpose, THIS is what International Women’s Day is all about. And, this is how we change the world. 

Thank you for reading until the end, Ayerim

Ayerim Maduro is an award-winning destination marketer, multi-passionate creative entrepreneur, proud wife, and working mom of young adults, pursuing her dreams and passion for writing by sharing thoughtful advice and positive inspiration for everyday life.  For more ABOUT ME or related content you will find on Ayri Vibes my blog. These are a series of writings on topics I’m passionate about.  Such as my specialty in travel, tourism, & hospitality and sharing my expertise in digital marketing.  I also write about life experiences, uncovering one’s passion and purpose, and our family’s unique lifestyle.    Any, and all views, or opinions, expressed in this blog, are solely my own and do not represent the views or opinions of those people, institutions, or organizations that I may or may not be associated with in a professional or personal capacity unless explicitly stated.