Adeel 0:10
Hello, everyone, thank you for tuning in to another episode of calm Talks. My name is a deal, and I'm here alongside my co host. And we're here to help you lead a life of peace and progression, one calm dog at a time. So today, we have a special episode, especially for Women's Day, which happens to be today. So, you know, March is the start of Women's History Month. And we wanted to kind of focus on today's episode, highlighting a lot of women's accomplishments, and kind of talk about the importance of Women's History Month and some of the different accomplishments they've had. So I'll admit, upfront, like, actually, with this episode, and this month, this is the first time I've actually researched and looked up the back history of women's history month and you know, did some research of finding women that I find inspiring, right, because I, you know, wanted to speak about that. And admittedly, that was sort of eye opening. For me, it was interesting to see that there are some women's stories that I had never heard about, in a way, this episode gave me the impetus to go look that up.
Ant 1:15
Yeah, I guess that's actually the point, right? Like, we have Women's History Month to celebrate women. And it's an opportunity to find out these stories that we just didn't know before, or that people don't know before. So I think it's really important that you, we've done some research. Yeah,
Adeel 1:31
I mean, it's certainly something that I kind of enjoyed in a way to kind of learn a little bit more about some of the inspiring figures. So that's what we're going to be covering today, give you a few examples of women that we find inspiring in our research, and talk about the importance of Women's History Month. And then also, at the end, we're going to share what exactly makes these women inspiring. So if you're listening, and if you're a woman, maybe it'll inspire you as well.
Ant 2:00
So you mentioned that you did some research. Do you wanna enlighten us with like, some stories that you found, obviously inspiring women?
Adeel 2:07
You know, there was a handful of women that I came across, and really the one that was top of the list for me was Harriet Tubman. And I had heard Harriet Tubman 's name, actually, but I didn't really know her story at all. And I'm gonna kind of go into that a little bit, right? This woman was kind of born into slavery, like back in the 1800s. And as a child, she was whipped by her slave owner. And there was an incident where I think she was really young. And one of the slave owners was trying to like hurl an object at the slave right beside her, but it ended up hitting her in the head, and it was like a metal object of sorts. And that caused her really bad head injury, she got super dizzy, and that caused her like all sorts of pain, like for the rest of her life. So then her kind of value drove down at the at that point, and nobody really wanted her because they thought that she wasn't really going to be able to do some work. Her father at the time was also a slave obviously took her under her wing, and he was like, hey, I'll show her the chops kind of on the farm and everything like that. So she grows up as an adult, eventually, her slave owner passes away. And then she becomes a free woman. She ends up marrying a man who used to be a slave, but was now a freed man. His name was Tubman and that's who she ended up marrying. Her name of, actually before was minty. And then she renamed herself to be Harriet Tubman after she got married to Mr. Tubman. Now, she moved away from Maryland where she was a slave for most of her life. And she moved to Philly with her husband. Now this woman who, who had gone through a really tumultuous life of being born into slavery, having that massive head injury that, you know, kind of caused all sorts of problems. Now, he's a freed woman. She didn't sit on her laurels, she actually went back to Maryland several times to free other slaves. And it's actually a mad story. Like she didn't go there once. She didn't go there twice. She went like 13 times. There's some stories which even say she went there like 19 times. These are like trips, she would go within the underground rail station, and kind of, you know, perform like a bit of a coup over there, or a secret mission basically where she would go and free other slaves. She saved like about 300 Different slaves, man. It's actually like wild for me to read about that. Or someone who was born into a difficult position, escaped it, but then would risk their own life. Not once, not twice, but multiple times, just to go save other people. And she made the trip back from like Philly to Maryland, over a dozen times.
Ant 5:09
You know, I never heard of Harriet Tubman before. And that is, that's an incredible story.
Adeel 5:16
It's wild honestly, like when I when I read up on this, I was like, that's a G. That's a G right there.
Ant 5:22
Yeah, that is really inspiring.
Adeel 5:24
Oh, yeah. What about you, I want to learn something maybe that you came across.
Ant 5:29
We studied a lot of history that you're mentioning back in school in the UK, and someone that I think I mentioned this on our podcast, but was someone that I was aware of being made aware of, from studying in school was Rosa Parks, it's really famous in the UK. I mean, I don't know the education system in the US. I'm sure she's really famous here too. But for me, it just story of you basically refusing to have her seat for someone else, have a different skin colour. And just making that stand, I think is such a simple but effective and powerful way to demonstrate that you're not going to stand for this injustice. And that story. I think it's so simple. What it sparks was just a movement, or helped in a massive movement, I should say. And I think he has such a simple story of someone that was so courageous. And this case is a woman. I think it's just fantastic. You know, I
Adeel 6:19
was reading up and kind of finding the list of people for this episode. And we were actually chatting about this prior to getting started. But I found out some controversial stuff about Rosa Parks man. So turns out, turns out well, you know, I'm saying controversial loosely. But basically, there was a woman who took a stand in a bus before Rosa Parks did, which I had no idea about. Now this young woman's name is Claudette Colvin was born in Birmingham back in late 1939. Birmingham, Alabama, not UK just to specify his mom. Birmingham that's like all all Pakistanis. But no, this is Birmingham, Alabama. And she was going to school. This is a young lady, by the way, she's 15 years old. She's going to school. And back in that era, and it's actually math to say like, this is like less than 100 years ago. Like if you're black, you couldn't sit at the front of the bus, you have to go at the back of the bus. Which is mad, because it's not even like, you know, that's like, what, 80 years ago, 70 years ago, it's not that long ago. And if you did try to sit in the front, you will get beaten up, you'll get put in jail, you will get lynched. Sometimes like it's actually mad stories about that. Nine months before Rosa Parks decided to take a stand. hada Colvin, she actually got on the bus. She sat on the front of the bus at 15 years of age, and didn't move. And the bus driver was the conductor in the bus or I guess the bus driver. They came up to her and said, Hey, you gotta go to the back of the bus. She was like, No, I'm not going to move, sat there with her backpack in her lap said no, I have the same constitutional rights as this white girl. I'm not moving to the back of the bus. And this bus driver, basically, we're going to call the police. She's like, fine. I'm exercising my constitutional rights. I'm not going to move at the age of 50. And this, this young girl is taking a stand like that. And there's no one who had done it before, right? Because well not done it and not gotten away with it anyway. And this girl is doing it at that young age. And the police comes. And now there's a confrontation happening. And this police is like hurling racial slurs at her telling her that, hey, you're gonna get arrested and calling her racist names, and slurs and asking her to move to back while telling her to. And you see just stood there strong, brave as a warrior, and they took her to jail. You know, there's biographies of French she's spoken about this since then, because not really a famous story. But she was taken to jail. And you know, and what I was reading, she was saying and admitting that once I got to the jail, that's the first time I cried. Because like thrown I was being pretty strong and brave. But as soon as I got into jail, she's like, kind of broke down and that oh crap, I'm in jail, which to me is extremely inspiring that she held it together. Up until that point at the age of 15. That resolute mindset of not showing our emotion not showing our fear, because I'm sure she was scared as
Ant 9:36
hell was she the inspiration to Rosa Parks, basically,
Adeel 9:40
that's what inspired the next generation. And at that point, everyone who looked around they were like, Oh, wow, she stood up. She's the one who provided others the inspiration and the bravery to do that. Nine months later, Rosa Parks happen. Hmm, it's okay.
Ant 9:57
But as far as I mean, I guess I never know if Rosa Parks knew about her. But so regardless, the stories are Claudette Colvin stood for something. And maybe he's not as famous or as well known. But, you know, again, the simple story that is, no, it's just so inspiring to know that when you believe in something so strongly, you can inspire people to basically follow suit.
Adeel 10:23
Learning about these stories, made me kind of reflect and think back about what I've been taught up until this age, because frankly, you know, you kind of don't learn about some of these stories, or especially I didn't, because I grew up in Parkstone. Right. What are the stories that you have learned over your childhood? You mentioned Rosa Parks? Are there any other ones that kind of stand out for you? Yeah, well,
Ant 10:43
you know, for us, right in the UK. Now, the head of the Monica is the queen. Right? So I guess you already see her as a inspiring. Oh, and obviously, personally, I'm in a position of power. So yes, I learned about Rosa Parks and you know, loads of history, right. But we lived through the longest reigning monarch in history and the 70 years, she was the head of the Mauna Kea, right. It was 70 years, right? I wouldn't know. But I'll take your word for it. Yeah, yeah. And, you know, she's really is she's known for and she's like, she's looked up to for basically, not creating but overseeing, like the Commonwealth, I think her father actually created the Commonwealth, but she really effectively implemented it throughout the world. And really, the whole point of the Commonwealth was to remove British rollover territories from years past. And that seems a good thing. Because what she really wanted to do was still have good relationships with these countries, but not have like domain over them. So she's known for being somebody that was forward thinking and has that more humanitarian aspects. And that's why she's sort of looked up to, and seen today, as of today, anyways, as a really strong leader, and obviously a woman, of course, being the head of the monarchy for seven years is in itself. I mean, that's not an easy job, always having to, you know, effectively stand for, not the people, because I guess, as the Prime Minister, but she has to basically be the face of, of people of a culture, of a way of thinking. So that's in the self, like, I'm not something easy to do for such a long period of time. And, you know, aside from, you know, obviously, the culture aspects and all that stuff, and creating, effectively the Commonwealth, or at least, significantly implementing the Commonwealth. She's also known for being like a humanitarian, she stood up for racial injustice as well, in a lot of the old colonies of the British Empire, which is really known for basically being somebody that is forward thinking, and also standing up for for women's rights in these countries, and also for being very charitable, giving away a lot of the accrued wealth to nations are less privileged. So the queen for us is a was I should say, it's such an inspiring character, such an inspiring woman, shroud, I guess, my whole life.
Adeel 13:14
You know, it's interesting, because I've visited London, because I have some family who lives out there. And they had always told me about how beloved the royal family the queen is. And you see that as an outsider. And it's, it's, I would say, I don't think that's as common, it's definitely a bit unusual to see a leader of a nation, beloved, as much as the Queen of the royal family is more the
Ant 13:39
thing is that she's not really the leader. The leader is the prime minister, just like the President in the US, right? They deal with the political decisions, but she's more like a cultural figure what she was, right. Because she stands for what being British looks like, sounds like means like that. But she's not in charge of anything political. She's like a pseudo leader. Yeah. And also, some people are, yeah, I'm not gonna say whether I'm pro or against, but our people are pro, the royal family in the monarchy, but lobby we're against in UK, just as FYI, because I don't like what the institution stands for, or whatever the reason is, I'm neither gonna say I'm pro or against. So that's a conversation for a different day. But the point is, is that the role that she took, and what she stood for is not really up for debate, because she was always a strong figure in, in what she thought was injustice and how to fight against it, whether that be for you know, for racial issues, or for women's rights, often generally for the injustice of people because you know, effectively want to have dominion over them, which is why the Commonwealth exists. It was done on the back of we still want to have good relations as countries even though we technically owned you sort of thing right? But she didn't build it like that she was more like you go do your thing, but we want to be part of the same Commonwealth a common goal of being against injustice. So yeah, we're gonna have going into the royal family sort of debates, more cases. Have, she was somebody that is looked up to for what she stood for?
Adeel 15:05
markable? I've seen the crown, which is a show on Netflix, I've never seen that. Yeah, it can, it's supposed to give you a little bit of insight, right? Although you could argue like how much of it is real or not. But they actually show Queen Elizabeth, to be a very forward thinking woman, like you said, I think they had shown a scene or two, where she was incorporating a better bridge between her well, the royal family as a whole and the people. And a part of that was, you know, bringing some cameras in to their home, being able to kind of show a little bit of what's happening behind the scenes. And this is again, like back in the, you know, mid 1900s, when televisions was like just getting popular, they were probably black and white back in the day. And they kind of represent her in the similar light. So that's fascinating for me to see and kind of come full circle.
Ant 15:58
You know, when I also think about people that have accomplishments, or women specifically, I've studied a lot of science and math, as you know, right. And one person that we've always been taught about is Mary Curie.
Adeel 16:11
She is I've actually never heard her name. Tell me more about her.
Ant 16:15
So she basically was like a world renowned scientist. She was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize. I believe she won a Nobel Prize twice. And I think she also won a Nobel Prize in two different fields. But this is somebody over like, supreme dedication to their craft, and obtaining the highest accolades. And a woman.
Adeel 16:41
She sounds like a legend. Yeah, I
Ant 16:43
mean, she's like a legend in the field of like, science in general, because of basically, the research that she done was just so many one on our prize, I think, How can you say anything? is evident? Right?
Adeel 16:57
Yeah, I mean, that sounds like a remarkable woman as well. I think that kind of leads us on to, you know, important point as to why Women's History Month is important. And the reason that this month has utility for everyone, every single person, not just women, for everyone is because you learn about these inspiring stories, I'll admit now, proudly, but I will admit that, you know, some of the women that I learned about through this episode, to the research for this episode, were women I had not heard about, or maybe I didn't know about the extent of their story and their accomplishments. And I think that's where it's important for everyone listening, not just the women, but all the men listening as well, to maybe go out and do a little bit of research yourself. Because otherwise, there's a lot of inspiring stories, which we'll never learn about.
Ant 17:49
Yeah, creed, it's important to, it's important to shine the light on things that haven't had the light shone on them before, we will have heard of stories of amazing people, but to focus and hone in on amazing women, or inspiring women in women's month, I think is to your point, it's imperative that we stop and realise some of the inspiring stories that are specifically from women.
Adeel 18:13
Totally. I mean, men and women are a team, you know, we work together in a society to function effectively throughout the course of history. If you work at a corporation or any company, and is a member of your team, who always gets all the plaudits, all the applause, all the compliments, that would really piss you off. That's not going to bring out the best of you. So similarly, for a community for a society as a culture, we got to have our applause for women and men, right. And I think men generally do get their, their flowers as they would say, but women have their stories, maybe that remain unheard.
Ant 18:53
And I think that's also partly because women were had less opportunity compared to men, for whatever the reason is, again, it's not a conversation we need to delve into in too much detail. But ultimately, I think everybody can agree to a large extent that women had less opportunity to, you know, work can be in the workforce or to do things of like to demonstrate their capabilities, which is why people like, you know, Mary Curie are famous because she's the first woman to do something, because obviously, he implicitly is because the opportunities were not as not as long standard as it has been from it. So I do think is important to specifically call out that month so that we also understand the reason for calling it out is because truth be told, women had less ability to demonstrate their abilities in history.
Adeel 19:42
Brilliant. Now let's go into what is probably my favourite part of this episode. Just being introspective, and maybe it's your favourite as well. But let's break down what makes these women amazing what makes them inspiring. When I think about women like Mary Curie, Queen Elizabeth, Harriet Tubman. Father Colvin,
Ant 20:05
I mean, we can go on and we went, we know we knew and I've spoken before. Malala is a great example. Fantastic. There's Oprah is a really common modern day example. Michelle Obama is a great common day example, on modern day example.
Adeel 20:18
A lot of these women, they, they kind of all stand as inspiring figures in history, this one and their names will be remembered way beyond their lifetime. And that's important. And I think that that, to me, what all of them have have in common is that they focused on sacrificing in their life, so that they leave a legacy behind a legacy that will be remembered by all the generations in the future, so that they can draw inspiration from their stories. Yeah,
Ant 20:51
just that we are now, right. I think a part of that as well is that these people all stood for something they really believed in, but not for their own belief, with for the benefit of the humankind, a human race in general, like standing up to racial injustice, I would argue that benefits everyone, because we all you know, it's not good to be ignorant, in my opinion, in any capacity. Totally agree. So this is a stand up for injustice, for the benefit of everyone. And you can argue the same with someone like Mary Curie, who, you know, had such a profound impact in the world of science, it obviously benefits everyone today. So from both are sort of examples that we've spoken about Malala when I just mentioned it, but clearly you'd like an example for everyone to standing by their values for themselves, for their community, but also for the whole human race, I think in the mean, because these people just so inspiring,
Adeel 21:46
you know, they're all sacrifice their own pleasures for the greater good of humanity. And I think another part of what I find inspiring from a lot of these women, is they all challenge the status quo. They all ask themselves, about what is happening, what is the norm? Not that they accepted it as is. But is that right? Is that equal? Is that just an if it's not that took a stand? And that takes courage, which is in itself inspiring?
Ant 22:15
Yeah, I agree. I think when you stand against the status quo, and you do it successfully, of course, that's going to inspire people to also take No, and I agree with that. I think that courage, and the fact that we actually meant something and inspire other people, which in itself is inspiring.
Adeel 22:32
So for any of the women who are listening into our episode, I would even challenge you think about what are you doing to leave a legacy behind? What are the ways that someone would be inspired by you, it's gonna be different for each woman. So I'm not gonna sit here and give you ideas. But rather, I'm just asking the question, what are you doing to leave your legacy behind?
Ant 22:53
Yeah, and honestly, we'd love to hear from you. If you can share your story with us on our social platforms, Instagram account talks, let us know we would love to hear stories. Me personally, when I hear somebody's inspiring story from where they're coming from this hardships, how they're performing today, and whatever their field they're in, or what they stand for, in general, for irrespective whether you're a man or woman, I find that inspiring. So for people out there who are listening to this, we would love to hear your story. Because for us, that's also inspiring.
Adeel 23:24
And for the men listening, I would challenge you. Go out and read some of women's history. Learn more about these inspiring figures so that you are well educated. And then you can educate your future offspring, the people around you with what these women have accomplished.
Ant 23:42
And as always, no matter what you do, remember, stay calm.
Adeel 23:56
Thank you for listening to another episode of calm talks. And just as a reminder, if you like what you heard, don't forget to subscribe and leave a review.
Ant 24:03
You can also find us on Instagram at calm talks and join our mailing list by visiting our website at calm talks.com And as always,
Adeel 24:09
stay calm.