If IWD events were only ever for women and only women understood what true feminism is, how would we continue to inspire, learn and educate those that identify differently, to drive real change and achieve an inclusive, balanced world?

Under this year's International Women's Day theme of #ChooseToChallenge we have chosen to challenge the stereotypes of IWD events, in the workplace and in society.

And "we" are the teams at marketing company Shake It Up Creative, inclusion consultancy Watch This Sp_ce and Brighton Digital Women.

Everyone is welcome to join us for an upbeat event where you can immerse yourself in stories from a diverse range of speakers.

This is a free event, but we do ask that a donation is made to our chosen charity The Clock Tower Sanctuary: the only drop-in day centre in Brighton & Hove for homeless16-to-25 year olds. They provide practical and emotional support to help young people to move from crisis to stability. A one-off donation can be made securely here and please enter 'IWD Shattering Stereotypes' in the comments box.

Event speakers include:

Jacqueline McLeod

Author of #1 Amazon Best Seller, Feminine Masculine Balance: A Paradigm Shift for Peace and Abundance

Have you noticed that we are experiencing a global outpouring for change, exposing some of the most insidious elements of the patriarchy to public examination? Groundswell movements like the Women's March, Black Lives Matter, #timesup and the Student Walk-Outs for gun control raise a universal call against violence and domination and are calling for real change which is possible. But first we need to understand the driving force behind all the turmoil in our world. Underneath the layers of misogyny, entitlement, and exploitation lies a profound imbalance between the value and expression of masculine qualities over the feminine. Jacqueline demonstrates using a practical Feminine Masculine Balance table that women and men alike can open their eyes to a new way of being and become better versions of themselves by valuing and balancing their feminine energies with their masculine energies.

David Lockie

David is a technologist who loves the cutting edge of technology with specific interests in WordPress, AI and blockchain. He founded Pragmatic (one of the world’s leading WordPress agencies) in 2012, eventually merging with Angry Creative in 2020 to form Europe’s largest specialist WooCommerce and WordPress agency.

Growing a company with an inclusive culture whilst respecting personal boundaries and behaviour preferences is tough. David will be talking about leading Pragmatic, attracting good people and the decisions that were made to retain a diverse, engaged workforce. Speaking with honesty, the highs, lows and difficulties will be shared because as he says "nobody ever gets it perfectly right".

Kira Downer

Kira is a third year business student studying at The University of Brighton. During her time at the University she has given several presentations to her other students related to Personal Branding and Gamification. She is currently finishing her last year of University remotely.

In 2019 Kira was experiencing anxiety so bad that she couldn’t leave the house. In order to help her work through this anxiety she started a personal, daily, project called #SelfieWithKira. Hear Kira share this story, how the project helped her and all about her experience of being stereotyped.

Rachel Davis

Founder of LaLa Tigers, TEDx Speaker, NLP Practitioner, Hypnotherapist, Parent Transformation Coach, Songwriter, Mama of 2 and a passionate advocate for children’s mental and emotional health.

With 1 in 3 Mental Health Issues caused in early childhood, parent and child wellbeing has never been so important. But the way your child thinks and feel about themselves and the world around them, particularly before age 7 affects so much more than just their wellbeing. It will also affect the future of our planet and society as a whole. In this thought provoking talk, Rachel shares how the beliefs formed in early childhood are used to run the rest of our lives on a largely unconscious basis and how these beliefs can be positively affected for the good of all, by the use of music, positive language, increased connection and a simple change in parent perspective.