In honor of International Women's Day and this year's #ChoosetoChallenge theme, we asked the team three questions to reflect on:

1. What do you wish that you’d challenged more when you were younger?

2. What did you find scary to challenge when you were younger that you now do on the regular?

3. What is one thing that you would tell your younger self to challenge more?

Read on for their answers below!

Jolene Holland

"My younger self wasn’t afraid to fail. She saw challenges as an exciting chance to spread her wings and see how far she could go, not worried in the slightest whether or not those wings could fly. She was literally winging it on the daily with an optimism and self assurance that she’d figure it out.

After leaving the nest and finding myself well into adulthood, the fear of failing has taken hold in a way that has made me doubt my ability spread my wings. This year, I’m challenging myself to fail. Accepting the threat of failure teaches us that even while the inner self doubt says 'I’m not _____ enough' or 'I’m too _____,' you’re brave enough to learn and figure it out along the way."

Anna Gu

"I love feeling unity among women, but it took me a long time to feel confident pointing out when I or others experience womanhood differently. Having parents who grew up outside the US in a collectivist culture, navigating queer dating, or even just being a person with very loose beliefs about gender identity - these have all impacted what being a woman means to me.

Learning how to talk about intersectionality beyond the classroom meant making mistakes, listening hard, and laying thick layers of empathy on top of hurt feelings. It's still scary sometimes not knowing if others think of me as nagging or attacking someone when I challenge an assumption. But with so much to learn - about how disability and class and so many other aspects of being a person impact womanhood - I don't see an end to being on either side of the challenge."

Melanie Clancy

"I wish I would have challenged the idea that as a woman my dreams could be too big or unrealistic. I grew up in a small west Texas town where football was king, and to be a gifted female athlete made me “weird” - only the boys were supposed to be good at sports, or allowed to dream of athletic scholarships. It wasn’t cool to be strong, or fully dedicated to your sport. It meant I was a 'tomboy,' wasn’t feminine enough, didn’t care about the right things.

I wish I would have challenged that idea the first time a woman told a 10 year old me to leave the girls bathroom because I was wearing my baseball uniform and baseball hat because I 'didn’t belong in there' — but I finally did on the day I signed my college scholarship to become a Division I athlete. And I’ve been challenging it ever since."

Natalie Smith

"The Boys Club. As an engineer, as a cyclist, and so many other aspects throughout my life, it has been there. I spent years trying to be accepted by it and priding myself on fitting into it, at least to some degree. That is energy I won't get back.

However, that experience has revealed where I can make an impact, every day. Empowering others to love themselves uncompromised by stereotypes or judgement."

Natalie Caballero 

"Growing up, there was always a sense that my peers, especially women, were my competition. That we would need to fight for a chance to have a seat at the allusive table. I wish I would have challenged that earlier. 

I morphed parts of my personality to try to fit into the 'guys club.' I would put my peers down to feel worthy. Over time, I’ve discovered that helping others and working as a team maximizes efficiency and helps overall with team morale. It turns out when we do well as a team, we can build a bigger table and all have a seat."

In honor of International Women's Day and this year's #ChoosetoChallenge theme, we asked the team three questions to reflect on:

1. What do you wish that you’d challenged more when you were younger?

2. What did you find scary to challenge when you were younger that you now do on the regular?

3. What is one thing that you would tell your younger self to challenge more?

Read on for their answers below!

Jolene Holland

"My younger self wasn’t afraid to fail. She saw challenges as an exciting chance to spread her wings and see how far she could go, not worried in the slightest whether or not those wings could fly. She was literally winging it on the daily with an optimism and self assurance that she’d figure it out.

After leaving the nest and finding myself well into adulthood, the fear of failing has taken hold in a way that has made me doubt my ability spread my wings. This year, I’m challenging myself to fail. Accepting the threat of failure teaches us that even while the inner self doubt says 'I’m not _____ enough' or 'I’m too _____,' you’re brave enough to learn and figure it out along the way."

Anna Gu

"I love feeling unity among women, but it took me a long time to feel confident pointing out when I or others experience womanhood differently. Having parents who grew up outside the US in a collectivist culture, navigating queer dating, or even just being a person with very loose beliefs about gender identity - these have all impacted what being a woman means to me.

Learning how to talk about intersectionality beyond the classroom meant making mistakes, listening hard, and laying thick layers of empathy on top of hurt feelings. It's still scary sometimes not knowing if others think of me as nagging or attacking someone when I challenge an assumption. But with so much to learn - about how disability and class and so many other aspects of being a person impact womanhood - I don't see an end to being on either side of the challenge."

Melanie Clancy

"I wish I would have challenged the idea that as a woman my dreams could be too big or unrealistic. I grew up in a small west Texas town where football was king, and to be a gifted female athlete made me “weird” - only the boys were supposed to be good at sports, or allowed to dream of athletic scholarships. It wasn’t cool to be strong, or fully dedicated to your sport. It meant I was a 'tomboy,' wasn’t feminine enough, didn’t care about the right things.

I wish I would have challenged that idea the first time a woman told a 10 year old me to leave the girls bathroom because I was wearing my baseball uniform and baseball hat because I 'didn’t belong in there' — but I finally did on the day I signed my college scholarship to become a Division I athlete. And I’ve been challenging it ever since."

Natalie Smith

"The Boys Club. As an engineer, as a cyclist, and so many other aspects throughout my life, it has been there. I spent years trying to be accepted by it and priding myself on fitting into it, at least to some degree. That is energy I won't get back.

However, that experience has revealed where I can make an impact, every day. Empowering others to love themselves uncompromised by stereotypes or judgement."

Natalie Caballero 

"Growing up, there was always a sense that my peers, especially women, were my competition. That we would need to fight for a chance to have a seat at the allusive table. I wish I would have challenged that earlier. 

I morphed parts of my personality to try to fit into the 'guys club.' I would put my peers down to feel worthy. Over time, I’ve discovered that helping others and working as a team maximizes efficiency and helps overall with team morale. It turns out when we do well as a team, we can build a bigger table and all have a seat."