Every year on March 8th, International Women's Day (IWD) provides an opportunity to celebrate the progress made by the women's rights movement, but also to reflect on the discrimination and difficulties that women still experience worldwide. It's also a great time to promote women's empowerment and gender equality, and to champion their achievements in the home, the workplace, the media, and the sporting arena.

This year's International Women's Day theme is 'Accelerate Action'. 

This theme highlights the urgent need for faster, more effective progress on gender equality. Progress to overcome ongoing systemic barriers such as unequal pay and under-representation is too slow. Recent conflicts and the pandemic have been shown to particularly affect women, in terms of abuse, job losses, care-giving, and mental health, and urgent measures are needed to overcome these setbacks. The theme can also be applied on an individual level, as a reminder that if we have a goal or aspiration, the time to act on it is now. It may also to inspire us to think what we need to do personally to support those goals, mentally and physically. 

We're so proud to have so many incredible women supporting the Prep Kitchen brand, who demonstrate how women excel as leaders and motivators, and whose incredible achievements continue to inspire and motivate our customers. In celebration of International Women's Day, we spoke to some of our amazing female ambassadors about their journeys asking them about the women who have inspired them, the challenges they have faced, the achievements they're most proud of, and what this year's theme means to them.

Read on to learn more about their success stories.

Katarina Johnson-Thompson - Olympic Athlete

Katarina Johnson-Thompson (KJT) is an Olympic silver medallist (Paris 2024) and double World Champion, who first competed at the London Olympic Games in 2012 at the age of just 19 years old. As well as her incredible sporting achievements, KJT is known for her friendly and approachable personality, which earned her third place at the 2023 BBC Sports Personality of the Year. She was also named Sports Star of the Year 2019 at Stylist's inaugural Remarkable Women Awards. 

Katarina shared what IWD means to her:

International Women's Day is a time to celebrate the strength, resilience, and achievements of women. I take this moment to reflect on the incredible female role models who have helped break down barriers and ensure that every girl knows she has the right to dream big and achieve greatness. Whether it's an international athlete, a family member, or a neighbour, I know first-hand the power of representation and its impact on inspiring the next generation.

Katarina is an inspiration and role model for women and young athletes all around the world, but she told us that another remarkable woman had also inspired her on her journey to athletic success and stardom. That woman is heptathlon gold medal winner Denise Lewis, whom Katarina met when interviewing for the BBC in the lead-up to the 2012 Olympics. 

"[Denise] trod the path for the rest of us to walk on. She has always been one of the original OGs of the heptathlon in the UK and has always inspired such pride in me. In my career she has been my fairy godmother, offering advice and being there when I needed her and for encouragement when I've needed help the most."

Despite her own incredible and unquestionable successes, KJT shared that she has often faced forms of discrimination because she is a woman.

"I'm an athlete who has been competing for Great Britain for years now and feel as though I know my work very well, but I do have random men try to 'mansplain' and tell me how to do my job. I usually just laugh it off and often see it as they are trying to help but sometimes it doesn't come across that way and can really grind my gears!"

Sports is such a highly competitive field with extreme pressure to succeed. It can often feel as though you're being left behind, or that you don't have time to accomplish your goals. Katarina said that whilst timing is really important, you need to give yourself space.

"A big thing I wish I'd known when I was younger is that you do have time. I was really scared as a young athlete - I felt like I was running out of time, that it had to be now or never - but I look back and think I've done another 5 championships since then!"

For Katarina, this year's IWD theme, 'Accelerate Action,' means ensuring that her body, mind, and spirit are all in sync and have the fuel they need for balance and success:

"Physically, it's about getting the right nutrients, a good mix of protein, carbs and veg but more importantly, staying hydrated. But fuelling correctly is more than just food; it's feeling great and being in the right frame of mind. I try to fuel my mind by pushing myself, knowing that I have given my all really helps my mind settle and I try to surround myself with the right people who push me to be better. It's then important to recover, both physically and mentally so I stretch, use a massage gun, take a bath, read a book and just unwind and relax. Finally, I fuel my spirit by setting goals that I am passionate about. I try to embrace each challenge as an opportunity to grow and something that will help me to achieve my ultimate goal. That's what keeps me going, both on and off the track."

We think KJT is a winner in every sense of the word and a total superstar! You can see parts of the interview we had with Katarina in the video above.

Didi Okoh - Paralympic Athlete

Didi grew up in Chelmsford, Essex and started competitive athletics when she was 9, discovering a natural talent for the 800m and high jump alongside multis. She developed a condition called primary lymphoedema when she was twelve years old, though when first diagnosed she was still winning national medals and English schools silver medals. However, her condition deteriorated in her teens and she had to switch to para-athletics at the age of 20. Within two years, she had won nine BUCS medals, two national gold medals, a bronze at the 2024 Paralympic Games, and a gold at the Dubai Grand Prix. We asked Didi about her experiences as a female para-athlete, whether she had ever experienced any discrimination as a female athlete, and how she overcame it.

  At the age of 14, during my early years of training, I was subjected to a harrowing and protracted situation of unwanted attention from an older male. I had to endure this for years as I didn't receive any support. This experience made me feel that women in sports are belittled, and I don't want to allow that to continue happening to other young female athletes. I kept speaking up until some action was taken, and I plan to continue to spread awareness of the vulnerability of girls within sports.

As a food company, one of the questions we are always keen to ask is, how does an inspirational woman fuel herself? 

With lots of food!! I eat a lot, because I exercise a lot, and it's so important to eat enough to keep my body nourished. My diet has become positively influenced by the Prep Kitchen meals, as they give you a well-balanced meal! I tend to focus on high protein foods like chickpeas, salmon, and chicken, paired with carbs like rice, pasta, bagels.

Every inspirational woman recognises greatness in others, and we asked Didi who was her greatest female inspiration.

Serena Williams, her rise within sport and not letting her older sister's shadow, or competing in a predominantly white sport, stop her!

Finally, we asked what this year's IWD theme of 'Accelerate Action' meant to her. 

Accelerate action in my eyes means to not put women's issues in a back burner, be proactive with advocating rights and spreading awareness.

Didi is a truly amazing woman and an incredible athlete. We're so grateful to her for sharing her story and insights with us.

Sapphire Goddard - CrossFit Athlete

Sapphire Goddard is a CrossFit athlete, gym owner, functional fitness specialist, and social media influencer with more than 26k followers on Instagram. Before her CrossFit career, Sapphire was a female leader for a UK Tag Rugby charity across Africa and in Romania, where she helped to promote sport in schools and break down cultural, societal and gender barriers. In this role, Sapphire faced discrimination from men who would spit at her simply because of her gender. Her strength and determination helped to challenge such discriminatory behaviour, paving the way for a more respectful environment for females in these countries, and leading to more women and girls playing sports. In past relationships, she also experienced both verbal abuse and physical violence.

"Overcoming discrimination and abuse was a journey of resilience and self-discovery. These experiences affected me, encouraging me to set boundaries and stand up against mistreatment. It began with acknowledging that I deserved better and recognising that I had the strength to break free from toxic situations."

Therapy and self-care practices, such as mindfulness and journaling, helped Sapphire find inner peace and self-love, and the courage to pursue healthier, more fulfilling relationships. Sapphire has found inspiration from different female icons, including Serena Williams, Marie Curie, and Michelle Obama; however, the female who is her greatest inspiration is her younger self.

"The challenges she faced head-on with resilience and determination serve as a constant reminder of the strength within me. Witnessing her journey, marked by perseverance and courage, instilled in me a drive to strive for excellence and to be the best version of myself every day. Reflecting on her growth as a female inspires me daily."

 We asked Sapphire what this year's IWD theme, 'Accelerate Action', meant to her:

'To me Accelerate Action is more than just a phrase - it's a mindset you've lived by. From pushing limits in CrossFit to now owning a gym, i've never waited for the 'perfect' moment. Take action, put in the work, and build something meaningful. CrossFit taught me discipline, resilience, and the power of showing up every day. Now, as a gym owner, I have wanted to create a space where others can do the same - helping people move better, get stronger, and push past their own limits. It's not just about training hard; it's about stepping up, taking control, and making things happen. That's what Accelerate Action means to me.

We think Sapphire's younger self would certainly be inspired by the amazing, inspiring woman she has become, and we're proud to have her representing the Prep Kitchen brand.

We hope that the insights from these strong and talented women have encouraged you to think about the challenges that all women still face in society today. Their incredible achievements serve to illustrate the scope of women's talents and strength, and we hope they've motivated and inspired you as much as they've inspired us.

If you enjoyed this article, take a look at these other articles on our blog:

Celebrating LGBTQ athletes: Jake Williamson shares his story

Eating Disorders Awareness Week: Prep Kitchen ambassadors share their stories

Credits:

Photos of Didi Okoh courtesy of Peak Performance Media