It's easy to view International Women's Day as just another holiday and overlook the meaningful progress that has shaped women's empowerment and opened doors across every industry. While there is still a considerable journey ahead, we want to take a moment to celebrate and highlight the transformational impact that women are bringing to the financial space. 

What follows is not an exhaustive list, but rather a selection of valuable life lessons that these remarkable women leaders are sharing with the world. Their insights, born from personal experience and professional expertise, offer wisdom that can benefit anyone seeking to improve not only their financial but general wellbeing. We hope you find their stories as inspiring and transformational as we do. 

1. Budget with Purpose 

Tiffany Aliche, Financial Coach and Author of The Budgetnista 

"A budget is not a restriction—it's a plan for your money that gives you permission to spend." 

When she suddenly lost her job at the age of thirty, Tiffany, a teacher at the time, struggled to find a way out of debt. She embarked on a journey of discovering her potential as a financial trainer and practiced her advice on building income streams and eliminating debt. 

Creating a budget helped her begin to track her spending and popularized the understanding that budgets are an empowering tool rather than a limitation. Her approach focuses on creating spending plans that reflect personal values and priorities, rather than succumbing to external pressures that encourage careless spending.

2. Negotiate and Value Your Worth 

Annette Kijjagulwe, Head of Business at NFT Consult 

"Know your value – that's first. Know the value of your education and what you are going to put into this project. So that even if you are being undercut, you know what value you are bringing to the organization and you can negotiate as fits. If you're simply focused on getting the next gig, people are willing to walk over you." 

As a Human Resource Specialist, Annette observed candidates missing out on value due to lack of awareness in the hiring process. Today she empowers people to bring their best selves into negotiation rooms by helping them identify their value, conduct thorough research, and remain firm, especially when opportunities don't fulfill their purpose. She emphasizes that negotiating salary, rates, and compensation is crucial to financial growth. 

3. Leverage Your Strengths 

Henriette Paula Mugisa, Founder of Teesa Advisory Services 

"Why doesn't every single second of every effort you put towards your work, start with building the long-standing thing you believe in? Your strongest effort needs to go towards building your strengths and the vision of what you want to create." 

For years conducting one-on-one business coaching, Paula noticed a mismatch between the skills and strengths of founders and the business ideas they pursued. For women business owners, this was often due to underestimating their abilities in industries perceived to be dominated by men. 

Today she encourages a generation of new leaders to embrace their strengths and create opportunities that align with their power, skills, and the value they want to contribute to the world. 

4. Learn From Your Failures 

Juliet Kasiita, Coach and Speaker, Head of Uganda Chapter at Sinapis and Founder of Winpreneurs Africa 

"I look at the positivity criticism has to offer. I separate it from my self-worth and look at it as an opportunity to learn. It helps me keep an open mind and where possible own up to my mistakes. And move on." 

Having worked in the corporate sector as an IT specialist for over a decade, Juliet sought ways to address wider social problems perpetuated by poverty that limited individuals' ability to prosper. 

By engaging with entrepreneurs, she discovered her gift for helping them unlock their mindsets and abilities, turning their ideas into successful enterprises.

5. Nurture a Wealth Mindset 

Ayesha Ofori, Founder of PropElle Network

"Wealth creation is as much about mindset as it is about strategy. Challenge the limiting beliefs you have about money and your relationship with it." 

Despite working in Investment Banking for years, Ayesha discovered psychological barriers that limited her ability to invest a portion of her salary and negatively influenced her spending habits. 

Through the turmoil of the 2008 financial crisis and she began to build her portfolio by investing in real estate, educating herself on diversifying interests and building passive income. This journey led to founding businesses that empower others to begin investing, particularly emphasizing real estate as a powerful wealth-building tool for women. 

6. Measure What Matters  

Monica Kasirye Kavuma, Financial Trainer and Founder of Financial Fitness Spa, Author of the Wealth Planner 

“The currency we measure success with today has changed. Many now think: ‘I would rather have 1 million likes and zero dollars in my account because I want the appeal and validation.’ We are measuring the wrong things and expecting to get different results.” 

Monica observes that we rarely view our financial decisions through the lens of their long-term impact—not just on our immediate family, but on our wider communities. These misconceptions, among others, have informed the lessons she draws upon to help people combat unfulfillment and build genuine financial wellbeing. 

With a background in Auditing and Finance, Monica has designed financial education tools that address critical knowledge gaps. Her approach reforms the traditional wealth-building journey to emphasize balance and holistic well-being, rather than just accumulation for its own sake.