International Women’s Day (or IWD) was first celebrated in 1911, when a group of women gathered in Copenhagen, Denmark and agreed it was time to start recognizing the economic, social, cultural, and political achievements of women all around the world. More than one million men and women gathered together at rallies campaigning for the increase in women’s rights. Now, more than 100 years later, we’re still celebrating the women in our lives and their achievements while at the same time acknowledging there is work to be done. Here at Albion Fit, we want to give a shout out to a few women on our team who make a big difference.

Without strong, inspiring women, Albion Fit wouldn’t be where we are today. As a women owned and run company, we owe so much to the female leaders on our team. We see you, we love you, and we’re honored to work with you.

In honor of International Women’s Day, we wanted to highlight a few of the Albion women that have been with us for many years.

What has your Albion journey looked like?

I started out as a consultant with Albion and did trainings monthly and soon realized I wanted to invest more time into an amazing culture and company. 

Who is a woman that has inspired you?

There have been many Woman through different phases of my life that have inspired and mentored me. Liz Findlay has played a large role in that and would have to say Sydney King.... these women have a heart of Gold to the core and truly always thinking about how they can serve others. 

What are you doing to positively influence your community?

Something I truly try to do on a daily basis is “Be the reason to make someone smile” Throughout my journey at Albion I have realized how much I love to mentor others by uplifting, listening and teaching. We could all spread a little more kindness around like confetti. 

What has your Albion journey looked like?

Who is a woman that has inspired you?

I have so many women in my life who have inspired me.  My Grandma Shirley passed away a little over 16 years ago but she made such a huge impact on me at such a young age.  She was always so kind to everyone around her.  She would go out of her way to buy school supplies and deliver them to low income elementary schools.  She was such a selfless person.  Even towards the end of her life when she was dealing with Cancer she put everyone else first and made sure you felt loved and taken care of.  She was such an incredible and strong woman, I miss her so much.  But, I am so grateful for how her actions have stayed with me and influenced me today.  I cherish all of my memories with her! 

What are you doing to positively influence your community?

I try to be a positive influence in every aspect of my life!  Whether it is my mom, brother, sister, nieces, friends or coworkers I try to have a calm and positive outlook in any situation.  

What has your Albion journey looked like?

Who is a woman that has inspired you?

I am so lucky to have been surrounded by so many incredible women my whole life so it's hard to pick just one, but the first that comes to mind is my sister, Andrea. Life hasn't exactly been easy and has thrown plenty of curveballs, but she takes it head on with courage and grace. She works hard and puts her whole heart into everything she does. There have been moments in the past that I'm sure she could have been spent wondering "why me?" but instead faced them with faith and determination. She spends her time lifting and inspiring others, and I'm just grateful to be on the receiving end as her little sister.

What are you doing to positively influence your community?

I hope to positively influence any community I'm a part of by encouraging women to empower each other rather than compete. Life gets so crazy and we need more people around us who can help us be our best selves. One thing I love about our Albion family is that we make it a priority to give each other feedback in order to help each other grow. We have an opportunity to impact not only their growth at work, but their personal life by showing up and helping each other learn and progress together.

What has your Albion journey looked like?

When I first started in May of 2013 I was hired as a part time stylist. I had never worked in retail before so it was brand new and a huge learning curve! I was working two jobs, but as soon as I got the hang of working in the store I quickly picked up more hours and quit my other job. As a college student at the time I was only working part time and didn’t have any plans to continue working in retail after I graduated. I continued to learn more about Albion, get more involved with the company and enjoy everything about it. I was able to learn shipping, customer service, marketing, and management. I began to co-manage the following year and then was able to manage the same small store I first started in.

About a year and a half later my husband and I moved to Provo, Utah to complete our degrees. I continued working for Albion from Provo for a few months and then needed to give my full attention to school. In the summer of 2017 we lived in LA for my husbands internship. When we came back to Utah for a visit I saw Albion’s new office and immediately texted Liz. I missed it. A lot. She offered me a job back at the store managing when I came home from LA and I didn’t hesitate to take it. When we came home from LA I was able to dive right in and get to know the NEW store. Yes, it was it a new location in the mall and it was huge! At that point I was able to get to know the team, hire new girls and get into a good rhythm.

I had a baby in 2018, took time off for maternity, and then went back to the store. Albion then had some big additions with our Plano and Scottsdale stores opening. Maddie moved to Scottsdale to open and manage that store and area manage Plano, while I stayed in Utah and managed City Creek and Fashion Place for a little over a year. What a fun year! I doubled in friends, and I loved it! I got to know so many more new people and was able to gain so much knowledge and many skills from this adventure. When Maddie moved back to Utah I had the opportunity to begin working with our Plano Texas store as an area manager. I have loved traveling down to Texas to help in the store, get to know the team and share the Albion story with everyone.

In July 2020 I had my second baby and took time off for maternity. I was able to come back and continue managing the City Creek store. Shortly after coming back I made the change to start working part-time to be home with my kids more. It is truly a blessing to be with my family more, but to also continue to have my Albion Family. I am now able to work with the managers at City Creek and Legacy West and run our team orders program. I have worked with the most incredible people in the entire company at Albion who have inspired me and lifted me up and helped me get to where I am today. I love what I do and I love the team I get to do it with. What a fun journey this has been with Albion and I’m so grateful for the people I have met along the way and for my Albion fam. A husband, a college degree, a home and 2 babies later I still have my Albion fam by my side. 

Who is a woman that has inspired you?

My mother. She has always inspired me and taught me to live my life for me, and to find my passions. She has always shared with me that I am powerful and I can do anything I set my mind to. 

What are you doing to positively influence your community?

Working at Albion has been a way for me to positively influence others and to get to know people. If you know me, you know that I will ask you a million questions to get to know you. I love making friends and connections with people. This is something I love to do in all areas of my community and life is to build relationships, create connections and gain new friends. 

If you haven’t yet, we’d encourage you to send a note, a text, or give a call to some of the influential women in your life on this International Women’s Day. Let’s celebrate all we have accomplished and all we have to look forward to, as women step into the spotlight and show just what they can do.