This International Women's Day, I reflect on the blood, sweat, and tears it took for women to make strides into the world of work. Professional women have had to work ridiculously hard to deal with unrealistic societal expectations and pressures, and make huge personal sacrifices in order to be taken seriously by their peers. I realize that I need to look no further than my own network of friends and family who are leaders in their fields of academia, business, education, fas