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She's Watching - International Women's Day
2026-03-05T00:00:00Z
The Workplace
Before a daughter defines success for herself, she observes it.
She watches how her mother responds when the world feels heavy. She notices the way her mother speaks about her own mistakes. She pays attention to the quiet moments... the deep breaths before a meeting, the way she closes her laptop to cheer at a gymnastics meet, the way she handles the tension between ambition and exhaustion. Long before a girl builds her own confidence, she is witnessing it in real time.
This International Women’s Day, we asked five women across the Brunel team in Canada, the United States, and Brazil to reflect on the legacy they are leaving. Then, we asked their daughters what they see when they look at their moms.
The responses were different in language and life stage, but they all pointed to the same quiet truth: She is always watching.
Teddy and Amy
At five years old, the world is honest. Teddy admires her mom’s clothes and the simple fact that she is loved. When asked what advice she’d give the world, she doesn’t mention achievements or titles. She just says, “Be kind.”
Behind that simplicity is her mother, Amy de Ven, Process Optimization Specialist (USA), who spent years fighting the pressure to be the perfect wife, mother, daughter, and friend all at once. Amy realized that her worth isn’t a sum of flawless performances or overextending herself for others. Instead, it is found in loving well and prioritizing what truly aligns with her values. "Always believe in myself," Teddy says when asked what her mom has taught her. It is a foundation built on the idea that kindness and self-belief are the starting points for everything else.
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Quinn and Donna
Quinn is eight, and she notices everything. She sees the way her mom drives her everywhere and cheers from the sidelines until Quinn feels like she’s famous. But she also sees the tired version of her mom, and the version that isn't afraid to say "I'm sorry" and try to make things better when she gets it wrong.
Her mother, Donna Bruce, Marketing Manager – Americas (Canada), has stopped trying to divide herself into "work Donna" and "mom Donna." She believes motherhood has made her a better leader and leadership has made her a more intentional mother. Donna wants Quinn to know that loving fiercely is a strength, not a weakness, and that she never needs to shrink herself to fit into a room. As Quinn puts it: "She works really hard and still makes me feel like I’m the most important person ever."
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Jayden and Christina
Jayden is ten, and her dreams have no borders. She wants to get her degree in Engineering at Texas A&M and start a singing career. She has a Plan A and a Plan B, and both are big.
This sense of limitlessness is a gift from her mother, Christina Schnee, Regional HR Manager – Americas (USA). As a young girl, Christina was told by a teacher that she would never graduate high school or college and would amount to very little beyond being a "good" housewife. That moment fueled her to model a quiet strength that keeps moving forward even when the season is difficult. Jayden has internalized this resilience deeply: "She taught me that even when people laugh at you and are mean, that does not mean that you are nothing. You can do anything you put your mind to."
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Elsie and Kerrianne
At thirteen, the world starts to demand that you "fit in." Elsie watches her mother handle a career and a family with grace, but she notices something deeper. She sees a woman who always knows what to say when advice or comfort is needed.
Kerrianne MacMullin, Vice President Canada (Canada), once felt the crushing need to be 100% perfect in everything she did. It wasn't until she let go of that impossible standard that she found true success. Today, success for Kerrianne means leading an incredible team while being fully present to watch her children become who they are meant to be. Elsie sees this authenticity as her mother's greatest strength: "Confidence doesn’t mean being perfect, it means believing that I can handle whatever comes my way. Because of her, I’m learning to be braver."
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Letícia and Patricia
At twenty-two, the lessons have become a foundation. Letícia is pursuing a life in biomedical research. She watches her mother overcome problems and fatigue, making the impossible look effortless.
For Patricia Moura, Senior Accountant (Brazil), the goal was always emotional autonomy. She wanted Letícia to understand that her worth is not tied to anyone’s approval. Patricia’s own resilience was built by learning that asking for help isn't a sign of weakness, but of intelligence. Letícia recognizes this as a superpower: "I admire her ability to ‘make everything seem possible,’ even on difficult days." By setting boundaries and knowing when to say "no," Patricia is passing down the steady strength required to stand tall on your own.
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Across three countries and five families, a single truth emerges. A daughter learns how to define herself by watching the woman who goes before her. These girls are learning if success includes peace of mind. They are learning whether ambition can sit beside kindness, and whether strength can include softness.
If there is one thread that connects a Vice President in Canada to a Senior Accountant in Brazil and a 5-year-old aspiring soccer player in the USA, it’s this: The women of tomorrow are fueled by the authenticity of the women of today. They don't need to see perfection. They just need to see someone show up, stay kind, and—as 8-year-old Quinn suggests—maybe take a deep breath and hold your mom’s hand when you're nervous.
Happy International Women's Day