The privilege I had as a little girl growing up, thinking I could pursue whatever profession I want, is built on the progress of generations of older women. My mother has told me how excited she was when she was finally allowed to get her own credit card without her father or husband signing off (!!). How quickly we take these things for granted.

When Jane Goodall died in October 2025, I stopped to read more about her and reflect on what it must have taken to become a prominent woman in science for someone born in the 1930s. I admire her courage and sense of adventure – not just to buck the social norms, but also to head into the jungle. I also appreciate that she remained in the public eye, continuing to make things happen, as an elderly woman. Rarely do we see elderly woman as influential in their own right (not via their powerful husbands).

The Risky Business podcast had a great episode on how, in addition to being a pioneer as a woman, her insistence on her outsider perspective was critical to her contribution.