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- Women's History Month to me is all about
celebrating the amazing accomplishments
of women who came before me,
and empowering the younger generation of women today.
- It's about celebrating the past
and the current achievements of women,
and it's just about fully embracing
what it means to be a woman.
- Women's History Month is important to me
because I love honoring women and the work they do
professionally and personally,
and any chance to celebrate you, I'm in.
- It's a time when we celebrate
the many diverse achievements that women have made,
and women have fought for and earned.
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- Women's History Month is all about breaking barriers.
I broke a barrier when I became the first woman
to win an Elimination Chamber match,
outlasting five of my fellow WWE superstars.
And it was such a special moment.
- I just broke a barrier when I became
the first African-American woman
to win a Royal Rumble match.
And now I get to go on to break another barrier
by facing Sasha Banks at WrestleMania,
where we will become the first two female African-Americans
to headline WrestleMania.
- I feel like as a performer,
I have to constantly break through my fear
and break down barriers inside of myself internally,
and one of those for me is singing and dancing publicly.
I had a real desire to tell this story as Zoe,
but I was very scared to do it.
And I did it anyway.
- I think when I was named the anchor
of "World News Tonight" on ABC News,
I was the first Latina to anchor that broadcast,
any broadcast on the network's evening news programs.
I ended up anchoring alone by myself for many, many months,
which was also unheard of.
Prior to that only Connie Chung and Barbara Walters
had anchored the evening news.
So I felt, even though my time there was brief,
that I was proud that I broke down that barrier.
I think any time women succeed, it's a great thing.
Especially when women of color succeed.
I think we need to see more of that.
I think we are, I think we have a lot more work to do.
But I was proud to play my part in it for sure.
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- Some strong female leads that inspire me
have to be Jennifer Lopez and Selena Quintanilla.
As a Latina, they have just opened the doors
for many women like me and I look up to them so much.
- "PEN15," but I'm not just saying that
because this is Hulu.
- Let's like do everything together.
- It's so funny,
and yet it's so devastating emotionally.
I mean, I can't remember the last time,
if ever in my life I've had such an intense
emotional reaction to something that's so silly.
And it's just so deeply relatable,
it's so beautifully done, so thoughtful,
and gets to the specificity of what it feels like
to be a girl
in this way that I've just never seen before.
It's absolutely a work of art
and should be regarded as such.
- One example being that I'm a huge fan of "Friends"
is the incredible Jennifer Aniston.
You know, she is constantly evolving in her career,
and in life, and I just find that so inspiring.
- I think that Shonda Rhimes is telling women's stories
in a very important way.
She always highlights and puts women in leading roles,
and portrays them in an empowering and diverse way
like Viola Davis in "How to Get Away with Murder."
Shonda Rhimes is really just putting women
in the forefront of modern day media.
- So much has happened this last year,
but a bad-ass woman who has inspired me is Elisabeth Moss.
She stars in, she produces, and this year
she directed some episodes of "The Handmaid's Tale."
- One of my favorite parts of working
on "Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist"
is working with the fellow women in my cast.
Lauren Graham playing my boss was instrumental for me
as an artist and a person.
And it is really fun, and challenging,
and interesting to be able to explore the world of tech
from a female's perspective.
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- My advice to young female creatives is to just go for it.
Own the space, have agency.
Men have been doing it for years.
It's our time, this is our moment.
Get in there, have your voices heard, tell your stories.
We want it.
The world is ready.
It's your moment.
And do not listen to any voices,
whether they be somebody else's
or your own telling you you cannot do it
because you absolutely can.
- Figure out who you are,
figure out what kind of writing you want to do,
and just be truthful, and be honest,
and be yourself.
Put yourself into your work so that
you're the only one who can provide it.
- Do what you want, and tell the stories you want,
and don't be intimidated by people.
Have your own voice and not let anything get in your way.
- Stay true to yourself,
never let anyone else determine your self-worth,
and know that you can accomplish anything.
- Stay true to who you are.
Know your worth, know your goals, and go after them.
Never dim your light for anyone.
And look to women who came before you for representation.
And if you see something that you want to do
and you don't see someone else doing it,
then you become the representation for someone else.
- Take advantage of the differences
that you bring to the table.
The unique things that make you you.
I know when I was young, I felt great pressure.
I thought, probably self-imposed,
to be just like the guys.
I thought to succeed I had to be one of the guys,
one of the men in the newsroom.
And I think that today we're much more
willing to celebrate and appreciate
the unique things that a woman can bring to the table.
And I would just say to any young woman,
you know, seek out an older woman as a mentor.
That's really important.
It's hard to get started in any business,
this business especially.
Don't do it alone.
Ask for help from people
- Seek out a mentor.
That might be a daunting prospect,
but there are amazing women that have come before us
that have made impacts in our field.
And whether it's someone you know personally,
or someone whose work you admire, I believe that
being in relationship with an elder woman in your field
to be very, very, very helpful.
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