March has always carried a certain energy for us. It is the month the world pauses to recognize International Women’s Month, and it is also the month we launched our very first edition of Today’s Confident Woman magazine. One year later, we are not just celebrating women globally, we are celebrating growth, impact, and the unwavering mission that drives TOCCA forward every single day.
At The Open Chest Confidence Academy, our work has always centred around one core belief, that confidence is not a personality trait, it is a practice. It is built. It is earned. It is strengthened through action, through courage, and through the willingness to rise again when doubt tries to take the lead. Our mission is to bridge the gap between competence and confidence for women everywhere, because we know how many brilliant, capable, accomplished women are still questioning their worth behind closed doors.
This month, as we mark one year since our inaugural March edition for Today’s Confident Woman magazine, we are spotlighting eight women whose arcs of confidence are not only personal triumphs, but global leadership statements. These are women who did not simply inherit authority. They built it. They sharpened it. They embodied it. And in doing so, they are reshaping industries, influencing culture, and expanding what leadership looks like on the global stage.
Each of the women featured here represents a different journey, a different sector, a different lived experience. Yet what connects them is this, they chose growth over comfort, clarity over chaos, and conviction over conformity. Their confidence was not accidental. It was activated.
As you read through their stories, I invite you to look beyond the titles and accolades. Look at the patterns. Look at the decisions. Look at the resilience. Confidence is rarely loud in the beginning. It is quiet. It is disciplined. It is consistent. And over time, it compounds into leadership that cannot be ignored.
BOZOMA SAINT JOHN
Former CMO, Netflix | Founder & CEO, Eve by Boz
Bozoma Saint John’s career is often described through titles, Global CMO at Netflix, Chief Brand Officer at Uber, marketing leader at Apple Music, PepsiCo, and Endeavor. But her true arc of confidence is not about corporate ascent, it is about unapologetic presence. From her earliest days at Spike Lee’s agency to becoming one of the most recognized marketing executives in the world, Boz has refused to shrink herself to fit the room. She has built a reputation for leading with authenticity and urgency, a philosophy so powerful that Harvard Business School created a case study around it.
When she stepped away from the traditional corporate track to launch Eve by Boz, it was not simply a business decision. It was personal. Created in Ghana and formulated with indigenous African ingredients, her hair and hair care brand celebrates Black women and women of colour as the standard, not the afterthought. It is rooted in cultural authenticity, pride, and global identity.
Boz’s arc reminds us that confidence is not assimilation. It is amplification. It is the courage to take up space exactly as you are, and to build platforms that reflect that truth.
JOANNA GRIFFITHS
Founder & President, Knix
Joanna Griffiths did not just build Knix into one of the fastest-growing intimate apparel brands in the world, she disrupted an industry that had long defined comfort and confidence on unrealistic terms. Since launching the brand in 2013, she has helped invent the leak-proof underwear category and reshaped how women see themselves in advertising, showcasing real customers, full size ranges, and women over 50 on national television.
Her leadership reached a defining milestone in 2022 when she negotiated the sale of 80% of Knix to Essity in a deal valuing the company at approximately $400 million USD, the largest publicly disclosed private sale of a Canadian direct-to-consumer company led by a solo female founder. Yet one of her most powerful moments came earlier, closing a $50 million Series B financing just three days before giving birth to her twin daughters on International Women’s Day, after disqualifying investors who questioned her ability to lead while becoming a mother.
Joanna’s arc of confidence is about holding your ground. It is about refusing to choose between leadership and life, and building systems that reflect the realities of women, not the limitations imposed on them.
LEENA NAIR
Global CEO, Chanel
Leena Nair’s leadership journey began not in fashion ateliers, but in people and culture. Born in India, she spent nearly three decades at Unilever, rising through the ranks to become Chief Human Resources Officer, leading global conversations around organisational development and leadership transformation. Her expertise was not rooted in product, but in potential.
In January 2022, she became Global CEO of Chanel, stepping into one of the most iconic luxury houses in the world at a time of transition. As the only woman of colour leading a major global luxury brand, her appointment marked a significant shift within the industry. She brought with her an outsider’s lens, focused on talent, evolution, and modernising structures while honouring legacy.
Leena’s arc of confidence is grounded in unlocking others. It is leadership that centres people first, and understands that long-term success is built through culture as much as creativity.
MARIE FORLEO
#1 New York Times Bestselling Author | Founder, B-School
Marie Forleo did not begin with credentials, capital, or connections. She began in debt, working multiple jobs, and navigating corporate paths that never quite fit. Raised in a modest New Jersey home, she grew up believing something simple but powerful, that anything could be figured out.
From bartending and coaching clients on the side, she slowly built what would become a global digital empire. Through MarieTV, The Marie Forleo Podcast, online training programmes, and her bestselling book Everything Is Figureoutable, she has reached audiences in 195 countries. She coined the term “Multipassionate Entrepreneur” because she refused to narrow herself into one identity.
Marie’s arc of confidence is rooted in possibility. It is the belief that clarity comes from action, and that you do not need permission, pedigree, or perfection to begin.
MELANIE PERKINS
Co-Founder & CEO, Canva
Melanie Perkins’ entrepreneurial instinct showed itself early, selling handmade scarves at fourteen. But the spark for Canva ignited while she was teaching university students how to use complex design software. Watching them struggle, she questioned why creativity required such steep technical barriers.
What began as Fusion Books, an online yearbook design tool, evolved into a much larger vision. In 2012, Canva was launched with the mission of simplifying design for everyone. Today, users in 190 countries have created over five billion designs on the platform. A $71 million funding round in 2020 valued the company at US $15 billion, marking it as one of the most successful tech ventures globally.
Melanie’s arc of confidence is defined by persistence. It is the quiet determination to pursue a “crazy, big dream” long enough for the world to catch up.
NITA AMBANI
Chairperson & Founder, Reliance Foundation
Nita M. Ambani’s leadership spans education, healthcare, sport, arts, and philanthropy, but at its core is a belief in the transformative power of women. As Founder and Chairperson of Reliance Foundation, she has overseen initiatives impacting approximately 76 million people across India, placing women and girls at the centre of long-term national progress.
Through educational institutions, scholarships where 50% of recipients are girls, sports development programmes reaching millions of youth, and the launch of Her Circle on International Women’s Day 2021, she has consistently built platforms that expand access and opportunity. Her election as the first Indian woman to the International Olympic Committee further signalled her global influence.
Nita’s arc of confidence is expansive. It moves from individual empowerment to collective elevation, proving that when women are prioritised, entire ecosystems shift.
TABATHA BULL
President & CEO, Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business
Tabatha Bull leads from a place of identity and responsibility. An Anishnaabe Kwe from Nipissing First Nation and an electrical engineer by training, she serves as President and CEO of the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business, working to strengthen reconciliation through economic empowerment.
Her leadership extends across advisory councils in Canada’s energy and education sectors, as well as national boards committed to removing systemic barriers. She actively collaborates with global CEOs to build workplaces that better support women and underrepresented communities.
Tabatha’s arc of confidence is anchored in accountability. It is about ensuring that opportunity is not abstract, but accessible, and that economic progress includes Indigenous voices at every level.
WHITNEY WOLF HERD
Founder & Executive Chair, Bumble
Whitney Wolfe Herd entered the tech world as a co-founder of Tinder before launching Bumble in 2014 with a simple but powerful shift, women make the first move. In an industry often shaped by male-dominated power dynamics, she created a platform designed to rebalance them.
Serving as Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Board of Directors, she has guided Bumble’s evolution into a global social networking company. Her decision to build Bumble was not just entrepreneurial, it was corrective, rooted in reimagining how women experience digital spaces.
Whitney’s arc of confidence is disruptive. It challenges systems rather than adapting to them, demonstrating that leadership can reshape culture at scale.
OUR PROMISE:
International Women’s Month is not about symbolic celebration alone. It is about evidence. Evidence that women are leading globally, innovating boldly, and redefining power on their own terms. It is about reminding our community that confidence is not reserved for a select few, it is available to every woman willing to do the inner and outer work.
One year ago, we began Today’s Confident Woman magazine with a promise, to create a platform where women could see themselves reflected in stories of courage, strategy, and elevation. Today, that promise feels stronger than ever.
Here’s to the next year. Here’s to deeper impact. And here’s to every woman reading this who is still in the middle of her own arc of confidence, your leadership is unfolding, even if you cannot yet see the full picture.
