'Money is choice': Sonya Lennon encourages women to break cycles and control their lives
Breaking cycles, raising voices for change, and holding power were just some of the talking points at an event to mark International Women’s Day, which takes place on March 8.
Dozens of female industry figures gathered in Cork city on Thursday morning for the breakfast event, hosted by Esther McCarthy, at Lavit Gallery in association with PrecisionBiotics.
This year’s theme is ‘Give to Gain’ and the event recognised the power of everyday actions in Irish society.
Keynote speaker Sonya Lennon told the audience about setting up Dress for Success to help people into financial security and sustainable careers, and LIFT Ireland, which aims to improve the level of leadership throughout Ireland.
“At the end of the day, money is choice, right? That's all money is,” she said.
“Money is the choice to do what you want. If you don't have it, you don't have choice. And we all know that's a horrible place to be.”
Lennon also urged the women in the room to be more intentional.
“I realised that for a certain point in my career, I had been effectively sleepwalking, just letting my career happen to me,’ she said.
“Most of us just let life happen to us. We don't have to. We have more control than we realise.
“You can break the mould and break the cycle. Breaking the cycle is very, very powerful, because I believe most of us live in lockstep — we accept the social norms that are around us. Unless we're really intentional, we are led down a path that somebody else has designed for us.
“I would urge you now to have a really good look at your life, how you're living it, and how you can improve it for you and those you love.”
Panellist Dr Manizha Khan spoke about her journey from Pakistan to Cork, where she found refuge after the Taliban removed women from public life.
“I still think I'm dreaming, to be in Ireland, to be safe, to be outside Afghanistan.”
Dr Khan, who was the dean of a dental school in Afghanistan, said it was “a difficult” journey to find a place elsewhere in the world.
“The Taliban hated me because I was a woman in power, and the rest of the world didn't want me because I was an educated woman. At that time, I thought it would be really better if I chose a different profession. But then there are countries like Ireland,” she said.
“Finally, Ireland was a country that didn't hold me being a dentist or a lecturer against me, [that] thought it was a power being an educated woman. I got a chance to come to Cork, which was really amazing and a privilege.”
She described the support she received from local women in Kinsale when she moved to Ireland and how she was welcomed to her new community.
“There is a strong connection between Irish women and Afghan women. Irish women are supporting women around the world, supporting women internationally. I've seen wherever there is a voice to be raised, it's Irish women and men who are raising that voice.”
Panellist Deirdre Mortell, founding CEO of Rethink Ireland, spoke about women increasing their financial literacy and choosing to do more philanthropic work.
“The greatest transfer of wealth in the history of humanity is happening right now,” Mortell said, describing an estimated $84.4 trillion transferring from men to women due to factors like increased career opportunities for women as well as longer lifespans. She said this is an opportunity for social good.
“Philanthropy is a huge opportunity as part of that wealth,” she said, citing MacKenzie Scott as an example.
“She was the US’s largest philanthropist last year, she gave away $7 billion in 2025. This is an example of a female philanthropist and what she's doing. She may be Jeff Bezos’s ex-wife, but she is making her own impact in the world.”
She also credits Nano Nagle with being an early Irish female philanthropist who came from wealth and wanted to use her dowry to educate the poor.
“The only way she could keep control was if she set up a religious order and became a nun, because they couldn't control the nuns,” Mortell said.
“We have MacKenzie Scott showing us the way, but we have our own history and traditions.
Emphasising Lennon’s earlier point, she added: “Money is power. Philanthropy is an incredible way that we can take that power and bring it to life. It's up to you what you do with that power, but I'm encouraging you, as we all come into more wealth, think about what you want to do with that power”
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