This International Women’s Day 2026, we move beyond celebration and into documentation. Women Who Did It Anyway is a curated article series featuring women who progressed not because conditions were perfect, but because they chose to move forward anyway.

 Across industries, from entrepreneurship to corporate leadership,these women navigated systems, expectations, resistance, and trade-offs. Their stories are not motivational slogans. They are lived decisions. This series brings those decisions to light, in their own words. 

Neomi Koswatte

Founder / CEO – Aadaraya Ceylon

"After more than two decades in the corporate world, I took the bold step into entrepreneurship to build a brand from the ground up. Recognizing a gap in Sri Lanka’s market for modern, well-designed sleepwear and intimates, Aadaraya is a proudly Sri Lankan sleepwear and lingerie brand dedicated to creating thoughtfully designed intimates for the modern woman."

1. There is usually a moment when continuing feels harder than stopping. What was that moment for you, and what made you go ahead anyway?

After spending more than 20 years in the corporate world, stepping into entrepreneurship was a completely new and unfamiliar journey for me. I did not come from a business family, and no one in my immediate or extended family had ever run a business. This meant there was no roadmap or guidance, I had to learn everything from the ground up.

Leaving the structure and security of corporate life to start my own venture was both exciting and challenging. In the corporate environment, systems, teams, and processes are already in place. But when you start your own business, every decision and responsibility rests on your shoulders.

There were moments when the challenges felt overwhelming. Building a brand, managing finances, and navigating uncertainty tested my resilience. One of the biggest realizations was that even with more than 20 years of corporate experience on my CV, it carried little weight when starting a business. Banks and financial institutions were not interested in ideas or experience — they required collateral.

What kept me going was my determination to succeed on my own terms and not return to being an employee in the corporate world. Leaving my previous role was not easy. I had been attached to the company and the role I held. But over time I realized that in the corporate world everyone is replaceable.

Starting my own venture gave me something far more valuable , the freedom to choose how I balance my work and family life. With three young boys at home, it was important for me to be present during their growing years. I did not want to miss the special moments in their lives that I knew I could never go back and relive.

That freedom to choose became my greatest motivation.

2. Not all obstacles are loud. Some are structural, cultural, or quietly exhausting. What kind of resistance did you face that people may not immediately see?

Not all the challenges in entrepreneurship are visible. Some of the hardest battles are the quiet ones you fight within yourself, the fear of failing, the doubt of whether you are good enough, and the constant guilt of wondering if you are doing enough for both your family and your business.

At the end of many days, I would lie in bed replaying everything that happened. Thinking about the things I could have done better, the opportunities I may have missed, or the decisions I wished I had handled differently. These are the silent struggles many entrepreneurs carry alone.

From the outside, people often see a confident and composed person who seems to have everything under control. But the truth is, there are days when the pressure feels overwhelming, days when you feel like giving up.

And yet, you still do.

3. You didn’t just progress, you navigated systems along the way. What did you have to learn, unlearn, or negotiate to move forward?

Moving from the corporate world into entrepreneurship required me to both learn and unlearn many things. In the corporate environment, there are established systems, structures, and teams that support decision-making. When you start your own business, you quickly realize that you are responsible for creating those systems yourself.

One of the biggest lessons for me was learning to become comfortable with uncertainty. In corporate life, decisions are often supported by processes and resources. As an entrepreneur, you sometimes have to make difficult decisions with limited information and trust your judgment.

Another major adjustment was moving from being the buyer to becoming the vendor. In my corporate career, I had always been on the buying side of the table, where buyers naturally hold a certain level of power. When I started my own business, I suddenly found myself on the other side, as the supplier.

This transition was not easy. I had to learn how to think, communicate, and respond from a completely different perspective. It required patience and a willingness to consciously unlearn some of the habits and assumptions I had developed during my corporate career.

Having experienced both sides of the table has given me a deeper sense of empathy and understanding. Today, I appreciate the pressures and expectations faced by both buyers and suppliers, which has helped me build more balanced business relationships.

4. Doing it anyway often comes with trade-offs — personal, emotional, or professional. What did this journey cost you, and what made it worth paying that price?

Pursuing entrepreneurship definitely comes with trade-offs. One of the biggest costs was stepping away from the stability and comfort of a corporate career that I had built over more than 20 years. There was financial uncertainty, personal risk, and many moments of self-doubt along the way.

It also required emotional resilience. Building something from the ground up can be exhausting at times, and there were days when the responsibility of running a business while also being present for my family felt overwhelming.

However, what made it worth the price was the freedom and purpose that came with creating something of my own. Entrepreneurship gave me the opportunity to build a brand I truly believed in while shaping my life in a way that allowed me to be present for my family.

Being able to balance my professional ambitions with being there for my three boys as they grew up made every challenge worthwhile. The journey demanded sacrifices, but it also gave me something far more valuable, the chance to live and work on my own terms.

5. Has your definition of success changed since you began this journey? What does success look like to you now?

At the beginning of my career, success meant reaching milestones, achieving goals, and meeting targets. Like many people coming from the corporate world, success was often measured by numbers and outcomes.

Since starting my entrepreneurial journey, my definition of success has evolved. Today, success is not just about reaching the final destination, but about the entire journey that takes you there.

The people I meet along the way, the lessons learned through hardships, and even the moments of laughter and small victories all form part of that success. Entrepreneurship teaches you that not every goal will always be achieved exactly as planned.

Even when things don’t go exactly the way I hoped, I value the experiences and growth that come from the process.

For me now, success is about building something meaningful while enjoying the journey.

6. If another woman is standing at the edge of a difficult decision today, I would want her to know that it is completely normal to feel afraid or uncertain.

Courage does not mean you are free of doubt, it simply means you choose to move forward despite it.

There will never be a perfect moment where everything feels fully secure or guaranteed. Sometimes you have to trust yourself enough to take the step, even when the path ahead is unclear.

The truth is that you will learn, grow, and become stronger along the way. Every challenge will teach you something about yourself.

And most importantly, you do not need to have everything figured out before you begin. Sometimes the journey itself shapes you into the person capable of achieving what once felt impossible.

Women Who Did It Anyway
Curated by FireCircle by G
International Women’s Day 2026

International Women’s Day 2026

FireCircle by G
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