This March, Hashtag Magazine celebrates the spirit of International Women’s Day with a special feature that puts the spotlight where it truly belongs, on women who are chasing their dreams and building their own success stories.
Across fashion, food, sports, tech, and beyond, women today are breaking barriers, redefining industries, and proving that ambition has no single path. This edition brings together 25 inspiring stories of women who dared to start, lead, create, and persist, each journey unique, yet united by courage, resilience, and purpose. We present Next-Gen Women: Bold, Brilliant, Unstoppable.
Learning to Stand Alone
Aditi Chauhan was raised in Delhi NCR in a defence family that valued discipline and education. She was an active, competitive child who loved sports. “I didn’t grow up thinking I would become a professional footballer, because honestly, that wasn’t something girls around me were shown as possible.”
She first started playing basketball before discovering football at the age of 15. “Once I stood in goal for the first time, something just clicked. I loved the responsibility of it. I loved that when everyone else panicked, I had to stay calm.”
Moving abroad to pursue sports management while chasing football required convincing people, managing finances, and carrying expectations, all at a young age. Her parents’ quiet support made all the difference. “They never told me I couldn’t try.” Growing up as one of the only girls on the pitch shaped her resilience early. “It teaches you two things very quickly: how to fight for space, and how to stand alone,” she says.
More than a Career
Football gave her more than a profession. “It gave me confidence and an identity when I was still figuring myself out. It gave me strength in moments when I felt invisible.”
When she signed with West Ham United Women, becoming the first Indian woman to play professional football in England, it made headlines. But the years behind that moment were layered with doubt, financial instability, injuries, and the persistent question: “Is this sustainable?”
Through She Kicks, she now works to build the ecosystem she once lacked, that inlcudes structured training, mentorship, visibility, and belief. She adds, “This isn’t just about football. It’s about telling a young girl that her ambition is not unrealistic.”
Systems over Spotlight
Often associated with being “the first,” Chauhan believes her defining trait is perspective. She has trained in India with minimal facilities and in England, where professionalism is the baseline. That contrast informs her work, adding that, “As a goalkeeper, you’re constantly observing, reading patterns, and anticipating risk. Off the pitch, I operate the same way. I’m not interested in short-term visibility. I’m interested in building systems.”
She also speaks openly about uncomfortable realities like pay gaps, contract insecurity, and a lack of safeguarding. “Women in sport are often expected to be grateful. I believe we deserve to be respected.”
Choosing the Risk
Her journey was not glamorous. There was no academy pipeline or early sponsorship. The defining moment was choosing to move to England.
“I remember the fear more than the excitement,” she says. Leaving home, adapting to a new culture, and balancing studies with football forced her to mature quickly. There were days of deep self-questioning, she adds, “But every time I stepped onto the pitch, I felt clarity.”
The West Ham season felt surreal, but more than pride, she felt relief. Relief that persistence had translated into something tangible. Already representing the Indian National Team, she wanted to test herself internationally. “I loved the competition with myself; I had to improve and push myself to play at that level.”
Beyond Representation
Playing in England was an external breakthrough. The deeper shift came later, when she returned to India. Young girls began messaging her, “Didi, how do I do what you did?” She did not always have a pathway to offer, and that unsettled her. “That’s when I decided I don’t just want to be remembered as a player. I want to be someone who helped change the landscape.”
Today, through She Kicks and the Aditi Chauhan Foundation, she is focused on structured grassroots programs, multi-city leagues, and long-term development pathways. “I want sustainability, not just moments.”
THE MINDSET
“Resilience is not something you wake up with; it’s built quietly, over years of being told no. Motivation fades. Discipline carries you.”
Integrity, transparency, and fairness are non-negotiable. “We cannot build strong systems on weak foundations.” She also believes deeply in dignity. “Opportunity should not feel like charity.”
THE MESSAGE | Making Space
“To every young girl starting, you are allowed to want more.” She speaks with clarity, “You are allowed to be ambitious without apologising. You are allowed to ask for fair pay. You are allowed to take up space.”
“Fear is normal, but it does not make decisions.”
For her, success today means impact. It is more girls on football grounds, more parents cheering their daughters, and the word first is slowly disappearing because it is no longer rare. “If my journey has done anything, I hope it has widened the road, even slightly, for someone walking behind me. And that, to me, is power.”
