Women's Health Loddon Mallee chief executive Tricia Currie let these words ring through the crowd as she welcomed the group gathering for Wednesday morning's International Women's Day breakfast.

The local health promotion agency for women and girls brought together local leaders redefining innovation and removing barriers to achieving gender equality who spoke about their experiences in their fields.

By having these stories told, Ms Currie hoped this would inspire generations of women to come.

"Together we can bring equity to women's lives," she said.

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"We have a group of wonderful barrackers who advocate and support people every day.

"But we need to remember, we will be making changes for those coming after us."

The United Nations International Women's Day theme for 2023 was 'Cracking the Code: Innovation for a Gender Equal Future'.

This was chosen with the hope it would highlight the role innovative ideas, inclusive technologies, and accessible education can play in combatting the discrimination and marginalisation of women across the globe.

Both key-note speakers at the event - Dr Skye Kinder and Alissa Van Soest - seemingly shared this passion as they both shone a light on their experiences as women in their industries.

Dr Kinder looked back on her experience as a public school kid who was the first in her family to attend university.

"I was knocked back from medical school twice, but I was able to get into a biomedicine degree," she said.

"I remember this man asked me what ATAR I'd received, and I'd used assistance to get in and I was proud of that.

"When I told him, he went on to tell me I didn't deserve to be in the course and I was taking a place from someone who did.

"But let me say, only one of us made it to the end and it wasn't him.

"I had to go against society's expectations of what I could and should achieve."

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Dr Kinder said being an "unknown from central Victoria" gave her the room to fail - something she sees as an important part of life.

"We speak a lot about our successes, but we need to remember to talk about our setbacks," she said.

"This will show women the realistic challenges we face, as well as how we can come back from them to get to those successes."

Another firm believer in failures and the lessons that come from them is Ms Van Soest - the Discovery Science and Technology Centre general manager who was the second speaker at the event.

For Ms Van Soest, failures help find the answers to problems we face in life.

"There are a lot of wicked problems in the world and we need problem-solvers to solve them," she said.

"I see kids coming into the Discovery Centre, even their parents, and they're filled with awe and curiosity about what they can do.

"A lot of people believe they're no good at maths or science and from a young age we're told it's not for girls.

"Curiosity is not confined by gender and we need to make sure kids stay connected to it."

Ms Van Soest said she was faced with challenges at work every day, but that didn't stop her from showing others how to succeed.

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"I think I say the words 'I don't know' every single day, but you never let the conversation end with that," she said.

"An 'I don't know' should turn into finding a solution or answer to the question asked.

"It's all about collaboration, because we can't do this alone."

International Women's Day is celebrated on March 8 each year.

For information on women's focused health services, visit whlm.org.au

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