Marie Curie – my enduring role model

There’s one woman whose presence has quietly accompanied me throughout my professional life:
Marie Curie.

🔹 Yes – she won two Nobel Prizes.
🔹 Yes – in two different disciplines.
🔹 Yes – in a time when women weren’t even allowed in most lecture halls.
❗️And no – I’ll never get over how extraordinary that is.

But what moves me most is how she did it:

🚫 Without access.
🚫 Without precedent.
🚫 Without permission.

Her brilliance wasn’t just exceptional –
it was revolutionary.
And it still is.

I don’t see her as a distant historical figure.
I see her as a compass.
A quiet revolution.
A reminder that it’s possible to break through –
even when the system wasn’t built for you,
and the odds are stacked against you.

As an entrepreneur, I’ve had to navigate my own barriers –
sometimes breaking them down,
sometimes finding ways around them,
and sometimes not breaking through at all –
and still continuing.

Like Marie Curie, I’ve had to create space where there was none.
I don’t see myself in her – but I feel the echo of her struggle.
And that’s what stays with me.

💡 She didn’t just do brilliant science –
she redefined what was possible.
And that’s exactly what still inspires me today.

For me, she’s not just a role model –
she’s a north star.
Her legacy grounds me – and it guides this question:

🧭 What does it take to continue what she started – on our terms?

📌 This post is part of my series “Marie Curies Töchter” –
personal reflections on what it takes to lead, change systems, and build a more gender-equal economy.
Inspired by Marie Curie’s legacy – and today’s realities.

🔜 In the next post, I want to take you with me – for a closer look at the invisible architecture of power and influence.
At what it costs to keep pushing without access to the circles where influence really begins –
and what it means when you’re not in the room.