In this time where women are joining together and speaking out on everything from sexual harassment to the gender pay gap - the need for strong women leaders is more critical than ever. Several women at the forefront of these movements were honored earlier this week at the annual Matrix Awards presented by the New York Women in Communications organization in New York City.

The award luncheon took place at the Sheraton Times Square and celebrated influential women leaders who have made a significant impact in their industries and for women in the workplace. This year’s honorees included our very own Mika Brzezinski (Co-host of Morning Joe and founder of Know Your Value), Academy Award-winner Halle Berry, Betsy Kenney Lack (Head of Global Brand Strategy of Snap Inc.), Alexandra Trower (EVP of Global Communications at Estée Lauder), Dia Simms (President of Combs Enterprises), Kim Kelleher (Chief Business Officer at Condé Nast), and Shelley Zalis (CEO of The Female Quotient). Pulitzer Prize winning journalists Jody Kantor, Emily Steel and Megan Twohey of the New York Times were also honored for their investigative reporting on the sexual harassment allegations against Harvey Weinstein and Bill O’Reilly.

The Today Show’s Savannah Guthrie (a Matrix Award recipient last year) emceed the event where honorees took to the stage and discussed gender pay inequality, owning their voices, and important lessons they’ve learned along their career journeys.

I had a chance to hit the red carpet to speak with the honorees about how they’ve learned to advocate for themselves in real time and who has inspired them along the way. Here is what they shared: