When Ronda Rousey debuted in the UFC just over two years ago, she not only broke down gender barriers that had existed since the promotion first started in 1993, but she quietly became a face for women’s empowerment worldwide.

She’s breaking new ground in women’s sports, but as Rousey said this weekend when appearing at the South by Southwest (SXSW) festival in Austin, TX, her accomplishments in the Octagon should also serve as a springboard for women to understand they can truly do anything if they put their minds and hearts into it.