The Brand is Female

In case you missed it, we’re airing one of our season’s most popular episodes again! Soraya Chemaly is an award-winning journalist and author whose writing appears regularly in media around the world. Her work centres around defining what it means to be a woman in a world built by men. Her narrative skill, careful research, and humorous tone have been described by the New Yorker as "relentless and revelatory." In her book, Rage Becomes Her: The Power of Women’s Anger, Soraya uses these skills to offer a critical look at the social construction of anger and its effects on women's lives. Soraya and host Eva Hartling share an invigorating conversation about why women should be angry, the 'steps backward' we have taken when it comes to gender equity, which has now been further amplified by the impact of the pandemic, and the many other nuances of living in the 'boxes' that society has created for women.This season of The Brand is Female is brought to you by TD Bank - Women Entrepreneurs. TD is proud to support women entrepreneurs and help them achieve success and growth through its program of educational workshops, financing and mentorship opportunities! Find out how you can benefit from their support!————Visit: TBIF: thebrandisfemale.com //TD Women Entrepreneurs: td.com/ca/en/business-banking/small-business/women-in-business //Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/thebrandisfemale

This week, host Eva Hartling is joined by Maayan Ziv, activist, photographer and founder of AccessNow, a connected, global platform with information on accessibility. Through mapping as many places around the world as possible, and with the help of users’ reviews and feedback, AccessNow makes it possible to locate spots that offer accessible resources to visitors, clients and guests. Living with muscular dystrophy herself, Maayan knows firsthand the limitations and stigma experienced by people who live with disabilities. In this interview, Maayan shares her thoughts on a path to greater inclusivity, her views on the impact COVID has had on people with disabilities, and her hopes for our future.This season of The Brand is Female is brought to you by TD Bank - Women Entrepreneurs. TD is proud to support women entrepreneurs and help them achieve success and growth through its program of educational workshops, financing, and mentorship opportunities! Find out how you can benefit from their support!————Visit: TBIF: thebrandisfemale.com //TD Women Entrepreneurs: td.com/ca/en/business-banking/small-business/women-in-business //Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/thebrandisfemaleFor a written transcript of this podcast interview, visit: www.thebrandisfemale.com/podcast/season4episode37

If you've ever thought your voice couldn't have impact, this episode is for you. Saron Gebresellassi is a Toronto-based lawyer, activist and entrepreneur who has amassed a reputation as a daring human rights advocate. Throughout her career, Saron has been at the forefront of several high profile cases, including a $1-million lawsuit against Starbucks, representing a barista who was forced to work with her alleged assaulter, defending Black Lives Matters protesters in Toronto, and her work with thousands of Haitian migrants trying to cross into Canada. Saron joined the race for Toronto Mayor in the 2018 elections and made it to 4th place, and today she continues to represent and fight for those facing injustice. Listen to this episode to hear all about the work she has done, and continues to bring change, as well as why she will not apologize for her activism.This season of the Brand is Female is brought to you by TD Women Entrepreneurs.————Visit: TBIF: thebrandisfemale.com //TD Women Entrepreneurs: td.com/ca/en/business-banking/small-business/women-in-business //Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/thebrandisfemale

The Brand is Female Studios just launched a new podcast called Maple Popcorn, and this episode features a conversation our host, Marriska Fernandes, had with Canadian Indigenous filmmakers Tracey Deer and Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers.In this episode of Maple Popcorn, the two women bravely sharing their vulnerabilities, addressing both their careers and the personal struggles they continue to experience as Indigenous women in Canada. Tracey was born and raised in the Mohawk community of Kahnawake, Quebec. She is an award-winning television director and filmmaker, and her television show Mohawk Girls was nominated for four Canadian Screen Awards. Her recent coming-of-age feature-length film Beans debuted at TIFF and screened at the Berlin Film Festival, and picked up the John Dunning Best First Feature Film Award and Best Motion Picture at this year’s Canadian Screen Awards. Elle-Máijá is a member of the Kainai First Nation (Blood Tribe, Blackfoot Confederacy) as well as Sámi from Norway. In 2020, Elle-Máijá and co-director Katherine Hepburn won the Canadian Screen Award for Directorial Achievement and Best Original Screenplay for The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open. Her recent documentary Kímmapiiyipitssini – the Meaning of Empathy, won her the Colin Low Award for Best Canadian Director. Tune in to this episode and hear the duo discuss the importance of truth in their filmmaking, and the duty they feel they have to tell stories that reflect their communities’ unique experiences.Trigger warning: this episode was recorded just a few days after the tragic discovery of a mass grave containing children’s remains at the site of a former Residential School in Kamloops, British Columbia.Maple Popcorn is a podcast hosted by Marriska Fernandes, produced by The Brand is Female and powered by Telefilm Canada.This season of the Brand is Female is brought to you by TD Women Entrepreneurs.————Visit: TBIF: thebrandisfemale.com //TD Women Entrepreneurs: td.com/ca/en/business-banking/small-business/women-in-business //Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/thebrandisfemale

Have you ever wondered where your jeans come from, or where they’ll end up once you’re done with them? This week's guest did the research for you. Maxine Bédat is the Executive Director of New Standard Institute, and an author of a freshly-released book, Unraveled: the life and death of a garment, published by Penguin. Maxine is passionate about environment conservation and uses her platforms to urge the fashion industry to make changes to its business in order to preserve our planet. Listen to this episode to hear about Maxine's role at NSI, where she works with scientists and citizens to make the fashion industry more sustainable, ethical, and equitable; to learn more about her book, which chronicles the entire lifecycle of a pair of jeans, from the manufacturing of its yarn all the way to the landfill where it ends up; and to expose the broken system that is our global supply chains, as well as the fractures in our relationships to each other, to ourselves, and to the planet.This season of The Brand is Female is brought to you by TD Bank - Women Entrepreneurs. TD is proud to support women entrepreneurs and help them achieve success and growth through its program of educational workshops, financing, and mentorship opportunities! Find out how you can benefit from their support!————Visit: TBIF: thebrandisfemale.com //TD Women Entrepreneurs: td.com/ca/en/business-banking/small-business/women-in-business //Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/thebrandisfemale

You’ve heard of farm-to-table, but have you heard of farm-to-closet? This week, host Eva Hartling is joined by Christy Baskauskas, founder of the California-based clothing brand Christy Dawn. Christy has made it her mission to integrate regenerative farming into her supply chain, partnering with a small cotton grower in India focused on responsible farming practices. After all, our skin is the largest organ in our body, why wouldn’t we care about the way we cover it, the same way we care about the food we eat? Christy Dawn now leases land from existing farmers, while working with local partners to rework and restore the land. She and her team do this by using traditional practices that work in harmony with the Earth, similar to how it was done prior to the emergence of industrialization when intensive chemical practices became the norm. Listen to this episode to hear Christy's experience, and the launch of her company's new collection, fully made of garments they literally grew themselves — proving that it is possible to reinvent our broken system and focus on healing the planet while caring for humans.This season of The Brand is Female is brought to you by TD Bank - Women Entrepreneurs. TD is proud to support women entrepreneurs and help them achieve success and growth through its program of educational workshops, financing, and mentorship opportunities! Find out how you can benefit from their support!————Visit: TBIF: thebrandisfemale.com //TD Women Entrepreneurs: td.com/ca/en/business-banking/small-business/women-in-business //Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/thebrandisfemale

Today’s guest is Shelby Taylor, founder and CEO of Chickapea, the all-organic, high-protein, plant-based pasta, sold in 3,000 stores across North America. Shelby is an entrepreneur on a mission to create good for the world through nutritious food that’s not only good for you but also does not harm the planet. She also happens to be part of the rare 2% of women to receive funding, having just closed $9.3M in financing in her last round, having just closed $9.3M in financing in her last round, with $16M raised overall.In 2019, Chickapea was ranked in the top 10% of all Certified B Corps on the planet—a clear reflection of Shelby’s commitment to meeting the highest standards of social and environmental impact— not bad for an entrepreneur who began only 6 years ago. Chickpea is also a certified women-owned business, something especially important to Shelby.Don’t miss this episode to hear Shelby and host Eva Hartling discuss this fascinating journey, along with why she’s so passionate about helping other women succeed.This season of The Brand is Female is brought to you by TD Bank - Women Entrepreneurs. TD is proud to support women entrepreneurs and help them achieve success and growth through its program of educational workshops, financing, and mentorship opportunities! Find out how you can benefit from their support!————Visit: TBIF: thebrandisfemale.com //TD Women Entrepreneurs: td.com/ca/en/business-banking/small-business/women-in-business //Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/thebrandisfemale

Nikki Sanchez is an Indigenous Advocate of Pipil and Irish/Scottish heritage with a mission to raise awareness for the climate crisis, which she does by addressing the way environment conservation intersects with decolonization, with racial and gender inclusivity, and with our society’s mental health.Nikki holds a Master's degree in Indigenous Governance and is pursuing a Ph.D. with research focused on Indigenous ontology. She uses her vast knowledge and research as a contributor to various publications on topics like sustainability, gender and racial bias, decolonization and more. As a testament to her accomplishments, she was crowned “Queen of Green” by the David Suzuki Foundation in recognition of her environmental journalism, however, in this episode, you will hear her explain to host Eva Hartling what is wrong with that title. To add to her impressive resumé, Nikki is also part of the team behind VICELAND’s series “RISE” focused on global Indigenous resurgence; she is a TEDx speaker, and she has been a wilderness guide and environmental educator in the Nuu-chah-nulth territory of Clayoquot Sound for over 10 years. If you've ever felt hopeless in the future of our world, it's people like Nikki who are, and will continue to be integral in guiding us towards a brighter future. Hear all this and more in this important episode.This season of The Brand is Female is brought to you by TD Bank - Women Entrepreneurs. TD is proud to support women entrepreneurs and help them achieve success and growth through its program of educational workshops, financing, and mentorship opportunities! Find out how you can benefit from their support!————Visit: TBIF: thebrandisfemale.com //TD Women Entrepreneurs: td.com/ca/en/business-banking/small-business/women-in-business //Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/thebrandisfemale

More than a year into the pandemic, we know it is women who are bearing the brunt of COVID-19's impact. Around the world, women are disproportionally affected by job loss, increased responsibilities around childcare, domestic violence, health and overall economic inequities—not to mention continued systemic gender and racial bias. Mother’s Day is a couple of days away, so host Eva Hartling wanted to ask the question: how will it be different this year? One of the biggest changes being faced is also the most heartbreaking: in the US, it’s estimated that 40,000 young people have lost a parent due to the pandemic; meaning the celebration will have a whole different meaning to so many individuals. So what has changed for moms? This episode features a panel of incredible and accomplished women who weigh in on whether we should be pessimistic or optimistic about the issues and opportunities mothers are facing in a post-COVID-19 world. On this panel, you will hear Penny Abeywardena, New York City’s Commissioner for International Affairs, and an advocate for social justice, who is mom to a young boy; Carrie Ellen Phillips, co-founder of communications agency BPCM, a sustainability educator & advocate passionate about the circular economy, environmental impact and soil health, and a mom to two young girls and two boys; as well as Dr. Oxiris Barbot, pediatrician and Public Healthcare expert who is the former Health Commissioner for the City of New York, and a godmother and aunt.This season of The Brand is Female is brought to you by TD Bank - Women Entrepreneurs. TD is proud to support women entrepreneurs and help them achieve success and growth through its program of educational workshops, financing, and mentorship opportunities! Find out how you can benefit from their support!————Visit: TBIF: thebrandisfemale.com //TD Women Entrepreneurs: td.com/ca/en/business-banking/small-business/women-in-business //Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/thebrandisfemale

This week, host Eva Hartling is joined by guests Michelle Bilodeau and Karen Cleveland, authors of ‘The New Wedding Book: a Guide to Ditching All the Rules’, which offers readers an alternative to wedding planning, based on the extensive list of antiquated customs that are so often tied to the big day. Michelle is a Canadian editor and writer, known for contributing on topics including fashion, lifestyle, green beauty, and cannabis; additionally, she’s recently made the decision to go back to school and study Psychology. Karen Cleveland is an established Communications and Marketing professional who currently works for the CAMH Foundation in Toronto. The co-authors came up with the idea for their book after getting hitched themselves, realizing the insane pressure that is placed on women on their way down the altar. Can you believe that in 2021, we are still embracing the same traditions that were developed in the Victorian era? Letting go of all we've learned as feminists in favour of a long-expired code of conduct: from rules about what to wear, to 'slimming down' to fit into a dress that's just a size too small, and having a patriarchal figure walk us down the aisle. Dare we also ask the question… why get married in the first place when there are so many options for women today? We no longer rely on matrimony to access things like a bank account and credit card, the right to vote or own a business — not to mention the many who are left behind by the myth of the all-white perfect wedding including BIPOC, non-binary people, and same-sex couples. You’ll hear answers to all this and more in this episode - including a discussion about weddings’ close cousin, the big D-I-V-O-R-C-E, rates of which have been skyrocketing during the pandemic.This season of The Brand is Female is brought to you by TD Bank - Women Entrepreneurs. TD is proud to support women entrepreneurs and help them achieve success and growth through its program of educational workshops, financing, and mentorship opportunities! Find out how you can benefit from their support!————Visit: TBIF: thebrandisfemale.com //TD Women Entrepreneurs: td.com/ca/en/business-banking/small-business/women-in-business //Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/thebrandisfemale