The Brand is Female

Erin Beatty is a well-known name in the fashion world. You may know her from the former globally successful womenswear label Suno, but do you know what really transpired after the brand’s closure? Picture this, it’s 2016, Donald Trump has just been elected President of the United States, and you’re still healing from the emotional strain of dealing with the broken system that is the fashion industry. Erin found herself at an all-time low, trying to figure out what was next and how she could contribute to the world of fashion in a meaningful way. That’s when she turned her focus to vintage garments, and her new fashion line, Rentrayage, was born. In this episode, host Eva Hartling and Erin discuss the challenges facing today’s fashion and lifestyle businesses, the pressure placed on women founders to not only be in the spotlight, but to be content creators- 24/7, and why she chose a slower life; a decision that took her from the bustling streets of Manhattan to the quiet countryside in Connecticut.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

Dr Cara Miller has held several roles in the fields of leadership, organizational change, spiritual and adult development. She has taught at the University of San Diego and for Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education; and while today she does less teaching and more consulting and coaching, she is an expert when it comes to helping leaders unlock their full potential, in the workplace and as humans in general. In this episode, Dr Miller addresses today’s often toxic corporate culture (something host Eva Hartling knows a thing or two about) and speaks of obstacles women specifically can overcome, by shifting their mindset to access the opportunities ahead of them. If you’ve wondered about what’s wrong with today’s work culture, or asked yourself how you can be a conscious leader, this episode is for you.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

Marissa Freed is the President of FREED and FREED, a Canadian garment manufacturer founded over 100 years ago. Since taking over the reins from her father, Marissa has made FREED evolve to offer an array of new products — their teddy coat has been quite the editorial favourite these past few winters, among other pieces. When facing the start of the Covid pandemic, Marissa led her team through a pivot (forgive us the use of the dreaded word) and literally started to produce PPE, including masks, for frontline workers as well as consumers. Marissa wanted to be able to give back to the community and decided to partner with Indigo Arrows, a Winnnipeg-based Anishinaabe design company. The two brands created a limited edition mask collaboration, with a portion of profits benefiting an organization offering support to Indigenous communities. Listen to Marissa’s journey as an entrepreneur and as a mom; even though she didn’t imagine she’d follow in her father’s footsteps one day and take over the reins of the family’s business, she’s definitely putting her mark on the the FREED brand today.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

Sinead Bovell made the transition from Fashion Model to Futurist, Speaker, Youth Tech Leader and Founder of WAYE, a platform that aims to bridge the gap between young entrepreneurs and the digital future. She has spoken on this topic at the UN, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce on technology and the future and she’s guest-lectured at pretty impressive establishments including Cornell University, on topics ranging from entrepreneurship to the future of work. Sinead is Canadian but now calls New York City home.Sinead spoke to host Eva Hartling about the future and what opportunities lie ahead for young women while addressing the obstacles we still need to overcome.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

Anne Martel is the co-founder of Element AI, a Montreal-based AI startup that was deemed an almost overnight success—it was backed by some of the world’s biggest AI companies and it raised hundreds of millions of dollars from the likes of Microsoft and Intel, among others. In the fall of 2020, it was announced that Element AI had been sold to an IT services company, making it Anne’s second successful exit as an entrepreneur.The Brand is Female Host Eva Hartling speaks to Anne about what it’s like to be one of the elusive women in tech, about how the tech and the investment industries are evolving to make space for female leaders and about what still makes it so challenging for women in the startup space. 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

The Brand is Female is starting the year with the one and only Penny Abeywardena, New York City’s Commissioner for International Affairs. In her role, Penny acts as the ambassador for the largest city administration in North America. But what makes her story so fascinating is the fact that she’s overcome major hurdles along her journey. Penny came to the US as an undocumented immigrant from Sri Lanka and put herself through an Ivy League education, paving the way to impressive professional opportunities. Prior to joining the City of New York, Penny worked on Women’s Rights for the Clinton Global Initiative; she’s also been an advisor to the Biden-Harris Policy Committee. She is an advocate against domestic violence, inspired by her own experience; and is a champion of sustainability and human rights. Penny and her work have been recognized by global leaders, from the UN to the World Economic Forum. In this episode, learn more about Penny’s journey, find out what keeps her motivated and driven to have impact, and what she hopes changes after January 20, 2021.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

Chloe Songer is the co-founder of Thousand Fell, the New York-based sneaker company which offers a line of biodegradable shoes to promote circularity, with the goal of changing how footwear is both produced and consumed. Before coming up with the idea of Thousand Fell in 2018, Chloe spent time in retailer Gap’s Rotational Management Program program, learning about innovative ways to create fabrics. She saw firsthand how companies manufacture their goods and how technology has become so advanced that there is no reason to make products that don’t prioritize sustainability anymore. Chloe speaks to host Eva Hartling about the benefits of working for big players early in one’s career, the power of networking and the reality of raising capital as a female founder. 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

H.E. Dr. Amel Karboul is an author, politician, business leader and overall changemaker, who today serves as CEO of The Education Outcomes Fund, a UNICEF hosted trust fund that supports governments to help improve the education and skills of children and youth across the world. She was the first woman in history to occupy Tunisia’s Minister of Tourism position and co-led the country’s transition after the Arab Spring, leading to Tunisia obtaining the Nobel Peace prize in 2015. Prior to becoming a politician, Amel held a number of leadership positions in the corporate, political and not-for-profit sectors for over 25 years including The Maghreb Economic Forum, Mercedes-Benz, DaimlerChrysler and the Boston Consulting Group.  She recently published the 2nd edition of her book, Coffin Corner, outlining a new leadership culture in line with dynamics of the 21st century. In this episode, Amel speaks to host Eva Hartling about her impressive professional journey; she covers the tough lessons she learned along the way, including the harsh reality of being an agent of change and the obstacles women face when reaching any levels of power or success. 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

Dianna Cohen is the founder of Crown Affair, a revolutionary haircare brand that launched less than a year ago — pre-Covid — and was met with almost instant commercial and editorial success. This fact will come as no surprise to you when you hear about Dianna’s impressive resume, including her being part of Forbes’ 30 under 30, class of 2019. She is a graduate of unicorn start-ups Into the Gloss (a little beauty brand better known today as Glossier); Spring, the e-commerce mobile app and Tamara Mellon; in addition to having consulted with Away, Harry’s, Outdoor Voices, The Wing, and more. Host Eva Hartling spoke with Dianna about what it means to be part of that generation of young women who are breaking the glass ceiling and showing us what is achievable with a strong vision, confidence and a close connection to your audience. 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

Better known as an actress, writer and producer who, incidentally, still dreams of appearing on a Broadway stage, Abigail Spencer began her acting career while still in high school in her Florida hometown. She’s since spent over two decades in film and TV, with roles in Oz The Great and Powerful, Mad Men, Grey’s Anatomy, Suits, Chasing Mavericks, Rectify, Timeless and, most recently, Reprisal. Known for gifting her on-set crew with florals over the years, Abigail had been dreaming up a secret project. As Covid lockdown came into effect and production came to a halt in Hollywood, she decided to act… and County Line Florals was born. Driving across Southern California onboard Betty, the vintage VW truck refurbished as a florista’s delivery vehicle, Abigail and her crew have been delivering joy in the form of floral bouquets for the past few months.In this conversation, the actress speaks to host Eva Hartling about the ups-and-downs of finding herself as her acting career was taking off; how losing her father, pro surfer Yancy Spencer III on Valentine’s Day (“the day of flowers”) gave her strength to carve out her own path; and her ongoing quest to keep creating and connecting with people. In her new role as an entrepreneur, Abigail has been enjoying the “distance from the world of acting”, but she is hard at work on a few production projets and plans on continuing to make the most of a blooming, multi-hyphenate career. 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.comTD Women Entrepreneurs: td.com/ca/en/businessbanking/small-business/women-in-business/Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/thebrandisfemale