The Brand is Female

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

This week’s episode features a conversation with Eva Barboni, Founder and CEO of Atalanta, a consultancy that helps women candidates and candidates with a platform built around the advancement of women’s rights get elected around the world. Atalanta aims to help shape public opinion, raise awareness of global issues, and mobilise communities and funding for initiatives that help make the world a better place.After her experience working on political campaigns in the US and globally, Eva was challenged to think about what her dream job would be. She imagined a company just like Atalanta, and within a short while, she had gone ahead and made it happen. This is a conversation about making our professional dreams come true and about overcoming the limits we often impose ourselves as 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.comTD Women Entrepreneurs: td.com/ca/en/businessbanking/small-business/women-in-business/Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/thebrandisfemale

This week’s episode features a conversation with Janice Engel and Carlisle Vandervoort, director and producer of the award-winning documentary ‘Raise Hell: The Life & Times of Molly Ivins” being released in the UK just in time for the upcoming US elections. Molly Ivins, a columnist, was dubbed “six feet of Texas trouble”. She took on the ‘Good Old Boy’ corruption wherever she found it—most notably through her razor sharp attacks against President Bush, father and son. Her wit left both left-wing and right-wing laughing, and wanting more of her writing. Molly knew the Bill of Rights was in danger, and she said at the time: "Polarizing people is a good way to win an election and a good way to wreck a country." Her words could not ring more true today.Janice and Carlisle share the story behind making their documentary about Molly, from knowing instantly this was the subject to go forward with to trying to raise funds to make a movie about a progressive journalist in the pre-Trump era. They talk about the passion needed to bring such a project to fruition, and share the lessons they’ve drawn from Molly’s wisdom and life journey.—————Visit:TBIF: thebrandisfemale.comTD Women Entrepreneurs: td.com/ca/en/businessbanking/small-business/women-in-business/Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/thebrandisfemale

Vanessa Barboni Hallik left a successful career in finance to launch her own brand of sustainable luxury garments, Another Tomorrow, with every decision guided by a value system based on three pillars: human, animal, and environmental welfare. Launching just before Covid hit with a direct-to-consumer model and one wholesale partner already secured— none other than Moda Operandi—Vanessa kept her sight on her goals and forged ahead.Listen to her conversation with Eva Hartling to find out what inspired the riskiest move of her life, her career pivot from finance to fashion, and why she thinks the way we make clothing can be a pathway to activism.—————Visit:TBIF: thebrandisfemale.comTD Women Entrepreneurs: td.com/ca/en/businessbanking/small-business/women-in-business/Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/thebrandisfemale

Myriam Maguire is the Co-founder and Creative Director of Maguire, a design-led footwear brand that got its start in Montreal. In this conversation, Myriam shares her advice around challenging the boy’s club, risk-taking and going after your entrepreneurial dreams.After graduating from Cordwainers College in London, UK and interning for established names such as Jonathan Saunders, then later working for fashion brands including Aldo where she learned the industry’s ropes, Myriam made the decision to launch her own brand focused on style and with the goal of providing affordable yet quality products. Inspired by brands that provide transparency on their cost structure, Myriam created Maguire with e-comm operations and a first boutique in Montreal, later to open a second boutique in Toronto.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

Our guest this week is Sage Paul, Founding Member and Creative Director of Indigenous Fashion Week Toronto. An urban Denesuliné tskwe and a member of English River First Nation, she is an award-winning artist and designer as well as a recognized leader of Indigenous fashion, craft and textiles. Her work centres around family, sovereignty and resistance for balance.Sage is getting ready for the next (virtual) edition of Indigenous Fashion Week and she spoke to Eva Hartling about the need for better representation in the industry and a potential collaboration model that can help do good (she recently led a collaboration with Canadian retailer Simon’s). She also shared her desire to honour the knowledge passed down from previous generations and her support for the generation coming up, her ‘little sisters’ who she wants to help empower.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