The Brand is Female

This episode features an interview with Kassandra Churcher, former Executive Director of the Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies and the current Assistant Director for Post-Secondary Education services for the Inuit in Nunavut.Our last podcast featured an interview with Nontombi Naomi Tutu and Mungi Ngomane who spoke about racial injustice and systemic racism in today’s America. While the current movement of protest stems from events that have taken place in the US - police brutality, oppression and injustice - we would be wrong to assume that Canada is faring much better when it comes to systemic racism. We spoke about the issues from a Canadian standpoint with Kassandra Churcher, an advocate for education and women’s issues whose work has been focused on supporting oppressed minorities in Canadian communities, from incarcerated women through her work at the Elizabeth Fry Societies and through her involvement with Aboriginal communities in Northern Quebec. Kassandra also shared her recommendations for the best way to support minorities and help fight racism in our everyday lives.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!

This episode was recorded in the midst of a racial crisis in North America. To discuss the issue, we called on two inspiring black women leaders: Nontombi Naomi Tutu, the Canon missioner for Racial and Economic equity at the Cathedral of All Souls in Asheville, North Carolina along with her daughter Mungi Ngomane, author of the book Everyday Ubuntu, and Business Operations Manager for Outvote.Inspired by the wisdom and action of their father and grandfather, Archbishop Desmond Tutu whose work was instrumental in dismantling Apartheid in South Africa, both women have made the defense of human rights and racial justice a central element in their lives.The Brand is Female host Eva Hartling spoke to Naomi and Mungi about their point of view on the current situation in the US; the struggles black women continue to face in North America; what allyship looks like in the current context and what changes still need to take place as the fight against racism and racial injustice continues in today’s America.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!

Four years ago, Karen Marshall and Tina Barkley founded Fleurs de villes — a unique, experiential concept that brings luxury floral installations to cities around the world. Karen’s background in international publishing and Tina’s experience as a lifestyle expert and serial entrepreneur helped propel the brand’s unique vision.Connecting with world class talent in each location they launch in, Fleurs de villes works with top local florists, designers, growers and nurseries, to create stunning and memorable displays of art that draw attention and create engagement.Fleurs de villes quickly garnered international attention and the brand has exhibited in London, UK, Chicago, New York, LA, Toronto, Vancouver just to name a few. Partnerships have been created with the London Portrait Gallery, five-star hotels and the world’s leading shopping destinations, among others.Eva Hartling chatted with Fleurs de villes founders Tina and Karen about the challenges of starting a business from the ground up and the importance of keeping a positive outlook… as well as the opportunities available to business owners amidst our new reality post-Covid lockdown.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!

Alison Gordon was known as one of the only women CEOs leading a publicly-traded cannabis company until she left her position at 48North to the surprise of many last March; with the announcement of her departure made through a company press release.In this interview, Alison and The Brand is Female’s host Eva Hartling talked about the reality of the still very prevalent glass ceiling in today’s corporate world, the achievements and headway Alison was able to make in the male-dominated cannabis industry, and they discussed the changes that are needed in order for women executives to have true equity when it comes to leadership and power in today’s business community.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!

In this special series we speak to inspiring women role models from different backgrounds who share their views and advice for dealing with the period of anxiety and uncertainty we currently find ourselves in due to the COVID-19 pandemic.In this week’s podcast we’re talking about women and wealth with expert Ingrid Macintosh, who holds an impressive role at TD Bank Group as VP Wealth & Head of Sales Enablement, Communications & Digital Strategy.Banking on three decades of experience in the investment industry, Ingrid shares her thoughts on how women can take control of their finances, a role we often shy away from for various reasons. We also discussed the specific challenges we’re currently facing with our personal investment strategy due to the impact of COVID-19 on global markets.Ingrid has had an impressive track record, being part of a small group of women to hold a senior executive position within wealth management at a large financial institution.In our conversation, you’ll also hear Ingrid talk about the fact that women are expected to control 50% of the financial wealth in Canada by 2026, and the shift this means for how the financing industry approaches women clients!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!

In this special series we speak to inspiring women role models from different backgrounds who share their views and advice for dealing with the period of anxiety and uncertainty we currently find ourselves in due to the COVID-19 pandemic.This episode features an interview with Megan Tregunno, Vice President, Philanthropy at CAMH, Canada's largest mental health teaching hospital.Megan Tregunno has spent the last decade working in the healthcare sector, heading fundraising strategies for some of Canada’s leading health organizations, including Women’s College Hospital. In this conversation, we speak about CAMH’s new play to support healthcare workers with mental health services, and talked about mental health issues that are surfacing during these difficult times, including those specific to 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!

In this special series we speak to inspiring women role models from different backgrounds who share their views and advice for dealing with the period of anxiety and uncertainty we currently find ourselves in due to the COVID-19 pandemic.Chantal Pitre is at the helm of the Women Entrepreneurs program at TD Bank. Earlier this year and under Chantal’s leadership, TD launched a new platform that aims to support women entrepreneurs across Canada, offering them specific resources and connecting them with industry partners, of which The Brand is Female is part of.In this episode we speak to Chantal about the measures available to entrepreneurs to help them get through the challenges brought on by Covid-19. We spoke to Canada’s Small Business Minister Mary Ng earlier this week — catch our latest pod here — where she covered the Government initiatives available to business owners. In this conversation, Chantal walks us through the best way for entrepreneurs to work with their bankers for support during these tough times.The following resources were mentioned by Chantal during our podcast, they are available for women entrepreneurs offering them various support programs:https://reseaudesfemmesdaffairesduquebec.blogspot.com/https://eequebec.com/https://weconnectinternational.org/en/academy/webinar-calendarhttps://wbecanada.ca/events/https://fwe.ca/mentor-programhttps://www.thebigpush.ca/http://www.futurpreneur.ca/en/landing-pages/side-hustle/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!

In this special series we speak to inspiring women role models from different backgrounds who share their views and advice for dealing with the period of anxiety and uncertainty we currently find ourselves in due to the COVID-19 pandemic.Minister Ng was elected as MP for the riding of Markham-Thornhill in April 2017. She was named Minister of Small Business, Export Promotion and International Trade in 2019. With 20 years of experience in the areas of education, women’s leadership, job creation, and entrepreneurship, she is also responsible for the Federal Government’s Women Entrepreneurship Strategy. We spoke to Minister Ng about the measures put in place by the Trudeau government to support Canadian businesses affected by Covid-19 and we discussed what this means for women entrepreneurs specifically. Minister Ng shared insights and advice for female founders on how to maximize resiliency and innovation in a time of crisis. She also addressed what additional measures will be available for companies who until now did not qualify for part of the government’s relief plan which we welcome as great news for women at the helm of a startup and all entrepreneurs who started their business less than a year ago!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!

In this special series we speak to inspiring women role models from different backgrounds who share their views and advice for dealing with the period of anxiety and uncertainty we currently find ourselves in due to the COVID-19 pandemic.This episode features an interview with Jakki Leonardini, celebrated Energy Healer, Certified Life Coach and Co-Founder of WellSoul Workshops.Jakki’s spiritual awakening took place when she supported a friend going through a terminal illness. As she turned her focus inward to begin her own wellness journey, her intuitive clarity and vocation as a healer emerged. Since then, Jakki has studied with internationally renowned spiritual teacher and author Denise Linn. She also trained for several years in techniques developed at the Berkeley Psychic Institute in California.Utilizing energy healing techniques that work with the ancient Indian chakra system, Jakki facilitates a healing process that brings us down a path of clarity, purpose, balance, creativity, health, and prosperity.Jakki’s work has been highlighted in Goop, among others; she is also the co-founder of WellSoul Workshops along with psychotherapist Kasey Crown, who was a recent guest on the podcast too.Given that we are all currently experiencing trauma — literally at a global level — and because this triggers fear and anxiety in most of us, we immediately turned to Jakki for her helpful insights and advice to help us get through this difficult time and understand how we can activate our own healing process.A link to Jakki’s grounding meditation is available here.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!

In this special series we speak to inspiring women role models from different backgrounds who share their views and advice for dealing with the period of anxiety and uncertainty we currently find ourselves in due to the COVID-19 pandemic.Carly Stein discovered bee propolis, a natural substance bees make that contains compounds which support immunity while on a trip to Italy in 2012. She realized there wasn't a brand selling wellness products with this kind of superfood ingredient back in the U.S. The idea stuck, and four years later she left a trading job at Goldman Sachs to launch Beekeeper's Naturals. Its propolis throat spray is now one of the top 5 cold and flu products on Amazon, and the company has expanded its product line to include supplements for focus and honey infused with superfoods like bee pollen.In Carly’s words, Beekeepers’ is on a mission to reinvent the medicine cabinet - and save the bees while they’re at it. In these times where immunity, health and the planet’s survival are especially hot topics, Beekeeper’s and Carly’s ethos is more relevant than ever.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!