ChangeMaker Leader Podcast

Welcome to our latest episode of the Wisdom Walks Podcast Advancing your business by tackling barriers with mentorship and smart planning

Natasha Mitchell of Inspire and Drive joins Leigh Mitchell to speak about the importance of enhancing your skillset to meet the needs of the market, the significance of mentorship, maintaining relationships, and knowing when to take a break (yes we all need them). 

Natasha is the owner of Inspire and Drive, a consulting and coaching company for the creative industry. With more than 25 years of experience, she has joined the Women in Biz Network to mentor, sharing her knowledge and expertise. 

We chat about discovering how to get the fundamental components of a business or campaign launch down. Natasha explains that it doesn’t need to be fancy or expensive, just well thought out. 

Leigh and Natasha also discuss mentorship, and how having a safe space with 1-on-1 mentoring can be so beneficial not just to get feedback on your ideas, but so you are 100% honest with yourself and know you’ll always have a safe landing.

In this episode of the Wisdom Walks Podcast, Elaine Slatter, an author, mentor, and the founder of XL Consulting Group, speaks about the value of mentoring, how it advanced her career, and the steps YOU should take to maximize the benefits of your mentoring, and accelerate your success.

After working in the corporate world and being mentored for over 30 years, Elaine shifted her focus onto creating her consulting company as a means to give back to the community of female entrepreneurs. While being mentored in her corporate role, Elaine noticed not only the benefits of having a mentor as a sounding board, but also someone to vouch for her, opening doors to new roles. 

Now, she has experience mentoring female entrepreneurs through Futurentreprenur, and the Women in Biz Network. As a seasoned business professional, she continues to guide young or inexperienced female entrepreneurs into really understanding the structure of a business. 

Leigh and Elaine discuss the difference between outsourcing (for a more formulated program) VS. finding a mentor (to guide you not just through your business challenges and successes, but your personal ones too!)

Everyone has different skills and experience that they bring to the table; find a mentor that fits your style, and clearly understands the gaps that you need help filling. 

Throughout this episode, Leigh and Elaine reveal the importance of how being prepared to be mentored enables you to really take advantage of all the help your mentor can offer. Let your mentor know where you need guidance: THINK ABOUT IT! 

While currently enduring yet another lockdown, Leigh and Elaine analyzed the difficulties and the amount of ever-changing tasks that lockdown sprung upon women. They discuss entrepreneurial depression, and time-giving approaches to help make your tasks more enjoyable.

The strategies you will learn in this episode will help you maximize your time, and build strong, long-lasting mentee/mentor relationships that will accelerate your career and business.

More About Elaine Slatter

Never one to take the easy path, Elaine Slatter left the UK at 19 to pursue adventure in Canada. Not satisfied with staying in the admin pool and with a burning desire for a career, she started taking university courses on a part-time basis while at the same time raising two children.

A graduate of McMaster University in Hamilton and Sheridan College, Oakville, Ontario, Elaine has an extensive corporate resume spanning over 30 years of experience in the manufacturing, retail and distribution sectors. This experience includes product launches, branding, trade show execution, IT projects, website development, e-commerce websites, international customer service set up and bonded warehouse experience. Elaine was CEO of the Canadian operations for a US manufacturer. In this capacity, she was responsible for sales, finance, customer service, marketing, warehousing operations and the bottom line.

In 2012 Elaine founded XL Consulting Group and author of the popular book, “Fabulous Fempreneurship”, a complete business guide for women. XL Consulting Group helps entrepreneurs with market planning, strategy, branding, web design and social media. She has over 30 years of executive business and marketing experience and is ready to help you rocket your business to success. Elaine is passionate about mentoring women to become successful women entrepreneurs. Elaine is also co-founder of Independent Women in Leadership, a Burlington, Ontario based community offering education, collaboration and networking for business professionals and entrepreneurs.

In this episode of the Podcast Jill Valentine, founder of UGO Impact and Leigh Mitchell, Founder of Women in Biz Network discuss the power of living your values and finding your purpose in your profession. Most importantly we discuss how you can level up with mentorship and accountability in your life to create more impact and joy in your business life. 

Jill Valentine discusses the hidden secrets to success through finding mentorship and levelling up your impact and accountability as a business owner so you can reach your goals with a sense of purpose and direction.

Jill is the co-founder of UGO Impact and founder of Dare to be a Dandelion. She is a leading Transformative Travel & Impact Coach who harnesses the innate power of travel and volunteerism to create and inspire Changemakers around the globe. Leveraging her skills as a transformation coach and extensive background in the local and global charity/non-profit arena, she’s the creator of ‘The UGO Method for Change Model’ helping current and aspiring changemakers create profound personal and global change.  A passionate humanitarian, volunteerism specialist, disability sport consultant, and world traveller, she lives by the words “Make it happen!”

On this episode of the Podcast Social entrepreneur and former Tiger-Cats player Orlando Bowen shares his powerful story on his wrongful conviction, how he got started in public speaking and what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur. What is so striking about Orlando is his capacity for forgiveness and using his gifts for the greater good.

Orlando is a keynote speaker focused on equipping people to get off the sidelines and become difference-makers on their teams and in the lives of those around them. He is a highly sought after speaker and trainer who works with corporations, small businesses and non-profits. When it comes to building teams, creating momentum and employing winning strategies, Orlando is the real deal. He is also passionate about youth leadership. As a result of that passion, he founded One Voice One Team Youth Leadership Organization to inspire and to teach resilience, leadership and teamwork to youth.

Empowering people to overcome adversity, find their passion and to use their gifts to serve is the reason Orlando breathes. This gift has placed Orlando on hundreds of stages, boardrooms and in presentations across North and South America and has garnered him numerous awards.

From our interview you will learn about:

• His wrongful incarceration story 
• How he was drafted to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats
• How he started his not for profit organization
• Why a greater purpose can lead us to overcome our fears
• What a positive mindset can accomplish in life and business
• Advice to get started in public speaking
• Adapting to working online

On this episode, Leigh and Ronan Mitchell spoke with rapper, speaker and socially driven entrepreneur Duane "D.O" Gibson.

D.O discusses his journey in business as a musician, author and a speaker in schools. We dive into the process of getting signed to a record label and getting music published to streaming services and CDs. D.O gave advice, insight and tips for fellow entrepreneurs and anyone looking to enter a field similar to his. You can find D.O on Instagram and twitter @iamdogibsonand at websites www.iamdogibson.com  www.staydriven.com www.onthisgrind.com

More on D.O Gibson: 

D.O. Gibson has defied the odds as a rapper from Canada, becoming a certified international artist, a successful record label executive and a socially active community ambassador.  He set a Guinness World Record when he freestyled for nearly nine hours in 2003, sold tens of thousands of CDs, hit #1 on U.S. College Hip Hop Radio charts and travelled the world performing for sold out crowds; D.O.’s success is defined in his own terms.

In addition to extensive Canadian tour schedule, Gibson has lived up to the nickname “MrInternational” as he has toured the US, Europe and Asia.  In the summer of 2016 he headlined shows in France, the Netherlands and performed at Fresh Island Fest in Croatia alongside Wiz Khalifa, Chris Brown and DJ

In between recording, Gibson founded the Stay Driven program that launched in 2001.  Stay Driven is based on D.O.’s own life experiences where he addresses relevant topics such as anti-bullying, peer pressure, and literacy. Gibson has spoke and performed at over one thousand schools reaching hundreds of thousands of students.  In 2012, he released the book Stay Driven. 

Somewhere between Tupac (in terms of social consciousness), Fresh Prince (in terms of appeal with youth) and Jay-Z (in terms of business sense), stands D.O., a man who is bounded only by the hours in a day.

Founder of Women in Biz Network Leigh Mitchell chatted with actor, writer and comedian Jessica Holmes on how depression can affect life, work and business.

Leigh's reflections: As someone who has struggled with depression and anxiety throughout my adult life I was drawn to Jessica's book: Depression: The Comedy because it was the first book that I personally read that discussed what it is like to deal with depression while being self-employed. I was acquainted with Jessica as she was a speaker for Women in Biz Network, but her latest book really goes deep into her story and ultimate recovery. Her honesty about her marriage, life as a parent and being a performer while in the throes of depression really touched me. I am so glad that Jessica has gone on to become an incredible advocate for people who are experiencing depression. Her work around reducing depression stigma can be found in her social media and her keynotes. We hope that employers and loved ones will learn from this interview what is helpful and most importantly what is harmful.

Learn about Jessica Holmes:

Jessica Holmes has brought the house down with her unique brand of comedy, opening for giants such as Ellen DeGeneres, Russell Peters, Jerry Seinfeld, and Oprah Winfrey. Combining stand up, music and improvisation, she honed her skills at Just For Laughs and the world-famous Second City before moving on to television. Her Carol Burnett-style series The Holmes Show and her knack for skewering celebrities like Nikki Minaj, Britney Spears, and Celine Dion have made her a favourite with audiences across the country. Also a wellness advocate, Jessica is known for speaking candidly about her experience with depression. She mixes comedy with a validating message about life’s challenges, and has become a celebrated voice in fighting the stigma surrounding mental health issues in her keynotes. In 2018 she became an ambassador for the Bell Let’s Talk campaign and wrote the hilarious and touching memoir Depression The Comedy. A mother of 2 (and wife of 1), Jessica’s passion is finding the humour in life's imperfections, and turning embarrassments into punchlines.