Made it Happen

This week's WE RISE segment is featuring Heather Chauvin!

Heather Chauvin is a leadership coach who helps ambitious, overwhelmed women conquer their fears and become leaders at work and home.

Drawing from her professional experience as a social worker and her life experience raising three boys, Heather created a signature approach to help her clients create and enjoy sustainability, profitability and ease in business and life.

She is the host of the Mom Is In Control Podcast where she reveals her most vulnerable truths about womanhood, marriage, parenting, living through stage 4 cancer and running a successful business without burning out. She is releasing her first book in 2021.

When Heather isn’t busy driving her boys to hockey practice, you can find her curled up on the couch next to her husband, planning their next family adventure.

We talk about:
- How she became a leadership coach & building her community
- Being a 'recovering hustler' & the effects of hustle culture
- Being diagnosed with stage 4 cancer & how it changed her outlook
- Her desire to write her book & how she went about it in her own way
- What 'Dying to be a good mother syndrome' means & how to overcome it
- Energetic time management & finding your balance
And much more!

Links:
Dying to be a Good Mother Book
Moms In Control Podcast
heatherchauvin.com

Sponsors
risewindsoressex.com
paglioneestatewinery.com

This week's WE RISE segment is featuring Kierstyn Pare! 

Kierstyn Pare is a Social Media Manager and Brand Designer with a passion for making an impact on the lives of those around her. With every project she takes on, she aims to empower business owners to bring their brand story to life through intentional and authentic marketing tactics so that they feel good about showing up both in person and online. She has a well-rounded knowledge base in design, copywriting, social media management, email marketing, consulting and strategy.

Kierstyn's career in social media began almost three years ago now when she started working for a local home builder. Since then, she's been able to work with over 50 different businesses between Windsor Essex, Toronto, England and Australia in a variety of industries including restaurants, influencers, not-for-profits, home builders, start-ups, bakeries and more!

When she's not working on marketing for other businesses, she's running a community page called Only In YQG while also working on renovating her first home. All while definitely sippin’ on a cup o’ joe.

We talk about:
- Her journey into marketing & entrepreneurship
- Being a consumer in order to be a creator & staying up-to-date on trends
- Her recent rebrand with her business and honing in on key areas
- What made her decide to start her own Youtube channel
- How Covid-19 has affected the social media industry
- Social media advice for small business owners
- Finding inspiration for her social content & branding
- Starting OnlyinYQG & the impact it's has on the community

Links:
www.kierstynlauren.com
www.onlyinyqg.com
www.risewindsoressex.com

Sponsor:
paglioneestatewinery.com

This week's episode is featuring Stella Speigel, founder of Stellar Eats!

Stella is a Holistic Nutritionist (CNP), Recipe Developer and Writer behind the popular wellness blog Stellar Health and founder of Stellar Eats. Prior to entering the wellness world, she struggled with disordered eating for many years. Now, the driving force between all of her entrepreneurial endeavours is to help people cultivate a healthy relationship with food and their bodies. She wants people to understand that nourishing foods can be delicious and that wellness does not have to mean sacrifice or restriction. This mission-driven ambition is shared by her partners, Michelle and Emma and she is so grateful to have two strong women to work alongside on this Stellar Eats journey.

Stellar eats was born to create healthy eats that taste like treats! They think healthy eating should be easy, enjoyable, and empowering. Their mixes are formulated to maximize nutritional punch using minimal ingredients that your body will love. Most importantly, they taste decadently delicious. They want you to feel inspired in the kitchen and experience healthy eating that tastes stellar.

We talk about:
- Struggling with disordered eating and now helping people cultivate a healthy relationship with food
- Completely pivoting her business
- Where motivation comes from
- Having your self-worth tied to your business
- The educational experience of running a business
- Learning from mistakes
- Setting intentions over resolutions
- And more!

Last week was eating disorder awareness week and this continues to be a very important topic. The goal of National Eating Disorders Awareness Week is to shine the spotlight on eating disorders by educating the public, spreading a message of hope, and putting lifesaving resources into the hands of those in need. For more information canada.ca/en/, nied.ca/

Links:
stellareats.com

Sponsors:
paglioneestatewinery.com
shekind.ca Discount Code: MADEIT20

This week's WE RISE episode is featuring Sydney Thompson & Layan Barakat of EPICentre!

Layan is a driven marketing professional with experience in public relations, social media marketing, event planning, and fundraising. As the EPICentre Marketing coordinator, Layan has the opportunity to immerse herself in the world of entrepreneurship and learn about all the amazing startups in the Windsor-Essex Community. Layan is also a blogger with a YouTube channel (Layan Bee) that's aimed at discussing issues of wellness, mental health, and more.

Sydney leads several programs and multifaceted projects as a Program Lead at EPICentre, UWindsor. Sydney is passionate about helping entrepreneurs and changemakers flourish and thrive through dedicated support, networking and unique learning opportunities. She has expanded and evolved programs and events that support female entrepreneurs, social enterprises and student ventures. Sydney is also passionate for community building and social betterment. She is an active Young Rotarian and Foundation Fund Director for the Rotary Club of Windsor (1918). Sydney is also a proud Windsorite and graduate from St. Clair College and the University of Windsor for Human Resources and Business Administration.

We talk about:
- Stigmas around entrepreneurship 
- Starting a side business as a blogger & a YouTube channel 
- Time management advice for entrepreneurs
- Common barriers faced when starting a business
- The importance of supporting local & small businesses
- Female entrepreneurs and finding confidence
- Resources & services available for entrepreneurs

Resources:
www.epicentreuwindsor.ca
www.youtube.com/itsmelayan
www.risewindsoressex.com

Sponsors:
paglioneestatewinery.com

This week's episode is featuring Marnie Consky, Founder and CEO of Thigh Society!

Marnie Consky is the Founder, CEO and Chief Anti-Chafing Champion of Thigh Society, a niche undergarment brand offering moisture-wicking, breathable, and discreet boxer brief underwear for women that prevent inner thigh chafing and provide modesty coverage. 
Without any formal apparel, marketing, or e-Commerce experience, Marnie developed innovative anti-chafing slip shorts as a new product category. She built an online brand that has been self-funded and profitable since it launched in July of 2009. In 2020, the brand reached two major milestones - hitting 2MM in revenue, and being featured in Forbes!  The brand is changing lives beyond simply reducing discomfort – Thigh Society promotes body positivity so that women everywhere can be free to wear whatever they want and love their thighs at any size. 

We talk about:
- Destigmatizing thigh chafing & spreading the message to love your thighs at any size
- Pushing herself out of her comfort zone & quitting her job twice to take her business full-time
- Learning to run an apparel business & getting the product right beforehand 
- Marketing her business and growing with influencer marketing
- How the industry had changed over the years and body positivity on social media 
- Two big successful moments that really stand out from her business journey 
- Key factors that make Thigh Society so successful  
- Self-love tips & more!

Links:
www.thighsociety.com
www.instagram.com/thighsociety

Sponsors:
paglioneestatewinery.com
elevatepodcastco.com

This WE RISE episode is featuring Stephanie Santos, owner and founder of Synergy Wellness. 

"I began my journey into the world of wellness and holistic modalities years ago, following a very low point in my life. I suffered with severe anxiety and depression and I had no idea why I felt this way or how to help myself. My journey almost came to an end but I truly believe that this did not transpire for a reason. I realized that I have more to achieve in this life, a reason to be here and I promised myself that I would never hit a low like that again. I began studying holistic treatments and products that could help me to achieve and maintain this promise to myself. Over the years I also struggled to find a career that felt right for me. When I began this journey of wellness for myself, I discovered a passion that I had for the amazing things I was uncovering! I realized that I had a strong desire to share this with the world, to dedicate my life to helping people maintain a happy and harmonious lifestyle through the wellness modalities that quite literally saved my life! With that, Synergy was born! Our name encompasses everything we stand for. Through various facets of natural wellness and holistic products and practices, we strive to assist you in attaining and maintaining a happy, high vibe life free of stress and many other ailments. ​

For years I hid my story from the world, afraid of being judged, but I realized that so many people feel the same way every day and that it's not something to be ashamed of but rather embrace the fact that I am a soul that feels everything so deeply and that my soul has a beautiful purpose."

We talk about:
- Sharing her story of suffering severe anxiety and depression 
- Starting her business after finding natural treatments & products 
- What she's learned about herself from starting her own business
- Opening her business in Kingsville 
- Challenges she's overcome
& more!

Get 10% off your purchase using code madeithappen10 at www.synergywellnessonline.com

Links:
www.synergywellnessonline.com
Instagram: @synergywellnessonline

Sponsors:
https://paglioneestatewinery.com/
http://www.risewindsoressex.com/ 

This episode is featuring Lynzie Kent, founder of Love by Lynzie & Pop-Up Chapel Co.!

Lynzie is a multi-passionate, creative entrepreneur whose work spans weddings, events, content creation, art, design, music and more. Lynzie began Love by Lynzie Events & Design in 2011 and has since planned and designed hundreds of weddings and corporate events. She is the founder of two other successful businesses- Electric Blonde Entertainment and The Pop-Up Chapel Co. Her background of experience is eclectic- from travelling North America in a touring band to hosting two TV shows (Post My Party and Crazy Beautiful Weddings) to dropping out of University (twice)- which makes her an honest, gritty and hardworking business owner. She is most proud of the incredible team of women she works with and being an active leader in redefining and modernizing the wedding space. An avid traveller, lover of colourful vintage, Indian food and reading, she is a mom of two as well as wife to Andrew. She considers family to be her life’s most important work.

Love by Lynzie is a Toronto based planning and design agency that brings bold, original, artistic weddings, events, spaces and social content to life. Love By Lynzie also prides itself on being the originator of The Pop-Up Chapel Co.– a sustainable and charitable alternative to getting married at city hall where 10 couples marry in one day.

We talk about:
- The rollercoaster ride of entrepreneurship 
- Starting her multiple businesses
- A key element to planning a successful event
- Dealing with comparison in business
- Future trends in the event space/weddings for 2021
- Manage her time with running multiple businesses
- Being hired on by their dream client 
& more!

Links:
 lovebylynzie.com
popupchapel.ca
electricblonde.com
Instagram: @lovebylynzie

This episode is featuring Your Girl Karly! Karly Polkosnik is a Canadian lifestyle influencer and content creator. When she's not sharing wellness hacks, spreading light in the body confidence community, or crushing her business goals, you can find her every Tuesday and Thursday speaking on Hey Bitches Podcast. Hey Bitches Podcast is Canada's Top 5 Sexuality podcast that brings hilarious dating stories, hookup horrors, & raw emotions all together each and every week. You can also catch Karly dancing away on TikTok while sharing business, dating, and life stories to her audience of 280k+ and working to bridge the size-inclusivity gap in the fashion industry with her athleisure clothing line Confidence Club.

We talk about:
- Starting as an influencer at a young age
- When she knew it was time to take it full-time
- Building her community on social media
- How has the influencer industry has changed over the past 7 years 
- Advice for finding/creating brand partnerships 
- A key element to being successful in this industry
- Starting her own size-inclusive clothing company
- Dealing with comparison & confidence tips

Links:
www.yourgirlkarly.com
www.shopconfidenceclub.com
www.linktr.ee/heybitches

Sponsorship:
Three Ships Beauty Code MADEITHAPPEN20
Shop SheKind Code MADEIT20

Introducing the first episode of season 2, and first-ever solo episode! In today's episode, the founder and host of Made it Happen, Sarah Haefling, will be talking about starting this podcast, where the idea came from, and how it has evolved from starting in May of 2019. She talks about the fears of starting the podcast and starting her own business. This leads to the exciting announcement of starting her own business, Elevate Podcast Co.

Through the podcast and the amazing partnerships made, she has seen the power of podcasting and storytelling, and how it can benefit entrepreneurs & businesses. That is why Elevate Podcast Co is a podcast agency specializing in helping entrepreneurs & businesses have their voice heard and elevate their brand. They support launching & growing podcasts to connect with their audience, build authority, and amplify their business through the power of storytelling. Right now, in a world full of distancing, everyone just wants to feel connected, and there is no better way to do this than through a podcast. Hear about how this business came to be, resources used to get it started, and the journey that is to come!

Links:
www.elevatepodcastco.com/

This month's special edition episode in partnership with the Libro-EPIC Social Initiative is featuring COOK-UP Inc. 

COOK-UP Inc. is a social enterprise that believes that boosting female entrepreneurs who want to build a thriving business by doing what they love will have a transformative impact, not just for the entrepreneurs, but for our entire community. Female food entrepreneurs still face disproportionately higher risks and barriers to market entry. This imbalance is further amplified for people of color, particularly women. As a result, talented entrepreneurs miss out on the opportunity to contribute their gifts to their community; and the larger community, all of us, lose a chance to experience a new and interesting dish, be inspired by an entrepreneurial journey, and enjoy the benefits of a vibrant and inclusive local food scene.

COOK-UP aims to shift this imbalance. By providing access to affordable commercial kitchen space, a network of support services that sustain growth, access to entrepreneurship coaching and professional services, and access to market opportunities, we are building a space committed to nourishing the growth of the talented entrepreneurs market so that the entire community is transformed for the better.

Trishauna Linton, Co-Founder
The daughter of an immigrant mother, Trishauna learnt early on that business ownership and economic independence, particularly for immigrant women of color, can be life changing. Born and raised in Maypen, Jamaica, she is passionate about fresh and locally grown food and, at any given moment, is ready to climb a tree in pursuit of a fresh mango. In 2017, she spearheaded a one-year project to propel entrepreneurship for refugee women which resulted in the creation of 4 new women-owned businesses in Windsor. The positive energy that Trishauna witnessed from that project, from the confidence and renewed hope among new business owners, overwhelming support from community and corporate partners, and ultimately, community members who said “we need more of this!”, brings her to present day. She brings her conviction for female entrepreneurship and community networking to the role of Co-Founder of Cook-Up Inc. 

Delna Buhariwalla, Co-Founder
Having lived, worked, and eaten in Bombay, Oman, Minnesota, St. Maarten, Japan, Cameroon, and Canada, Delna comes to Cook-Up Inc. with a belief in the power of food to create deep connection and strengthen the human spirit. With an MA in Communications and Social Justice from the University of Windsor and an MBA from the Schulich School of Business, Delna is most at home in grey areas that bring together profit and people. Her passion is exploring the history, the peoples, and the politics in a single dish and, most of all, celebrating the story, the voice, and the creativity of the cook. At Cook-Up Inc., Delna works towards creating an ecosystem that cultivates connections and nourishes human potential through a plate of food.

Links:
www.cookupinc.com
Instagram www.instagram.com/cookupinc 
Facebook www.facebook.com/cookupinc 

Social enterprises primarily focus on a social purpose; it is a new lens through which we can view traditional businesses making a positive impact in the world. EPICentre's Social Enterprise 101 Coaching service, sponsored by Libro Credit Union, is aimed to support local community members who are working to start a social enterprise. Through this initiative, you will receive coaching, resources, tools and networks to help you build a thriving social enterprise. Learn more at www.epicentreuwindsor.ca/social-enterprise-101-coaching