OV Boss Babes

Michelle Jozwiak, the owner behind "The Wizard of Pawz" in Renfrew, was at a crossroads in her career, formerly working as a hairstylist and working with adults withdisabilities. But it was during the end of the pandemic when she caught the attention of dog owners when they admired her own dog's well groomed coat and couldn't believe she wasn't a groomer herself. It was then that Michelle knew what she was meant to do and immediately completed her dog grooming certification.

In this episode....

🐾 Michelle emphasizes the importance of ensuring animals feel safe and comfortable while in her care. She believes that by prioritizing the well-being of animals, she can provide a positive experience for both pets and their owners

🤭 Michelle also doesn't hold back, as she shares some juicy confessions of a dog groomer

🫱🏼‍🫲🏻 We learn how Enterprise Renfrew County’s Starter Company Plus Program encouraged Michelle to partner with Rick’s Pet Store in Renfrew (and where she is now!)

🩷 Tune in to find out how this babe is helping to make a PAWsitive difference in her community 🫶🏼

Marie-Anik Gagné was inspired to provide caregiver support after her husband's long-term illness and ultimate passing in 2016. She recognized the importance of advanced care planning and having sensitive conversations around death. This experience led her to pursue a career in helping individuals and their families navigate the end-of-life journey with compassion and comfort, eventually receiving her death doula certification and started offering her end-of-life doula services.

Marie-Anik shares her journey towards becoming an end-of-life doula and discusses her role in this profession, focusing on why long-term planning is a necessary and important conversation to have with those that are anticipating to soon pass.

In this episode....

🤍 We learn what a death doula (or end-of-life doula) is and how it differentiates from someone that provides hospice care

🕊️ We hear how Marie-Anik approaches the topic of death with individuals and their families, and how she supports everyone through this difficult time

🤍 We chat about the importance of advance care planning and how Marie-Anik involves loved ones in the end-of-life process

🕊️ We dive into my favourite topic of setting BOUNDARIES, from healthy personal boundaries, to availability boundaries and when it’s time to say goodbye after the “job” is done

Rebecca Hamilton had created a very successful local bakery business that locals and tourists alike were obsessed with, expanding into a chain of bakeries across Southwestern, Ontario - and it has a massive following of loyal customers who looked forward to the wide array of custom cakes, cupcakes and sweet treats.

After over a decade of growing Chick Boss Cake from the ground up, building it to over a million in sales and investing countless hours, money & energy into it, Rebecca made the difficult but necessary decision to close her million dollar business down in December 2023.

She has since branched out and created her own personal brand called Rebecca Hamilton Co., to share her unfiltered, self-taught business knowledge with women around the world in the hopes to impact, inspire and empower them to create the life of their dreams.

In this episode, Rebecca shares how she...

✨ Find out❗️WHY❗️this babe made the DIFFICULT but NECESSARY DECISION to close down her MILLION DOLLAR BAKERY BUSINESS 🚫🧁

👏🏼 Hear how Rebecca dealt with upset customers, hungry media reporters, angry Reddit trolls, and accepted the closure as success, as not failure

🙌🏻✨🎉 And WHAT this boss babe has done to REVOLUTIONIZE her brand, transform her business model, and what we can all expect next!

The journey to becoming a dairy farmer is a unique and rewarding experience. It involves a combination of passion, hard work, and dedication to the care of animals and the production of high-quality dairy products.

Although Eline van der Veen didn't grow up on a dairy farm, she did have a background in agriculture and was able to gain some hands-on experience, learning various aspects of the industry by working on a handful of farms when she was younger, never thinking this was something she was going to pursue until she met her husband.

After finding their dream farmland, choosing which type of cows they wanted to raise, receiving funding to purchase farm equipment, and eventually, starting their family and then, unintentionally began her flower arrangement business, Eline's story is one of inspiration, passion, resilience and success!

In this episode....

🐮 Eline takes us behind the scenes of her journey to starting a dairy farm, from purchasing jersey cows, to finding the perfect farmland, and everything in between

👋🏼 We hear how Eline stepped out of her comfort to immerse herself into a new community and connect with other like-minded dairy farmers

💐 Eline shares how she she unintentionally started creating local floral arrangements and how it quickly became successful

👏🏼 We talk about how women are inspiring tomorrow’s female agricultural leaders and how this industry is becoming more progressive

The Pie Bar is a small batch bakery located in Westport that provides modern baked goods using traditional techniques and unique flavours, tailored each season incorporating fresh, local produce. Products among the fan favourites include: Sourdough, Fruit and Custard Pies, Croissants, Cruffins and extra large cookies!

Stacy Blair, a former Structural Engineer, discovered the world of baking during her maternity leave, and, after shortly returning back to work, realized that she was being pulled in a different direction and was ready for a major career change. Stacy had fallen in love with baking, started a blog 27th and Olive filled with her favourite recipes, quickly gaining a huge following, and both her blog and biz soon gained the attention of Narcity, Edible Ottawa, and even Martha Stewart! 🤯🤩

In this episode Stacy shares with us:

🥧 Her thought process as she navigated with the decision to leave her government job and invest fully in the Pie Bar

🤔 How she recognized the significance of marketing and advertising on the socials to carve out her own space in a bustling market (and utilizing OWN photography skills!)

📉 How did Small Business Centre's Starter Company Plus program helped Stacy redefine her business model and strategy

✌🏼 What this boss babe all has in store for 2024, including business growth and possibly a name change!

Dr. Rachel Worth-Cappell is a licensed Naturopathic Doctor, a fertility, birth and postpartum doula and business owner of Sacred Grove Naturopathic, based out of the Natural Health Centre in Madawaska Valley.

Originally from Ohio, she relocated to Canada, graduating from the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine and relocated to the Ottawa Valley, immediately finding solace on the Ottawa River, connecting wholistic treatments that join time in nature alongside herbal medicine, acupuncture, diet and lifestyle therapy, and naturopathic counselling.

Her practice focuses on those living with mental illness and struggling with hormonal concerns, such as fatigue, menstrual cycle changes, menopause/perimenopause and sexual health.

In this episode, Dr. Worth-Cappell shares knowledge surrounding holistic healing practices, including:

💊 How she views healthcare as a shared responsibility between the healthcare system and the individual, with a perspective that acknowledges that both the healthcare system and the individual have important roles to play in promoting and maintaining good health

🩷 The signs and symptoms of peri-menopause, the benefits of tracking and understanding our menstrual cycles, and underlying causes to recurrent miscarriages

💰Strategies for overcoming financial barriers that current and future patients may face when exploring alternative medicine

🤛🏼✌🏼 Dr. Worth-Cappell explains how we can become our own health advocate and take back our control and optimize our health for better outcomes

Amanda Welk and her husband Donavan first started the Cottage Cup as a gift shop that featured locally sourced items, fresh coffee beans and loose leaf teas, along with Canadian cottage style decor that locals and visitors could shop from, eventually expanding to include trending fashion, local lake ware, and delectable eats from their street food style patio, The Boat House BBQ & Fries.

Amanda has focused her efforts on making the Cottage cup a must-stop tourist attraction and stays true to her desire to provide memories for every person that walks through her doors, building a loyal customer base that returns to the store annually as they cottage, camp and travel through the area.

In this episode.....

👚📸 We discover how Amanda, a former wedding photographer and personal support worker, came to owning a gift and cottage decor store

⚰️💀Amanda shares some interesting history of the old Cottage Cup building, along with some interesting artifacts she’s found over the years (including a coffin!)

💰 We learn how Renfrew County CFDC helped The Cottage Cup during challenging pandemic times & when banks declined to give her a loan

🩷🫶🏼 Amanda shares why the Cottage Cup is truly an experience for cottage goers, locals, tourists and passerby’ers coming through Golden Lake

The hairstyling queen whose jaw-dropping story is ONE FOR THE BOOKS 📚 🤩😮‍💨 - this is the episode you ✨DIDN'T KNOW YOU NEEDED!"

Elyna Tremblay of Modern Mane Hair spent years working her way up to becoming one of the most sought-after hairstylists in the Ottawa Valley. Along the way, she experienced the highs and lows of both the hair industry and motherhood, becoming a single mom at a young age, setting healthy boundaries for herself, finding love, getting married and welcoming 3 more babies into her family!

In this episode, Elyna gets RAW and REAL as she shares some heavy truths, sharing her journey;

👉🏼 Navigating motherhood as a young mom, becoming a twin mom, and how this busy mother of 5 does it all

👉🏼 On how she sets healthy boundaries in business (an ongoing work-in-progress)

👉🏼 Dealing with hair industry comparisons, imposter syndrome, "cheating clients" and building a successful hair empire

Micheline Dumont always seemed to have a creativitve and artistic flair, realizing early on when she was picking paint colours and stencilling walls with her mom. But never did she think that this would be the start of her interior decorating career.

Micheline decided to pursue Interior Decorating at Algonquin College, graduating with honours, and launched her own business, Micheline Dumont Designs. She works closely with her clients to understand their preferences, needs, and budget, and then creates a plan to transform their spaces into functional and aesthetically pleasing kitchens, bathroomss, family rooms, dining rooms, bedrooms and kids’ spaces.

In this episode, we not only learn about Micheline's speciality in interior decorating trends and how to make a room more welcoming but....

🤍 We explore the differences between an interior designer and an interior decorator, with a focus on Micheline's design skills

🩵 We learn how Micheline works with her clients to incorporate their personal style and preferences into the design, project budgets, and more!

💛 Micheline gives tips on affordable home styling, shares her favorite home decor stores, and suggests ways to make a room more welcoming

🩶 Micheline shares the most challenging aspects of her job and areas she is still improving in that many of us can relate to

Liz Cobb has always had a passion for forest management and didn't think twice about taking Algonquin College's Forestry Technician program, graduating in the 80's.

Liz has over 34 years of experience working in forest management, joining Natural Resources Canada as a Forest Operations Manager. Taking the Forestry Technician program prepared Liz for a career in nature, as she learned how to protect herself against wildlife, wear suitable warm clothing, learning how to collaboratively work with others, and the ultimate lesson of survival in the wilderness.

In this episode......

🌲 Liz discusses how the Forestry Technician Program equipped her with essential life skills, safety knowledge in nature, and even social skills in the workplace.

🌲 Liz explains the vital role that forests play in mitigating climate change and suggests changes we can make to help.

🌲 We dive into the evolution of women's representation in the forestry industry

🌲 Liz reminds our listeners to find our supportive networks, helpful mentors, and to surround ourselves with positive influences that will help us succeed