OV Boss Babes

Gwendolyn Neelin went to the United Kingdom in her early 20's for a fresh start, falling in love with the British culture. After moving back home, this barista-turned-baker with a passion for food, tea, and British tradition stumbled across the opportunity to take over an established tearoom in downtown Almonte and the cake crumbles seemed to fall into place, along with a lot of manifesting, hard work and support, and Gwendolyn opened her tearoom and restaurant Tea and Cake.

In this episode, we chatted about:

🇨🇰The British tea culture, including fascinating rules around table manners, food and drink etiquette, and table settings (and why Tea & Cake doesnt necessarily follow all of them)

☕️ The differences between afternoon and high tea along with some fun history facts!

👏🏼 Why breaking the rules in business is strategic and contributes to the success of your business, ultimately making it stand out

🫖 How Gwendolyn is targeting a diverse customer base to come to her tearoom rather than just primarily women

When you take a ride in the Thursty Pedaler, you really have to work for that drink! Party bikes, which originated in Europe, started to become popular in the Uniged States - but it wasn't until 2019 when someone finally decided to bring the pedal party bike pub crawl to Ottawa... and that was Jessie Schenk.

But owning a pedal bike comes with its sets of challenges. From finding a multi-passenger bike and a local repair shop, liabilities (i.e. if someone falls off the bike), location (because you need enough pubs close nearby to pedal to), and having your business approved to operate alongside traffic - because rush hour traffic doesn't need another reason to be held up.

But Jessie found herself a mentor, who happened to be someone who was already in this line of work, asked the right questions and found key players that helped to make her business successful, creating a brand that is built on the fundamental basis of being approachable and community-oriented, while also capturing the vibrancy of an engaged tourism sector.

In this episode, Jessie and I chat all about:

🚲 How both her former experience working for the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group and her current role as the Marketing Manager for Ottawa Tourism has helped contribute to the success of building a successful tourism brand and experience

🫱🏼‍🫲🏻 How creating and building authentic relationships play a key role in her business

🍻 Why Jessie chose popular local and tourist spot The Glebe to host her tours in

And so much more about owning and operating the ONLY pedal party pub crawl in Ottawa!

Marisa D'Alimonte is a local tile and stone contractor with over 10 years experiences in the trades, working since 16 as a masonry laborer, establishing her own business, D'Alimonte Tile and Stone, in 2022.

From custom walk-in showers, steam rooms, tile floors, accent back walls, fireplaces and so much more, Marisa takes your creative vision and brings it to life.

In this episode, Marisa D'Alimonte chatted about:

👉🏼 How Marisa first stumbled into the trades and discovered her passion for artisan tile setters and custom stone installation work

👉🏼 What kinds of tile and stone installation services she all provides

👉🏼 What interesting items she has found behind walls, wallpaper, and even in the floorboards

👉🏼 How Small Business Centre's Starter Company Plus Program taught Marisa about the importance of a goal setting and visualizing where she could possibly see herself and her business in the future

After working in medical administration for many years, Joanne Romain had a vision to see a change in the environment for doctors, nurses and medical staff and was the coordinator for the Pontiac Family Medical Group, she founded and opened her own clinic, Clinique Medical le Lotus.

She had a vision for what working conditions should be like and wanted to open a multi-disciplinary clinic for doctors, patients, and for recruitment purposes, such as grad students. In 2023, the clinic now has 12 family doctors, 3 family medicine nurses, a specialized nurse practitioner, physiotherapist, physiotherapy technologist, social worker, massage therapist and psychotherapist.

In this episode, we chat about:

👩🏽‍⚕️ How this former medical secretary came to owning a multi-disciplinary medical clinic in Shawville

👩🏽‍⚕️How Joanne managed to recruit 12 family doctors at her medical clinic while there is an ongoing shortage in both Quebec and Ontario

👩🏽‍⚕️ The benefits to seeing a nurse practioner (NP) + their Women's Health Clinic

👩🏽‍⚕️The challenges of working in medical care, physician recruitment, being a medical director, and more!

📲 TUNE IN NOW!

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Après avoir travaillé dans l'administration médicale pendant de nombreuses années, Joanne Romain a eu une vision de voir un changement dans l'environnement pour les médecins, les infirmières et le personnel médical et a été la coordonnatrice du Groupe médical familial Pontiac, elle a fondé et ouvert sa propre clinique, Clinique Medical le Lotus.

Elle avait une vision de ce que devraient être les conditions de travail et voulait ouvrir une clinique multidisciplinaire pour les médecins, les patients et à des fins de recrutement, comme les étudiants diplômés. En 2023, la clinique compte maintenant 12 médecins de famille, 3 infirmières en médecine familiale, une infirmière praticienne spécialisée, un physiothérapeute, un technologue en physiothérapie, un travailleur social, un massothérapeute et un psychothérapeute.

Dans cet épisode, on parle de :

👩🏽‍⚕️Comment cette ancienne secrétaire médicale est devenue propriétaire d'une clinique médicale multidisciplinaire à Shawville

👩🏽‍⚕️ Comment Joanne a réussi à recruter 12 médecins de famille à sa clinique médicale alors qu'il y a une pénurie continue au Québec et en Ontario

👩🏽‍⚕️ Les avantages de voir une infirmière praticienne (IP) + sa clinique de santé des femmes

👩🏽‍⚕️Les défis de travailler dans les soins médicaux, le recrutement de médecins, d'être directeur médical, et plus encore !

Autumn Liggett from Autumn Liggett Photography was my very second guest on OVBB and due to last minute cancellations this week, I invited Autumn to join me because I've been following her journey over the past few years and have been impressed by how this babe has pivoted and established herself as a well known and sought after photographer in the Valley!

Since we last spoke in 2020, Autumn has expanded her portfolio from being a wedding photographer to include pregnancy, newborn, and even branding sessions. Right before the pandemic, Autumn had quit her job working at a daycare centre and was excited to embark full time into her biz. But with group gathering restrictions in place, which meant no or micro weddings during the beginning of the pandemic, Autumn had no choice but to return to work.

Fast forward 3 years, she's back to being a full time entrepreneur, is slammed with inquiries, is engaged and a home owner!

In this episode, we discussed:

📸 Autumn's engagement story + if they are choosing to have a wedding.. or elope! ✨

📸 How Autumn got into photography for Airbnb's, cottages and chalets.. and if she now considers herself a content creator 🤔

📸 Why Autumn decided to LOWER her prices WITHOUT devaluing what she is worth 👏🏼

📸 Ghosting inquiries, hiring a business coach, photography trends, and so much more! 👻

You babes remember when we featured Courtney and Savanna Enright (the sister-in-laws that you swear are sisters IRL) who launched their fashion boutique on wheels last spring with their trendy trailer!

If you're a regular listener + follower of OVBB, you'll know that we feature former Enterprise Renfrew County grant recipients on our podcast from their previous intake programs and their latest one JUST wrapped up, so they'll be announcing those successful recipients very shortly!

In the meantime, I sat down with co-owner Coufashion trends are currently in, and of course, how ERC's program helped them to scale and grow their business!

These babes have also added new members to their team, so you can expect to see some familiar faces at the Petawawa Container Market and at their pop up events 💕

Skydiving and that exhilarating feeling of liberation go hand in hand together and it's a great adventure sport for giving your body a sensory overload with a massive adrenaline rush.

Even if you're afraid of heights, you still might be curious about what it's like to jump out of a plane, how many jumps you have to make before skydiving alone, and even how safe it actually is!

Shannon and Jake Mason are the owners and operators of Parachute Ottawa, the #1 destination for skydiving in Arnprior. Providing tandem skydiving, PFF, military and licensed skydiving in Arnprior, Canada for 30+ years, Parachute Ottawa has become one of the top destinations for tandem skydiving in all of Canada, voted Best Skydiving Centre in Ottawa.

In this episode, we discuss:

🪂 How Parachute Ottawa formerly was Mile High Parachuting - and how Shannon and Jake rebranded the business

🪂 How safe skydiving REALLY is!

🪂 What can someone expect during a free fall skydive?!

🪂 If someone has ever proposed while being up in the air?!

Trisomy 18 is rare, occurring in about 1 in 2,500 pregnancies. Mike and Julie Kelly never anticipated being one of those families that would experience the worst hardships of losing a child due to this deadly and rare condition.

Cara received a diagnosis of Trisomy 18 before she was born. The odds were against her family having time with her...but Cara was determined to prove everyone wrong - and she did! Cara spent 12 incredible hours on this earth with her family and felt the kindness of doctors, nurses, staff, and volunteers at Roger Neilson House and the Ottawa Hospital and captured many memories against all odds. 

In this episode, Mike and Julie share with her the story of their daughter, from initially finding out her Trisomy 18 diagnosis, to Julie's pregnancy and what they faced together as a couple, the day Cara was born, and the aftermath that follows from losing a child, including sharing her story publically, navigating postpartum, the importance of therapy, checking in on both the mother and the father, and having the difficult and challenging conversation with your other children.

In honour of Cara's memory, Mike and Julie are raising awareness for Roger Neilson House to support their mission to meet the unique palliative care needs of newborns, children, youth, and their families. They are also hosting their third annual Cara's Kegger event on Saturday, July 22, 2023, with bigger plans already in the works for 2024.

With the generosity of family, friends and local businesses, they have already raised over $8,000. Please help the Kelly's meet our goal and support Roger Nielson House in Cara’s memory 🤍

Trisomy 18 is rare, occurring in about 1 in 2,500 pregnancies. Mike and Julie Kelly never anticipated being one of those families that would experience the worst hardships of losing a child due to this deadly and rare condition.

Cara received a diagnosis of Trisomy 18 before she was born. The odds were against her family having time with her...but Cara was determined to prove everyone wrong - and she did! Cara spent 12 incredible hours on this earth with her family and felt the kindness of doctors, nurses, staff, and volunteers at Roger Neilson House and the Ottawa Hospital and captured many memories against all odds. 

In this episode, Mike and Julie share with her the story of their daughter, from initially finding out her Trisomy 18 diagnosis, to Julie's pregnancy and what they faced together as a couple, the day Cara was born, and the aftermath that follows from losing a child, including sharing her story publically, navigating postpartum, the importance of therapy, checking in on both the mother and the father, and having the difficult and challenging conversation with your other children.

In honour of Cara's memory, Mike and Julie are raising awareness for Roger Neilson House to support their mission to meet the unique palliative care needs of newborns, children, youth, and their families. They are also hosting their third annual Cara's Kegger event on Saturday, July 22, 2023, with bigger plans already in the works for 2024.

With the generosity of family, friends and local businesses, they have already raised over $8,000. Please help the Kelly's meet our goal and support Roger Nielson House in Cara’s memory 🤍

Lanark County Interval House and Community Support (LCIH) was founded in 1978 after a Canada Works study found that women in Lanark County needed help to leave abusive partners. Members of the community banded together to build a space where survivors of abuse could find refuge. Since opening its doors in May of 1979, the organization has become a pillar of its community.

Lanark County Interval House is the only service in all of Lanark County dedicated to ending Violence against Women and supporting women and children who are fleeing violence in their own homes. They serve Packenham, Almonte, Carleton Place, Lanark, Perth, Smiths Falls and all of the rural areas in between. They provide a 24-hour, 7 day-per-week crisis/help line and emergency shelter.

We all have a responsibility to change the culture around gender-based violence and Executive Director, Erin Lee, shares how we as a community can do and be better to help those that identify as women who are experiencing domestic violence at home or in their relationships - and one of those ways is to "be an active bystander."

In this episode, we discuss:

💜 The "HERstory" of Lanark County Interval House & Community Supports and the great impact it's had in our communities

💜 The various forms of domestic abuse, including gaslighting, emotional and verbal abuse

💜 The silent but ongoing issue of domestic violence in LGBTQ2S+ relationships

💜 What are some warning signs of abuse in friends, family members and colleagues (especially those working remote or in hybrid situations)