OV Boss Babes

Julia Weber, aka Little Miss Ottawa, first discovered her love for travelling after taking part in an international exchange to Australia, discovering all the different restaurants, hidden gems and fun things to do. This made her wonder why she wasn't doing this in her hometown of Ottawa and thus was inspired to seek out adventures in the capital, take photos and post them on Instagram.

She now has grown her Instagram to over 56K followers who look forward to seeing her adventures and are inspired to take the journey to seek out their own. From capturing her day trips in the city, to camping getaways, exploring rural towns in Lanark County, all the while... getting paid for it by large brand partnerships, travel and tourism organizations, and other large companies. So how did this former marketing manager turn into one of Ottawa's largest content creator, influencer and blogger? How does she respond to people that think she has fun all day "creating content?" And what are some tips she has for others looking to get into the world of travel blogging, also wanting to become content creators?

Tune in to find out!

Reco Refillery is a zero waste store and household bulk refillery offering environmentally friendly products that are high-quality, locally sourced, and sustainable with little-to-no packaging. From Anupaya soy candles, Carrot Top Soap shop bath bombs, Pokoloko's Turkish towels, to White Lake Washing Co's natural cleaning products, there really are products that we use in our day-to-day lives rhat will help reduce the overall impact on the planet.

Co-owner Natalie Surette talks about how we all can benefit from sustainable living by using eco friendly products in our own lifestyle habits, while also supporting local businesses. She's also the co-owner of Laurentian Brew Kombucha, which has become a household name, is visible on the fridge shelves of grocery stores and can also be found in restaurants and other convenience stores across the Ottawa Valley!

This boss babe also loves to collaborate with local businesses and farmers, and strive to create an alliance with like-minded kombucha brewers and eco-friendly retailers near and far!

Welding is one of the most essential jobs in numerous industries all over the world. It plays a significant role in the creation of vehicles, airplanes, office buildings - basically anything that is made of metal. It’s also no surprise that there are more people are becoming welders and due to the massive scope of the job, more women are starting to enter this trade.

Megan Tubman on B&M Custom Metal is one of them, "torching" the glass ceiling in this male dominated world. Megan isn't just picking up a welder and working her magic - she's also teaching young students who are thinking of trying something new and unorthodox for their career, while co-owning her custom metal business with her spouse.

Megan and Holly share their high school stories of shop class, talk about the fabrication process and the different types of welding projects B&M have created, former stories of men questioning her welding skills, and why she thinks more women should enter this trade. #metalhead

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Le soudage est l'un des emplois les plus essentiels dans de nombreuses industries du monde entier. Il joue un rôle important dans la création de véhicules, d'avions, d'immeubles de bureaux - essentiellement tout ce qui est en métal. Il n'est pas non plus surprenant que de plus en plus de personnes deviennent soudeuses et qu'en raison de l'ampleur du travail, davantage de femmes commencent à entrer dans ce métier. Megan Tubman sur B&M Custom Metal est l'une d'entre elles, « incendiant » le plafond de verre dans ce monde dominé par les hommes. Megan ne se contente pas de choisir un soudeur et de travailler sa magie - elle enseigne également à de jeunes étudiants qui envisagent d'essayer quelque chose de nouveau et peu orthodoxe pour leur carrière, tout en copropriétaire de son entreprise de métal sur mesure avec son conjoint. Megan et Holly partagent leurs histoires de cours d'atelier au lycée, parlent du processus de fabrication et des différents types de projets de soudage que B&M a créés, d'anciennes histoires d'hommes remettant en question ses compétences en soudage et pourquoi elle pense que plus de femmes devraient entrer dans ce métier. #métalleux

Now, more than ever, we are trying to find ways to save ourselves time and to spend more time with our families and doing things that we enjoy. From hiring a landscaper to help tidy up our lawns, ordering our groceries online for pickup, or a talented baker to make delicious cupcakes and treats for special events. But for some reason, the longest standing service, hiring a house cleaner, is still something many are embarrassed or don't want to admit that they outsource, and yet, it's the most used service that we ALL admit we could use!

Karen Kavanagh and her team of ladies at Valley Clean Co know that having a clean home is essential to your well being and hiring help shouldn't be considered a luxury. And her team is here to serve the Arnprior, McNab/Braeside and most recently, Cobden area to help keep your home dust-free and your floors sparkling!

Karen talks to Holly about what goes on behind the scenes of this industry - from her experience to cleaning a hoarder's home, a client's husband asking her staff to leave while in the midst of cleaning, and an awkward encounter her team members ran into with their clients. She also shares cleaning tips, my favourite "can you not" cleaning style, and how she manages to keep her own house tidy with 6 kids if her own!

Trust me, you're going to want to tune into this one!

Caroline Dorothy Rex initially didn't want to become a wedding photographer - but she absolutely loved taking photos of people and even though she was recognized for her skills in school, her education and career paths led her everywhere under the sun until she finally realized that her passion could also become her full time job - and so she pursued it (and is now crushing it, as she had 18 weddings this year alone!)

Caroline, initially from Denver, CO, shares how she wound up in Pembroke, ON, she and her husband Josh's own love story (who is also a videographer and part of her creative team!), why wedding photography is priced the way it is (and please don't try to negotiate), and why life can be a little messy and everything isn't always picture perfect, like we make things appear to be on social media. We also toss around some fun wedding "can ya not's!" and Caroline spills if she's ever been to a wedding where the couple didn't include a dinner plate for her... because FYI - you TOTALLY need to feed your photographer + videographer).

It all started as a family owned commercial glazing glass business Brown and Macfarlane Glass, when customers started asking for printing orders on glass and then the demand for more items beyond glass began. Ashley Doucet bought a t-shirt press and so began her own entrepreneurial journey as requests starting coming in by the double - so much so, that she decided to open her own custom printing store. And so, Whatever Custom Prints and Gifts in downtown Carleton Place was born.

Ashley is a self described creative perfectionist, who will bring all of your fun, expressive and punny custom visions to life on "whatever" you want (mugs, apparel, dish towels, your face on a pillowcase.. she'll make it happen!)

Ashley explains how her own business continues the family-owed aspect, with her mom and husband playing huge roles; the importance of loving what you do but also knowing when to hire help and take a step back so that you CONTINUE to love it every day; and she shares the funniest custom requests she has gotten (that go beyond bride tribe tanks and Don't Be a Prick 🌵 on a mug)! 😉

Meg Yurkiw from Made by Meg Design and Heather Desormeaux from Nuthatch Artistry are two military spouses who are both strongly tied to their military community and had a strong desire to give back in a meaningful way that would truly make an impact.

Meg stumbled across Heather's beautiful watercolour art prints on social media, and came up with a 'brilliant beyond brilliant idea' to collaborate, having Heather design poppy prints and have them printed on Meg's scrunchies, with 50% of portions going towards supporting Canadian Veteran's and their mental health.

These gorgeous scrunches go on sale on Friday, September 16 (which also happens to be Military Family Appreciation Day), so be sure to snag yours while they last!

Fall has arrived and I'm sure that many of you have been counting down the days for sweater weather🍂, the return of pumpkin spiced lattes ☕️,and picking out your perfect pumpkin at the pumpkin patch 🎃, a favourite activity for everyone to enjoy!

@scotchlinefarm is a locally family farm in @townofperth that offers pumpkins, squash and gourds of all different colours, shapes and sizes. Their corn maze is also back and bigger than ever, and they even have fun lawn games to play too! The best part is that there is no entry fee, so you can explore the farm and enjoy all they have to offer for free! 🙌🏻

Heather shares with Holly what it was like growing up on the Ferrier farm and how she cherishes those memories fondly. Also: what do they do with leftover pumpkins at the end of the season? How do you make white pumpkins? And when is the best time to plant pumpkin seeds? Tune in to find

Amy Lavier's son Cameron passed away on November 4, 2016 at 4 years old to a very rare type of cancer. In 2018, she and her husband created the Cameron Lavier Memorial Endowment Fund in partnership with CHEO. This fund raises money to support families who cannot afford to get to other locations for trials or treatment, as well as contributing funding to hard tumor research at CHEO. Since its inception, they have raised over $50,000 with the help of so many incredible business owners around Renfrew County.

Amy shares her son's story, why pediatric cancer research is such an important cause, and how she and her family are raising money towards children battling cancer and their families. Take part in Milano's Pizza Petawawa's $10 pizza deal on September 14, 2022 or search for "The Gold Auction" on Facebook to see a list of all the available items up for auction.

After relocating to Madawasaka Valley, Dr. Colette Szalay, a chiropractor who originally had a practice in Peterborough, wanted to provide a centre that would house a variety of practioners offering holistic services to patients seeking natural health and support services all under one roof.

Holistic practitioners offer a form of natural healthcare through complementary therapies and holistic practices that is system-based and patient centered. And natural healing has grown exponentially in recent years, and as people realize the value of seeking natural ways to help pain and illness, Dr. Sazalay believes that alternative care will soon become mainstream medicine. 

The Natural Health Centre offers registered natural health services, from Acupuncture, Chiropody, Chiropractic, Naturopathic Medicine, Orthotics, Psychotherapy, among others. They also have practioners providing energy medicine, PEMP therapy, thermography, as well as mental health and support services. Find Colette and her team at 43 Dunn Street in Barry's Bay!