Laura Hanek is an artist turned illustrator and graphic recorder based out of Petawawa that creates detailed illustrations for organizations and businesses that want to take their meetings to the next level, providing some visual content instead of the general meeting minutes that we're accustomed to.

Laura shares how she discovered graphic recording and was absolutely captivated, and left her career to pursue Swoop Media full time. Laura shares how she explains how she pitches her business to potential clients, previous organizations she has provided her services to (including Valley Heartland, City of Pembroke, the Renfrew County District School Board, Dog House Brewey, among many others) and how she is navigating her new role being a new momtrepreneur.

Jason Blaine is a Canadian and small town county boy from the Ottawa Valley was born to sing, write and entertain, and his love for country music has taken him to the forefront of the Canadian music scene where he has remained for over a decade. He burst onto the scene with his first #1 hit single “Rock In My Boot," has received multiple CCMA nominations, released hit after hit country songs, including Dance with My Daughter and They Don't Make Em Like That Anymore.

And if that wasn't enough, he has been coming back to his hometown of Pembroke, ON every summer for the past 10 years hosting his annual Jason Blaine Cekebrity Charity Golf Tournament, bringing along a few good friends of his, including Kira Isabella, Gord Bambford, Dallas Smith, Aaron Pritchett, the RiverTown Saints, among many others.

Jason talks about how his passion for country music took him and his family out to Nashville, the unconditional support from his parents and wife Amy, where he finds inspiration for his music, and of course, what folks can all expect from his annual golf tourney, taking place tonight at the Pembroke Golf Club!

When you think of rounding up your girlfriends for a trip to a local winery, heading to the Pontiac isn't always at the top of the list - but it should be! Little Red Wagon Winery is a hidden gem situated in Shawville, QC featuring a beautiful vineyard, an on-site restaurant, seasonal fresh-cut flowers and artistic pieces for sale. This venue also features local musicians, with live events on weekends and they are also the venue where Ottawa Valley Women in Business Events' Boss Babe Wine Tour is being held!

Jennifer shares the ins and outs to being a winemaker and how it takes a lot of work owning and operating a winery and vineyard, along with her husband Scott, and their four children - and how involved they are with this family owned business, along with what the difference is between a Cab Sauv and Merlot.

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Quand vous pensez à rassembler vos copines pour un voyage dans un vignoble local, se diriger vers le Pontiac n'est pas toujours en tête de liste - mais ça devrait l'être ! Little Red Wagon Winery est un joyau caché situé à Shawville, au Québec, avec un magnifique vignoble, un restaurant sur place, des fleurs fraîchement coupées de saison et des pièces artistiques à vendre. Ce lieu présente également des musiciens locaux, avec des événements en direct les fins de semaine et c'est également le lieu où se tient la tournée des vins Boss Babe d'Ottawa Valley Women in Business Events!

Jennifer partage les tenants et les aboutissants d'être viticultrice et comment il faut beaucoup de travail pour posséder et exploiter une cave et un vignoble, avec son mari Scott et leurs quatre enfants - et à quel point ils sont impliqués dans cette entreprise familiale, avec quelle est la différence entre un Cab Sauv et un Merlot.

This week's podcast episode has been sponsored by:

Parachute Ottawa: get 10% off your first skydive experience with code bossbabesskydive at https://www.parachuteottawa.ca

MRC Pontiac: The rolling hills, lakes and rivers and enjoyable stops make Pontiac easy on everyone. Learn more about the different communities within the Pontiac and start exploring at https://www.mrcpontiac.qc.ca/en/#

SADC Pontiac: SADC Pontiac are your rural entrepreneurship experts mwith various specialties that can help your business succeed. Have questions about your business? Visit https://www.sadcpontiac.ca

Ottawa Valley Women in Business Events: Use code BOSSBABE15 for 15% off your tickets to attend our Boss Babes Wine Tour event at the Little Red Wagon Winery on June 25. https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/boss-babes-wine-tour-tickets-338565377157

River Town Saints has been making waves in Canadian country music, lighting it up like a bonfire with their upbeat country sound since 2014. They have millions of YouTube views and Spotify streams, CMA nominations, and Canadian Radio Music Awards. They've toured with Tim Hicks, Kip Moore, among other country musicians, just released two new singles, including Maybe a Little and Name Drop, and recently collaborated with Ottawa Valley Apparel.

Holly teams up with Melissa Siegel, General Manager at 104.9 myFM to co-host this episode - because two babes are better than one!, and the RTS lads are in the hot seat. We find out what the songwriting process is like, how they balance the home/work/country singer life, if they ever plan on moving out to Nashville, and where they can be all found playing this summer (one being next Wednesday at the Jason Blaine Celebrity Charity Golf Classic!)

This episode has been sponsored by Ottawa Valley Apparel: a lifestyle apparel collection representing all of the incredible elements that the Ottawa Valley has to offer. Shop in store at 167 Pembroke Street West in Downtown Pembroke or online at myottawavalleyapparel.com.

Matel just introduced its latest Barbie with hearing aids! So what better way to celebrate this inclusive new doll collection than by shining a light on a hearing aid clinic, owned and operated by a woman.

Sherri Wesley helps to educate people on hearing loss and find the solutions and technology for those struggling with hearing impairment. Remember when our parents would tell us to turn the music down on our MP3 players because we could go deaf? Turns out, they weren't kidding! Even a one-time exposure to extreme loud sound or long periods of loud music can cause hearing loss, and Sherri explains how she and practicing audiologist, Dr. Rodney Taylor, helps their patients protect, preserve and enhance their hearing through hearing aids.

Sherri explains her journey from working in sales in the dental field to owning and operating a hearing aid clinic, how the pandemic affected her business (like how would a virtual service work for the hearing impaired?!), and Holly basically plays Who Wants to Be a Millionnaire by questioning Sherri's skillset in her rapid 10 hearing aid trivia!

Narcity Ottawa has called this schoolhouse cafe "the most charming coffee shop in the middle of nowhere that you will ever see" and I'm talking about Neat, the live music venue that brings you fresh coffee, delicious wood fired pizza, and legendary Canadian musicians, along with a stunning view of the Madawaska River, and serene, countryside surroundings.

Owner and massive lover of music Mark Enright shares how he came to owning this historic building, which used to be a schoolhouse, how a café in rural Ontario hosts household names like The Sheepdogs, The Trews, Matt Mayes, Matthew Good, Sloan, and Toykeo Police Club, the survival of venues such as Neat survived the pandemic, and more!

This week's episode has been sponsored by:

Ottawa Valley Tourist Association: Join the Ottawa Valley Tourist Association’s #tourismfamily today by becoming an OVTA member. It’s completely free! http://www.ottawavalley.travel/About_the_OVTA/Become_an_OVTA_Member.html

Tricia Booker was a stay at home mom and foster parent who, like many entrepreneurs, had little business background but knew her calling was to open a spiritual healing store after when the universe was subtly giving her signs and everything was aligning in place.

Amethyst offers an assortment of crystals, healing jewelry, salt lamps, books, candles, incense, mediumship, tarot readings and spiritual workshops, led by her staff, two in which joined Tricia on her podcast episode. We also spoke with Michelle Laughlin, Reiki Master and Spiritual Mentor/Facilitator and Cheryl Clark, who specializes in (and talked about!) past life regression, astrology chart readings and quantum touch energy.

OVBB Podcast is excited to announce our newest partnership with Startup Ottawa Valley, which supports rural members through networking events, workshops, and highlights diverse and innovated businesses and entrepreneurs in our community.

Startup Ottawa Valley is a network through the Upper Ottawa Valley Chamber of Commerce whose mission is to connect with the entrepreneurship community across the Ottawa Valley. The other two Startup Ottawa Valley team ambassadors are Jodi Bucholtz, Manager of Local Immigration Partnership Renfrew-Lanark and Christine Mitchell, Economic Development Officier for the Town of Petawawa.

Collectively, we plan to provide the support, tools and resources entrepreneurs and startups need to start and build their business. Stay tuned for details around our first networking event with Algonquin College and a local keynote speaker who has truly built their business of resilience, innovation, and technology, while also supporting the Ottawa Valley, Lanark County and surrounding areas during the COVID-19 pandemic.

At only 23 years old, Candace Tierney transformed her love of ice cream, commitment to sustainability and belief in giving back to the community into a successful, growing and award winning business. Candace wanted to create a luscious and creamy vegan and dairy free ice cream on the market, creating with one basic ingredient: 100% Canadian organic oatmeal. She didn’t let her young age stop her, building her business from the ground up, utilizing local funding resources, community partners and the support of Metro's Locally Sourced initiative.

After continuous positive feedback and customers asking "Where can I buy it?" provided Candace the encouragement and determination to expand into local grocery and health food stores. Oat & Mill ice cream can now be found across Canada and is a delicious non-dairy ice cream alternative that tastes just like the real thing.

This week's podcast episode has been sponsored by:

Valley Heartland supports businesses within Lanark County + North Leeds by providing entrepreneurs with access to funding, training and mentorship. Learn more at https://www.valleycfdc.com

Small Business Advisory Centre Smith Falls/Lanark: Summer Company applications for 2022 are now open. Receive hands-on business training and mentoring in addition to awards of up to $3,000, to help enterprising students start-up and run their own summer businesses. Apply asap at https://smallbizcentre.ca/services/summer-company/

Ever After Bridal Boutique features a wide selection of beautiful and current wedding, mother of the bride, mother of the groom, flower girl, and prom dresses. Shop their inventory of new and consigned dresses at https://www.ever-after-bridal.ca

Local Immigration Partnership Renfrew-Lanark are highlighting a new #culture to celebrate and learn more about each month and have a #creatingconnectionschallenge to you! Learn more here: https://www.facebook.com/270260646396078/posts/pfbid02BJ7aqCRWBgf3xosteUwnEtHmZPKCq16zQYQZwobq1CZLXLco8bAc2Py3CwrmstKfl/?d=n

After watching the recent Netflix Abercrombie & Fitch documentary, I was horrified. I lived through this fashion era in the 2000's and I was one of those people who had more A&F and Hollister clothes than any other brand. I will admit, I was obsessed. But I also know that I was not alone. And this documentary resurfaced many of the things that my naive young self didn't notice at the time.

👉🏼The racial discrimination.

👉🏼The white privledge.

👉🏼The segregation.

👉🏼The limited sizing options.

If you've seen the documentary, you'll know what I'm talking about. And I needed to talk to someone who worked for A&F and get their experience of the work culture, the sizes, the "recruitment" process, and see if the rumours were true, while also speaking to my own experience. ✨DISCLAIMER: I was actually recruited to work at Hollister in 2013.

Katrina Turchin, former A&F brand rep, spills the tea on what it was like working for this multibillion fashion empire that was formerly known for its exclusionary sizes, discriminatory behaviour, and shocking rules for its employees.