The Brand is Female

THIS WEEK, WE ARE AIRING A CONVERSATION IN FRENCH ON THE BRAND IS FEMALE.

Comment transformer des textiles destinés à être jetés en une entreprise capable de grandir sans perdre de vue sa mission?

Pour inaugurer cette minisérie de The Brand is Female réalisée en collaboration avec The Unscented Company, Eva Hartling reçoit Gabrielle Huppé et Maude Girard, les cofondatrices de Next Chance, ainsi que leur mentore, Anie Rouleau, fondatrice de The Unscented Company.

Cette série met en lumière l’entrepreneuriat à impact et la transmission entre femmes entrepreneures, à travers des conversations sur les décisions, les défis et les relations qui permettent de bâtir des entreprises durables.

Après avoir quitté la finance, Gabrielle et Maude ont créé Next Chance pour donner une seconde vie aux surplus textiles. Elles les transforment en emballages cadeaux réutilisables, en accessoires et en objets pour la maison, fabriqués ici. Leur ambition : proposer des produits que l’on choisit autant pour leur beauté et leur qualité que pour leur impact environnemental.

Dans cet épisode, elles racontent comment elles ont construit leur modèle d’économie circulaire, développé leur collaboration avec Simons et appris à composer avec un approvisionnement qui change constamment. À leurs côtés, Anie partage sa perspective sur la croissance, l’importance de rester concentrées et les défis de faire reconnaître la valeur d’une entreprise à mission auprès des partenaires financiers.

Une conversation sur le mentorat, la maîtrise des finances et les conditions qui permettent de faire grandir une entreprise fidèle à ses convictions.

Cette saison du balado The Brand is Female vous est présentée par TD Femmes en entreprises. La TD est fière de soutenir les femmes entrepreneures et de les aider à réussir et à faire croître leur entreprise grâce à des ateliers de formation, à des solutions de financement et à des occasions de mentorat. Découvrez comment vous pouvez bénéficier de ce soutien, visitez td.com/wie

Cet épisode vous est présenté par The Unscented Company, une entreprise certifiée B Corp et détenue par une femme. The Unscented Company redéfinit la notion de propreté grâce à des essentiels naturels pour la maison et le corps, sans fragrance ajoutée, offerts en formats rechargeables ou solides afin de réduire notre consommation de plastique et d'eau. En restant fidèles à ses valeurs et à une chaîne d’approvisionnement locale, l’entreprise démontre que la rentabilité, la raison d’être et le respect de l'environnement peuvent aller de pair.

Visitez: thebrandisfemale.com // Suivez-nous sur Instagram: instagram.com/thebrandisfemale

Catherine Lunardi founded GenAIz in 2016, long before generative AI entered the mainstream. After years of implementing technology in the life-sciences industry, she saw how valuable information was often trapped in disconnected systems or abandoned along with unsuccessful projects. She set out to build a better way forward.

In this episode, host Eva Hartling speaks with Catherine about what it takes to build a company before the market is ready, earn the trust of a highly regulated industry and turn complex technology into a scalable business. They also explore the advantages of building a technology company in Montreal and Canada, the responsibility that comes with applying AI to life sciences, and what a decade of entrepreneurship has taught Catherine about leadership, conviction and growth.

Catherine is the founder and CEO of GenAIz and a 2026 EY Entrepreneur Of The Year finalist for Eastern Canada.

Today’s episode is part of a mini-series highlighting the journeys of inspiring women in engineering, presented by Gestion FÉRIQUE and Services d'investissement FÉRIQUE. Visit ferique.com for more!

Visit: TBIF: thebrandisfemale.com // Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/thebrandisfemale

Today we are re-airing a season favourite: our conversation with former NASA rocket scientist, entrepreneur, and citizen astronaut Aisha Bowe.

Aisha has built a career defined by bold decisions—and even bolder execution. She’s also, as you’ll hear, not opposed to naming a few favourite [fictional] aliens along the way. From discovering her passion for math in community college to working at NASA, founding two companies, raising venture capital in a system where fewer than 2% of women reach that threshold, and ultimately funding her own journey to space aboard Blue Origin’s New Shepard, Aisha’s path is anything but conventional.

In this episode, we talk about what it really takes to bet on yourself. Aisha opens up about overcoming self-doubt, navigating environments where she wasn’t expected to succeed, and why she believes imposter syndrome is often misplaced. She shares her perspective on building companies with purpose, challenging broken systems—from venture capital to education—and creating access for the next generation through her edtech platform.

We also explore her journey to space—not just as a personal milestone, but as a mission to expand representation and visibility in STEM. For Aisha, space is not just about exploration; it’s about who gets to be seen there, and what that unlocks for others.

At the end of the episode, Selwa Rafi, founder of Canadian aerospace company KEPLR Intelligence, joins the conversation to bring a complementary perspective on leadership, entrepreneurship, and the future of the space industry.

A conversation about ambition, resilience—and yes, a few unexpected favourites from beyond our planet.

Today’s episode is part of a mini-series highlighting the journeys of inspiring women in engineering, presented by Gestion FÉRIQUE and Services d'investissement FÉRIQUE. Visit ferique.com for more!

Visit: TBIF: thebrandisfemale.com // Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/thebrandisfemale

As we get ready for a new season launching this September, we are re-airing some of our (and your) favourite episodes of 2026. This week: Canadian Industry Minister Mélanie Joly.

Mélanie Joly has held some of the most demanding roles in Canadian federal politics — from Minister of Canadian Heritage to Minister of Foreign Affairs to her current role as Minister of Industry. But before any of that, she was a 34-year-old who founded her own political party and ran for mayor of Montreal. That gutsy move set the tone for everything that followed.

In this episode, we talk about what power actually means when you're someone who thinks more about impact than authority. We get into the realities of being a woman in politics today — why it's arguably harder now than it was ten years ago, the role social media plays in that, and the very real mental load of maintaining a public identity while protecting your private self. We also talk about imposter syndrome, why women need to be asked six times on average before agreeing to run for office, and what it takes to back yourself when there are no role models who look or sound like you.

Mélanie is candid, sharp, and genuinely thoughtful about where we are right now — and what it'll take to keep moving forward. This one's worth your full attention.

This season of our podcast is brought to you by TD Canada Women in Enterprise. TD is proud to support women entrepreneurs and help them achieve success and growth through its program of educational workshops, financing and mentorship opportunities! Please find out how you can benefit from their support! Visit: TBIF: thebrandisfemale.com // TD Women in Enterprise: td.com/wie // Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/thebrandisfemale

What does it take to become the first?

In this bonus live episode of The Brand is Female, Eva Hartling sits down with Dr. Gina Cody, engineer, entrepreneur, philanthropist, Chancellor of Concordia University, and the first woman in Canada to earn a PhD in Building Engineering.

Recorded live at the Gina Cody School of Engineering and Computer Science, this conversation traces Dr. Cody's remarkable journey from arriving in Canada from Iran with just $2,000 to building one of the country's leading engineering firms and becoming one of Canada's most influential champions for women in STEM.

But this episode is about much more than career milestones. Dr. Cody reflects on the mentors who changed her life, why kindness is one of the most powerful leadership skills, how she overcame fear and self-doubt, and why being "the only woman in the room" became an advantage rather than a limitation.

She also shares her philosophy on leadership, lifelong learning, balancing ambition with family, and the importance of giving back once you've achieved success.

Whether you're an engineer, entrepreneur, student, or leader, this conversation offers timeless lessons on courage, resilience, generosity, and building a career with purpose.

In this episode, you'll learn:

-Why courage isn't the absence of fear—it's acting despite it.
 -How to turn obstacles into opportunities.
 -The leadership power of listening, humility, and kindness.
 -Why women belong at the forefront of engineering and innovation.
 -How Dr. Cody defines success after a lifetime of achievement.

Today’s episode is part of a mini-series highlighting the journeys of inspiring women in engineering, presented by Gestion FÉRIQUE and Services d'investissement FÉRIQUE. Visit ferique.com for more! 

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Purpose and profit are often framed as competing priorities. But what if the most successful businesses are built by refusing to choose between them?

Recorded live in Vancouver last week during The Brand is Female Conversations Series, this episode brings together two leaders who are redefining what entrepreneurship can accomplish.

Carla Guerrera, Founder and CEO of Purpose Driven Development, is transforming how we think about housing by creating communities designed around inclusion, affordability, and long-term social impact. Kirsten Koppang Telford, CEO of The Forum, has spent her career helping entrepreneurs harness innovation to solve meaningful problems and now leads one of Canada's most influential organizations supporting women entrepreneurs.

Together, they explore what purpose-driven leadership actually looks like in practice: making difficult decisions, resisting short-term thinking, building profitable businesses without compromising values, and challenging the systems that continue to underestimate women founders.

The conversation also examines the powerful links between housing, entrepreneurship, economic opportunity, and community building, and why supporting women entrepreneurs isn't simply an equity issue, but one of Canada's greatest economic opportunities.

Whether you're building a company, leading a team, or simply rethinking the kind of impact you want your work to have, this conversation offers an inspiring reminder that purpose and profit don't just coexist—they can reinforce one another.

This season of our podcast is brought to you by TD Canada Women in Enterprise. TD is proud to support women entrepreneurs and help them achieve success and growth through its program of educational workshops, financing and mentorship opportunities! Please find out how you can benefit from their support! Visit: TBIF: thebrandisfemale.com // TD Women in Enterprise: td.com/ca/en/business-banking/small-business/women-in-business // Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/thebrandisfemale

In one of our favourite episodes of the season, Eva Hartling speaks with Chantel Chapman, founder of the Trauma of Money Institute, to explore the deeper forces that shape our relationship with money.

After starting her career in finance and working as a financial literacy educator, Chantel realized that knowledge alone doesn’t always translate into healthy financial behaviour. Her work now sits at the intersection of finance, psychology, and trauma-informed practice, helping individuals and institutions better understand the emotional dynamics behind financial decision-making.

In this conversation, Eva and Chantel discuss why many women struggle with confidence around money, how patterns like underearning and overgiving take root, and how women entrepreneurs can begin to build a healthier, more empowered relationship with their finances.

Order Chantel’s book, “The Trauma of Money: Mapping Compassionate Pathways to Healing Financial Trauma and Disempowering Financial Shame”.

This conversation originally aired in March.

This season of our podcast is brought to you by TD Canada Women in Enterprise. TD is proud to support women entrepreneurs and help them achieve success and growth through its program of educational workshops, financing and mentorship opportunities! Please find out how you can benefit from their support! Visit: TBIF: thebrandisfemale.com // TD Women in Enterprise: td.com/ca/en/business-banking/small-business/women-in-business // Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/thebrandisfemale

What does it really take to scale a food brand when your standards make everything harder?

In this re-aired episode, Eva sits down with Tara and Megan, the founders behind Canadian functional food company Rawcology. What started in a family kitchen with a dehydrator and a mission to remove inflammatory ingredients from everyday snacks has grown into a nationally distributed brand now carried by retailers including Whole Foods, Bulk Barn and Costco.

But growth didn’t follow the typical startup playbook. They chose to self-manufacture instead of co-packing, prioritized ingredient integrity over margins, and navigated fundraising as a women-led company in a category dominated by massive incumbents.

They share the realities behind building a CPG business — the economics of distribution, why the system favours cheap food, the bias they encountered raising capital, and how staying close to customers shaped their product strategy.

This is a conversation about entrepreneurship, resilience, and defining success on your own terms when your values come first.

This season of our podcast is brought to you by TD Canada Women in Enterprise. TD is proud to support women entrepreneurs and help them achieve success and growth through its program of educational workshops, financing and mentorship opportunities! Please find out how you can benefit from their support! Visit: TBIF: thebrandisfemale.com // TD Women in Enterprise: td.com/ca/en/business-banking/small-business/women-in-business // Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/thebrandisfemale

What does it take to break into one of the most closed, traditional industries in the world—and do it on your own terms?

In this episode, host Eva Hartling sits down with Erica Bianchini, co-founder and creative director of Ecksand, to unpack how she built a fine jewelry brand from scratch—without legacy, without outside investment, and without compromising on values.

What started in Montreal as a bootstrapped venture is now a globally recognized brand, worn by women like Meghan Markle, Kourtney Kardashian, Oprah Winfrey, and Dove Cameron—and entering its next phase of growth with its first U.S. boutique set to open this year.

From knocking on doors in her early twenties to pitching the (then radical) idea of selling fine jewelry online, Erica shares the realities behind building a luxury brand the hard way: reinvesting every dollar, choosing craftsmanship over scale, and staying fiercely independent.

The conversation explores:

Why sustainability, for Ecksand, was never a marketing angle—but a design principle

How creativity, storytelling, and discipline shape timeless design

The tension between growth and control—and why she chose to stay independent

What it really means to build a modern luxury brand in today’s market

This is a conversation about conviction, patience, and building something that lasts—in every sense of the word.

This season of our podcast is brought to you by TD Canada Women in Enterprise. TD is proud to support women entrepreneurs and help them achieve success and growth through its program of educational workshops, financing and mentorship opportunities! Please find out how you can benefit from their support! Visit: TBIF: thebrandisfemale.com // TD Women in Enterprise: td.com/wie // Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/thebrandisfemale

At a time when women’s sports are reaching new heights, Canada’s women’s rugby program is emerging as one of the most compelling stories in the game.

In this episode, Eva Hartling sits down with Jocelyn Barrieau, head coach of Canada’s women’s rugby sevens team, to explore the evolution of the sport — from limited opportunities to Olympic podiums and World Cup finals. Together, they unpack what it takes to build a high-performance culture rooted in trust, psychological safety, and a clear sense of purpose.

Jocelyn shares her leadership philosophy — grounded in passion, pride, and love — and reflects on the role of visibility, media access, and athlete storytelling in driving the sport forward. The conversation also touches on funding realities, the need for stronger commercial partnerships, and why true progress will depend on greater representation in decision-making roles.

A conversation about sport, leadership, and the systems we need to build to sustain women’s success — on and off the field.

This season of our podcast is brought to you by TD Canada Women in Enterprise. TD is proud to support women entrepreneurs and help them achieve success and growth through its program of educational workshops, financing and mentorship opportunities! Please find out how you can benefit from their support! Visit: TBIF: thebrandisfemale.com // TD Women in Enterprise: td.com/wie // Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/thebrandisfemale