Diane Lanctôt knew early on she’d be involved in the family business, but what she didn’t expect was that this transition wouldn’t be 100% smooth. She acquired the sporting goods company Lactôt back from her father, Raymond Lactôt, and initiated a complete remodel, making it a growing industry leader.

Diane, now a seasoned entrepreneur from Montreal, has received many recognitions over the years, including Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst & Young. She has been a proud YPO member since 1992, is the President and Owner of Canadian Hat 1918 and Harricana, and is a teacher for the MBA program at HEC Montreal.

In this conversation, you will hear Diane’s insights on being a long-time, successful entrepreneur, including the tough lessons that come with that kind of experience.

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

Does the name Vitruvi sound familiar? Founded by Sara Panton, CEO, along with her brother, the brand is one of the largest aromatherapy companies offering luxury essential oil blends and diffusers. Its products are in more than 300 stores in Canada, the United States and Australia, and it's the first essential oil brand to be stocked by retail giants Nordstrom and Sephora.

Sara’s background in health, her travels around the world, and her fascination for how traditional botanicals can be used in modern ways were the foundation for what has become the number-one aromatherapy brand in the country. Vitruvi was launched in Vancouver while Sara was still attending med school with nothing more than a website about essential oils, which grew into a thriving business amidst the expanding wellness segment.

Sara's passion is helping women transform the simple moments of their days into experiences that elevate their well-being. Her hope is always the same: to help women take care of themselves so they can take on the world, something she knows a thing or two about!

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

Have you ever entered a room and thought "Wow, a lot of interesting people out here, I'd love to network with ALL of them?". Exactly - no one ever thinks that way. However, in order to succeed in business and in life, networking is really important, as is understanding what your next move should be. And, for that, we have Ursula Morgan. 

Ursula is a C-suite executive and advisor, part of the 2% statistic of women leaders who have attracted investment from the VC establishment. She is known for generating scalable revenue businesses and top-producing teams, and most recently, her focus in the ESG and hospitality sectors, after an impressive career in publishing and tech. 

So, If you’ve ever found yourself wondering what your next career move should be, you’ll enjoy this week's conversation with Ursula. 

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

Technology and healthcare can walk side by side to uncover new paths of innovation, but also to broaden access. That's Helen Stevenson's goal. Founder and CEO of Reformulary Group Inc., she created a company at the intersection of healthcare and tech aiming to make drug plans more affordable for more Canadians.

Former Assistant Deputy Minister of Health and Executive Officer of Ontario Public Drug Programs. Helen built Reformulary based on a formidable data asset, providing innovative and valuable insights to healthcare stakeholders.

Through its proprietary evidence-based drug list that offers valuable, comparative drug information, the company helps save money for organizations’ health benefit plans. And, in 2018, Helen was named by MaRS Discovery District as one of eight Canadian female founders who have a relentless pursuit of success in science and tech.

If you’re interested in hearing more about a Canadian woman entrepreneur who is paving the way in tech and healthcare, this episode is for you!

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

Ciro Muiruri is the embodiment of resilience. Growing up in one of the toughest slums in Kenya as an AIDS orphan, she survived an attempted homicide and lived through the abduction of her young daughter. And even with everything against her, she embraced the mission of building schools and bringing quality education for young children in her community even after leaving her home country 7 years ago, when she came to Canada as an asylum seeker.

Now, she is the Founder of Pendo International Projects and sits on the board of the Sojourn House refugee shelter, which housed her as a newcomer. Ciro believes that education has shaped the trajectory of her life, and she hopes to give back by offering the same opportunities to other children like her. That's why she founded Pendo, a Canadian charity that provides affordable early childhood care and education to children below the age of 6 in Kenya.

Help build Pendo School by making a donation at: https://www.pendointl.org/causes

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

You could say Anne Miner has the unique ability to see possibilities. She is a serial entrepreneur, a skilled facilitator, a trusted CEO advisor, and a sought-after coach. She has led executive teams through change, small and large, and she excels at bringing clarity and vision as well as a strategic framework for implementation.

Anne helps people and companies realize their full potential through collaborative and continuous improvement through her work with The Dunvegan Group, an organization that specializes in business retention.

She is also an international speaker, author of several books on Customer Relationships and Customer Experience, and, in her commitment to supporting fellow women in business, she is Chair of the Toronto Chapter of the International Women’s Forum.

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 today’s tight labour market, organizations increasingly rely on recruitment experts. Daniela Correia banked on this high-growth segment to build her own recruitment business from scratch, leveraging her background in HR and her experience working with large organizations.  

Today she is a sought-after recruiter and, along with her all-female team, she advocates for equal opportunity and diversity in the hospitality market. In this week's episode, she reinforces the importance of having a growth mindset in alignment with her company culture and investing in her niche, while reflecting on the value of advocating for women in the workplace.

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

When Justine and Kendall Barber realized that the average garment gets worn 7 times before being tossed, and the fashion industry is responsible for 10% of global greenhouse emissions, the sisters and co-founders of Poppy Barley, a Canadian slow fashion company focused on quality, sustainability and ethical production decided to create a new kind of luxury in fashion. And that they did — today, the brand is thriving and meeting the needs of consumers in search of responsible accessories.

Both Kendall and Justine have impressive trajectories - from committing to give back to their community and being a Top 40 Under 40, to taking part in Alberta's 10-Year Plan to end Homelessness and named one Western Living Designers of the Year -, and Poppy Barley is the result of those amazing forces combined. 

Focused on quality products meant "to be worn on repeat" and fair prices, this Certified B Corporation is rethinking the footwear industry to ensure a better future.   

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

Graydon Moffat had multiple careers before launching Graydon Skincare. When she started her journey as a plant-based chef and yoga teacher, Graydon, known as “The Skin Chef”, learned that beauty is connected to wellness. This explains the super-powered superfoods you’ll find in Graydon Skincare formulas alongside proven skincare active ingredients. 

The philosophy of Graydon and her female-led team is that looking good and feeling good about the products you use should not be mutually exclusive. From sustainably-driven packaging to ingredient transparency backed by third-party verifications, Graydon helps people shop their values while delighting beauty enthusiasts of all skin types and tones who enjoy high-quality skincare at an accessible price.

Graydon has also spoken out about ageism in the female entrepreneurship space, highlighting how young founders have a different experience than more mature women entrepreneurs. In this inspiring talk, she shares her knowledge and secrets to creating a successful value-driven business.

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

With 15 years of experience in the hospitality business, Jacqueline Nicosia brought her flair for curated dining experiences and excellent food to Toronto with the opening of two restaurants, which she co-founded with her husband, chef Rob Marotta.

Being a woman entrepreneur in the food space, Jacqueline experienced and witnessed first-hand the challenges of sexism that persist in the industry, and, today, her goal is to create opportunities and help break glass ceilings so that more women in hospitality can reach leadership roles.

If you love food and are passionate about gender equity in the food and hospitality industry, this episode is for you. Jacqueline shares her love for Italian cuisine, her journey opening not one but two successful restaurants, ARDO and DOVA, and the barriers she had to overcome being a woman entrepreneur.

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