Windsor-Essex Chamber “She Means Business” Brunch

What a motivational and exciting morning it’s been! Today I had the privilege of moderating a panel discussion at the Windsor-Essex Chamber of Commerce “She Means Business” brunch event. I shared the stage with three powerhouse professionals curated by WEtech Alliance: Zule Ankamah (owner of Zule Eats), Josipa Petrunic (Founder of TransitRewards.ca) and Brittany Charlton (Founder of Chocovate Labs).

It was such a great, candid discussion about building resilience and community. We talked about the frustration surrounding the lack of funding for women-owned businesses and why finding your community matters. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house when Zule teared up talking about the risks she had to take to start her business and the fact that her kids have been by her side to support her since day one. As business owners, it’s refreshing (and often very validating) to get real sometimes. so I appreciated everyone’s openness and honesty.

After our panel, I enjoyed a delicious brunch courtesy of St Clair College Centre For The Arts, did some networking around the room and then had the pleasure of listening to Keynote Speaker Erika Harris’ emotional presentation about her personal and business journey.

I walked away afterwards with a renewed appreciation for the little village that’s constantly cheering me on from the sidelines. The people saying my name in rooms when I’m not there. The people referring me to their friends and connections because they trust me to deliver.

This year’s women’s day events are an important reminder that supporting women needs to be a priority 365 days a year, and that women themselves need to show up for other women.

My new friend Hilda MacDonald said something at Tuesday’s Leamington Chamber event that really stuck with me and sums up my main takeaway from this year’s celebrations: ”As women, we’ve always had to fight our way to somewhere, so now we see other women as adversaries. But we have to stop doing that. We need to be a force to be reckoned with….together.” 💙