Made it Happen

Allison Mistakidis is a creative and passionate entrepreneur dedicated to building a community of like-minded changemakers. As co-owner of Whiskeyjack Boutique, she has taken an empty storefront in downtown Windsor and turned it into a Canadian-made gift and souvenir shop that has become a destination for tourists and locals alike. Since 2010, Allison has been creating and selling Aloraflora Jewel...

5HUNDREDS was created by Erika Hanchar & Elizabeth Johnston. Two creatives, who independently ran creative businesses and careers frequently crossed throughout the last 15 years. They have collaborated on numerous creative projects from full-scale events to business consulting, media production, and business writing. They saw a need for a professional marketplace that combined consulting servi...

This weeks WE RISE Thursdays episode is featuring Brandi Bechard, Founder & Owner of Ground Culture, and Wen Teoh, Director of EPICentre. We talk about the services that EPICentre offers including their VentureWomen Program & businesses that have come from the program, where the idea for Ground Culture came from, programs and services that helped it get started, the most common thing holdi...

This weeks episode is featuring Lindsay Nahmiache, founder of Jive PR + Digital. Recognized as one of the 100 Most Powerful Women in the Financial Post, an Enterprising Women of the Year, Top 40 Under 40, PROFIT: Top Female Entrepreneurs, and ambassador to UN for Women's Entrepreneurship, Lindsay helps companies create financial and social impact in the brand and entertainment industries. Loc...

This weeks WE RISE episode is featuring Myrtle Donnipad, the Youth & Entrepreneurship Advisor at WindsorEssex Small Business Centre, and Surria Fadel, Partner & Product Developer at Cedar Valley Selections. We talk about the services available for local businesses in the WindsorEssex area, the creation of Cedar Valley Selections & starting at farmers markets to now being sold in nation...

Ellen Hyslop is a co-founder and head of content at The GIST. Ellen has developed the signature voice and tone of The GIST that has resonated with 100,000+ female fans (and growing!) across North America. She leads The GIST’s content strategy including written content, social media, co-hosting The GIST of It podcast and managing a team of content contributors. As a lifelong avid sports fan, Ellen...

This week's WE Rise episode is featuring Yvonne Pilon, President & CEO of WEtech Alliance & Mara Beaux, Founder of Beaux App! You won't want to miss this episode where we talk about all things women in tech! We talk about what WEtech alliance is and the services they offer, the creation of Beaux Beauty App, pivoting businesses due to the pandemic, how COVID is affecting business...

This week's WE RISE episode is featuring Kavaughn Boismier, President & Founder of The Women of Windsor Mentorship Collaborative, and Tashlyn Teskey, Manager of Projects and Research with Workforce WindsorEssex. Kavaughn Boismier is a senior leadership professional for the financial industry with over six years in Wealth Management as a Private Wealth Consultant & Wealth Advisor; Kava...

Pearl Cicci is a Nutritionist, Health Coach, and personal trainer with a passion for educating people about nutrition. Her goal is to make it easy and simple to achieve optimal health. Taking a very holistic approach, Pearl is focused on the overall well being of a person. Using plant-based approaches Pearl works with women entrepreneurs to increase their energy levels and optimize their health. S...

WE RISE: Through Build a Dream – the non-profit that she founded in 2014 — Nour utilizes her 13 years of experience as a workforce advisor, mentor, and influencer to inspire youth to make informed career choices that challenge the status quo. Her experiences are not just limited to the workplace… Nour watched her mother struggle and persevere as she started and grew a successful auto parts company...

Alisha Kumar is a social media and digital marketing expert living in the PNW. She has 11+ years of marketing & PR experience and is the founder of a digital marketing agency called The Social Project. Now working with some of the globe’s most innovative and forward thinking brands, Alisha helps businesses create and implement marketing strategies through social media platforms to increase bot...

WE RISE Thursday: Ola Ahmed is the founder of Kindness Café, a social enterprise in Windsor, Ontario. Ola is an international student with a graduate degree in medical biotechnology and cancer research. While growing up in Egypt, her mother cooked a lot of food for friends and family. They prepared a lot of food, ate a lot of food, but they also threw out a lot of food. They threw food out to make...

This week's episode is featuring Lauren Smith, event planner and founder of Modern Collective & Toronto Business Babes! Lauren is a passionate event planner, connection creating expert, and lover of all thing’s events + travel.  Lauren helps busy entrepreneurs create in person connection with their online community so they can strengthen their relationships, provide incredible value and t...

Born and raised in Amherstburg, Ontario, Taylor's first introduction to social media was working for a few local radio stations. However, a career in marketing didn't really appeal to her, and instead, she spent three years studying accounting, believing it was best to pursue a career that would "make a lot of money." Realizing there was more to life, she followed her heart. Sh...

This week's episode is featuring Danielle Weibe, founder of Business Babes Collective & Vancity Business Babes! Danielle is an entrepreneur and business strategist. She coaches women to build successful businesses and connects them through events, workshops & masterminds and coaches them to create a community, facilitate collaborations, and create partnerships that elevate their brand...

Once an Executive Assistant with a side hustle, companies turn to Hollie when they need business strategy, human centric social media, and creative marketing solutions. Over the past six years, Hollie has built Creative Solutions to a six-figure marketing agency by bridging the gap between strategy and fulfillment in the world of marketing. She leads a bright, amazing team of creatives and deliver...

Abby is the founder of Abby White Co. and coaches her clients on how to use the power of their mind to create their dream life and achieve success. She uses her art to create online resources and guides that inspire consciousness shifting while tying in mindfulness, spirituality, and the Law of Attraction. Abby believes that the time spent here on earth should feel as fulfilling and happy as possi...

I have officially teamed up with RISE Windsor-Essex to bring to you stories of Windsor-Essex’s very own female entrepreneurs! Every Thursday, tune-in as I feature a new women in business in our area! Today I welcomed Susan Anzolin, Sabrina DeMarco and Nicole Anderson from the Windsor Essex Economic Development Corporation to talk about how they are supporting women through the Women Entrepreneursh...

Kelly Broocks is the founder of Pretty by Her, a business in the Waterloo Region that started as a fun little side gig out of her love for creativity while she worked her other dream job as a Social Worker in the Children’s Mental Health field. In September 2018, Kelly took the leap and left her social work job to take Pretty by Her full-time. She uses Pretty by Her as a platform for helping other...

A scientist by training and creative by nature, Katie Costa holds a BSc from the University of Guelph in Nutritional and Nutraceutical Science, and an MSc in Human Health and Nutritional Science. The Wellness Marketer is her alter-ego, and it was created as a platform to serve other health and wellness professionals and businesses to help them thrive online. A life-long learner, Katie is constantl...

Calista Desousa is a young 19-year-old entrepreneur from Canada. She started a handmade crochet business at the age of 16 and has now launched her very own swimwear company, ALFA. Calista’s main focus and purpose is to empower women and to be a leader and a teacher for self-love. We talk about everything from how the business got started, the messaging behind the company, self-love rights and body...

Krista Wismer is the owner & designer of Kreative! She is a 24-year-old graphic designer, living on the bruce peninsula & has been running her business since high school. She is completely self-taught, has a love for formal stationery, an obsession with German cars & her two dogs, Ava & Maya! She specializes in wedding & personal stationery, business branding & handpainted...

Samantha Feher is a journalist based in NYC, where she works for Cosmopolitan Magazine, along with three side hustles. Sam is a content creator, the owner of an online clothing boutique called Brunch Club, and a freelance consultant.  We talk all about working at Cosmo, including creating content for the magazine, her favourite thing about working there, and of course some behind the scenes Bachel...

Nikki is a marketing manager for a service company, running social media accounts for clients on the side, and working on her own influencer accounts when she has free time! She calls herself the queen of writing captions and is an endless source of internet culture references.  We talk about all things social media from starting her own social media business, finding her first clients, what it&ap...

Alexa Miller was born and raised on the Beautiful Bruce Peninsula, on a farm with her family in the small town of Wiarton. After college, she made the move to Alberta for almost a full year, but she missed the beauty of home and moved back in 2016. Upon returning she got a job as an assistant with a local top producing realtor, where her passion for Real Estate began. After a few years of being an...