The Brand is Female

This week, host Eva Hartling continues the witch series with a very special guest. This episode features Artist and Photographer Frances F Denny. Frances' work investigates female identities. Her recently published book is titled “Major Arcana: Portraits of Witches in America,” which documents a diverse group of people who identify as witches. This book is an exploration of contemporary witchery t...

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month and behind it is a reality that affects women first and foremost - directly and indirectly. That’s why we're proud to share that we have partnered with Rethink Breast Cancer for a special series on The Brand is Female podcast today and in the coming weeks. Today's guest is Michelle Audoin. Michelle happily wears the hats of wife and mom to two wonderful kid...

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month and behind it is a reality that affects women first and foremost - directly and indirectly. That’s why we're proud to share that we have partnered with Rethink Breast Cancer for a special series on The Brand is Female podcast today and in the coming weeks. Today's guest is MJ DeCoteau, MJ is the Founder and Executive Director at Rethink Breast Cancer. She i...

Today’s guest is Shelby Taylor, founder and CEO of Chickapea, the all-organic, high-protein, plant-based pasta, sold in 3,000 stores across North America. Shelby is an entrepreneur on a mission to create good for the world through nutritious food that’s not only good for you but also does not harm the planet. She also happens to be part of the rare 2% of women to receive funding, having just close...

With October right around the corner, we have a very special episode of the podcast. Recently, host Eva Hartling has become fascinated by witches. You may be familiar with the common historical depictions of witches, riding on broomsticks, or being burned at the stake, but we're going to explore a more modern definition; that is, a woman who stepped into her own power. These days, witch-hunting lo...

This week's guest is Julia Gamolina, Director of Strategy for Trahan Architects in New York City, as well as the Founder and Editor of Madame Architect, an online publication focusing on the women who advance the practice of architecture. Julia is dedicated to the build environment and the visibility of women who work in it. Her writing has also been featured in Fast Company, A Women's Thing, and...

Patrice Mousseau is the Founder and CEO of Satya Organic Skin Care. She is a member of Fort William First Nation and a former journalist, and her journey to becoming a conscious entrepreneur stemmed from the development of her own homemade treatment for her young daughter’s eczema. This treatment was based on traditional medicine and scientific innovation. With a successful natural formula in hand...

Zoe Whittall is a Canadian Poet, Novelist, TV Writer, and today's guest on the podcast. Her last novel “The Best Kind of People” was a national bestseller and a finalist for the Giller Prize, and is currently being adapted for a limited series by director Sarah Polley. Zoe was also awarded a Canadian Screen Award for her work on “The Baroness von Sketch Show” in addition to contributing to Schitt'...

This week, host Eva Hartling is joined by Laura Kraber, Co-Founder of Fluide, a gender-inclusive beauty start-up that offers a line of affordable, high-quality, non-toxic cosmetics. Fluide’s mission is to increase the visibility of trans, non-binary, and gender-fluid individuals while promoting a new definition of beauty. The root of this being healthy self-expression and a positive self-image. Fo...

Courage >> comfort. This week, Maggie Hewitt joins host Eva Hartling to talk about finding purpose and doing good. Maggie is the founder of sustainable and circular fashion brand Maggie Marilyn. Having grown up on the New Zealand coast, Maggie has always had an interest in protecting our natural world. When she set out to create her own fashion line, she knew she wanted to build a company ro...

This week’s guest thinks plastic water bottles should be history. Nicole Doucet is the CEO and Co-Founder of Open Water, a bottled water company that uses aluminum packaging as a more sustainable alternative to single-use plastic bottles. Ten years ago, while still in university and after watching a documentary on plastic pollution, Nicole and her Co-Founder, Jess Page, were inspired to disrupt th...

This week, host Eva Hartling is joined by Misty Koefod. Alongside her wife Kristen, Missy co-founded the famed cocktail mixers and spiked seltzers brand 18.21 Bitters — which got its name from the 18th Amendment that enacted prohibition and the 21st which repealed it. Missy found her way to 18.21 after a career in hospitality, followed by a stint as an attorney, when a fight with cancer made her r...

This week, host Eva Hartling is joined by Nana aba Duncan. Nana aba is a Canadian Journalist who was recently appointed as Associate Professor and the Inaugural Carty Chair in Journalism, Diversity and Inclusion Studies at Carleton University. You may know her from her gigs as guest host of q, an arts and culture show on CBC Radio, and As It Happens, one of the network's most popular radio titles....

In case you missed it, this week, we’re re-airing one of our season’s most popular episodes again! Meet Koa Beck, acclaimed author of the best-selling book ‘ White Feminism: From the Suffragettes to influencers and Who They Leave Behind ,' published in January. Koa is the former editor-in-chief of Jezebel, previously the executive director of Vogue.com and senior features editor at Marie Claire.co...

This week, host Eva Hartling is joined by Hannah Alper, a Canadian Activist, Blogger, and Motivational Speaker who addresses issues such as the environment, anti-bullying, and social justice. Hannah writes for HuffPost, has given a TED Talk, and published a book called Momentus: Small Acts, Big Change. This would already be pretty impressive on its own, but Hannah has accomplished all this incredi...

In case you missed it, we’re airing one of our season’s most popular episodes again! Soraya Chemaly is an award-winning journalist and author whose writing appears regularly in media around the world. Her work centres around defining what it means to be a woman in a world built by men. Her narrative skill, careful research, and humorous tone have been described by the New Yorker as "relentless and...

This week, host Eva Hartling is joined by Maayan Ziv, activist, photographer and founder of AccessNow, a connected, global platform with information on accessibility. Through mapping as many places around the world as possible, and with the help of users’ reviews and feedback, AccessNow makes it possible to locate spots that offer accessible resources to visitors, clients and guests. Living with m...

If you've ever thought your voice couldn't have impact, this episode is for you. Saron Gebresellassi is a Toronto-based lawyer, activist and entrepreneur who has amassed a reputation as a daring human rights advocate. Throughout her career, Saron has been at the forefront of several high profile cases, including a $1-million lawsuit against Starbucks, representing a barista who was forced to work...

The Brand is Female Studios just launched a new podcast called Maple Popcorn, and this episode features a conversation our host, Marriska Fernandes, had with Canadian Indigenous filmmakers Tracey Deer and Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers. In this episode of Maple Popcorn, the two women bravely sharing their vulnerabilities, addressing both their careers and the personal struggles they continue to experienc...

Have you ever wondered where your jeans come from, or where they’ll end up once you’re done with them? This week's guest did the research for you. Maxine Bédat is the Executive Director of New Standard Institute, and an author of a freshly-released book, Unraveled: the life and death of a garment, published by Penguin. Maxine is passionate about environment conservation and uses her platforms to u...

You’ve heard of farm-to-table, but have you heard of farm-to-closet? This week, host Eva Hartling is joined by Christy Baskauskas, founder of the California-based clothing brand Christy Dawn . Christy has made it her mission to integrate regenerative farming into her supply chain, partnering with a small cotton grower in India focused on responsible farming practices. After all, our skin is the la...

Today’s guest is Shelby Taylor, founder and CEO of Chickapea, the all-organic, high-protein, plant-based pasta, sold in 3,000 stores across North America. Shelby is an entrepreneur on a mission to create good for the world through nutritious food that’s not only good for you but also does not harm the planet. She also happens to be part of the rare 2% of women to receive funding, having just close...

Nikki Sanchez is an Indigenous Advocate of Pipil and Irish/Scottish heritage with a mission to raise awareness for the climate crisis, which she does by addressing the way environment conservation intersects with decolonization, with racial and gender inclusivity, and with our society’s mental health. Nikki holds a Master's degree in Indigenous Governance and is pursuing a Ph. D. with research foc...

More than a year into the pandemic, we know it is women who are bearing the brunt of COVID-19's impact. Around the world, women are disproportionally affected by job loss, increased responsibilities around childcare, domestic violence, health and overall economic inequities—not to mention continued systemic gender and racial bias. Mother’s Day is a couple of days away, so host Eva Hartling wanted...

This week, host Eva Hartling is joined by guests Michelle Bilodeau and Karen Cleveland, authors of ‘The New Wedding Book: a Guide to Ditching All the Rules’, which offers readers an alternative to wedding planning, based on the extensive list of antiquated customs that are so often tied to the big day. Michelle is a Canadian editor and writer, known for contributing on topics including fashion, li...