Women Don't Do That (WDDT)

Melyse Skaarup, is a mom of 3, wife, professional, content creator, and recently owner and founder of playmail.co, a curated subscription-style box for moms and their babies to enjoy together. In this episode we dive into COVID life, pregnancy and birth during a pandemic, and becoming a small business owner (while on maternity leave and during a pandemic. Comment at www.womendontdothat.com and joi...

Lawyer and entrepreneur Kate Ryan is a force to be reckoned with. Whether it is as a lawyer, athlete, or mom, she has blazed a trail for other women. We talk about COVID life, get real about being a working parent, breaking down doors for other women, facing barriers, and aging. Dive into our discussion to soak up the professional and parenting advice Kate shares. Comment at www.womendontdothat.co...

Julia Anderson is the Chief Executive Officer for the Canadian Partnership for Women and Children’s Health (CanWaCH). This week Julia and Stephanie discuss all things life and work. We talk about parenting during the pandemic for younger and older kids. We dive into the discussion about the impact of the pandemic on women at home and abroad, and what we can do to recover well for women. Julia shar...

Julia and Stephanie discuss pandemic life, and what it’s like to be the CEO of a hospital. We dive into discussions about disabilities, barriers she faced in her career, and lessons she has learned leading a hospital during a pandemic and what skills and experiences have helped her do that well. Julia shares her hopes for the future in post pandemic life. Julia shares so much wisdom, personally an...

Kate Harrison is a Vice Chair and Partner at Summa Strategies Canada, a public affairs firm. Host Stephanie and Kate talk about their chosen careers as lobbyists, Kate’s career path, misconceptions about the industry, career highlights, work life balance, and their experiences working in a male dominated industry. Who is Kate Harrison? Kate Harrison is the Vice Chair and a Partner at Summa Strateg...

Technology VP Lydia Frank is a pro at providing advice on salary negotiation and raises. In this episode we do a deep dive on these topics. We even talk about how to approach these issues in the COVID context. We also discuss Lydia’s career path, what a VP of marketing does, what it’s like to work in the technology sector, mentorship, as well as, what barriers still exist for women. Who is Lydia F...

Karen Hamberg shares her experience as an executive in the clean technology field, as well as, the challenges she has faced as a woman, and what can be done to make clean technologies a more appealing career path for women. You don’t want to miss all of Karen’s personal and professional advice, especially on imposter syndrome! She is personable and authentic. Take a listen and join the conversatio...

In this episode, Myrrhanda and Stephanie reflect on the podcast and blogs of 2020, look into 2021, and discuss what Myrrhanda has learned from starting WOMENdontDOthat. Don't miss her final episode with us as she steps away from a formal position with the podcast in the New Year. You can get all the blogs and podcasts mentioned in this episode on our website at www.womendontdothat.com. Comment at...

In this episode, Stephanie interviews podcasters and entrepreneurs Alyssa Berry and Dakota Kidby. These women own communication businesses and are the hosts of the Ladies who Launch podcast. A podcast for women, by women about business and life as an entrepreneur, interviews with innovative and unique Canadian guests and more. In this conversation we dive into how COVID has impacted their business...

In this episode, Myrrhanda interviews WWDT co-creator, Stephanie Mitton. If you’ve been enjoying the podcast for a while, you know that Stephanie is passionate about mentoring women, most of all, her two young daughters. She goes above and beyond for her friends and family and she takes on challenges with incredible creativity and energy. Stephanie has excelled as a lobbyist and government relatio...

It’s been a long time since we have had a reflection show, and this one is packed with updates! Hosts Stephanie and Myrrhanda discuss the latest podcast episodes, and share updates on their personal lives and how they are walking through COVID-19. They both share exciting professional news and an announcement about the future of the podcast that you won’t want to miss. Comment at www.womendontdoth...

Roxy Earle parlayed her passion for marketing into a stellar career with Ogilvy and American Express. She was then cast on the show The Real Housewives of Toronto; this opportunity gave her the stepping stone to build a business with a major shift and new meaning to the “plus-size” world. Earle is bringing empowerment to women of all shapes and sizes. Her work also includes campaigns and activatio...

Colonel Manon Asselin and Stephanie discuss her career in the military, her experience as a woman, and the work left to be done to make the military a more appealing career path for women. Colonel Manon Asselin also shares what life and personal lessons she learned from international deployment and what Remembrance Day means to her. Listen to her incredible career and life experience. More on Colo...

Sara Austin is the Founder & CEO of Children First Canada. She has more than 20 years of global and Canadian experience advocating for children. Her work has taken her into the top circles of power in the United National, national governments, and boardrooms around the world. She led a global campaign that resulted in the adoption of the UN Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of...

Laura Payton is a professional communicator with more than 15 years of experience. She spent most of that time as a journalist on Parliament Hill, where she covered everything from the environment to international development. Laura made the leap to the public service two years ago and is now the acting manager of external strategic communications for the Communications Security Establishment. Whe...

This week’s guest is Wanda Deschamps. Wanda is an advocate, entrepreneur, mother and wife. She is the founder and is the Principal at Liberty Co. Prior to founding Liberty Co, Wanda enjoyed a twenty-five year career in the philanthropic sector serving as a consultant, as well as an institutional development leader. She is a tireless champion for inclusion, on issues ranging from women’s rights to...

This week’s guest is Bonnie Mouck. Bonnie is the co-founder and host of the podcast Run it Like a Girl. Going into its third season, the podcast is a forum for telling stories of remarkable women from a variety of fields. As a passionate advocate for the advancement of women Bonnie tells these stories to inspire others to rise up, be bold and go for what they want. Bonnie is also a marketing and b...

This week’s guest is Naudia Banton. Naudia is an innovative force. With a background in entrepreneurship and talent management, she has worked across industries such as publishing, health care, insurance, education, and manufacturing. Known for her energy and drive she helped build Waterloo Region’s first Women Entrepreneurs Bootcamp and currently serves as a Startup Advisor to the Summer Company...

Hannah Lichtenstein is best known as a soccer player. She played college soccer in the United States, and recently, in Sweden. While in Sweden, she had to come to terms with her own transition from athlete to regular human. It is during this time that she discovered that her passion for sport and storytelling could intersect in a powerful and transformative way. In May 2019, while living in Sweden...

Emily O’Brien is the founder of Comeback Snacks, a gourmet popcorn company inspired by snacks she made while serving 10 months at Grand Valley Women’s Institution for smuggling drugs into Canada. Emily was released on parole at the end of 2018 and went on to pitch her business to Dragon’s Den and launch a YouTube series called Criminally Acclaimed. Stephanie talks to Emily about the realities of t...

This week we interviewed Jennifer M. Heemstra, Associate Professor of Chemistry, Emory University; a private research university in Atlanta, Georgia in the United States. We discuss the reality of being a woman in science, what the barriers are, and what needs to change. We talk about social media - Jen is someone with a HUGE following - how does she handle the online hate, and what advice does sh...

This week we interviewed parenting expert, Maureen Dennis. So many parents are burnt out and struggling right now. Is your child having too much technology? How to balance work and parenting? How to not make the summer feel mundane after 3 months at home... Want advice for teens to toddlers and everything in between? We have you covered. As you can see, we REALLY did cover it all. Take a listen, M...

Normally we would have a reflection show this week, but given the context of the world right now, you will understand why we wanted to interview our next guest. In the interview with Celina Caesar-Chavannes, we discuss racism. Where we are, where we need to go and what YOU can do to help get us there. We also discuss life after politics and other important issues, such as mental health. It’s an im...

Our guest this week, Julie S. Lalonde, recently released her book, Resilience Is Futile: The Life and Death and Life of Julie Lalonde. Julie is an internationally recognized women’s rights advocate and public educator. She works with various feminist organizations dedicated to ending sexual violence, engaging bystanders and building communities of support. She is a frequent media source on issues...

Some women are just so smart, it’s intimidating. I remember being a journalism student at Carleton University and watching Jennifer Ditchburn on CBC news - she always appeared intimidatingly composed and brilliant. And, I guess that’s because she was - and is - both those things. But I don’t think that means it came easy for her; I think it means she worked very hard, took risks, embraced challeng...