As a general principle, I love growing things. They could be projects, businesses, non-profits, relationships, plants, or ideas; they all share similar qualities of curiosity, creativity and nurturance. Nothing pleases me more than seeing something wonderful flourish and realize its potential, especially when it happens in unexpected or organic ways.

I started my career as a feminist leader as a university student in the late 1980s, where I led multiple anti gender-based violence workshops, campaigns and protests. This experience turned out to be a natural training ground for social entrepreneurship, although I didn’t realize it at the time. Becoming a businessperson or for-profit entrepreneur would have been unimaginable to me at that time, and it took me a few years to understand that business could actually be a powerful vehicle for social change.

I have now been part of countless social impact conferences, communities and educational programs, have mentored and been peer-mentored by dozens of entrepreneurs and have spoken on the topics of social entrepreneurship, creative leadership and eco-feminist approaches to business internationally.

As I enter this stage of my career, I feel called to support others in pursuing this remarkable path, especially those who have been excluded from mainstream power systems and structures. My belief is that through bringing their unique ideas, insights and life experiences to the forefront of innovation, these people and their initiatives are lighting the way to a better future for all of us. I hope that you’ll join us.

You can learn more about my business background on my LinkedIn page.

Ventures

All of my ventures—some for profit, and some non-profit—and as wildly varying as reusable menstrual products and child-friendly workspaces—are motivated by an eco-feminist social change agenda.

Lunapads/Aisle

In 1993 at the age of twenty-five I founded my first company, everyware designs, the precursor to Lunapads, a Founding Canadian B Corporation that I co-founded in 2000 with Suzanne Siemens. Lunapads was one of the first ventures in the world to commercialize natural menstrual care, now a thriving industry. In 2020, Lunapads rebranded as Aisle, The Best Place on Earth to Have Your Period.

Visit website

G Day

In 2014, inspired by a girlhood vision of being welcomed by my community as I transitioned between childhood and adolescence, I founded G Day. G Day was a registered charity that produced rite of passage events for tween self-identified girls and their supporters across Canada until 2020. Today, it’s a self-serve resource for adults wishing to create local expressions of G Day to honour the girls in their lives.

Visit website

Nestworks

In 2017 I launched Nestworks, a family-friendly co-working community. Inspired by my and my Aisle business partner Suzanne’s experience of bringing our 3 children to work with us in the early 2000s, I created a non-profit society dedicated to reimagining work/life balance. Nestworks has a vision of offering a multigenerational, integrated approach to career and family needs.

Visit website