She Built That | Get Inspired! | Weekly Interviews With Female Founders Building Their Empires On Their Own Terms!

After over two decades in politics, Premier Christy Clark has learned that to survive the political arena you have to let go of your need to be liked because you cannot please everybody. Winning her first elected role in 1996, Christy served as an MLA from 1996 to 2005, serving as Deputy Minister from 2001 to 2005. In 2005, she took a break from politics to spend time with her son. It was during this time that she joined CKNW and started The Christy Clark Show, which ended up winning the national Peter Gzowski Award in 2008. After six years on air, she decided to return to politics, but this time it would be on her own terms. I’m just going to try and be me and be truthful to myself about what I want to do, and if people don’t like it, that’s OK. Fortunately for Christy, people ended up liking her. In 2011, she re-entered the legislature after winning a by-election and in 2013 she was elected in her first general election as the Premier of British Columbia. In May 2017, she will run again, and if elected, s

Jen Murtagh has spent a significant portion of her career advocating for others. Dubbed a “people philanthropist” by one of her closest friends, she spent the past five years as the executive director of the CKNW Orphan’s Fund, raising money for children with disabilities. Four months ago she took on a new role as the CEO of The Minerva Foundation, a charitable foundation that elevates the visibility, influence and contribution of girls and women. When we build confidence in women, when we build capacity in women, when we build skills and leadership development and give women the opportunity to really bring their voice to the table, I feel that that really spills out into the community. A firm believer in the law of reciprocity, Jen is passionate about giving back and meeting like-minded people. Over her years of networking, Jen has built what she refers to as a solid female powerhouse contingent and credits many of them as the reason behind her success. Recognizing the tremendous benefits of networking, Je

In Australia, Nikki Durkin is kind of a big deal.  At 25, she is the co-founder of her third startup Codemakers, has been named one of Sydney Magazine's Top 100 Most Influential People, and was one of the top 3 finalist's in Cosmopolitan Magazine's 'Fun, Fearless Female Of The Year' Awards.  "I could go get a job tomorrow and get paid a lot of money, but I know what’s going to happen everyday. That’s just not me. I like the unknown whether it’s I’m going to do really well or I’m not going to do really well. But at least for me I feel like it's in my control." She founded her first company at 15, and her second, 99dresses, at 18 and within a couple years was accepted into one of the most prestigious startup accelerators in the world, Y Combinator, located in Silicon Valley. Everything seemed to be going according to plan…ish, until it started not too (sound familiar?). First, her co-founders left, then the funding she had secured fell through, and while Nikki did everything she could to navigate yet another ch

Kylie Toh is not your typical 26-year-old. As the founder of Chic Geek, a community she started four years ago for women wanting to explore technology and entrepreneurship, Kylie knows firsthand the importance of being digitally literate, and wants women to have all the advantages within our technology-driven economy. To ensure this, Chic Geek empowers women young and old to expand their digital literacy by facilitating regular workshops, meet-ups and conversations that encourage women to stay curious and get “geeky.” "Being a chic geek is pairing these two words that don’t normally go together. It really is around challenging stereotypes and encouraging women to own being smart, being nerdy and just loving it." As a result of her efforts, Kylie was selected by the U.S. Department of State as part of the International Visitor’s Leadership Program to represent Canada on a tour for Women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) and was also featured in the November issue of Avenue Magazine’s Top 40 U

Lauren Robinson is not afraid of hard work. From competing on the varsity rowing team at McGill University where she graduated with a degree in Finance and Entrepreneurship, to making deals on the trading floor at one of Canada’s top brokerages, Lauren has never been one to back down from a challenge. As the first Venture Partner at Highline BETA, a startup co-creation company that launches new ventures with leading corporations. Lauren spent the past few years, building HIGHLINEvc as an operator and investor, after a career in the corporate world. She spends a significant portion of her time traveling, and gets excited about submerging herself in startup ecosystems to gain a better understanding of the history, culture perspectives and how startups can work with successfully larger corporates. "My decision to leave a traditional job in the corporate world developed through building a mindset around a career as a portfolio of projects and activities that bring value to the people and organizations you are wor

"Disruption is the way in 2016. Whether it’s a business, or it’s innovation, or it’s transportation, the people who are successful are able to be disruptive in terms of finding new ways." Barinder Rasode on She Built That Barinder Rasode is proud to be called disruptive: heck, that just means she is getting stuff done. While Barinder’s so-called “disruptiveness” has at times rubbed people the wrong way — in particular some of the South Asian men in her community — she sees being disruptive as a good attribute, and would like to encourage other women to identify with it positively as well. As a long-time social justice advocate, Barinder became the first female South Asian councillor in North America in 2008. In 2014, she ran for mayor of the City of Surrey, and despite being a front-runner in the campaign, she received a ton of backlash from her community as it was not widely encouraged in the South Asian community for women to speak out. Despite these challenges, she has been the recipient of a Ruby Award fo

"This is our only life so make an impact, work for yourself, make the decisions, do the work and get the recognition".  Sandra Zovko on She Built That Sandra Zovko has always had an appreciation for garments that were printed, patterned and unique. That proved to be a good thing, since Sandra's mother, the late MILA ZOVKO and namesake of Sandra's company, also shared a similar passion, and spent most of Sandra’s childhood knitting colourful, multi-pattern sweaters for Sandra and her siblings to wear. When her mom passed away in 2008, Sandra inherited her mom’s entire collection of knit sweaters and would often wear them to work, parties and events. Almost everywhere she went wearing an original Mila Zovko knit, people would stop to compliment her and ask her where she had bought it. It wasn’t long before Sandra started thinking about what it would take to reconstruct Mila’s designs for the masses. In 2014, Sandra turned that idea into action.  After two years and numerous lunchtime phone calls and evening and

It probably would have been sounder for us to stay small here and really develop this firm, but I am enjoying the challenges of the new side of things. Rain Henderson on She Built That  Rain Henderson is building an empire — a legal empire, that is. In 1996, at the age of 29, Rain and her partner Kevin Heinrich started Henderson Heinrich LLP, a family law practice, in Vancouver. Over the course of the next two decades, they have grown it to three firms across Canada, and Rain has no plans of stopping. With a reputation as one of the top family lawyers on the West Coast, it is evident from speaking with Rain that she has no qualms about hard work. It’s her dedication to her health and that of her colleagues that has always impressed me. Not only does Rain make daily physical fitness a priority — I know this because I see her at noon in the gym at noon almost daily — Henderson Heinrich LLP also invests in bi-weekly training sessions for their staff, as both Kevin and Rain know firsthand the benefits of regular

"It wasn’t until music that I would lock myself in my room and just play the guitar for hours." Kelsey Klassen on She Built That. Kelsey Klassen is an artist with many talents. A passionate writer and musician, Kelsey spent most of her 20s writing and performing her own songs in venues around Vancouver and Australia. Upon completing her second album in 2011, tragedy struck Kelsey and the Vancouver music community, and she decided to take a break from music to focus on her career as a writer. A natural talent, she quickly worked her way up the ranks as an established writer. Earlier this year, she accepted the position as editor-in-chief of VITA Daily, formerly Vitamin Daily, Canada’s premiere online lifestyle magazine. In today’s interview, you’ll learn: - How music helped Kelsey overcome an early traumatizing childhood experience - Her passion for print media, despite it being a “lost art” - Her most memorable interview with a man who embraced life despite his physical limitations - Why she believes other pe

"There is no balance being a mom, there are weeks that work and then there are weeks where all the balls you are juggling are rolling down a hill and you can’t catch them". Erin Treloar on She Built That From RAW talks to real talk, Erin Treloar may just be one of the funniest, most honest straight-talking women I have yet to sit down with on She Built That. As the founder of RAW Beauty Talks, Erin is passionate about cultivating a positive body image for young women, and celebrating their unique and natural beauty. I created RAW for the girls who look in the mirror and don’t feel good enough. [Who] are starting to experiment and think about really cutting back their food or dieting heavily and are using their body or appearance as a tool to find happiness. In today’s very candid interview with Erin, we talk about everything from eating disorders, to self-love; from entrepreneurship to relationships. In today’s interview you’ll learn: - How her upbringing had a profound impact on her entrepreneurial endeavo

"If you got an idea and you are going to go for it, really go for it, because great things will happen because of that." Andrea Drager on She Built That. Andrea Drager spent 10-plus years consulting for multinational organizations before deciding to leave the corporate world and start her own company.  While she is grateful for the opportunities, individuals and experiences she encountered while consulting, finding travel products that were tailored to the young, jet-setting female professional was a challenge. They were either too expensive or didn’t allow for the function and organization required for frequent flyers. “There are no really great bags that are lightweight, that are flexible, that allow you to customize the pockets so that you can organize it the way that you like to organize it, that look stylish but also that don’t break the bank.” In October 2015, Andrea along with her co-founder Michael Brown created Vesper Faering, a bespoke travel essentials company that lets consumers customize their ow

If you are looking for angel investors, think of them as more than just a cheque writer. You are looking at them to open doors to their own personal network […] Think of it as marriage ~Thealzel Lee on She Built That Thealzel Lee has always had a healthy appetite for risk. As a single parent of three boys, she made the risky decision to leave her corporate gig early on for the entrepreneurial life. After pursuing a series of business endeavours, Thealzel ended up in Vancouver. She took a position in the corporate world of investment banking, assisting startups find early-stage funding for their businesses. It was there she recognized that these startups required a different kind of capital, and thus began her foray into  the world of Angel Investing. In 2011, Thealzel co-founded E-Fund, an angel seed equity investment fund that invests predominantly in BC-based companies. Since its inception in 2011, the fund has had two exits and will be opening up its third round of investments this fall. In today’s intervi

"Follow your passion and do what you love" Jill Earthy on She Built That Jill Earthy is a get-sh*t-done kind of woman! Having started, scaled and sold two companies early on in her career, she knows firsthand the multitude of challenges entrepreneurs, in particular female entrepreneurs, encounter when starting a business. As a result, she has spent a majority of her career educating, supporting and connecting likeminded business women. She has been nominated for several awards and accolades for her work. It is her recent foray into the world of investing via her role as the chief growth officer at FrontFundr that has her excited as of late. “You know we all work hard for our money but we like to pay it forward too. The best part about these kind of things now is that you can pay it forward but you are probably going to get a return down the road … maybe.” She goes on to caution that these are high-risk investments so she can’t make any guarantees, but I’m sure we’re all familiar with the saying, “No Risk No R

"Our language creates our reality" Steph Corker on She Built That Steph Corker knows the power of goal-setting, sacrifice and persistence. This past July, having previously competed in 13 Ironman races over the course of almost four years, Steph won first place at Ironman Canada in Whistler and is heading to Kona, Hawaii this October to compete with the best Ironman athletes in the word. #MajorGirlCrush If her athletic achievements aren’t impressive enough, Steph is also the co-founder of the human capital consulting company. The Corker Co is a talent acquisition and acceleration company she started with her brother just over two years ago. It boasts clients like Google, Lululemon and Shoes.com, to name a few. While many entrepreneurs find it hard to do anything else but work on their business, Steph admits to being positively obsessed with endorphins. She carves out a minimum of two hours a day to dedicate to training. “I felt like I was a better version of myself in my work when I was shooting towards a sta

"Whatever you are doing with that beautiful life you have been given, may it be worth your only life" Theresa Laurico on She Built That When Theresa was in her late twenties, she had it all. A great job in television, a condo in the city. From the outside everything looked great. But on the inside, Theresa knew that she was destined to do something greater, something that would have a bigger impact on the world. One day she asked herself the question that changed the course of her life forever, “Is what I wake up to do every single day worth my only life?” After years of working in film and television, Theresa knew she wanted to dedicate her life to media that aligned with her values. She founded SociaLIGHT in 2011, and has grown it to be one of the largest entrepreneur and startup conferences in Canada. A play on the original definition of “socialite,” Theresa’s SociaLIGHT Conference is spelt L.I.G.H.T. and stands for the acronym Leader Impacting Global Humanity Today. “What if we were a new breed of social

Lisa Fraser is the Founder and President of Wearable Therapeutics. One of their best-known creations is the Snug Vest: an inflatable vest used to calm children and adults with autism, sensory processing disorder or anxiety. Lisa created the product in her fourth year at Emily Carr University, and had no intention of ever commercializing the vest. However, as a result of the Snug Vest’s creative and user-friendly design, the Snug Vest went on to win numerous design awards and caught the attention of many individuals interested in purchasing the product for themselves. After being featured in Forbes in 2013, Snug Vest gained international media attention. “We have helped thousands of kids and families improve their quality of life and when we get success stories come in, that’s what really propels us to move forward […] I would never be running a start-up if that wasn’t the case. It’s just too hard.” Four years later, Lisa has grown Wearable Therapeutics to a total of five staff, and has been featured on Dragon

"The reality of being in a growth stage business [is] you can't necessarily have the perfect routine. That being said, my mom always say's if Obama can do it, so can you." Annalea Krebs on She Built That If the world had more women like Annalea Krebs, we would all be better off. This kind and thoughtful 31-year-old serial entrepreneur has not only built an empire based on helping consumers access eco-friendly natural products, she has curated a community of over 100,000 like-minded individuals as well. With Social Nature — a close spin-off of her first venture, ethicalDeal, which she sold in 2015 — Annalea has created a marketplace for natural and eco-friendly brands and consumers. Upon signing up to SocialNature.com, members are introduced to an array of eco-friendly and natural products which they can try for free, in exchange for a product review. Annalea recognized the power of influencer marketing. “At Social Nature we believe everyday people can be influential, [and] you don’t necessarily need a large

Entrepreneurship for me has been the best form of self-awareness. Because you are constantly thinking about who you really are, what you really want and how you want to impact people ~ Sunny Lenarduzzi on She Built That Sunny Lenarduzzi Full stop. If the name doesn’t sound familiar, then you probably aren’t big on social media, and you most certainly aren’t using Snapchat — where Sunny has made a huge name for herself as an expert over the past year. At the age of 29, she has travelled the world educating businesses on how to leverage social media for business; has amassed a cult-like following on Snapchat; and has grown her YouTube channel from 500 to almost 50K subscribers in less than a year and a half.  In a couple weeks, she is headed to Malibu to launch her next project, Boss Video Branding: an 80-part video series she created to help business owners leverage video for their businesses. She is also the host and producer of the Sunny Show, a weekly YouTube show where she teaches entrepreneurs around the

I wouldn’t be even close to where I am in life personally or professionally if it wasn’t for charity ~ Lana Bradshaw on She Built That Lana Bradshaw is one badass 37-year-old. With an almost two-year-old son, Jack, and an almost one-year-old new business, Revive, Lana has no qualms about telling it like it is. Partly because she is a straightforward person in general, and partly because she has no time for BS. Up until now, Lana had spent most of her career on the corporate side specializing in HR management. She had never really considered entrepreneurship until a serendipitous encounter with her current business partner and mentor, Shafin Diamond. “Shafin was the reason I jumped into Revive. […] I thought he was the kind of person that I want to align myself with to learn so much.” In addition to sharing a similar vision for Revive, an app that provides on-demand massage and RMT services, Lana and Shafin shared a passion for charity and giving back to the community. Giving back is something Lana has always

Don’t be shy to take care of yourself so you can cause what you want in the world! ~ Dan Shalit on She Built That Dana Shalit is not your average 34-year-old. As executive national vice president of health and wellness brand Arbonne, Dana has achieved the highest position for any Arbonne consultant, and has taught the others on her team to achieve similar success:, Dana’s team now consists of executive national VPs, national VPs and several regional VPs, to name a few. No stranger to hard work, Dana embarked on her first entrepreneurial endeavour as an event producer at 26.  While she enjoyed event production, she quickly found this type of work to be all-consuming. She saw Arbonne as a way to make a little extra side money to give her the flexibility to pick and choose her event clients. Five years after starting Arbonne, Dana continues to work part-time for Arbonne and works full-time on her passion ArtBound, an international charity that brings art programs to children in developing countries around the wo