Shows
Femme StudiosMel Smith + Lori Hatcher: Innovation Lead + Head of Marketing, Truss BeveragesI sit down with two women behind Truss, a cannabis beverages company. Meet Mel Smith, who leads innovation, and Lori Hatcher-Hillier, who leads marketing. Truss is one of the few companies that focuses only on beverages, and parents 5 different brands that are catered for very different customers and moments. In this episode, we talk about gender diversity within cannabis, commitment to product over profit, and what advice they wish they could have given their younger selves at the start of their career.2021-11-1045 min
Femme StudiosIrie Selkirk: Co-founder, Rise, Sansero & Good CapIrie Selkirk is a pioneer in the psychedelic and cannabis industries, focused on educating companies, individuals and doctors alike. Most recently, Irie co-founded Rise Wellness, the world’s first low-dose psilocybin retreat and Sansero Life Sciences, company focused on cultivation, research and potential applications for psilocybin and other compounds. I met Irie through MAPS Canada, the Multi Disciplinary Association of Psychedelic Studies, where she founded the Toronto chapter. In this episode, we discuss growing up in Jamaica and the impact that had on her perspective of plant medicine, her experience in the cannabis industry at companies like Tokyo Smoke, he...2021-11-1037 min
Femme StudiosElaisha Jade: Meditation Instructor + Founder, Your MindfulElaisha Jade is a Meditation Instructor and Founder of Your Mindful. I met her a few years ago at a gathering to Soho House members and remember being captivated by her positive energy – she was a ray of sunshine, which you’ll hear through her voice. I followed her journey through social after our first meeting as she accredited herself as a meditation instructor, finding her sessions to be soothing, grounding and frankly just so fucking necessary during the wake of COVID. We sat down to chat about how she’s navigated learnings in mental health through meditation, the racial...2021-11-1052 min
Femme StudiosAila Morin: MERITAila Morin, MERIT. A minimalist beauty brand that launched about a year ago and has grown to be one of the most coveted brands in the space. In fact, they just closed a $20M series A raise. And the growth is nothing new to Aila, who was one of the first hires at Mejuri, a Toronto based jewelry brand that has seen insane growth in the past few years. We sat down to talk about what it’s like to advance so quickly in your career and the power of self-teaching, along with how she’s learned that life is abou...2021-11-1041 min
Femme StudiosStacie Brockman: Founder, PLZ&THNX [Part 2]If you’ve just finished listening to part 1, welcome! Skip over this intro.Stacie Brockman is the founder of PLZ&THX, a brand incubator and venture capital fund. She previously co-founded METIER Creative, an advertising and creative agency, and before that was an early member of The Coveteur, a media company that looks into the closets and routines of today’s culturally relevant movers and shakers. Stacie and I chatted for hours and I distilled our conversation into two episodes. In part 1, Stacie talks about experiencing burnout and the pressures of being a leader. In part 2, Stacie shar...2021-11-101h 02
Femme StudiosStacie Brockman: Founder, PLZ&THNX [Part 1/2]Stacie Brockman is the founder of PLZ&THX, a brand incubator and venture capital fund. She previously co-founded METIER Creative, an advertising and creative agency, and before that was an early member of The Coveteur, a media company that looks into the closets and routines of today’s culturally relevant movers and shakers. We chat about the reality behind the toxic face of Girlboss, what it means to be a leader, burnout, prioritizing self-care and MSN messenger nostalgia. Stacie and I talked for hours and I distilled our conversation in two episodes – this was one of the most eye-opening epis...2021-11-101h 07
Femme StudiosJackie Kankam: Sustainability & Social Impact Director, DECIEMJackie Kankam who is the Director of Sustainability and Social Impact at DECIEM, also known as the abnormal beauty company. Sustainability is by far one of the most relevant but also, sadly, misconstrued topics today. So you can see why I was curious to know what a Director of Sustainability for a beauty company actually does. Jackie answers exactly this question and how she got into sustainability work to begin with. We also talk about best practices when managing a team and aspects of culture at DECIEM which have allowed for her to feel supported in taking risks, and...2021-11-1023 min
Femme StudiosDr. Susanna Kislenko: Researcher & Writer on Founder's SyndromeTo be a founder is to have one of the most popular job titles nowadays. Am I alone in thinking it has lost significance? It feels like everyone and their mom can claim that title. And yet it comes with serious weight. The person who coined a business, had a vision – it’s not uncommon to imagine founders who are stuck in their own vision and believe they are essential to a successful execution. This is the topic of today’s episode. I sit down with Susanna Kislenko to discuss “Founder syndrome”. As a researcher specialized in the area, Susanna di...2021-11-1056 min
Femme StudiosFrancesca Morfini: Season 3A couple words from me, the host, to you on what to expect in this new season. Hi, it’s been a minute. Truth is I’ve been sitting on this season for a minute and always put this pressure on myself to release episodes ASAP. This time, I took a page out of the 2020 book and slowed the fuck down. As I’m sure a lot of us did, this year was full of events and I made the decision to take a break mid-production to make time for personal stuff that was going on in my life...2021-11-1003 min
Femme StudiosFemme Studios (Trailer)2020-09-0500 min
Femme StudiosGirl’s Girl Panel: De-glamorizing Entrepreneurship (Valeria Lipovetsky, Amber Joliat + Emilie Nolan)Back in December of 2019, I had the pleasure of hosting a panel for Girl’s Girl, an organization that aims to bring together female-owned businesses through markets, events, and of course, panels.
On the panel were Emilie Nolan, who is a dear friend of mine and owner of a fine jewelry brand then called Gemmie, now called Oremme; Valeria Lipovetsky, the CEO of VALERIA INC, the team behind the content she shares on Instagram and YouTube; and Amber Joliat, owner of MISFITSTUDIO, a studio known for the MISFIT Method, a style of movement that Amber created.
The theme of the ni...2020-04-0140 min
Femme StudiosSusanne Langmuir: Founder, BITE + aN-HydraIf I were to name a beauty maven in Toronto, or even Canada, it would be Susanne Langmuir. She started as an Avon rep and later became a beauty entrepreneur, founding a fragrance company called Susanne Lang, then BITE, a lipstick company and one of the first clean color cosmetics brands, and recently launched her newest venture in skincare, called an-Hydra.
As she walks me through her story, her passion for formulation is evidently at the foundation of her entire career. We chatted about how our approach to beauty has developed since her time at Avon, and also get into...2020-04-0135 min
Femme StudiosKayla Rocca: PhotographerKayla is a freelance photographer, who’s work has been featured in Vogue Japan, Toronto Life, ELLE, The Kit, The Star, and many more. Despite keeping her discipline broad, in that she photographs interiors, food, people, and lots more, Kayla has created a very distinctive look.
Of all places, her career really kicked off when she was working at The Drake, where she crossed paths with other creatives who ended up being clients and colleagues. I met Kayla a few months back when she took photos of me. I’m generally very awkward when it comes to being photographed, but Kayl...2020-04-0138 min
Femme StudiosMeredith Gillies: Sr. Marketing Manager, Bumble CanadaMeredith Gillies is the Senior Marketing Manager at Bumble Canada, meaning she overlooks virtually every promotional aspect of the brand from events, push notifications, partnerships, etc.
This was a very special episode for me because Meredith and I used to work together — she was my manager and mentored me from day 1. This entire project is about sharing insights and learnings from people that I think are killing it, and Mere is a very real example of that.
Meredith started her career in journalism, then moved onto PR before heading to Bumble to lead Marketing. We chat about all things PR, in...2020-04-0136 min
Femme StudiosJess Chen: Tattoo ArtistJess Chen is a tattoo artist based in Toronto who is well-known for her very unique style. She does creates full body tattoos that are better described as body art pieces. She also focuses on very meticulously shaded small, cute color tattoos. We sat down to talk about what it’s like to pursue a career in a road less traveled — how she to be come a tattoo artist and the things she wished she could change about the industry.
Find her on IG @__jesschen__ while listening to the episode to get a glimpse into her world.2020-04-0137 min
Femme StudiosMimi Lan: Co-founder, SuperetteMimi Lan is the Co-founder of Superette, a group of cannabis retail stores, with a store in Ottawa and 3 in Toronto. Every Superette location is modeled after a bodega — it’s meant to recreate an experience as easy and casual as picking up your morning coffee. Along with her co-founder, Drummond Munro, Mimi created a very cool brand which also gives back. For every cannabis package that is returned to the store for recycling, Superette donates a food item to the Food Bank.
Before starting her own cannabis company, Mimi spent quite a bit of time in the world of fina...2020-04-0152 min
Femme StudiosBerkeley Poole: VP + Creative Director, Tokyo SmokeI sat down with Berkley Poole in November of 2019, when she was the Vice President and Creative Director at Tokyo Smoke, one of Canada’s most well-known cannabis brands. Since then, Berkeley has moved on to be the Creative Director at Whitman Emorson, a design studio in Toronto. Berkeley is no stranger to creative work. Before Tokyo Smoke, she worked on brand books for brands like Calvin Klein and Tom Ford, was on the creative team at Barney’s, and even started her own magazine called ADULT.
She touches on what being a creative entails and what her process looks like...2020-04-0142 min
Femme StudiosHyla Nayeri + Adrien Bettio: Co-founders, 437Hyla and Adrien are the founders of 437, a swimwear company that is designed to flatter your curves. Despite being founded in a city with a cold climate, it was grown tremendously, being worn by the likes of Kylie Jenner and Whitney Simmons. These are only a few of the examples of the massive community, with over 100,000 followers on Instagram alone.
We get into what it was like to start the brand from scratch when they were still in school and the challenges they face today when it comes to being young women in their 20s, owning a company that can...2020-04-0134 min
Femme StudiosDani Roche: Creative + Content CreatorA woman of many talents, Dani Roche is a multi-platform creative. She’s the founder of creative agency Kastor + Pollux, a social media content creator, co-founder of School by KP, teacher at Sheraton College and Partner at Level10 Hair Studio. She has worked with a myriad of brands to-date, including Google, Bumble, MEC and Wealthsimple, to name a few. We sat down to talk about what it means to be a creative in an always changing industry and change the type of work you do. We also talk about the spectrum of success and what being an entrepreneur can encompass. An...2020-04-0155 min
Femme StudiosAllegra Shaw + Shirin Soltani: Co-founders, Uncle StudiosAllegra Shaw and Shirin Soltani are the co-founders of Uncle Studios, Canadian brand that creates ethically-made, sustainable, elevated clothing. We had a chat about the ‘why’ behind starting a sustainable clothing company, the struggles of starting your own business, what it’s like to work with your best friend, and things you should look out for ahead of time … including some tips on managing your time and finances.
Find Uncle Studios on IG @unclexstudios2020-04-0136 min
Femme StudiosFrancesca Morfini: Season 2A couple words from me, the host, to you on what to expect in this new season.2020-04-0101 min
Femme StudiosStephanie Brownlow: Brand Strategist and Founder, Carry CorpStephanie Brownlow is a Branding Strategist who works with brands like Shopify and RBC, along with Naked Beauty Bar, VSP Consignment and F. MILLER. In this episode, we talk about what branding actually is and how she got into it, starting from retail, then going to October’s Very Own, also known as OVO, as a Production Manager and working her way up to Director of Product Development + Special projects, then going freelance and today running her own agency, Carry Corp.2020-04-0134 min
Femme StudiosEvelyn Chick: Bartender + Manager at Pretty UglyEvelyn Chick is the Bar Manager at Pretty Ugly, a very cool cocktail bar in Parkdale, Toronto. Evelyn moved to Toronto from Vancouver several years ago and hit the ground running by working at one of the city’s most notable restaurants, Harbord Room, which sadly closed its doors in 2016. We sat down to talk about how she transitioned from bartending as a job to a career, the challenges she faced moving to a new city, the support she found in her mentors and the community she’s hoping to create for young bartenders in the city.2020-04-0130 min
Femme StudiosAnjli Patel: Fashion LawyerAnjli Patel is a fashion lawyer who specializes in Intellectual Property and Trademark Law, working very closely with Toronto-based designers including Greta Constantine and Sid Neigum. In this episode, we talk about trusting your gut, dealing with impostor syndrome and, a topic that I think Anjli is a master at: the incredible art of networking.2020-04-0140 min
Femme StudiosChristina Remenyi: Founder, Fortnight LingerieChristina Remenyi is the force behind Fortnight Lingerie. We sat down to talk about how she decided to start Fortnight in her mid-20s, finding work/life balance as a business owner and how she recently chose to follow a new creative direction and mission for the brand.2020-04-0134 min
Femme StudiosRachel Sheehan: Owner, Penny ArcadeRachel Sheehan is the owner of Penny Arcade and Tambourine, two incredible vintage stores in Toronto. Rachel tells us the story of opening a pretty niche small business before vintage was cool, the process of curating her collection today and how she hopes vintage can change the way we consume fashion.2020-04-0138 min
Femme StudiosJulie Clark: Founder, Province ApothecaryJulie Clark is the founder of Province Apothecary, an all natural skincare company based in Toronto. I sat down with Julie to talk about how she started Province Apothecary, which by the way, was a side hustle long before it became a full grown company. Julie also tells us about learning how to use natural products to create a skincare line, including the difference she noticed when she switched to all-organic, and her focus on supporting local farmers when sourcing ingredients.2020-04-0133 min
Femme StudiosAvery Plewes: Costume Buyer + DesignerAvery Plewes is a costume buyer and designer based in Toronto. She has worked on the films Hannibal, Everything, Everything, Jeremiah Terminator Leroy and the TV show Suits. We sat down to talk about how she found her path without a traditional university education, what it takes to make it in the industry, along with her experience as a woman in film.2020-04-0135 min
Femme StudiosAmy Patel: Creative + Ex-financierMeet creative, stylist and "influencer", Amy Patel. Before going full time with her creative career, Amy spent 10 years in finance, working her way up to being a VP all the while, garnering a following on social media by sharing the outfits she wore to work. In this episode, we talk about how she juggled two different lives, being a goal-centric person, and the importance of staying true to yourself while also pushing yourself out of your comfort zone.2020-04-0135 min
Femme StudiosErin Kleinberg: Co-founder, Metier CreativeErin Kleinberg is a creative, designer, a visionary… and founder of Metier Creative — branding and advertising firm based in Toronto and New York. We sat down at her office on Dupont to talk about her entire story and the very many lives she has lived, from dressing Mischa Barton during the OC heydays, to working for Alex White at W Magazine, to being a costume Designer for Jared Leto. Then starting her own clothing line, starting the Coveteur, and starting Metier with her best friend Stacie Brockman, representing clients like Ouai and Stuart Weitzman, Moda Operandi and Dior, to name a fe2020-03-3148 min
Femme StudiosFrancesca Morfini: IntroHi there, Fran here. Welcome to Femme Studios. This is a non-episode: a few words from me on why I started Femme Studios and what you can expect to hear.
Find Femme Studios on Instagram: @femme.studios.2020-03-3104 min