INTRODUCING
A M P L I F Y:
THE REVOLUTIONHER™ PODCAST
UPLIFTING, EMPOWERING & AMPLIFYING WOMEN'S VOICES GLOBALLY
Amplify is a bi-weekly podcast that shines a spotlight on inspiring women who are making their mark and living life on their own terms. Led by co-hosts Maria Locker & Grace Moores, each episode brings insights to help inspire and empower you to amplify your own voice every.damn.day.
EPISODE 29
Melanie Rodriguez is a mother and social impact connector with a decade of experience leveraging technology and cross-sector collaboration to address inequities. Her experiences range from leading the Canadian youth delegation for the G7 summit in France to being an Executive Director of an international children's foundation focused on education. Today, Melanie leads social impact at Hoot Reading, an innovative social enterprise providing 1:1 reading lessons through their proprietary reading app. As the Director of Marketing and Social Impact and Executive Director of Hoot For All, she aims to improve equitable access to teachers and evidence-based reading programs for thousands of children across North America. Outside of work, Melanie is a Board Director, avid volunteer, recent MBA and global fellow at the International Womens Forum. Most importantly, Melanie is a partner and mother to two young children who inspire her and motivate her each day.
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As one of America’s most watched and most popular broadcasters, investigative journalist and former sports reporter Lisa Guerrero has blazed a trail for women in television as the chief investigative correspondent for America’s number one syndicated newsmagazine, Inside Edition. Her career on camera spans four decades and the lessons she’s learned overcoming incredible challenges are the basis for her inspirational memoir, “Warrior: My Path to Being Brave“ which is now being developed into a tv series. “Warrior: My Path to Being Brave,” chronicles Lisa’s journey from a shy, insecure eight-year-old-girl who lost her mother to cancer, to launching a career as a model and actress in her teens, transitioning to NFL cheerleading & sportscasting in her 20’s… and eventually landing as an investigative journalist where she’s won over 40 national awards and honors chasing down bad guys on Inside Edition. Lisa’s book tracks her journey of overcoming challenges and obstacles in both her career and personal life while learning how to practice bravery on a daily basis.
CONNECT WITH LISA:
WEBSITE | IG | YT | TW | LI

Van Lai-DuMone is a Founder, Creative Cultural Strategist, Fast Company Executive Board Member and TedX Speaker who invites others to think with their hands and use creative tools to disrupt traditional training methods. As the founder of Worksmart, a progressive team and leadership development company, Van proposes that we are all innately curious and creative, that good ideas can come from any level of an organization, and by cultivating idea sharing in the workplace through creativity, everyone has a chance to have their voice heard. And when that happens - company culture, performance, and innovation can skyrocket! She studied Psychology at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and earned her MBA from Pepperdine University. She brings over 15 years of corporate and start-up experience to game changing clients including Google, LinkedIn, and Pandora.
CONNECT WITH VAN: SITE | LI | IG | YT

Valerie Upfold has worked in the hospitality industry for several decades, in both hotels and restaurants, working with Oliver & Bonacini Hospitality for 15 years – five in a Manager and Sommelier role at the acclaimed Canoe Restaurant in Toronto, and ten as the HR Director for the company. Starting the HR department from the ground up, Val developed all of O & B's HR processes including training and development programs, succession planning and complete recruitment strategies, helping take them from 100 employees to over 1500. In addition, Val conducts Food Television casting, with an eye for placing the best talent in front of the camera. She has now been recruiting in hospitality for 10+ years and offers HR consulting, making her a go-to for some of the hospitality industry's most known and loved brands.
CONNECT WITH VAL: WEBSITE | IG | LI

Carolyn Stern, author of The Emotionally Strong Leader, is the President and CEO of EI Experience, an executive leadership development and emotional intelligence training firm. She is a certified Emotional Intelligence and Leadership Development Expert, professional speaker, and university professor whose emotional intelligence courses and modules have been adopted by top universities in North America. She has also provided comprehensive training programs to business leaders across the continent in highly regarded corporations encompassing industries such as technology, finance, manufacturing, advertising, education, healthcare, government, and food service.
CONNECT WITH CAROLYN:
SITE // FB // IG // LINKEDIN

Elizabeth Cormier-May is the CEO of Mammogen Inc and CEO of Dragonfly Data Ventures, Inc. When this chemist-turned-entrepreneur peeled back the medical mystery behind why 42 million women between 18-40 in the U.S. aren't eligible for breast cancer screening, she decided to do something about it. She refuses to accept the medical reason why: Because the accuracy of the current screening tests (mammograms) for this age group is no better than a coin toss. This is unacceptable to Liz and her team. The status quo has got to go. She's planning to change things so that women are no longer grossly underserved in the healthcare community by meaningfully improving every aspect of women’s health including detecting earlier, diagnosing more easily, and treating better from end to never-end.
CONNECT WITH MAMMOGEN: SITE // LINKEDIN

Dr. Natanya Wachtel is a former therapist, educator, and seasoned customer science-powered marketing strategist. She left the corporate world searching for projects with organizations committed to making the world better. She has extensive experience with many of the big healthcare brands and writes and speaks on topics in healthtech and customer insights. Natanya is the Founder of the New Solutions Network, a socially minded, cause-driven collective for companies committed to improving the world, and is working directly with The Chopra Foundation among other amazing organizations. New Solutions Network members focus on building human-centric businesses with a demonstrated commitment to philanthropy, and provide expert commercialization and marketing enterprise solutions to help build a company's commercial success, including behavioral science- powered advertising and marketing services. Natanya is also the Co-Founder of evrmore.io, an AI-powered app+platform for GenZ mental wellness, and strategic advisor for ViTel Health, Better Meal AI and MedEd Cloud, and is the board chair for Women Who Create, a non-profit mentor and scholarship organization for women of color.
CONNECT WITH NATANYA: IG // SITE

As the founder of Monark Entertainment and former digital marketing executive at Universal Music Group, Karla Ortiz has been the inspiration behind some of today’s most viral moments in music. For the past decade, Ortiz has been the go-to connector for digital service providers, inking deals for both independent and artists signed to top labels across multiple genres of music. Monark’s founder has worked with music icons such as Rihanna, Kanye West, Mary J. Blige, David Foster, Andrea Bocelli, Sarah McLachlan, Rod Stewart, and more.
CONNECT WITH KARLA: IG // SITE

Jennylyn Pringle is a spirited entrepreneur, do-it-yourself enthusiast, and design lover. For fellow DIYers and women entrepreneurs alike, Jennylyn Pringle is a source for design and life inspiration. As president of Homestead House Paint Co. she’s leveraged her business acumen to grow the family business from a humble local company to international success, and inspired thousands to explore their creative side with her line of Fusion Mineral Paint products. Known for her infectious enthusiasm and easygoing approach to decorating, Jennylyn empowers others to trust their own design instincts to create a home that is truly a reflection of them. She leaves her own uptown- meets- farmhouse aesthetic mark on every project she touches. She and her work have been featured by many of Canada’s top media outlets including Style at Home, Breakfast Television Toronto, Global News, and the like. Passionate about education and sharing her experience with the next generation, she has spoken at top events such as the Toronto Home Show and hosted industry conferences across North America and Europe. When she isn’t traveling coast-to-coast for business, Jennylyn calls Toronto and her downtown loft home.
CONNECT WITH FUSION MINERAL PAINT:
IG // FB // SITE

Michelle Hon is founder and CEO of MomBoss Academy, a training platform and agency that helps women entrepreneurs, especially mom build businesses, personal brand and increase business profits. She is a former fashion model turned award-winning blogger, entrepreneur, parenting speaker and mother of three. Tune in as Michelle shares more about her journey to entrepreneurship, her strategies for tuning out criticism and releasing fear of judgment, and lessons learned about following your intuition.
CONNECT WITH MICHELLE: IG // FB // SITE

Wendy Euler is an age activist, writer, model, podcast host, Top Finalist for our 2021 RevolutionHER Awards, and the creator of Goodbye Crop Top, an online community and podcast where women can come to understand how beautiful it is just to be... to be your age and enter the middle years with gumption and strength. Fifty is not the new 40. Fifty is the new 50 and this is the point of Goodbye Crop Top, a podcast about style and aging—and aging with style. The Goodbye Crop Top podcast is a love letter to women over 50 and a hand reached back to those who will be here one day, too. We love this platform which elevates the important and too-often-marginalized voices of women of a certain age who aren’t going quietly into the sunset wearing sensible shoes. Episodes feature first-person story-telling and dynamic conversations with extraordinary thinkers, creators, designers and entrepreneurs, all of whom are killing it out there and looking damn good while doing it.
CONNECT WITH WENDY: IG // PODCAST // SITE

Pamela Bolado is a mom of three boys and a military spouse. Born and raised in Moncton, Canada, Pamela is an entrepreneur, master esthetician, nonprofit founder, skincare developer, magazine creator, event creator, podcaster, cleft lip warrior, and athlete. Being a military family means frequent moves. Transitioning and pivoting is no feat for Pamela, before marrying her US Air Force pilot, she resided in Kuwait for a decade. As one of the few Canadians who remained in Kuwait after the evacuation amidst operation Iraqi Freedom, Pamela built shelter in home where she would seek refuge with her then one-year-old baby. Pamela has the ability to handle tough situations and uses her strength to empower women.
Pamela began her quest for empowering women in 2018 by hosting a Wellness & Wisdom Summit for Women of the Military. It has since branched into a global community of mission-driven women known as Women Who Do Wonders International, and a beautiful publication Wellness & Wisdom Magazine.
CONNECT WITH PAMELA: IG // SITE

Carmen Darley is a self-taught artist. As a recovering alcoholic, mom, mental health advocate, and motivator, Mental health and wellness are very near and dear to Carmen's heart. Carli D Creative Projects started with the intention of giving back to the community is what started her business, in 2016. As she has a fortunate journey and pathway to recovery from her addictions, she hopes to change mental health stigma. Everything she launches within her passion-driven business is grounded by empowering people to focus on their mental health first. Art is one of the outlets that she focuses on to share with others how they can leverage the activities as a coping mechanism for a bad day or something for a mental break.
CONNECT WITH CARMEN: IG // FB // SITE

Kristine Widtfeldt is the CEO of Chalk Couture, a revolutionary concept in easy DIY decor, with products distributed by thousands of independent Designers across the US and Canada. During her career, Kristine has been a film critic, publishing house president, advertising account manager, and an executive at several consumer goods brands. She elevates brands through connection to customer, authentic voice and positioning, and identifying and leveraging their unique leadership talents.
CONNECT WITH CHALK COUTURE: IG // PIN // SITE

Vivian Kaye is the Founder & CEO of KinkyCurlyYaki, a premium textured hair extension brand for Black women that she bootstrapped to over $6 million in revenue as an immigrant, college dropout and single mom. As a self proclaimed Gary Vee meets Oprah remix, Vivian is also a business and empowerment expert, as well as a TV, radio and podcast personality. Through her magnetic energy, Vivian empowers, uplifts and educates her audience into taking action.
CONNECT WITH VIVIAN: IG // TW // WEBSITE

Erica Ehm is Chief Innovation Officer of Ehm & Co, an award-winning digital marketing agency that helps brands connect with moms as well as Publisher of YMC.ca, a platform created for moms by moms. She is a trailblazer in content marketing and social media. Her collaboration with health researchers earned her a Governor General’s Innovation Award nomination.
She is a co-founder of the Inside>Out Initiative, a not for profit created to help ME-power teens to find their passion, purpose and potential. Erica was one the original stars of MuchMusic and produces a podcast called Reinvention of the VJ. Erica is an entrepreneur, interviewer, author, playwright, awarding-winning songwriter and sought-after speaker.
CONNECT WITH ERICA: IG // TW // LI // WEBSITE

Carolyn Ray believes that anything is possible when you set your intention and follow your intuition. After 25 years in consulting, most recently as the CEO of Interbrand Canada, she gave up everything she owned to travel full-time after a transformative trip to Kenya with her daughter in 2018. The following year, through a series of coincidences, she unexpectedly became the owner of JourneyWoman, the beloved women’s solo travel publication founded in 1994 to empower women with travel as a shared passion, and is now expanding the company's services as the world’s leading resource for solo women travellers beyond editorial into a thriving community of over 60,000 women 50+ around the world, with private forums, a book club, webinars, and events including her first wellness and travel retreat, Women’s Travel Wisdom, in October 2022. In August 2021, she acquired a second website which connects women travellers with women-owned businesses, creating the world’s largest Women’s Travel Directory with hundreds of verified women-friendly tours, retreats, guide and accommodations around the world. Carolyn is a board member of the Society of American Travel Writers (SATW) and the Travel Media Association of Canada. Trained as a CTI Co-active Coach, Carolyn actively mentors emerging leaders and was ranked as one of Canada’s top 100 female entrepreneurs on the PROFIT/ Chatelaine W100 list.
CONNECT WITH CAROLYN: IG // FB // WEBSITE

Sara Roach-Lewis teaches ambitious women the strategies they need to claim their confidence, scale their businesses, and double their revenues. With decades of experience as a feminist business strategist, Sara has supported thousands of women to shed society's expectations and create new pathways for success. As CEO of SRL Solutions and creator of the 7-Figure Confidence Program, Sara is on a mission to help ambitious women build scalable businesses that support their busy lives. Through her first book, She Rules, What You Didn’t Know is Holding You Back in Business Sara shares her strategies for exponential business growth, achieving laser-focus while moving through resistance, rebranding self-care as an important business practice, and how to turn your imposter syndrome into 7-figure confidence.
CONNECT WITH SARA: IG // FB // LI // WEBSITE

Michele Revivo is the Founder of Better Snack.Better You® (BSBY). A mom of 3 picky snackers, Michele was looking for a better for you snack that was high in nutrients, and when she couldn't easily find one, she created her own delicious line of high nutrient snacks all made from organic ancient grains, fruits and veggies, and no artificial ingredients. BSBY products use organic blends made up of Ancient Grains, Super Seeds, Fruits & Mushrooms to deliver essential vitamins and minerals from recognizable food sources. Snacking doesn't have to be "empty calories" and BSBY is showing this clearly on their labels. BSBY products are the leaders when it comes to "Healthy Indulgent" snacking!
CONNECT WITH MICHELE: IG // WEBSITE

Makini Smith is a mindset coach and Proctor Gallagher certified consultant helping turn goals into accomplishments. She’s the founder of Legacy Leaver's media, helping women entrepreneurs self-publish with the same tools and resources as traditional publishers without the need for their validation or approval. Makini is also a 4 time published author and host of the 5-star rated “A Walk in My Stilettos” podcast— one of the top 1.5% most popular podcasts globally. By coaching women who are frustrated, confused, or isolated, she helps them find peace, clarity, and connection. Whether it's through conquering social media, publishing a book, or mastering a podcast, her passion is to help you find the confidence to turn your dreams into a reality.
CONNECT WITH MAKINI: IG // IG // TW // WEBSITE

Julie Cole is a recovered lawyer, mom of six and co-founder of Mabel’s Labels. She has helped her company bring their product to a worldwide market, gain media recognition and win countless entrepreneur awards. Julie is a passionate entrepreneur, published author, regular television contributor, keynote speaker and engaged community member and volunteer. In her newly published book "Like a Mother: Birthing Businesses, Babies & a Life Beyond Labels", Julie shares her inspirational stories and lessons learned through parenting her lively crew of kids and building a multimillion-dollar business with her co-founders between their children's nap times and playdates.
CONNECT WITH JULIE: IG // TW // FB // WEBSITE

As an Indigenous advocate and member of the LGBTQ+ community, Haley uses her platform to share her vulnerable stories to inspire others to own their journey and live their truth when faced with adversity. Haley is raw, real, and unapologetically herself. Through her platform, she shares her unique voice, positive energy and promotes self-love and self-acceptance.
CONNECT WITH HALEY: IG // TIKTOK

Over the last 16 years and with her family by her side, Tonia Jahshan has made premium loose-leaf tea the daily norm, by turning tea lovers into business owners through her direct sales company, Sipology. Her journey started in 2006, and in 2012, everything aligned, when Tonia and Hatem entered CBC’s Dragons’ Den and partnered with Jim Treliving and David Chilton. Today, Sipology has millions in annual sales and thousands of Consultants across North America selling loose leaf tea and accessories. The company has been recognized year over year, as one of PROFIT 500 Canada’s Fastest-Growing Companies, and Tonia was proclaimed as Canada’s #1 Female Entrepreneur by W100; received the Ernst and Young Entrepreneurial Winning Women award and has been listed as 1 of 6 Women to Watch on forbes.com.
In this special episode presented by the DSA, learn about Tonia's strength and spirit to not only turn an idea into a thriving empire, but to also protect her mental health and well-being through the process.
*TW: miscarriage, depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts
CONNECT WITH SIPOLOGY: IG // TW // FB // WEBSITE

Page Turner is an Entrepreneur Extraordinaire, Real Estate Broker, Flipping Expert, Executive Producer, TV Host, Vision Strategist and founder of EGAP Real Estate and Do the Work, Inc. After working for many years under the tutelage of great humanitarians such as Magic Johnson, Page became a successful entrepreneur that has been a real estate Broker, Flipper and Investor for two decades. She is a published author, and is Co-Creator, Executive Producer and Host of her second hit show on HGTV: Fix My Flip! As a single mom to three girls, Page’s vision, resilience and work ethic have propelled her to the top of her industry, and she shares her expertise to help others adapt to change and emerge even stronger on the other side.
CONNECT WITH PAGE: IG // TW // WEBSITE

Born and raised in Vancouver, Ashley Freeborn built Smash + Tess with her mother and best friend after recognizing an unfilled niche in the fashion industry for comfortable and stylish loungewear. Founded in 2016, Smash + Tess has since grown from two employees to a team of 65+ in five years, landing the #8 spot on Canada’s Top Growth Companies list in 2020. As Co-Founder and CEO, Ashley was named one of Canada’s Top 40 Under 40 in 2020, won our RevolutionHer Trailblazer Award in 2021, and spearheaded notable collabs with celebrities like Jillian Harris, Sarah Nicole Landry, and Hilary Duff, as well as world renowned brands including Sesame Street and Barbie.
CONNECT WITH SMASH + TESS: IG // TW // FB // WEBSITE

Jahmeelah (Jam) Gamble is one of Toronto’s gifted leaders who encourages everyone to #SLAYTHEMIC! As a multi-passionate media personality and speaker, Jam is on a mission to help people build their confidence and amplify their voice. Jam inspires people of all ages to not only love the sound of their voice and inspire the world with their ideas but for everyone to communicate more meaningfully with one another. Her background in special education and her love of sharing people’s stories to amplify led her to “accidentally” pitch her own television show, “A Voice for All” on Rogers TV, and is now a regular on The Social and Entertainment Tonight Canada.
CONNECT WITH JAM: IG // TW // FB // WEBSITE

Suzie Yorke is a mom of 4 kids, eleven-time Ironman competitor and yoga enthusiast who spent years adhering to a low-fat diet only for her health to hit a wall in her mid-40s. After reading Big Fat Surprise, she immediately shifted to a high-fat, low-carb diet, and started to feel better within a few weeks, but also found it challenging to find convenient, good-fat snacks. Seeing a gap in the market and a huge opportunity to help others through food, at age 50, Suzie developed Love Good Fats and led its launch and expansion to exceed $100 million in Gross Revenues in just 3 years, making it one of the fastest-growing bar brands in North America.
*Amazing tips for female entrepreneurs in the CPG industry*
CONNECT WITH SUZIE: LINKEDIN // IG // WEBSITE

Taylor Lindsay-Noel is a 28-year-old entrepreneur; 14 years ago she was a Canadian national gymnast but in 2008 under the coercion of her coach she had a devastating accident that instantly paralyzed her from the neck down for life. Since then, Taylor has persevered through adversity, receiving her BA in Radio and Television Arts. She is currently balancing being a motivational speaker, disability advocate, council member of the Premier’s Council on Equality of Opportunity, and owner of Cup of Té Luxury Loose Leaf Teas which was featured on Oprah’s Favorite Things List in 2020. She was recently named the Young Entrepreneur of the Year by the Black Business and Professional Association Harry Jerome Awards, Canada’s most prestigious awards celebrating black excellence.
CONNECT WITH TAYLOR: IG // FB // WEBSITE

INAUGURAL EPISODE
Jessica Janzen Olstad is a motivational speaker, published author and a ‘serial-perneur’. After losing her son Lewiston, she decided that she would stop wasting time and get moving on her big dreams - speaking, writing and inspiring others to do the same. Her clothing line - The Lewiston Label highlights the life lessons Lewiston taught her. She loves spending time with family, soaking up sunshine, being by water - and dreaming really big, always with the daily focus to "run towards the roar".
*episode TW: grief
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