Boss Babe Spotlight is a blog series dedicated to celebrating women. Women who are rocking it in their chosen career path or leading change in their groups or communities. Need some inspiration? These ladies have you covered. We interview some of the most bad ass women we can find. We hope you love learning about these fearless females!
Boss Babe n. A woman who supports other women. A woman who is comfortable in her own skin. A woman who strives to be a total badass in whatever she does.
In 2019, sixteen year old climate activist Greta Thunberg stood up in front of our world leaders at the UN Climate Action Summit and gave a passionate and emotionally charged speech about the state of our world.
I was in tears for the majority of her 5 minute speech. It moved me. I too am frustrated with the general indifference of our world leaders towards the very real implications of climate change. But that’s not why I had such an emotional reaction.
I could not believe that a teenage girl was firing truth bombs at thousands of people on a world stage. At sixteen, I could barely stand up in front of a classroom with 30 students. Not to mention the fact that climate change has become quite a controversial and politically polarizing subject in some circles. Teenage me would have run in the other direction the second you’d mention “debate” “conflict” or “disagreement”.
Her speech still gives me chills and evokes an emotion in me that I can’t even begin to describe. I was proud of Greta. I was proud that we’re in a place where a young girl has the courage to get up in front of the world and fight for what’s right.
We need more women like Greta.
Women who stand up for what they believe in. Women who fight for equality, empower others, and push for change.
“Find the light that sparks your fire, and run with it. We are all extremely passionate about equality, and changing the current climate of gender inequality…” – She&Her
Greta lit a fire in me. The same fire I felt in 2017 when women all over the world stood together hashtagging Me Too. The same excitement I felt when Joe Biden named Kamala Harris as his VP. And the same exhilaration and optimism I felt when they won.
Last fall, after witnessing Greta be a complete inspiration to young women all around the world, I felt charged up and motivated to do something that mattered.
As a result, I found She’s on Board, a one-day workshop that aims to equip women with the knowledge, resources, and confidence to lead on a board of directors.
This was when I realized, there are women all over my community just like Greta.
Women leading change. Women like Hailey Short, Kate Lafantaisie, and Samantha Davidson, who are the creators behind She&Her.
“Speak up, stand strong and remember that your opinion is valid and valuable. Other voices in the room may be louder, but your voice is meaningful and powerful.” – She&Her
One year ago I participated in the She’s on Board Workshop. I had the opportunity to connect with other women just like me – women who want to break down barriers, support other women, and do more.
She&Her is one of the organizations behind She’s on Board, and their mission is to provide women of all definitions within their community of Sudbury, Ontario with the resources they need to achieve both their personal and professional goals. As a female focused organization, She&Her is a platform for women to motivate and empower a younger generation to lead.
Did you know that only 20.5% of board seats in Canada are held by women? And only 3.3% of Canadian corporations are led by a female CEO?
In conjunction with PoliticsNOW!, She&Her are trying to change these statistics and have just launched their second annual She’s On Board Program. The program focuses on board structure and finding the right fit, finances/budgeting, confidence, and the importance of utilizing your board for social change and improvements.
My interview with them is below. If you’re interested in learning more about the second annual She’s on Board Workshop, click the links below.
Q: Why She&Her? How did you get started?
A: Initially, She&Her was a concept for an event. We wanted to organize an International Women’s Day event that would bring together our community to celebrate the accomplishments of female leaders.
In the fall of 2017, we developed the concept of She&Her and hit the ground running. It was very clear that there was an appetite for an initiative like this in our community. Weeks before our first event, we sold out! We couldn’t believe the amount of support we received, from not only sponsors, but ticket holders, speakers and partners.
Our first event hosted over 100 attendees from the community, and we managed to raise $2,000 for our local Canada Learning Code chapter.
Once we understood the level of interest and commitment from the community, we decided to expand She&Her.
We officially launched our website which housed our Speaker Series. This blog series showcases and highlights exceptional female leaders who are changing the dialogue in our community. It is designed to inspire our readers, while truly getting to know some of our mentors, leaders and peers. To date we have featured over 30 women from the community who have made waves in their industries.
After our inaugural event, our International Women’s Day celebration grew tremendously (and so much more than we ever expected). We outgrew our space and in 2019/2020 She& Her hosted over 200 individuals from the community at the Sudbury Theatre Centre.
Having more than doubled in our second and third year has been incredibly humbling, and we’re very thankful for the amount of support we have received from the community.
Q: Tell me all about the team behind She&Her.
A: We are actually all good friends from high school! We all have a Bachelor of Arts in Communications Studies, but bring unique skill sets when it comes to running the organization! We have a passion for equality, and empowering our generation to take the lead (whether that’s in their professional or personal lives!)
We have had the pleasure of working with / getting to know so many exceptional women in the community, and therefore, understand the magnitude of incredible women doing amazing things in all industries. We want to showcase these women to inspire, empower and encourage others.
Q: What advice would you give the next generation of female leaders?
A: Find the light that sparks your fire, and run with it. We are all extremely passionate about equality, and changing the current climate of gender inequality, and ultimately this is what lead to us starting She&Her. Without that fire, and determination to make a difference and create real change, we probably wouldn’t be here.
Q:What advice can you share with young women entering a male-dominated profession?
A: Confidence! You’ve worked hard to get where you are and you deserve to be there; don’t let self-doubt or the unwanted (but unfortunately, very common) “imposter syndrome” let you think otherwise.
Speak up, stand strong and remember that your opinion is valid and valuable. Other voices in the room may be louder, but your voice is meaningful and powerful.
Q: Community seems to be very important to She&Her – what local organizations do you support?
A: Over the past few years, we have been fortunate enough to support a few different organizations both locally and provincially.
Canada Learning Code’s Sudbury Chapter was the first organization we supported through the funds raised at our inaugural International Women’s Day Celebration. The funds raised were used to increase programming and workshops for underrepresented individuals – particularly women, girls, people with disabilities, Indigenous youth and newcomers – within Greater Sudbury.
Our second IWD supported the St.David’s STEM program, which had seen an incredible increase in participation from students (particularly young girls), and needed more equipment and resources to enhance the program.
Our 2020 IWD celebration supported WISE Sudbury and their Science Olympics. The Science Olympics are typically a one-day workshop for girls in grades 4-7 to expose them to different career options in STEM. However, as COVID-19 hit, the group was forced to pivot. This Fall, they were able to provide the workshop via Zoom to a group of 30 girls!
Additionally, this Spring we supported an organization called Black Womxn in Motion. Black Womxn in Motion is a Toronto-based, youth-led organization that empowers and supports the advancement of black womxn and survivors of sexual violence. They work within an anti-racist, intersectional feminist, trauma-informed and survivor-centred framework to create culturally-relevant content, educational tools, healing spaces and economic opportunities for black womxn.
Giving back to the community is a large part of our mandate, and we support organizations with missions to help the advancement of young women and girls of all definitions.
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