Session 8: Realignment

When: 6pm on October 4th, 2023

Where: Milano Coffee Roasters - 36 Powell St, Vancouver, BC V6A 1E7

For Who: Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre

PURCHASE YOUR TICKETS HERE!

Well, well, well… here we are again. MentHerShip is back, baby! 

After a 4 year Covid hiatus, full of social distancing, toilet paper stockpiling and work-from-couch-ing, our team is thrilled to be reviving an event so near and dear to our hearts. 

MentHerShip was born in 2018 from a desire to create a safe space for women to come together and talk about matters, of both life and work, free of barriers, boundaries, or fear. All proceeds from MentHerShip V.8 will go towards the Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre in Vancouver, who have been providing a safe space, practical support, basic necessities, and hot, nutritious meals for women and children since 1978. 

For our first in-person event after a 4 year Covid hiatus, we’re—ever so appropriately—focusing on the topic of realignment. It’s something that’s been top of mind for our team lately, especially as we’ve emerged from the depths of the pandemic and are re-entering the world with the worst days of Covid in our rearview mirrors. 

However, even as life moves forward post-pandemic, we haven’t forgotten to look back along the way. If those Covid years taught us anything, it’s that life truly is too short and too precious to waste on anything that doesn’t set your soul on fire and feel truly and completely authentic to you. Finding what makes you happy and brings you genuine joy, even if it means blowing up your current life as you know it, is paramount; a life you love is worth fighting for.

We’ve all heard it before; today is never too late to be brand new (thank you, Taylor Swift). But how do we achieve that when we’ve been on a carved path for so long, investing so much of our time, energy, and identity into that trajectory? How do we boldly push forward into uncharted waters when we’re scared of sinking? How do we simply start over in search of realignment?

ENTER: MENTHERSHIP V.8

We’ll be diving into this discussion with the help of three incredible women; Amanda Kao of The Bad Academy, Sylvia Tennant of Zaleska Jewelry, and Reece Tomlinson of Saône Capital. 

Amanda Kao started The Bad Academy in 2019 after moving to Vancouver a few years prior and struggling to find a genuine place to build community. She wanted to be around women, building skills and trying new things that didn’t revolve around the idea of simply serving society; no Casa Mojo Dojo House vibes allowed! And so, The Bad Academy was born—hosting workshops for women taught by women, with the intention of instilling self-sufficiency and self-confidence in topics that are societally seen as more masculine (think finances and mechanics) or taboo (her sex re-education workshop sold out in hours). It focuses on the idea that being bad at something isn’t a sign of failure, but rather an opportunity to learn and enjoy the process along the way. Sign us up! 

Sylvia Tennant, originally a school teacher, was always drawn to creativity. When she struggled to find jewelry that fit both her personal style and her fingers in university, she started designing rings out of vintage brooches and wire… and the rest is history. Or Zaleska, rather! Zaleska offers ethereal, mystical pieces that focus on size inclusivity, with rings ranging from size 4 through 15—making it the most size-inclusive jewelry brand in their price point in North America. Sylvia also acts as a size inclusivity consultant to multiple fashion brands, and you’ve probably seen her model for brands like Brunette the Label or in a little magazine you might’ve heard of called Vogue. 

Last but definitely not least, Reece Tomlinson is the founder and CEO of Saône Capital, a private equity and advisory firm specializing in the companies where people, planet, and profit intersect. Reece, besides being an absolute powerhouse with extensive experience in corporate finance, investment banking and strategic planning, is one of the very few openly trans CEOs in the world. When she began her transition journey almost two years ago, she had thought that she may be committing career suicide, but knew the process was unequivocally worth it to come out as her truest, most authentic self. Ultimately, her experience of transitioning while working in the finance industry was a key motivator to set up an impact-focused investment firm, and Saône Capital now has a portfolio with 63% minority founders. 

We’re so excited to dive into deep conversations (and maybe a bottle of wine or two… or three) with these incredible women, and we hope you are too. Get your tickets here, and we’ll see you on October 4th.

Team R+A