From Side Hustle to Scale: How YSpace Helps Founders Build

From Side Hustle to Scale: How YSpace Helps Founders Build

What does it actually take to go from a side hustle to a full time business? In this episode of the ChangeMaker Leader Podcast, Leigh Mitchell sits down with David Kwok of YSpace, York University's pan-university entrepreneurship and innovation hub, to talk about what real support for founders looks like at every stage of the journey. David has spent over a decade building the programs and partnerships that help entrepreneurs move from idea to mass retail, from local hustle to international opportunity. In this conversation, we get into what YSpace offers, who it is for, and how founders at any stage, including women stepping into business for the first time or scaling what they have already built, can access it. What you will learn in this conversation: * What YSpace is and how it supports founders across every stage, from side hustle to scaled venture * How equity driven programs like ELLA, powered by Desjardins, are creating real pathways for women led ventures * What it takes for agri-food and product based businesses to break into mass retail * How sector focused initiatives like SmartTO are shaping innovation in mobility and automotive * Why YSpace's three physical hubs across Toronto, Markham, and Georgina matter for entrepreneurs building locally and globally * This conversation is for the woman who has an idea she has not acted on yet, the founder juggling a side hustle alongside a full time job, and the established business owner ready to scale with the right support behind her. Connect with David Kwok: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidkwokk/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidkwokk/] Learn more about YSpace: https://www.yorku.ca/yspace/ [https://www.yorku.ca/yspace/] Leigh Mitchell is a Trauma-Informed Leadership Brand Strategist, Founder of Women in Biz Network (35,000+ members), and host of the ChangeMaker Leader Podcast. She helps Women+ ChangeMakers own their imprint, unapologetically. Learn more: https://changemakerco.org [https://changemakerco.org] Join WIBN: https://womeninbiznetwork.com [https://womeninbiznetwork.com] Subscribe for weekly leadership, branding, and AI insights for women in business.

The Art of the Possibility: Leading a Non-Linear Life with Christine Brooks-Cappadocia

Welcome back to the ChangeMaker Leader Podcast. Today is for The Art of the Possibility: Leading a Non-Linear Life with Christine Brooks-Cappadocia  Your career was never supposed to look like a straight line. Women Changemakers are often rebuilding, pivoting, or finally giving themselves permission to lead differently. Here at Women in Biz Network, we support women in being themselves unapologetically and in leading from their strengths and values. In this episode of the ChangeMaker Leader Podcast, I sit down with Christine Brooks-Cappadocia, Vice-President of Continuing Studies at York University, to talk about what it really means to lead with curiosity, navigate a non-linear career path, and reclaim joy without sacrificing effectiveness. Christine went from a fine arts degree to running one of the largest continuing education schools in North America, and the through-line was never a plan. It was a mindset. What you will learn in this episode: * Why a non-linear career path is a leadership advantage, not a liability  * How to stay connected to curiosity and creativity when institutional demands pull you toward convention * What reclaiming balance actually looks like for a senior woman leader, beyond the polished version * How lifelong learning shows up in real life, not just on a resume  * Why the art of the possible is not optimism but a practiced leadership skill  Christine Brooks-Cappadocia is a social intrapreneur, educator, and community builder whose career spans healthcare, the arts, social services, and higher education. She leads York University's School of Continuing Studies, serving approximately 6,000 learners annually, and has spent her career building ecosystems where opportunity is the point. Christine hosts the Successfully Ambiguous Podcast [https://www.youtube.com/@SuccessfullyAmbiguous]across all major platforms. Connect With Leigh Mitchell and Women in Biz Network After 15 years of building Women in Biz Network (with 35,000+ supported and 1,500+ women mentored in Mentor Your Biz), I know this: visibility barriers are confidence barriers. The Own Your Imprint & Positioning Prism framework is trauma-informed for inner leadership and brand building, and the results are unapologetically real. Visit womeninbusinessnow.com [https://www.womeninbusinessnow.com/] to become a member today. #ChangeMakerLeaders #WomenInBusiness #OwnYourImprint #LeadershipDevelopment #PodcastForWomen #PersonalBranding #WomenEntrepreneurs #ImpactLeaders #MentorCulture #BusinessGrowth Suggested tags women in business, leadership podcast, non-linear career, women in leadership, lifelong learning, ChangeMaker Leader Podcast, Women in Biz Network, Leigh Mitchell, Own Your Imprint, Christine Brooks-Cappadocia, York University continuing studies, career pivot for women, how to lead with curiosity, reclaiming balance as a leader, how to navigate a non-linear career path

The Brave Move That Changes Everything

The Brave Move That Changes Everything: Stepping Outside Your Comfort Zone to Unlock Your Purpose What if the thing you have been searching for is not ahead of you, but already inside you, waiting to be seen? In this episode of the ChangeMaker Leader Podcast, host Leigh Mitchell sits down with Jill Valentine, founder of Ugo Impact and creator of the Ugo Triple Change Effect Model, for a conversation about purpose, identity, and what it really means to do brave things before you know where they will lead. About This Episode Leigh shares her personal story of joining a transformational trip to Costa Rica nearly a decade ago, not fully knowing what she was looking for, and walking away with the discovery that would reshape her entire career. Jill walks us through the three pillars of her framework and explains why transformation is less about changing who you are and more about returning to who you have always been. What You Will Walk Away With * A new understanding of why stepping away from the familiar is often the fastest path to clarity * The three pillars of the Ugo Triple Change Effect Model: Change Yourself, Change Your Community, and Change Your World * How purpose evolves across the decades of a woman's life and why that shift is something to lean into * Why ego-driven ambition eventually gives way to something more meaningful, and what to do when it does * How clarity about your values can reveal misalignments in your work and relationships you did not even know were there Leigh Also Opens Up About * Her personal experience on a Ugo transformational trip and what it unlocked in her * Perimenopause, brain rewiring, and the science behind why midlife can feel like a turning point * Releasing shame around failure and learning to roll with it * Rebuilding Women in Biz Network on her own terms and what that taught her about owning her imprint This Episode Is For You If * You feel like you have drifted from yourself * You are successful on paper but quietly wondering if there is more * You need permission to say yes to yourself for once Connect With Our Guest Jill Valentine is the founder of Ugo Impact and creator of the Ugo Triple Change Effect Model. Visit ugoimact.com and follow Ugo Impact on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Nepal trip details for November are live on the website. Visit at: https://ugoimpact.com/ [https://ugoimpact.com/] Connect With Leigh and Women in Biz Network Join a membership community built for women who are ready to grow with purpose. Visit womeninbusinessnow.com [https://www.womeninbusinessnow.com] to become a member today.

I Was Terrified of Public Speaking for Years. Here Is What Finally Changed.

Fifteen years ago, Leigh Mitchell was building a business that required her to stand in front of rooms full of people, and she could barely get through a sentence without wanting to disappear. She studied the speakers she admired. She tried to become them. It was a disaster. In this episode, Leigh gets personal about her journey from stage fright to keynote stages, university classrooms, and boardrooms. She breaks down the four decisions that changed how she shows up every time she speaks, and none of them have anything to do with faking confidence. In this episode you will hear about: * Why trying to be a "great speaker" was the thing that held her back * The difference between performing and resonating * A one-sentence exercise that stops rambling and commands the room * Why silence is authority * How to shift your focus from self-consciousness to service * The nervous system truth about stage fright that nobody talks about This episode is for any woman who has ever held back from speaking up, stepping forward, or taking the stage because she thought she needed to be someone else first. You don't. Your voice, your story, and your lived experience are exactly what the room needs. Learn more about membership: changemakerco.org [http://changemakerco.org] Read the full article and get the resources mentioned in this episode: changemakerbusiness.substack.com [http://changemakerbusiness.substack.com] Subscribe to Own Your Imprint on Substack for weekly insights from Leigh. [http://changemakerbusiness.substack.com]

Nervous System Reset: A 20-Minute Daily Practice for Stress, Burnout & Cortisol Relief

Searches for "feel overwhelmed," "stress relief," and "burnout from life" are all at all-time highs in 2026 — and if you're feeling it too, you're not alone. This video gives you a science-backed, 20-minute nervous system reset routine you can do twice a day to regulate stress, reduce cortisol, and reclaim your calm. This routine integrates vestibular (balance/inner ear), visual (gaze/tracking), and limbic (emotional regulation) techniques — the same tools used in trauma therapy and nervous system rehabilitation. ⏱ IN THIS VIDEO — YOUR 20-MINUTE ROUTINE: Why your nervous system needs a daily reset Phase 1: Limbic Grounding & Centring (5 min) ↳ Orienting to Safety ↳ The Voo Breath (vagus nerve activation) ↳ Self-Soothing Touch Phase 2: Visual & Vestibular Coordination (10 min) ↳ Gaze Stabilization (VOR x1) ↳ Saccades — Rapid Eye Shifts ↳ Smooth Pursuit ↳ Head Nods & Turns (Eyes Closed) Phase 3: Dynamic Integration & Proprioception (5 min) ↳ The Arch and Flatten ↳ Heel-to-Toe Stance ↳ Shaking Out Tension Morning vs. Evening — how to use this routine 📊 WHY THIS MATTERS RIGHT NOW: Search interest in cortisol has nearly doubled since January 2026 and hit an all-time high for the third consecutive month. "Burnout at work" and "burnout from life" are also at all-time highs. "Emotional flooding" has doubled in searches this year. Your nervous system is under more pressure than ever — this routine is your daily antidote. 🔗 RESOURCES & NEXT STEPS: 📥 Download Exercise Card Set [https://claude.ai/public/artifacts/5a5252e3-3756-41e7-b961-bef7c1baa835] 🌐 Join the Women in Biz Network Community [https://changemakerco.org/perks/] 📺 Watch on ChangeMaker Leader YouTube Channel [https://youtu.be/tw18TxC_4l0?si=khiSJzRyCFbOHzBM]