38: Women Building Tech: Real Conversations from Vancouver Startup Week

38: Women Building Tech: Real Conversations from Vancouver Startup Week

This special episode of Magic Hour Podcast [https://unicornmarketingco.ca/podcast-vancouver-startup-week/↗] takes us to the floor of Vancouver Startup Week for a collection of candid conversations with women in tech, entrepreneurship, and innovation. Through short, on-the-spot interviews, we explore what it means to build a business in real time. The moments of momentum, the barriers that still exist, the lessons learned from founders and speakers, and the future women in tech are actively creating. Part recap, part reflection, part love letter to the builders in the room, this episode highlights the voices, perspectives, and ideas shaping Vancouver’s startup community. Featured guests include: * Laura Fortey, Flow State Founder * Kristin Zerbin, Hoochie Booch Kombucha * Priya Tronsgaurd, Edify Learning Spaces * Mikayla Stewart, Atono, ColdStart, and Athena Collective * Kim Jacob, Arvorei Communications Group * Chaandani Khan, Return to Life * Ashley Armstrong, Success Monster * Lorraine Wong, Wake Collective and Cue North * Stephanie Chan, My Care Base * Danielle Ryan, Video Content Creator and Creative Strategist 📖 Read the full show notes and transcript at unicornmarketingco.ca/podcast [https://unicornmarketingco.ca/podcast-vancouver-startup-week/] ✨ Stay in the magic: Follow @itsthemagichourpodcast [https://instagram.com/itsthemagichourpodcast] for behind-the-scenes content, guest updates, and more! ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

37: What A Death Doula Taught Me About Being Alive

We don't talk about death, and we certainly don't talk about grief. And we especially don't talk about the kind that has no clear cause, no funeral, and no casserole on the doorstep. But maybe we should. In this episode of the Magic Hour Podcast [https://unicornmarketingco.ca/podcast-38-sarah-savoy/], I sit down with Sarah Savoy, end-of-life doula, educator, and founder of A Good Farewell [https://www.agoodfarewell.ca/], for a conversation that is equal parts tender and quietly transformative. Sarah has dedicated her life to sitting with people in their most vulnerable moments, through caregiving, life-limiting illness, dying, and grief. But what we explore in this conversation goes far beyond death. It's about how we live. The grief we absorb without realizing it. The joy we talk ourselves out of. And the quiet but radical act of choosing meaningful work over comfortable work. We talk about what it really looks like to walk away from a successful business because something deeper is calling. Sarah shares the reality of her own midlife pivot — the gradual unravelling, the moment of clarity, and what it took to rebuild her life around work that truly reflects who she is. We also explore what it means to move through a society that is, as Sarah puts it, deeply grief illiterate. One that doesn't give us the language, the permission, or the space to grieve the things that aren't just the loss of a person — the loss of identity, of community, of the life we thought we were going to have. This conversation also holds space for the grief we inherit. The kind passed down through generations without a word ever being spoken. And the micro joys (small, deliberate, tender moments) that become the way we survive it all. 🎧 In this episode, we talk about: ⚡ Walking away from a successful brick and mortar business to find heart-centred work ⚡ The big G and the little G, understanding grief in all its forms ⚡ Why our society is grief illiterate and what it costs us ⚡ Cultural and intergenerational grief and the weight we carry without knowing it ⚡ How to hold space for others without losing yourself ⚡ Micro joys as a daily practice and a survival strategy ⚡ The invisible weight of navigating grief while keeping up appearances ⚡ How to let small joys back in without feeling like you're betraying the pain This one is for anyone who has ever felt like their grief was too complicated, too quiet, or too hard to explain. Sarah has a gift for making the heaviest things feel a little more possible to hold. I hope this conversation does the same for you. ✨ 📖 Read the full show notes and transcript at unicornmarketingco.ca/podcast [https://unicornmarketingco.ca/blog/] 📝 This episode is sponsored by Flodesk [https://flodesk.com/c/UNICORNMARKETING]. The beautiful, easy-to-use email marketing platform I swear by. Get a free month of Flodesk here: https://flodesk.com/c/UNICORNMARKETING [https://flodesk.com/c/UNICORNMARKETING] 💌 ✨ Stay in the magic: Follow @itsthemagichourpodcast [https://instagram.com/itsthemagichourpodcast] for behind-the-scenes content, guest updates, and more! ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

36: Jumping In Before You’re Ready (and Finding Yourself Along the Way)

What happens when you stop performing who you think you should be… and start getting honest about who you actually are? In this episode of the Magic Hour Podcast, I sit down with Emily Shimwell [https://unicornmarketingco.ca/podcast-36-emily-shimwell/], founder of Dine Wilder Events and co-founder of Graze Wilder Charcuterie, for a conversation that feels both grounding and quietly confronting in the best way. Emily has built multiple businesses in a short amount of time, but what we explore in this conversation goes far beyond growth or strategy. It’s about identity. The kind that shifts as you evolve. The kind that doesn’t always have a clear answer. We talk about what it really looks like to jump before you’re ready, and how that decision can shape not just your business, but your sense of self. Emily shares the reality of building something quickly while raising young kids, and what it means to let your personal and professional worlds blur without losing yourself entirely. This conversation also holds space for the tension so many women carry. The pressure to be polished but still relatable, confident but still likeable, soft but still taken seriously. And what it costs, energetically, to keep showing up that way. We explore reinvention as something deeper than a pivot. The reframes that ask more of you than a simple no ever could. And the process of becoming someone new without abandoning who you’ve been. 🎧 In this episode, we talk about: ⚡ Jumping before you’re ready and what happens on the other side of that decision ⚡ The identity shifts that come with building and evolving quickly ⚡ Navigating motherhood and business without separating the two ⚡ The pressure women feel to show up a certain way in professional spaces ⚡ The energetic cost of constantly performing in business and life ⚡ Reinvention as a lived experience, not just a strategy ⚡ The difference between saying no and reframing what’s actually aligned Above all, this episode is an invitation to look a little closer at yourself. To question the roles you’ve been playing. And to consider who you are when you’re not performing for the room.✨ 📖 Read the full show notes and transcript at unicornmarketingco.ca/podcast [https://unicornmarketingco.ca/podcast-33-megan-swan/] 📝 This episode is sponsored by Flodesk [https://flodesk.com/c/UNICORNMARKETING]. The beautiful, easy-to-use email marketing platform I swear by. Get a free month of Flodesk here: https://flodesk.com/c/UNICORNMARKETING [https://flodesk.com/c/UNICORNMARKETING] 💌 ✨ Stay in the magic: Follow @itsthemagichourpodcast [https://instagram.com/itsthemagichourpodcast] for behind-the-scenes content, guest updates, and more! ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

35: Where Joy Leads, Community Follows

What happens when you stop wearing “busy” like a badge of honour and start building community with intention, gentleness, and real connection? In this episode of the Magic Hour Podcast, [https://unicornmarketingco.ca/podcast-25-laura-van-der-veer-danielle-leroux/] I sit down with Danielle and Laura, co-founders of She Summits Forum for a conversation that feels like a warm hug for your nervous system. Their partnership is rooted in joy, play, confidence, and the kind of connection you simply cannot fake. Together, they share how She Summits has grown into a space where women can slow down, lean into their strengths, and find community that feels safe and soul nourishing. We explore how joy and play return to adulthood when we let them, why women often lose touch with those qualities, and how simple rituals can become grounding practices when business feels heavy. Danielle and Laura talk about the bravery of letting go of the “shoulds,” trusting what feels natural, and choosing a way of working that prioritizes ease, collaboration, and clarity. Community sits at the heart of this episode. Not community as content, but community as a feeling. Danielle and Laura break down how they create experiences that spark connection from the first hello, why retail spaces are becoming modern gathering hubs, and the underrated skills that make relationships feel real rather than transactional. Above all, this episode is an invitation to slow down, choose presence over performance, and remember that joy, play, and confidence are not extras. They are your compass. 🎧 In this episode, we talk about: ⚡ How joy and play return when we give ourselves permission to soften ⚡ The grounding rituals that support us when life or business feels heavy ⚡ Why confidence grows deeper when it’s nurtured in community ⚡ The art of unlearning old expectations in business and leadership ⚡ Creating space for what truly fits by learning when to say no ⚡ Community as something you feel, not something you perform ⚡ How retail spaces are becoming modern gathering hubs for connection ⚡ The message Danielle and Laura hope every woman building something could hear If you’ve been craving softness, clarity, or community that feels real and nourishing, this conversation will land like a much needed exhale. ✨ 📖 Read the full show notes and transcript at unicornmarketingco.ca/podcast [https://unicornmarketingco.ca/blog/] 📝 This episode is sponsored by Shopify [shopify.pxf.io/Y9eKnK]. Thinking about launching an e-commerce brand? Start today with a 3-day free trial and build your store with the easiest, most powerful platform out there: shopify.pxf.io/Y9eKnK [http://shopify.pxf.io/Y9eKnK] ✨ Stay in the magic: Follow @itsthemagichourpodcast [https://instagram.com/itsthemagichourpodcast] for behind-the-scenes content, guest updates, and more! ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

After Hours with Danielle Wiebe: Building Belonging In Your Business

What does it take to build real community in your business, the kind where people feel seen, supported, and genuinely connected? In this After Hours episode [https://unicornmarketingco.ca/after-hours-danielle-wiebe/], Danielle Wiebe shares a grounded look at how belonging is created with intention and why community becomes the most sustainable growth strategy you can invest in. With almost 11 years of hosting events, she breaks down how connection actually happens and why it begins long before anyone walks into the room. Danielle shares the small, intentional practices that shape meaningful community experiences: creating low-pressure pre-event spaces, weaving in gentle connection prompts during gatherings, and continuing momentum after the event so relationships don’t fade. She explains how hybrid touchpoints, both online and in person, deepen trust, expand visibility, and help your community feel supported at every stage. This is not about hosting perfect events. It is about presence, intention, and remembering that every business can build belonging in a way that feels natural. Danielle offers simple ideas for connection, from Instagram group chats to casual pop-up meetups, and shows how collaboration can lighten the load and expand your impact. This is a grounding invitation to slow down, bring people together in ways that feel real, and build a business where your community truly belongs. 🎧 Listen to the Magic Hour Podcast on Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/3SFw3Mx6nCQCfn3tktrRGq], Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/no/podcast/magic-hour-podcast/id1663684286], or wherever you tune in. 📖 Read the full show notes and transcript at unicornmarketingco.ca/podcast [https://unicornmarketingco.ca/blog/] ✨ Stay in the magic: Follow @itsthemagichourpodcast [https://instagram.com/itsthemagichourpodcast] for behind-the-scenes content, guest updates, and more! ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.