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Jackie Porter is an award winning certified financial planner and financial advisor who has been in the financial industry for the past 22 years serving thousands of families, established businesses, and professionals. She also co-authored the book, “Single by Choice or Chance, the smart woman’s guide to living longer better” to help single women prepare better for their financial future.

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Daniele Zanotti is the CEO & President of United Way Greater Toronto.

In his over 20 years of experience in the public and non-profit sectors, Daniele’s work is guided by one core value -- to work in and with communities across all sectors to create positive change.

As CEO of United Way York Region, he played a pivotal role in the merger of United Ways across Toronto and York Region in 2015. Under his leadership, the organization continues to apply an increasingly regional lens -- in 2018, joining with Peel Region to form United Way Greater Toronto, the largest United Way in the world and largest funder of social services outside of government.

This scaled-up approach is improving opportunities for donors, volunteers, and partners across Peel, Toronto and York Region, and building capacity to expand local investments.

Daniele holds a Masters in Social Work from the University of Toronto and sits on advisory committees and boards across the region.

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Agnes Lan is the founder of Kinderdrop - an occupancy booking system for temporary childcare solutions at licensed daycares across North America.

Described as influential and inspirational by her clients and peers, Agnes Lan helps organizations grow through change. She has a knack for breaking down complex strategies into tangible business tactics. Leading the way in Sales Transformation for SMBs and Enterprises alike. Agnes has considerable experience on the assessment, strategy, design and implementation of business transformations in various industries with a focus on Sales - customer focused business strategies, organization design, sales efficiency and transformation. Agnes has consulted for clients in Broadcast and Media, Advertising and Marketing, Distribution and Warehousing, Education, Manufacturing, Professional Services and Construction. With degrees from the University of Toronto, Indiana University Kelley School of Business, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and Harvard Business School, her passion for learning contributes to numerous professional designations as a Professional Engineer, Lean Black Belt Professional and ADKAR Change Management Practitioner.

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Heather Skoll teaches people to live deliberately and expand their comfort zone in wellness through online movement classes,sitting, standing with the chair, or on the floor. Yoga, breathing, relaxation, and bodymind techniques, meditation, and mindfulness are incorporated into short classes.. I see clients 1:1 who want to delve deeper into their

She is a Certified Kripalu Yoga Teacher ,a Certified Rubenfeld Synergist, and a Distinguished Toastmaster. Chronic pain and physical issues have forced me to find new ways to stay active and find joy in movement. I discovered that many others face similar challenges, and need movement and support, especially during these pandemic times. I help to bridge a gap for 60+ adults who feel 35 in their minds, but not in their bodies. As a speaker, I curate dynamic sessions to help audiences expand their knowledge, connection, and experience with wellness beyond medicine.

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Margaret Hachey is the Managing Director of GroYourBiz, an organization that

builds peer-to-peer advisory boards for women entrepreneurs.

She was previously the owner of Duocom Canada Inc. She founded the company in Toronto in 1980 and with organic growth and acquisitions expanded coast to coast. Its success earned it recognition as one of Canada’s 50 Best Managed Private Companies. Chatelaine and Profit magazine recognized her over a 10 year period as ranking in the top 10 of the Top 100 Women business owners in Canada. A sought after keynote speaker, Margaret has addressed audiences across the country on various topics. Honoured numerous times for her accomplishments, most recently recognized at the BMO Celebration Women Event as a Trailblazer and Innovator.

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Sheri Kurtz is the founder of Sherlase Clinic Ltd - Medical Esthetics Clinic with a new a expansion of "The Sherlase Spa".

Living in Markham with her husband Garry and dog Luke, Sheri enjoys family life at the lake and their combined five grandsons (with more on the way!).

As a single Mom of two little girls, in 2000 Sheri purchased one of the first laser hair removal machines in Ontario and founded Sherlase Clinic Ltd. Since then, Sherlase has grown to become a sought-after Medical Esthetics clinic known for its integrity and innovative approach towards anti-aging.

In 2019 following 5 months of construction, Sheri and her design team created an exquisite ladies Spa addition and expanded Sherlase in order to fully cater to the needs of the discerning women. After 21 years and developing a highly experienced team, Sheri is proud of what has been created. The new Sherlase Clinic and Spa was born.

Sheri has always had a strong bond to the community and has enjoyed a great work/life balance where helping and being involved with local charities has always been her passion. Sherlase Clinic and Spa has allowed her to generously donate to many charities and she enjoys her longstanding roll as committee member with the Celebration of Hope Luncheon for Markham Stouffville Hospital.

With a strong background in Advertising and Public Relations, along with experience in running multiple family businesses, Sheri has a true entrepreneurial spirit. Her love of business, marketing and building customer relationships has resulted in requests for her to speak to many high-profile groups and professional speaking venues where she shares her knowledge and passion for being the best.

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Chantal Carter is the founder of Love & Nudes - a line of skin tone wire-free bras and panties for women of colour; nude for all skin tones. They are Canada’s 1st diverse line of skin tone products.

She is an entrepreneur who has worked in the fashion industry for over 20 years as a Stylist, Image Consultant, and magazine Style Director. Chantal’s passion to uplift women of colour through fashion caused her to develop a diverse skin tone intimates line called Love & Nudes. This brand is more than just fashion, it's a social movement connecting women and celebrating the beauty of difference. She believes apparel and cosmetics should be accessible to all in a manner that allows them to celebrate their skin tone and personal style.

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Tina Finelli and Caroline Wiley are the co-founders of SeeWhatSheCanDo - a digital community that unites active women and their supporters around the power of sport.

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Tessa Thomas is the founder of Recruit-HQ - a student-athlete community where anyone can find and anonymously share real-time ratings and reviews about specific experiences with specific NCAA athletic programs—all for free.

She played NCAA DI softball at Winthrop University (SC) where she was a part of two Big South Conference Championship teams, earned numerous athletic and academic honours, and was recently named a 2020 inductee into the Winthrop University Athletics Hall of Fame.

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Zuly Matallana is the founder & CEO TIARA Bliss - a company that makes revolutionary shower caps that fully eliminate water, humidity and frizz. It keeps your hair dry in the bath or shower so you can protect your hair in style.

She has appeared on Dragons' Den Season 14 Episode 3 and nominated for WXN Canada's Most Powerful Women 2020 by BMO.

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Erich Ko is the Co-Founder & CEO of Hop In Technologies - a logistics software service that offers a customized shuttle solution for the daily commute. Their shuttle solutions help companies improve access to the workplace by extending the reach of transit.

His experience ranges from government to early stage startups, beginning with his work in Public Relations and Internal Protocol at the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. In his work with startups, Erich specializes in Organic Growth & Partnerships. More recently, he joined the UNDP Bluetribe Accelerator in Cambodia and LatAm Startups as an advisor. Erich studied Business Law at Ryerson University and is an alumnus of the DMZ and the Next 36.

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Malak Sidky, is the founder of Health Care Event Planning - a boutique firm specializing in the health care industry. She is a professor at Fanshawe College where she has taught Math for Hospitality and Risk Management. She also teaches Event Marketing & Promotions at Conestoga College.

In this conversation, we talk about:

• The importance of having a business plan.

• The benefits of having a mentor and coach.

• How to avoid spreading yourself thin by tapping into resources like interns and new hires.

• And much more...

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Jody Steinhauer is the founder and president of The Bargains Group - a discount wholesaler that provides retailers, charities and NFP's as well as individuals, discounted basics plus donations. Their latest division is Kits For a Cause where they help groups do team building and volunteering in groups with massive impact.

She has been the esteemed recipient of TRBoT’s Business Leader of the Year Award, Rotman Canadian Woman Entrepreneur of the Year Award, Canada’s Top 40 Under 40.

In this conversation, we talk about:

• Aligning your values with the company you work for.

• An easy way to stand out as a business in Canada.

• The importance of giving back and doing good as a business.

• And much more...

🗒️ Find Jody at:

Eric C Tappenden is the founder of Chapel Ridge Funeral Home & Cremation Centre, a full service funeral home.

Eric is a social worker by profession, and was a senior civil servant at Queen's Park from 1977 - 1989. His last position there was as Director of Business Regulation in the Ministry of Consumer & Commercial Relations. Eric has been deeply involved in the community he serves, including Past Chair roles at Markham Stouffville Hospital Foundation, the Markham Board of Trade, Markham Theatre, Markham Prayer Breakfast and the Markhaven Foundation. Eric has been Vice Chair of the Board at Bereaved Families of Ontario - York Region, the Character Council of York Region, and is currently Co-Chair of the York Region Police Appreciation Committee. Eric and Chapel Ridge have received many awards and honours including: The Mayor of Markham's Meritorious Service Award (2019), the Queen's Golden & Diamond Jubilee Medals for Community Service (2002 & 2012), the Markham Board of Trade Anthony Roman Award for Business Person of the Year (2005) and High Quality & Service Award (2012), and the YMCA Peace Medallion (2010), among others.

In this conversation, we talk about:

• How he grew his funeral home from the ground up.

• The importance of serving and thinking of your community’s needs.

• How he stood out from his competitors.

• And much more...

🗒️ Find Eric at:

Anu Yogeswaran is the founder of Anu's GenZ Public Speaking and Leadership Skills School - a program that prepares Generation Z for the future by teaching leadership skills early on. Empower, Educate, and Execute is a motto Anu now lives by as she focuses on elevating the playing field of Generation Z's future. She envisions a world where youth can go into the workforce of the future and thrive.

Although Anu has been focusing on training younger kids, she has also had experience training adults in the area of soft skills development, leadership and project management.

In this conversation, we talk about:

• The importance of learning soft skills (aka leadership skills, power skills, success skills) and building these skills at an early age.

• How to understand Gen Z.

• Anu’s experience in acting and how it led to love of public speaking -- taking classes and eventually teaching it.

• And much more...

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Eleanor Beaton is the founder of SafiMedia, an education and coaching company for women entrepreneurs. She is on a mission to double the number of women entrepreneurs who scale past $1M by 2030 through storytelling, business coaching, and educational content. Eleanor is the host of the Power + Presence + Position podcast, one of Canada's top-ranked shows for entrepreneurs. She's also the former chair of the Visiting Women's Executive Exchange Program at the Yale School of Management.

In this conversation, we talk about:

• The driving force behind her desire for having economic power.

• How niching down and turning away clients led to more growth.

• Why it’s important to focus on growing your business through assets instead of more hustle.

• And much more...

🗒️ Full Show Notes at:

This is the final episode of season 1 of REVUP Your Potential with Hilda Gan. Thank you to everyone who listened to our show. We will be back with more exciting stories in the next season to help you on your journey.

We would love to hear your thoughts and suggestions. Please visit https://revupyourpotential.ca/contact-us/

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Susan Diaz & Will Lamont are the co-founders of CP Digital. A digital marketing agency located in Toronto. They are also the hosts of the 4AM report, a podcast about marketing and social media.


In this conversation, we talk about:

• Creating an environment that promotes creativity.
• How they were able to thrive as a partnership.
• Why they went from being freelancers to starting their own agency.
• And much more...

Sasha Naylor is the owner of two Massage Addict franchises in Toronto. He spent the first 10 years of his career working as an engineer at iTrans; the company founded by Hilda and her husband.


In this conversation, we talk about:

• His experience working at iTrans.
• Why he decided to buy a franchise.
• Things to consider before buying a franchise.
• And much more...

Christiana Egi is a registered nurse, mental health and geriatric health specialist, diabetes educator and a registered natural health nutritionist. She is also the founder of Alexis Lodge Retirement Residences. A retirement home based in Scarborough, Ontario.

In this conversation, we talk about:

• Why she chose to work in the mental health field despite the challenges.
• How COVID-19 has caused her to change the way long-term care homes are built.
• What you can do to prevent Alzheimer's and dementia.
• And much more...

Stuart Rudner is a leading Employment Lawyer and Mediator, and the founder of Rudner Law. An award winning Law Firm located in Markham, Ontario, that helps both the employer and the employee with employment law issues.

In this conversation, we talk about:

• Why he left the corporate world to start his own firm.
• What his father taught him about business.
• The impact of having kids and wanting them to be proud of the work you do.
• And much more...

Karen Mortfield is the Executive Director of the Richmond Hill Board of Trade. She’s been in charge of stakeholder relations, communications and public affairs with a number of high-profile corporations. She has also run her own business, as a crisis communication specialist and presentation coach. She also has extensive experience in the political arena as press secretary to an Ontario political leader and as senior staff to half a dozen Ontario Cabinet Ministers.

In this conversation, we talk about:

• How working in politics taught her to be a supportive leader.
• How to write a powerful speech.
• How the Richmond Hill Board of Trade pivoted in response to COVID-19
• And much more...

Kevin Huhn is the General Manager of NTC Hockey, one of Canada’s leaders in training hockey players. He is a business growth strategist and has transformed hundreds of businesses in Canada and the US.

In this conversation, we talk about:

• How he got hired by Scotty Bowman.
• How to gain confidence in your skills.
• Why he believes who you know is more important than what you know.
• And much more...

Joel Mandelbaum is the co-founder of WRLWND (whirl·wind). A digital marketing, creative and communications agency that specializes in brand development and management.

In this conversation, we talk about:

• How he started a courier business at the age of 19.
• How to stay motivated during the ups and downs.
• How to write and launch your own book.
• And much more...

Alkesh Patel is the co-founder and CEO of Ringside MD, a company that provides on-site healthcare for corporations. He is also the Medical Officer of Health for the Nova Scotia Health Authority.

In this conversation, we talk about:

• Breaking social economic barriers in his youth.
• His vision to make healthcare accessible to everyone in the workplace.
• COVID concerns for businesses working through the pandemic
• And much more...

Stephanie Florio is the co-founder of Swob Inc., an award-winning social recruitment platform that is designed to make job searching easy and recruitment even easier. In May of 2018, Sir Richard Branson and Virgin Mobile Canada awarded Swob as the first-ever Canadian company to win the "Pitch To Rich" contest. She has appeared on BNN Bloomberg, E-Talk, Omni TV, The Marilyn Denis Show, and Elevate Tech Fest in Toronto. Most recently Stephanie has been nominated for RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Award presented by Women of Influence.

In this conversation, we talk about:

• Meeting and sharing her business idea with Richard Branson.
• How to get the press to notice your company.
• The dynamics of working with your family.
• And much more...

Brittany Pickrem is the owner of her self-named boutique brand and design company that is based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Since 2007 she has been providing sophisticated visual brand and graphic design solutions for community leaders, and change-makers across the globe.

In this conversation, we talk about:

• Her journey from working for a graphic design company to starting her own business.
• Overcoming the fear of public speaking.
• The importance of knowing your value and self worth.
• And much more...

Finka Jerkovic is the Program Director and Lead Coach for How to Fascinate® and the creator of the Certified Fascinate® Advisor program. She helps her clients get 100% clear on their unique talents, skills and expertise so they can use their personal strengths to grow their business and she has worked with companies like Lowe’s, Toyota, and Schneider Electric.

In this conversation, we talk about:

• Why it’s important to embrace who you are.
• How to excel in business as an introvert.
• Why she moved away from Toronto to the country.
• And much more...

Muhammad Kermalli is the founder of Skytek - a Success Centre for business owners and professionals, located in Richmond Hill, Ontario. He has worked globally across several industries including, IT, Logistics, Virtual Offices, Legal Services, Finance/Investment, and HR.  He says he only does what he loves to do and lives with a simple rule:  Have fun, and stay balanced.

In this conversation, we talk about:

• Where he got his idea for Skytek.
• How he got defrauded for over $30,000.
• Finding work - life balance and finding what’s important for you.
• And much more...

Debra Christmas is a senior executive partner at Gartner Canada, an IT research and advisory company. Prior to joining Gartner Canada, she was Vice President of Hewlett-Packard Software Technical Sales leading a team of over 300 technical software sales professionals across North and South America, contributing to $500M in sales.

In this conversation, we talk about:

• What it was like being a woman of color working in IT.
• How she was raised to be confident.
• What she does when she gets the heebie jeebies.
• And much more...

Julie Williams is a photographer based in Stouffville, Ontario specializing in portrait and event photography.

In this conversation, we talk about:

• How she transitioned from the engineering world to a career in photography.
• Her experience with stress & anxiety and how she learned to cope.
• The importance of knowing when to ask for help.
• And much more...

Jackie Porter is an award winning certified financial planner and financial advisor who has been in the financial industry for the past 22 years serving thousands of families, established businesses, and professionals. She also co-authored the book, “Single by Choice or Chance, the smart woman’s guide to living longer better” to help single women prepare better for their financial future.

In this conversation, we talk about:

• Why it’s important to be transparent when working with a financial planner.
• The life changing conversation she had that taught her about wealth.
• How to get through the tough times as an entrepreneur.
• And much more...

Allan Pollett is the founder of Allan Pollett Web Marketing, a Toronto based SEO consulting business. He has helped over a thousand businesses get to the top search results and is known as the SEO Guru. He has been featured on media outlets such as SEO radio, CTV’s WebMedia and CBC radio. He has also written several books on reputation management, social media and other SEO related topics.

In this conversation, we talk about:

• How he got his website featured on CNN.
• How he built a multi-million dollar business and got it taken away from him.
• How short term thinking can kill your business.
• What to do when the service you’re providing is becoming a commodity.
• And much more...

Lucas Chang is the co-founder of Y2 Entrepreneurship Labs - an online and in-person program that has helped over 1700 students develop their entrepreneurial skills. He is also the principal consultant at KnL Business Consulting Inc. where he provides process optimization and change management advisory services to help companies expand operations profitably.

In this conversation, we talk about how he teaches his students to come up with business ideas, why he started his own community of business owners and why it's important to give back to the community.

Say hi to Lucas Chang at:

Alice Ma is an award-winning designer who started her career working at an agency where she worked on ad campaigns for companies like Holt Renfrew, IKEA and Microsoft. She later took the leap and started her own company designing websites for businesses all over the world. Since then, she has served over 500 clients in Toronto, US and China.

In this conversation, we talk about how she transitioned from working for an agency to starting her own business, what she learned from hiring three business coaches and her marketing experiment where she tried 37 different methods to generate leads and she shares with us the three methods that got her the most results.

Hello and welcome to the very first episode of Rev Up Your Potential with Hilda Gan. A show about entrepreneurs, industry experts, thought leaders, and the stories behind their success.

To celebrate the launch of the podcast, we will switch things around and my partner from 6 Story, Min Woo will interview the host of this show, Hilda Gan.

Hilda Gan is the founder of People Bright Consulting. A company based in Toronto that provides Human Resources support to businesses.

In this conversation, we talk about what Hilda did before her People Bright Consulting days, how she grew her previous company to over a hundred people, became a top 10 of the best workplaces in Canada, and later sold it successfully, and what kept her motivated to start yet another business shortly after selling.