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- What people are saying"Thanks again for a wonderful session of love, light & laughter at The Collective. I feel I've been operating at a whole new level since I began to #LeanIn and it's wonderful.""I was truly inspired by the event and the amazing people who attended!""I love the progressive and forward thinking approach you are bringing to having these conversations and gatherings in our beautiful city.""I wanted to say how much I really enjoyed The Collective. It was so inspiring and have already made some changes in my life... Looking forward to the next event.""Congratulations on putting together a fantastic Conference and bringing together a really dynamic group of women. .. I was also able to reconnect with some of the women I've been 'climbing the entrepreneurial ladder' with over the past years and met great new people.""It was such a fun time and very energizing. You are wonderful - thank you for helping us all shine just a little bit more!"
- Images for youOur inaugural Founders Collective conference that started it all.Special thanks for the production team: Kim Ringstad, Alanna Rogers,Tera Kristen, Laura Fraser, Sarah McCredie and Meredith Cale.
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- OUR FOUNDERMeredith is a serial entrepreneur, rule breaker, connector & creative.
Meredith bootstrapped three companies in the fashion industry, opening showrooms across the US & Canada, and generating over $45m across 3,000 doors. She’s partnered with global brands including H&M, Saks, Urban Outfitters & Amazon, dressed the likes of Sarah Jessica Parker & Julia Roberts, and been featured in NY Times, InStyle, Vice & Vogue.
Today, Meredith pays it forward as a dedicated tech startup advisor & consultant, Board member to RAW Beauty Talks and RED Academy, and co-founder of
Next Gen startup incubator,
Meredith’s work has been recognized by CTV, The Wall Street Journal, TechVibes, CBC, Globe & Mail and BC Business (Top 35 Influential Women, 2016), Business in Vancouver (Top 40 Under 40, 2015), Notable Awards (Entrepreneurship,
2014 and Not for Profit, 2015) &
YWCA Women of Distinction (Tech
& Science, 2015) among others.
- ResourcesSome of our favorite sources of education, inspiration and - of course - laughter.
Women + Work + the Will to LeadEric Schmidt & Sheryl Sandberg: A ConversationComputer History Museum - May 2013Google's Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt moderates a fascinating hour-long conversation with Sandberg about women, leadership and more.This video is part of the Museum's acclaimed "Revolutionaries" speaker series, featuring renowned innovators, business and technology leaders, and authors. Discussions revolve around the process of innovation, its risks and rewards, and failure that led to ultimate success.
Wisdom + Truth + Whole-Hearted LivingBrené Brown: The power of vulnerabilityTEDxHouston - June 2010Brené Brown studies human connection -- our ability to empathize, belong, love. In a poignant, funny talk, she shares a deep insight from her research, one that sent her on a personal quest to know herself as well as to understand humanity.Brené Brown studies vulnerability, courage, authenticity, and shame. Her follow-up TEDx talk is here and it's as beautiful and honest as anything we've ever heard.
Bosses + Bras + BiznessTina Fey: ‘Always Wear A Bra’ & other tips for working womenThe Jane Dough - March 2013The amazing Tina Fey recently sat down for the season premiere of Inside the Actor’s Studio with James Lipton and shared some insights into how working women should behave. Also, watch Tina Fey's Mark Twain Prize Acceptance Speech at left.If you've yet to pick up Tina's book "Bossy Pants", read it now, thank us later. How does it feel to be the CEO of a start-up?Q&A PlatformQuora is a collection of questions and answers that is created, edited, and organized by everyone who uses it. Quora's our first stop when we have a professional query. It contains all kinds of high-value content from industry insiders. Education + Confidence + ConnectionRita Pierson: Every kid needs a championTED Talks Education - May 2013Rita Pierson, a teacher for 40 years, once heard a colleague say, "They don't pay me to like the kids." Her response: "Kids don't learn from people they don’t like.’” This talk is a rousing call to educators to believe in their students & to connect with them on a real, human, personal level.Rita F. Pierson has spent her entire life in or around the classroom, having followed both her parents and grandparents into a career as an educator.
Social Good + Community + ChangeProgressive CommunityGood is an online community of people who give a damn. It's also where people share what's good to learn and do.GOOD is a super cool global resource of, by, and for pragmatic idealists working towards individual and collective progress. Smart Money + Dumb MoneyVenture Hacks: Good Advice for StartupsOctober 2007A question well answered (that stands the test of time).Q: Everybody is telling us to raise smart money. What’s the difference between smart money and dumb money? Stay Hungry + Stay FoolishSteve Jobs: Commencement AddressStanford University - June 12th, 2005Drawing from some of the most pivotal points in his life, Steve Jobs, CEO and co-founder of Apple Computer and of Pixar Animation Studios, urged graduates to pursue their dreams and see the opportunities in life's setbacks -- including death itself -- at the university's 114th Commencement.Find a full written transcript of the address here.
Genius + Creativity + InspirationElizabeth Gilbert: Your elusive creative geniusTED - Feb 2009Elizabeth Gilbert muses on the impossible things we expect from artists and geniuses -- and shares the radical idea that, instead of the rare person "being" a genius, all of us "have" a genius.The author of 'Eat, Pray, Love,' Elizabeth Gilbert has thought long and hard about some large topics. Her latest fascination: genius, and how we ruin it.
Leadership + Careers + Leaning InSheryl Sandberg: Why we have too few women leadersTED Women - Dec 2010Sheryl Sandberg looks at why a smaller percentage of women than men reach the top of their professions -- and offers 3 powerful pieces of advice to women aiming for the C-suite.As the COO at the helm of Facebook, Sheryl Sandberg juggles the tasks of monetizing the world’s largest social networking site while keeping its users happy and engaged.
Love this talk? Be sure to check out LeanIn.org and also Lean In, the book.
Join The World's Petition PlatformEmpowering people everywhere to create the change they want to see.There are more than 80M Change.org users in 196 countries & every day people use it to transform their communities – locally, nationally & globally. Whether it's a mother fighting bullying in her daughter's school, customers pressing banks to drop unfair fees, or citizens holding corrupt officials to account, thousands of campaigns started by people like you have won on Change.org – and more are winning every week.
