We're On A Mission
to make a massive impact in our community
Follow Our
transformation
The Adventure Begins
Sarah went to a women’s empowerment conference in Los Angeles and was mystified by the sheer number of Canadians in attendance and why she didn’t know a single one of them. It sparked a little idea to create a platform that helped Canadian women learn, connect and grow!
March 2018We Gave The Women A Voice
The Great Canadian Woman Podcast was launched.
July 2018Featured by Apple Podcasts!
The Great Canadian Woman Podcast was selected by Apple Podcasts to be featured on International Women’s Day
March 2019We Made it Official
We became a fully incorporated business
April 2019Inclusivity Joined The Conversation
We started to realize that the community that was growing, wasn’t fully representative of all Canadian womxn and started to form a diversity committee to help steer us in become a more inclusive community.
September 2019Canadian Wxmen Take The Stage
We hosted the 1st annual Great Canadian Woman Summit
October 2019Best Selling Books
Our book The Great Canadian Woman - She is Strong and Free was launched and we hit number 1 in multiple categories on Amazon!
October 2019Podcast Inspires All
The Great Canadian Woman Podcast was selected for The Inspiring Leaders category on Apple Podcasts
November 2019Foundation Building
Onboarding new authors, building a bigger community, laying the groundwork for future growth, all signs pointing to success!
Oh, hello there 2020! What?
You’re going to break us in all the right places?
A Global Pandemic
A global pandemic is declared
March 2020Live Events Postponed
We issued notice of postponement of our 2nd annual Summit to Spring of 2021
April 2020Deadlines Extended
We extended our writing period for all current authors in production as many were facing uncertainties of their own. We unfortunately lost some authors due to their own major life transitions and financial impact due to the economic shutdown.
April 2020May & June 2020
The largest Black Lives Matter movement in history sparked by the murder of George Floyd shone a light on the fact that our community was still predominantly white, straight and cis-gendered and therefore continuing to perpetuate racism & inequality merely by its existence. This was a bitter pill for Sarah to swallow that sparked the deepest and most painful level of personal growth she has ever experienced in her life.
May & June 2020White Fragility Book Club
The Great Canadian Woman hosted a book club for the book White Fragility by Robin Di-Angelo as Sarah wanted to begin to understand why as a white womxn, it had been so difficult for her to fully see and understand the complexities of non-white communities and why her “the door is open” approach to building a community wasn’t enough.
June 2020Uncomfortable but Necessary
Sarah hosted The Uncomfortable Conversation Series where she put herself in the discomfort of live conversations with BIPOC womxn from her network to ask the hard questions and literally engage in uncomfortable conversations with the hopes that more white womxn, specifically white womxn platform creators and community leaders would also find the courage to have the hard conversations with themselves. Sarah had for years looked up to many white womxn leading big and powerful communities, yet now recognized their leadership didn’t set an example for creating truly safe and inclusive communities for all womxn. Sarah wanted to break this harmful cycle of non-inclusive white womxn led communities and start setting a better example.
June and July 2020End of an Era
We ended the production of The Great Canadian Woman Podcast and burnt down the existing framework of our entire platform and committed to doing better.
July 2020Value Driven Board
We established new values that act as our board of directors and guide is in all of our decisions and initiatives. We sought formal guidance from key womxn in the community and we continued to peel back the layers that our white privilege had blinded us with.
July - September 2020A Rebirth
The Great Canadian Woman™ was reborn with wider eyes, expanded hearts and hands that are committed to reaching deeper into Canadian communities to ensure every Canadian womxn feels safe, welcome and home here.
September 2020We know our work will never end.
We know that our learning curve will never end, either. We also know that we may not get it right every single time. But what we can absolutely commit to is doing the best that we can, every single day and if and when we fail, we will own it and do better, every single time. Our world is an incredibly divided space and it is our hope that you’ll find solace and peace here at The Great Canadian Woman™. You can read more about Sarah’s raw story of transforming this platform in The Great Canadian Woman – She Means Business Volume I releasing in Spring of 2021.
Hey Friend,
thanks for stopping by...
We are an empowered multimedia organization and inclusive community that puts Canadian womxn in the spotlight.
We help you get seen, heard & noticed so you can make an impact with your story, insight or expertise.
Here, you have the opportunity to make an impact across Canada by becoming a published author in our coveted book series,…
Sarah Swain
Founder & Director
Shannon Miller
Director of Publishing
broadcasting your message on our podcast, sharing your insights and experiences on our blog and connecting with countless other Canadian womxn in our online community or at our events! We also provide an opportunity to learn about some of the tougher issues facing Canadians in our book club, so be sure to join us there, too!
We want you to feel at home here. We want you and your experiences to feel normal here. We are often described as the most transparent, real & human business and community people have come across and we take that as the greatest compliment. We tackle big issues, create major impact, provide a ton of opportunities and – we have A LOT of fun doing it. So take your time on our site, there is something here for everyone!
In gratitude,
The Great Canadian Woman™ Team
It takes more than a village
Get to know the team
Rose Finlay
Accessible Business Solutions Specialist
Sherley Joseph
Advisor on Equity and Representation
Meaghan Penney
Digital Media Manager | Project Manager | Virtual Assistant
Christine Stock
Technical Editor
Claudio Frimmel
Photographer | Filmmaker | Content Creator
Falon Malec
Artist | Podcast Cover Creator | The Awkward Artist
CoraLynn Hazelwood
Web Designer | Tech & Automation Strategist
Doris Chung
Designer | Printer
Kelly Christian
Web Designer | Tech & Automation Strategist
Andrea Henry
Small Business Lawyer
Niki Papaioannou
Founder, NIKI INC.
Or Values
We value you above all else
COMMUNITY
The foundation of everything we do is community. Does this bring people together? - The leading question in all that we do and create.
EQUALITY
The Great Canadian Womxn is our form of activism to create a more equal Canada and be a leading example in community-based platforms and organizations.
ANTI-RACISM
A commitment to standing for racial equality and against systemic racism by creating a safe, inclusive and forward thinking community to help create lasting change across Canada.
GROWTH
We spark people forward. All that we create is for the purpose of challenging ourselves as an organization and our community as a whole to grow, even if that means stepping into discomfort.
INTEGRITY
We do the right thing, not the popular thing. If we screw up, we own it and do better. You can expect authenticity and honesty in all that we do, from every level of our organization.
ENERGY
We want you to experience The Great Canadian Woman™, not just watch, read or listen. We want you to feel and know that you are part of something so much bigger than yourself.
free guide
How to Craft Your Story
Yes, the one everyone’s been telling you to write. Now is the time and our FREE guide will guide you!
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