Kootenay podcast puts spotlight on women entrepreneurs

Cranbrook entrepreneur Amy McInnes has met plenty of influential and inspiring local businesswomen throughout her career, and she finally has the opportunity to share their unique stories. 

McInnes has launched a podcast “Beyond Business: The Real Lives of Women Entrepreneurs”. The 10-part documentary video series premiered April 8, featuring empowered businesswomen from the East Kootenay region who have a connection to Cranbrook. Through personal stories, McInnes explores their individual journeys in the business world, and the successes and challenges they face. She provides an inner look at their personal lives — their families, their moments of self-doubt and their personal triumphs — that capture their unique trailblazing spirit.

“I was inspired by this idea that women need to tell their stories, because there are so many more young women that are coming up and following in our footsteps. If they hear our stories, they may have the courage to pursue their entrepreneurial dreams or they may have the sense that they’re not alone in this journey,” said McInnes.

Featured in the podcast, is athlete and real estate agent Gabrielle Hockley, owner of Sunshine Houseboats & Marina Alissa Byng-Hall, creator of Blazing Bills Fermented Hot Sauces Billi-Jo Conroy, owner of Bumble Tree toy store Megan Lescanec, owner of Cranbrook’s Boston Pizza Angela Street, owner of Ignite Fitness Studio Shayla Fiorentino, homesteading YouTuber Michelle Morigeau, owner of Align Fractional accounting firm Lisa Jarvis, owner of Freya Kootenay Boutique  Chantel Vincent, and photographer Kara Hockley.

The women are connected to a few communities in the region apart from Cranbrook, including Fernie, Moyie, Lake Koocanusa and Tie Lake. 

McInnes is a third-generation entrepreneur, born and raised in Cranbrook. She and her husband own Stillwater Consulting, providing education and training programs for people who are looking to transition to a new career. They also head up Panorama Crew Services, a contracting business that helps fight wildfires. McInnes works as a marriage counsellor too.

Having been embedded in the entrepreneur community for so long, McInnes came to know many of the women in the industry and was inspired to tell their stories. She was able to fund the project with a grant from Telus STORYHIVE, which allowed her to make the podcast free for viewers.

What McInnes learned is that women approach business differently than men. She found that women value their freedom and work-life balance, and often structure their work to be compatible with their personal life and aspirations. 

Women were also less likely to talk about business socially than men, and were more private about their successes. 

“Our landscape has changed quite a bit. There’s a lot more space for women in entrepreneurship than their was 10 to 20 years ago,” she said.

The path to entrepreneurship is not easy, and her interviewees often had to overcome obstacles within a dynamic work environment, that required creative and adaptable solutions.

McInnes said entrepreneurs often have to navigate the world of business without a plan and test out different ideas, changing course and trying something new when it doesn’t work.

” A lot of the women I interviewed rely on their intuition. They get a gut feeling about what they need to do, and they do that. They have this sense that they know what they need to do, and they do that. There isn’t a rulebook for entrepreneurship,” she said.

“A lot of business decisions don’t make sense in the moment, but the women seem to be able to follow that sense, that guide, that knowing. It has a way of serving them in the best way possible,” she added.

The podcast can be viewed on TELUS Optik TV, Stream+ and STORYHIVE’S YouTube channel.