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Retail

Kristin Topping

This Remembrance Day, we are proud to present a special episode brought to you by Canada’s Podcast and Prince’s Trust Canada, a national charity established by His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. Prince’s Trust Canada supports veterans as they transition into new roles and businesses after serving in the Armed Forces.

Kristin Topping is a Canadian Armed Forces veteran who transitioned into entrepreneurship to create her business SweetLife Flora, based out of Ottawa. Entrepreneurship wasn’t always the plan for Kristin, who served 21 years in the armed forces. But after a life-altering event, it was time to re-route her trajectory, and start something she was passionate about. With the assistance of the Prince’s Trust Canada, she started SweetLife Flora, a thriving e-commerce venture that transformed Kristin’s love for exotic and rare house plants, as well as indoor plant care, into a full-fledged business. Listen to Kristin’s story about her transition from the military world to becoming an entrepreneur, and navigating a completely different lifestyle.

We are proud to bring you this episode on Remebrance Day to honour all veterans who have served and continue to serve Canada. Visit Prince’s Trust Canada’s website to learn more about their programs supporting veterans or to make a donation. Lest We Forget.

Lauryn Vaughn

Lauryn Vaughn is CEO and Founder of the upside, Canada’s largest online luxury resale retailer. Born and raised in a small town in Western Canada, Lauryn developed her passion for the resale market when she moved to Paris, learning how to look chic on a budget overseas. She recognized early there was a gap in the North American market for luxury resale, and created the upside in 2015.

Josephine Kwan

Josephine Kwan, Founder of Flow 2 Freedom Apparel, is a visionary and self-motivated entrepreneur with over a decade of diverse business experience in commercial real estate, sales and marketing, negotiations, acquisitions and dispositions, operations, finance and management.

Josephine has a Bachelor of Human Kinetics from UBC, has volunteered with the Breakfast Club of Canada, Habitat for Humanity and the Make-a-Wish Foundation, has been a performance coach for CEO’s and Executives, and in her own consulting business reconnects visionary business leaders to their purpose, including operations, business development, marketing, team building and performance coaching then build their future business strategies and ensure effective and timely execution.

Today, this Vancouver based entrepreneur is applying those techniques to her latest entrepreneurial pursuit, and is leveraging the power of a childhood trauma to transform the lives of niche elite athletes and active women with an innovative line of sustainable activewear.

Justine Barber

Justine Barber is the co-founder of Poppy Barley, a BCorps certified footwear and accessory company that prioritizes foundational style and ethical manufacturing. Justine has a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Alberta (U of A) and a Master of Arts in Conflict Analysis from the University of Kent. Prior to starting Poppy Barley she worked in conflict prevention, and on Alberta’s 10 Year Plan to End Homelessness. Justine is married with two young kids; in her (limited) spare time she enjoys running, reading and playing outside.

Braden Parker

Braden Parker is co-founder of Casca Footwear, an innovative startup, developing all-day performance shoes for future builders. In the past year, Braden has moved from real-estate asset manager to co-founder of a bootstrapped venture looking to challenge the global footwear giants.