International Women's Day

This International Women’s Day, join us at #ConnectHer2017 in celebrating the political, social and economic achievements of women in Mississauga and Peel. This is an opportunity for women of all ages to come together to EMPOWER, INSPIRE & ENCOURAGE each other!

Admission is FREE! Invite your colleagues, friends, your mother, and your daughter!

What to Expect:

1: Two panels with some of Mississauga's finest leaders

2. Over 15+ Table Mentors to network and learn from! (Women in tech, entrpreneuriship, design, fitness, education, public service, and MORE!)

3. An oppurtunity to connect with other women, business owners, students, and professionals in our community.

For full details visit http://www.chrisfonseca.ca/ward3-map/connecther-2017/

Twitter @ConnectHerPeel #ConnectHer2017 #IWD2017 #BeBoldforChange

Fashion + Function: Ashley Chloe® Helix Cuff™

SAN FRANCISCO -- September 7, 2016 -- Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, Ashley Chloe® is bridging the gap between fashion and function in wearable tech. Ashley Chloe® confronts this challenge head-on with the stylishly innovative Helix Cuff™, its flagship wearable tech accessory for seamlessly connecting your active modern lifestyle. With a team of world–class product designers and engineers, the fashion-forward startup focuses on creating digital accessories that improve daily use cases. The Helix Cuff™ is the beginning of a line of innovative digital wearables that transform the way we interact with technology.

The Helix Cuff™ is the world’s first wearable with extractable Bluetooth® headphones on your wrist. It solves the problem of dealing with tangled and easy to lose headphones in a fashion-forward way. The HelixCuff™ was successfully funded on Kickstarter, was awarded “Kickstarter Staff Pick” and saw over 250% in funding.

Angela Pan, Founder and CEO of Ashley Chloe®, drives the fashion tech brand with her experience in dual roles as an ambitious female entrepreneur and former early-stage tech investor. Pan saw a huge gap between beautiful design and incredible functionality in the current wearable market. Noticing the pains of tangled, plugged in headphones that we all experience, she created a wearable, wireless solution with her experienced team of ID designers and engineers from Nokia, Google/Nest, and GoPro.

“Our design belief is that we wanted to create something new, and usually new things come from existing elements put together in a novel way and we believe that the most interesting things happen in the in-between spaces.”

Ashley Chloe® is currently showcasing at this year's Startup Fashion Week and sees this event as a valuable place to make connections and gain exposure with the fashion-forward audience here in Toronto and educating us about fashion tech.

You can order The HelixCuff™ here.

Alicia Keys' Glow, Au Naturel

I read an article on my favourite online magazine the other day, about Alicia Keys becoming more confident in her own skin and I was ecstatic! I can't emphasize how much I love reading about this rather than the next nudie that's breaking the internet.

She addresses a tough topic that we can all relate to, so I didn't even think twice about sharing it on facebook. A split conversation began in the post's comments, which I was happy about. People were reading it and had something to say! What I wasn't 100% happy about, was that I was a bit misunderstood. I guess some women took it as an attack on wearing makeup in general, but that is not why I shared the story. Frankly, it could've been anyone's story and I would have shared it regardless! I just LOVED the message and what I took away from it.

Sharing this wasn't actually about makeup for me at all. I enjoy the occasional dolling up just like the next woman! My sharing this story was actually for the bigger picture: insecurity in general and overcoming it in our own unique ways. Also, I never wanted anyone to compare their situation with hers--we shouldn't be comparing ourselves to anyone (except our old selves!), in the first place! Try to fight the urge to compare. I just wanted to share an encouraging story of bravery and overcoming that critical inner voice.

Insecurity, like cancer, doesn't discriminate. I agree that Miss Keys is gorgeous at any time of the day, but these are our own opinions of her. No amount of money or fame could change how she felt about herself. She does have more admirers and opportunities than your average woman but it doesn't mean her insecurities were any easier to fight. She had a journey, unique from ours and she is still journeying. Insecurity is anyone's battle and writing/singing about it is all that Alicia Keys can do for us. What we do with what she shares is up to us, right?

"I don't want to cover up anymore. Not my face, not my mind, not my soul, not my thoughts, not my dreams, not my struggles, not my emotional growth. Nothing!" ~Alicia Keys

You can read the full article here.

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