WE ARE
MOTHERS
Our Mentors also known as Mothers represent women who seek to engage, educate and empower others who are seeking opportunities to provide value
Svetlana Ratnikova
CEO Immigrant Women in Business
Svetlana was born in Moscow, Russia, where she graduated in Economics in 1989. She came to Canada in 1994 to work for a leading Market research firm, working with some of the largest companies in the world.
She founded IWB to support women entrepreneurs, leaders and professionals to achieve their aspirations and bring their dreams to life. She enjoys working directly with young people to help them explore enterprise as a viable and sustainable path.
You can connect with her through her LinkedIn.
Dr. Mandana Attarzadeh
Founder, Flourishing Women's Circle
Born and raised in Iran, Mandana, originally trained as a medical doctor, deliberately gave up on her career and embarked on a journey geared towards Community Development and helping women. A passion she developed after experiencing a gigantic identity shift as a woman.Through her community development work, Mandana has mentored a large and diverse group of both newcomer and established neighbourhood residents in participatory processes to identify and work to reduce the multiple barriers to prosperity and well-being of their community that they face.
Mandana is a connector, facilitator and consensus builder. Her leadership development work has been featured several times in Toronto Star and other media and conferences. She is the author of "The Flourishing Woman". You can connect with her here.
Ifeoma Ngwudike
CPA, CMA; Owner & Founder, Yes2Amazing
Ifeoma is the author of The Successful Immigrant Woman, the Founder of Yes2Amazing, and a
founding member and Calgary Chapter President of Immigrant Women in Business. She is a
Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) and works with CPA Alberta as the Director, Member Products and Services.
She is a Board member of the Calgary Immigrant Women Association (CIWA). Ifeoma is also called a Chief Encouragement Officer in many circles as a motivational speaker. She works with professional & immigrant women who are seeking to discover themselves, with a focus on developing and motivating leaders.As a professional accountant who has transitioned into different roles including finance expert, educator, coach, consultant, and student affairs professional as well as serves on non-profit boards, she brings a unique and authentic voice to how women can boldly position themselves.
Ifeoma is a wife, mom, daughter, sister, and friend who is fiercely caring. Her mission is to inspire joy and enlighten women. You can connect with her on LinkedIn or via her Yes2Amazing website.
Lisa Bynoe-Stevens
Counsellor, Therapist
Lisa is a multifaceted entrepreneur and stepmother to two cool adults. When she was asked to be a Mother, she responded with zeal and fondness. Life threw her some curveballs by not being a biological mother, but she embraces every opportunity to be a spiritual Mother.
She has cemented that place in the heart of many Daughters she has empowered. She reminds them how valuable and unique they are and coaches them into their next life chapter. You can connect with her through Facebook and LinkedIn.
Assiatou Diallo
CEO, TAAB Cleaning Inc.
Assiatou was born in Guinea, and endured many hardships, including life at a women shelter.
After funding TAAB Cleaning Inc., she wants to inspire others and share her business knowledge as a CEO. She also provides employment to newcomers and she is active in many communities, promoting women entrepreneurship.
She was awarded the Ontarian Cooperation Concil Award in 2017, the Unsung Heroes Award and GWWEA Award in 2019, and won "Icon of the Year" in 2020. Watch the documentary about her life Here.
Yvonne Kasine
Performance Coach, Author
Yvonne is a mother of three daughters, originally from Rwanda. She immigrated to Canada in 2013 as an international graduate student and her journey has been filled with learning and growth opportunities. She is passionate about empowering women and girls through performance and second career coaching, educative workshops, and round tables.
She is the author of “Investing in your Success : Strategies for Effective Integration of Immigrants to Canada”. You can connect with her via Facebook.
Mila B. Brown
Financial Advisor
Originally from Ukraine, Mila is a Mother of two lovely daughters. She is a lawyer by profession with an impressive business journey under her belt as she creates tax efficient strategies for her clients. Aside from Finance, she is an avid art lover and ran a successful Toronto-based art gallery and art consultancy for eight years.
She leads with intention and intuition and has been committing her time to offer pro bono law services to immigrants all over the world looking for a safe home.
Jo Lean
Positive Psychology Practitioner, Love Coach
Jo Lean is a former award-winning Corporate Event Planner who turned her life around 4 years ago after a devastating demotion. Her journey to spirituality and wellness has transformed her life to learning to love herself authentically, to discovering blockages and releasing them and manifesting not only self-love but an emotionally available partner.
Jo gives womxn the tools to increase their self-worth and overcome negative patterns in dating and relationships to attract an emotionally available partner. She is eager to share the light with women of the M2D community to discover their infinite power by learning to love themselves and manifest abundance in love and life. You can connect with her by visiting her website here.
Karlene Millwood
Leadership Mentor, Keynote Speaker
Karlene, born in Manchester, Jamaica, is a Canadian-Caribbean entrepreneur and best selling author. A good Samaritan stepped in at a moment when her education was threatened by financial hardships. Since then, she has vowed to return the favor and helped fund the education of six children thus far.
No stranger to mentorship, she has been affiliated to Big Brother, Big Sister of Peel. She is devoted to serving her community and helps aspiring entrepreneurs soar. Find out more about her Here.
Mel Romolo
Founder, Stand Out LOUD
Mel is the founder of Stand Out LOUD, a transformational leadership and empowerment company that offers skills training and coaching opportunities to business professionals. After 20 years of working as a professional accountant and management consultant, Mel hit a bump in the road as she struggled with severe burnout.
She is now committed to helping women professionals avoid the same fate, by revealing their strength and take focused action that is aligned with their passions and purpose.
Maria Carolina Ojeda
Founder, Proyar Maintenance Services Inc.
Originally from Venezuela, Maria is a proven Financial Leader with several years under her belt.She went through and overcame culture shock and language barriers when she arrived in Canada. Those experiences were catalysts to building her physical and emotional resilience.
Maria is known for her infectious energy and dedicating her time to helping people understand and win with money. She wishes to bring that wealth of personal and professional experience to the Daughters of the community of M2D.
Jody Steinhauer
The Bargains Group President, Social Entrepreneur
Jody is the President of The Bargains Group, an award-winning discount wholesale, promotional products and kit building company. As a Canadian female entrepreneur, Jody uses her network of resources to broker goodness with every company, charity and non-profit agency that she touches to maximize budgets.
Pioneering her belief of “giving back makes great business sense”, Jody is a tireless advocate and founder of the charity, Engage and Change and the social enterprise, Kits for a Cause. She wishes to bring her expertise to the M2D community to help Daughters follow her footsteps and establishing their own legacies.
Arnella Renda-Tarantino
Realtor®️, Proud Mother
Originally from Italy, Arnella is a proud mother, stepmother and grandmother. She is a also a dedicated REALTOR®️ with over 30 years under her belt. Her experience transcends the professional space : she has lived long enough to know about life.
She strongly believes in continuous learning while keeping a healthy balance between body, mind, and spirit. As a baby boomer and righteousness advocate, she hopes to bring her wisdom and grit to this community. You can find her contact Here.
Althea Johnson
Founder & Curator of Proprlifestyle
Althea is a Fashion, Travel and Skincare blogger. She is the founder of Proprlifestyle, an online Kbeauty store based in Toronto, Canada. A trip to Seoul Korea turned into an exploration of the Korean skincare traditions, technologies, and advances from the asian perspective of skincare routines.
She believes that a personalised kbeauty skincare routine can lead to glowing, clearer skin that retains elasticity.Her online store Shop.proprlifesttyle.com offers award-winning Korean skincare products that combine plant-based ingredients with state-of-the-art technology and are suitable for sensitive skin types including eczema. Paraben-free, Sulphate-free, Synthetic-free.
She was recently highlighted by Toronto Guardian as a homegrown business entrepreneur that thrives.
Koliah Bourne
Partner & Head of Finance at SHIFTER
Born and raised in Toronto, Koliah is a partner and head of finance at SHIFTER. Prior to that, she provided financial and administrative services in the television, live theatre, and concert promotions industries and worked as Assistant to the VP of Finance at the CMPA. In 2018, she became a member of the board of directors at the Odyssey Theatre.
She has experience working in the social services space and feels empowered to bring her love for the community to Mothers to Daughters.
Dr. Yuxin (Kelly) Wang
Chiropractor, Co-Founder of Little Spine
Dr. Yuxin (Kelly) Wang, obtained her doctor of chiropractic degree in California. Her volunteer work ranges from serving world-class athletes in California to underprivileged communities in Mexico and El Salvador. She is also the co-founder of Little Spine Mission Trip, where she provides complimentary chiropractic care to over 500 children in Shanghai.
In her own words, "Every posture has a story. Rewrite your story". She is eager to bring her passion for serving the community to Mothers to Daughters.
Julia Vitaly
Positive Impact TV Founder, Entrepreneur
Just like most of us, Julia wears many hats. She welcomes you to tap into the well of her experience to learn from her mistakes and accomplishments. Her successful career in IT and her recent business venture, Positive Impact TV, are to attest to that. She encourages everyone to combine their values, education, skills, and experience to pursue what they are truly passionate about.
She is very excited to be able to share the lessons learnt through her career, business and life in Canada with the community.
Dr. Naira Velumyan
PhD in Psychology, Registered Psychotherapist, Communication/Relationship Coach, International Speaker, Entrepreneur, Etiquette Expert
Naira is a successful entrepreneur with 25-years of experience in business, who believes in the power of collaboration and leadership. She is an international Coach and Speaker on Effective Communication and Building Relationships. She is the Founder of the Academy of Social Competency, which specializes in the training of self-confidence, communication and relationship building skills for people all over the world.
She has trained hundreds of people and addressed hundreds of family cases and is the author of various online programs such as Genius of Communication, Top Notch Confidence and Self Esteem, and Favourable Parent-Child Relationship.
She is passionate about art and empowering youth. She recently launched the new Smart Hats Youth Program for teaching confidence public speaking and communication skills for teenagers from 9 to 18 years old. You can connect with her on LinkedIn here.
Dr. Renee “Dr. Nay” White
Founder of the Sistah to Sistah Conversations Blog, and YouTube Channel
Motivational Poet & College Professor
Dr. Nay was born and raised in Queens, NY. Upon obtaining her degree from NYU, she became an elementary classroom teacher. For over 25 years, she has taught literacy and cultural diversity, to better prepare teachers for diverse classrooms, thereby improving the educational programs of children. During COVID19, she founded the Sistah to Sistah Conversations Blog, and YouTube Channel. Her purpose is to create a safe Sistah Hood community where women can support each other, especially during such difficult times.
By means of her lessons from her mother and her personal experiences, she sparks “real” conversations through her motivational poetry about life and love, as a woman, mother, wife, professional, etc. Even though Dr. Nay is the proud mother of two professional adult sons, she shares her motherly advice with her surrogate daughters.
Sandra Lisi
Mindset Coach & Founder of The Sity Society
A trained Consultant through the Proctor Gallagher Institute of Thinking Into Results, it is her passion and purpose to share with you the experiences as a Leader in both the private and public sectors and in the community where she lives. Sandra is also the Founder of The Sity Society, a non-profit organization supporting women and children affected by domestic abuse. The Society was founded with 5 other incredible women who share the same passion to help others.
The Society hosts events throughout the year to increase awareness on domestic abuse and support the women and children living in the shelter system after having escaped these horrific situations. You can find Sandra on Instagram @sandrainthesitythecoach or @thesitysociety and via her website
Ruby Russell
Inventor, Founder of Befitted Bedding
Ruby is the mother of 2 adult children that are 2nd and 3rd degree Black Belts. She is following in the footsteps of her hero, Bertha Berman an African American woman who invented the fitted sheet 65 years ago.
She invented Stayput Beddings, a self-centering one-tuck top bed sheet that is guaranteed to stay put in 2013 after her partner injured his back and found it difficult to make the bed. Something she hated herself but could no longer avoid. Several months later she had eye surgery that left her legally blind in her left eye, and led to do an extensive research around the challenges the blind have in making a bed. That was the birth of Befitted Bedding, which was later named “accessible beddings” by The American Council of the Blind.
As a previous big sister, Ruby loves working with young people.You can connect with her here.
Wendy Behar
Licensed therapist, Inspirational Speaker and Published Author.
Wendy transformed her life at 35 when she discovered sobriety. Her passion is to empower women to find their voice, gain authenticity, establish healthy boundaries and to learn that “self- care isn’t selfish!” Her book “#Your Rules. Your Life”, will teach you how to live a more fulfilled and happy life. Wendy shares relatable personal experiences and professional stories that make this a quick yet powerful read.
She shares what she wished she knew when she was younger to help you change the course of your life, or heal from past experiences. The therapeutic tools and mottos in this book are simple and easy to practice.
Wendy has been featured on radio shows and podcasts, and at live and virtual events. Follow her on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter for daily motivation. You can sign up for her free inspirational newsletter and learn more on here - after all, “It’s your life, you make the rules!”
Kate Kopylova
Healthy Living Advocate
As a mom, wife, and grandmother, Kate is passionate about sharing the knowledge she gained on how to live a healthy life. She has an extensive background in health, wellness, essential oils, Thai Massage, meditation, and Reiki, and she has been a Health Practitioner for close to a decade.
If you are looking for healthier alternatives to harsh chemicals or want to take your wellness to a higher level, she will help you start your journey. You can connect with her through Facebook and Instagram.
We are a generation of Millennials and Generation Z committed to stepping out of our comfort zone to reach out to more experienced women, to learn and get guidance in all aspects of personal and business development.