Dear Seekers

Today's guest is Amanda Shirreffs, a stylist based in Toronto. She is a gem that Toronto is so lucky to have. Although Amanda's super glamorous client list includes the New Yorker, New York Magazine, Dazed Digital, Fashion Film Festival, Vougue.com and so many more, how she got introduced to the styling world was actually a beautiful accident.During our chat, she shares her awkward high school years of feeling not fitting in and her dream that seemed so far-fetch ended up turning into a reality; she talks about why styling is more than just putting beautiful looks together and the wisdom she has learned from having to start all over again at the age of 28.Music Credit: Canon in D Major by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100301Artist: http://incompetech.com/ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Alicia K. Harris is a Toronto-based filmmaker, set designer. She sets out to make films that educate and empower others, especially youth. With the desire to tell good stories, she isn't afraid to revisit those dark and most painful memories of her own. During our chat, she opens up about her experience as a rape victim, and what helped her to recover from the trauma. She also expresses how a film she watched at the age of 10 made an enormous impact on her life even to this day; and shares the reasons why she chose her award-winning film Love Stinks to take place in the 80s. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week's conversation is between Emily Ramshaw and I...(oh and a second guest). When first I set out to interview Emily, I had a pretty decent sense of what we would be chatting about: Like how she landed her first real job as the Assistant Fashion News Editor for Flare Magazine at the age of 22, her glamorous life as the Senior Editor for the Convetour in New York, what brought her back to Toronto, and what compelled her to be working as the Content Lead for Bumble Canada. We chatted about all that. But what also ended up unfolding was an organic conversation about her experience going to an all-girl high school, the transition from working for a big publication to a fashion start-up, the double-edged sword of being someone always looking forward, and so much more.Emily is definitely not one of the people addicted to comfort. Quite the opposite actually. Although she probably thinks luck has a lot to do with her success, I believe her courage to always challenge herself and her strength to embrace the unk

With her discerning eyes, curious heart and playful soul, Danielle Suppa, owner of Souvenior Studio, has cultivated a special space for local and international artisans, designers and makers.After working for big retailers for years, Danielle discovered an opportunity in the local pop-up scene, and felt the desire to tap into something she could call her own. With the help of her fashion schoolmate, Trisha Lepper, Danielle has transformed local galleries into pure and soulful playgrounds.Located in the west end, Souvenir is now a local must-visit destination for design lovers and the seekers at heart. Although it's no longer a hidden gem (thanks to the good old fashioned word of mouth), Danielle still manages to surprise and give anticipation to visitors by hosting pop-up exhibitions, concept events and by constantly introducing off-the-beaten-path labels.During our chat, Danielle shares the art of being vigorous yet gentle, strong yet soft; her ways of balancing between the market demand and her own sensibil

Through her own independent publishing company Without Pretend, Erin has not only created a platform for emerging female-identified writers and visual artists, but also has nurtured a safe space for women to express their feelings and in touch with their intuition. Her new book Happy If you Know It tackles the question of "what does it mean to trust your intuition" with a mix of poetry, essays, confessions, photography and art contributed by 15 women. In our conversation, Erin shares what are the practical questions we need to start with when looking inwards, and how we can let our feeling help navigate the ups, the downs and heartbreaks.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

From a bush cook in the Yukon to a helicopter pilot; from a travel magazine editor in Singapore to an architecture publication editor in Toronto; from an environmental columnist at the Globe to the co-founder/designer of a cult following fashion label- Horses Atelier, Heidi Sopinka has lived a life full of surprises and detours but leading to the right direction. Now looking back, writing has always been a thread connecting all the dots.The idea of her novel - the Dictionary of Animal Languages was born 12 years ago, but was being fermented all these years and didn't get published till recently. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Randi Bergman is a Toronto-based freelance writer, editor currently contributing to a wide range of publications and magazines, such as The Globe, The Cut, Vogue.com, The kit. Just to name a few. Prior to her freelance career, Randi was the Executive Digital Editor at FASHION Canada. Recently, Randi has taken on a new role as a podcaster and is sharing her love and obsession with the 90s on Capsule 98. During our chat, Randi is taking us from Toronto to New York to Paris and sharing the glamour, the ugly, the beauty of Fashion Weeks. She unapologetically expresses her love for tacky fashion and trash cinema and walks us though how she navigates in a fancy fashion world with her unwillingness to be fake and her unique point of view on fashion, art and culture. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

It all started with a small problem: Couldn't find high quality, well fitting tees that are affordable. So Mackenzie decided to leave a well respected job in a branding studio in New York and moved back to her parents basement in Toronto to start the fashion label KOTN with her two best friends (one later became her husband). She has not only artfully turned being the "master of none" into her best strength and has built an ethical lifestyle brand that is now more than just the organic cotton shirts. (They have built TWO schools in Egypt!) Named 30 under 30 by Forbes in 2017, Mackenzie believes this is just the beginning. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Alyssa Bertram is the founder of EASY period. Her curiosity and background in research has led her to discover a blind spot in the market for women's hygiene products. Besides being a Boss Lady, Alyssa is also an artist at heart. She never thought she could turn her passion of "connecting and helping women" into a business, but not only has she done just that, she has also inspired other women to cultivate their voice by hosting beautiful events. Music: www.bensound.com See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Welcome to the first EVER episode of Dear Seekers.Stefanie Ayoub is a Toronto-based fashion designer/illustrator who have worked at power houses like Phillip Lim, Greta Constantine, and had her illustrations published in a variety of notable publications. She shared how she fell in and out of love with fashion, and how her soul-searching phase has led her to where she is today.Music: https://www.bensound.com See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.