Women Warriors

For many Indigenous adoptees finding their biological families and learning about their culture is a form of healing. Heather Abbey knew from a young age she was adopted, and she felt lost before connecting with her Indigenous heritage and her large biological family in her late teens. Her training ground for entrepreneurship started at a young age with her parents teaching her "No is not the final answer." Her drive to build a better life for herself and her children lead her to being a self-taught entrepreneur and building an Indigenous brand, Kiowa Sage Apparel and the ecommerce business, ShopIndig.ca On today's episode, Heather shares stories of being an Indigenous adoptee, finding her birth family, living in the worst neighborhood in Canada as proclaimed by Maclean's Magazine, her path to entrepreneurship, and how she recovered from her public belly flop failure. Now Heather focuses on giving back to the Indigenous community through mentoring upcoming entrepreneurs. "It's the most amazing feeling to know

The legacy of residential school is a painful reality for many Indigenous peoples. My first guest, Stephanie Harpe experienced intergenerational trauma - her mother, Ruby Anne McDonald was a residential school survivor. Stephanie's traumatic childhood resulted in a youth of addictions and abusive relationships. Stephanie's life spiraled out of control in 1999 when her Mother was found murdered in an Edmonton apartment building. She managed to escape her addictions and dangerous lifestyle when she met her now husband, Jeff. Stephanie reached out for professional help, and began her healing journey. Today, Stephanie is a successful actress on the TV show, Blackstone and the founder of the Stephanie Harpe Experience. Her band was recently nominated in Edmonton's Music Awards for their song, "Rezz Rock" as Indigenous Recording of the Year. On today's episode, Stephanie shares how she reached out for healing, and learned to love herself. Now Stephanie focuses on giving back to the Indigenous community through the