Every other Thursday I profile a new incredible woman, each from a different walk of life. Different professions, causes, backgrounds, ethnicities, orientations, and anything/everything else!

So without further delay, let me introduce…whoops, that’s right! Of the three wonderful ladies I’ve interviewed in the last few weeks, not one was able to get their answers back to me in time for today’s post. C’est la vie! They’re busy ladies and I’m sure we all totally understand.

Instead of leaving you with nothing, I thought it might be fun to share with you my favourite highlights from my past Shameless Women interviews.

Some are bits of advice, some are clever quips, and some are just random awesomeness caught in the context of a blog post.

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Every other Thursday I profile a new incredible woman, each from a different walk of life. Different professions, causes, backgrounds, ethnicities, orientations, and anything/everything else!

I’ve been working a lot on my music lately and I’m happy to be able to introduce you to another wonderful performer I’ve met along the way, the amazing Amanda Mabro…

A 29 year old Montrealer with Egyptian, Greek, and Austrian roots, Amanda Mabro is a performer who was encouraged by supportive parents to explore her artistic passions and whims at her own pace. By perfecting a sound “that fuses the smooth and sultry vocal stylings of jazz legends, the raw energy of indie-rock and blues, and the mysterious theatrical flare of German and French Cabaret,” Amanda creates unique and memorable songs that she has included on her second EP Wine Flows.

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Every other Thursday I profile a new incredible woman, each from a different walk of life. Different professions, causes, backgrounds, ethnicities, orientations, and anything/everything else!

So without further delay, let me introduce the wonderful Darrelle London…

Classically trained in voice and piano, singer-songwriter Darrelle London was accepted to law school, but instead chose to “take a chance on her music.” Having played solo shows in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Fredericton, Guelph and Kingston, she has also showcased at many festivals, including WinterFolk, Indie Week Canada, and the International Pop Overthrow, and her music has been aired on CBC Radio 2. Darrelle tells us why you can’t go through life trying to achieve someone else’s idea of success.

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Every other Thursday I profile a new incredible woman, each from a different walk of life. Different professions, causes, backgrounds, ethnicities, orientations, and anything/everything else!

So without further delay, let me introduce the wonderful Julianna Yau…

Julianna Yau is an artist, advocate, tech enthusiast, film fan and “general overachiever.” After completing a Bachelor of Independent Studies from the University of Waterloo, she decided to persue her first true love - sculpting. Julianna is active in the arts community, working with various arts organizations and acting as an independent advocate for the arts. In 2008, she started the company 2Picas with her friend Adriana Alarcón to provide affordable, professional website and media design for the arts community.

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Every other Thursday I profile a new incredible woman, each from a different walk of life. Different professions, causes, backgrounds, ethnicities, orientations, and anything/everything else!

So without further delay, let me introduce the awesome Aliya-Jasmine Sovani…

Interviewing the famous and reporting on the music biz is all part of the job for Aliya-Jasmine Sovani. Volunteering to teach English and social skills to Afghan children who have recently arrived in the country is also an integral part of the MTV News and MTV2 Videos host’s life. If this wasn’t enough, Aliya-Jasmine also has an impressive list of credentials including interning at Fashion Television, working part-time as a cable-wrangler for Star! TV, acting as a field producer and host for BPM: TV, as well as a producer for MuchMusic’s MuchOnDemand, traveling across Canada as the tour correspondent for MuchMusic’s VJ Search.

Also involved in an initiative between MTV and Plan Canada, Aliya-Jasmine recently traveled to Sudan to look at the issue of young girls being forced into marriage, which was documented and made into the documentary Girls of Latitude.

Aliya-Jasmine tells us why we should never under estimate the power of conversation and why Superman doesn’t have to be the only hero!

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Every Thursday I profile a new incredible woman, each from a different walk of life. Different professions, causes, backgrounds, ethnicities, orientations, and anything/everything else!

So without further delay, let me introduce the incredible Marni Wedin…

Writer, producer, and self-professed social media junkie, Marni Wedin is always working on something interesting. As a television producer, Marni’s first project was a segment for UHB television in Sapporo, Japan about four female expats dealing with culture shock. Marni has written and produced over 1,000 episodes of both studio and magazine-style programs since, including features on Salman Rushdie and Norman Jewison.

A regular contributor to Modern Dog Magazine, her recent writing highlights include a feature on Jennifer Aniston & Owen Wilson’s Marley & Me, a profile of Die Hard 4 star, Maggie Q and Broadway star Ashley Brown. Her work has also appeared in Triathlon Magazine Canada, Triathlon British Columbia Magazine, and tastingvancouver.ca. And that’s only a sample of what Marni’s been up to!

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Every Thursday I profile a new incredible woman, each from a different walk of life. Different professions, causes, backgrounds, ethnicities, orientations, and anything/everything else!

So without further delay, let me introduce the wonderful Mary-Jo Dionne…

Mary-Jo Dionne is the founder of TheFleasKnees tees and TheFleasKnees Fund, created with the goal of helping fund no-kill animal shelters. A finalist for Vancouver’s Funniest New Female Comedian and Vancouver’s Funniest Person with a Day Job, she is also a regular contributor to ModernDog Magazine and a former Contributing Editor for The Block Magazine. As an advertising copywriter she has worked with brands like McDonald’s Restaurants and Nike Canada. Mary-Jo tells us of the drive to spend “every ounce of talent” she has and why the world needs dreamers who are do-ers.

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Every Thursday I profile a new incredible woman, each from a different walk of life. Different professions, causes, backgrounds, ethnicities, orientations, and anything/everything else!

So without further delay, let me introduce the amazing Beth Smith…

Beth Smith is a reader, writer, wife, mother, hiker, listener, networker, maker of natural skincare products and Thing-Finder in Chief at www.indienorth.com. If she’s not “internetting until her eyes bleed,” she’s probably outside traipsing around the city of North Bay, ON and the wilderness beyond.

Determined to help others make a living doing what they love, Beth created IndieNorth to support and promote Canadian independent businesses. Beth tells us why it’s not worth waiting for a handsome prince to rescue you when you could be out slaying your own dragons and reminds us why Pippi Longstocking is such an awesome role-model!

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Every Thursday I profile a new incredible woman, each from a different walk of life. Different professions, causes, backgrounds, ethnicities, orientations, and anything/everything else!

So without further delay, let me introduce the amazing Emily Hunter…

Emily Hunter may at first been recognized as the daughter of Bobbi and Robert Hunter, famous Canadian environmentalists, but at 24, she is already an avid speaker for eco-issues, has an impressive list of journalistic credits including writing for This Magazine and Eye Weekly, as well as broadcasting work with MTV Canada, CTV Canada AM, CTV News, City TV and CP24.

As an environmentalist, Emily joined her first campaign at 19: a Galapagos conservation campaign with Sea Shepherd, one of the most radical environmental groups in the world, known for non-lethal but aggressive action like ramming ships at sea and sinking ships in port. She has also worked on other campaigns with Sea Shepherd to protect marine wildlife, as well as Canadian Youth Climate Coalition (CYCC) on climate change awareness and action, EarthRoots on anti-forestry issues, and Greenpeace against the Tar Sands project.

Her most recent campaign this past winter was with Sea Shepherd ship The M/Y Steve Irwin in the Antarctic waters to stop illegal whaling by the Japanese government. With incidents like a massive collision between their ship and a harpoon ship, they were able to help save 500 whales this year and cut the kill quota by 50%! (check out a video at the end of this post to see the amazing work of the Sea Shepherd crew)

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