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Janeen Brown is the Executive Director and Founder of EmpowHERto, a Toronto-based nonprofit dedicated to helping 14 to 21 year-old women and girls reach their fullest potential through three pillars: Independence, Leadership, and Confidence. Previously, Janeen spent time managing a team for an entertainment company, but felt she had a greater purpose to help improve the prospects for female leaders. She became an entrepreneur in 2018, and has started and scaled three other companies in the hospitality, events and professional services industries. Janeen is an advocate for the well-being of women, building self-confidence, and female entrepreneurship. This episode is rightly positioned in recognition of National Mentoring Month. Janeen speaks about the role mentorship played in her entrepreneurial journey. Having experience with mostly male mentors, Janeen shares how that influenced the launch of EmpowHERto. Acknowledging generational trauma, Janeen also shares intentionality of EmpowHERto programming especially at a time where race and class disparities are impacting the self-esteem and confidence of young girls. We also hear what skills she leveraged from being an employee in the for profit sector to aid in her pivot to entrepreneurship. Similarly, Janeen speaks to what she thought she knew about nonprofit operations and what resources have been beneficial to growth as a leader in the space. Entrepreneurship can feel like a lonely journey. Janeen offers up advice on how one can persist and fail forward.  We jumpstart the year in gratitude for those that have paved the way for us to grow better and do better as we share Forward 4O’s platform with this phenomenal WOC in the nonprofit and social enterprise sector. Stay connected with Janeen on Instagram a LinkedIn.Follow the work of EmpowHERto on Instagram and Twitter .    Follow Forward 40(4tea) on IG and Twitter @forward4tea. Continue to support and nominate a guest to be on the show. You can also learn more about the host Coach Faith here.