HeARTwork

HEARTWORK

By Concious Economics

Dedicated to:

This project is dedicated to all the women who have come before us. The dreamers, the rebels, and the ones who had no other choice but to comply. To the generations of mothers, grandmothers, sisters, and aunties who’ve relentlessly nourished the spirit of the feminine, allowing it to rise in us all. To the artists and creative ones, that used their songs, poems, pictures, and lenses to capture a new vision for our world and keep our stories alive. For the ones that marched in the streets, gathered in forbidden circles, or were burned at the stake for just being themselves. For the ones who’ve held the sacred waters of life within their bodies, and the ancient ones who preserved the medicines, languages, and rituals most precious to our planet. To the ones that fought back and the ones that couldn’t, the ones who burned their bras, helped others escape on their backs, or refused to sit at the back of the bus. To the ones whose babies were stolen from their hands, the ones enslaved, and the ones who survived despite it all. And lastly, we dedicate this work to the great mother, the one who affords us this life – Pachamama, Mother Earth. We honour and remember you all, and we dedicate our work and our commitment to see it through, to you. May all who came before us, know that their efforts and contributions are the seeds of inspiration behind this movement that we call: HeARTwork.

Research requires a narrowing of the scope. In this project, we use the term women, but we advocate for unity, and recognize the intrinsic value of all gender expressions and identities. The solutions and ideas shared in this zine, when implemented properly, should have a positive impact on all humans operating within the economy, period.

Policy Change Exists At The Intersection Of Art & Business.

OUR APPROACH

INSTEAD OF A TRADITIONAL WHITE PAPER, WE’VE CURATED AN ART-FORWARD POLICY ZINE. OUR GOAL IS TO HELP BREAK DOWN SYSTEMIC BARRIERS AND INVITE MORE FOLKS INTO THE HEARTWORK MOVEMENT. BY CREATIVELY ADJUSTING HOW WE PRESENT RESEARCH AND SOLUTIONS, WE HOPE TO ENSURE THAT OUR WORK IS ACCESSIBLE, EASY TO DIGEST, AND INSPIRING.

WE LOOK AT POLICY AND BUSINESS THROUGH A HEART-CENTERED LENS - THE HEARTWORK PROJECT IS ROOTED IN HONOURING WELLBEING, EMOTIONS, AND CREATIVITY AS ESSENTIAL COMPONENTS TO BUILDING A CONSCIOUS ECONOMY AND ADVANCING DIVERSE WOMEN INTO LEADERSHIP.

4 Pillars

Our philosophy is rooted at the intersection of four pillars (People + Planet + Profit + Art) that create the foundation of the Conscious Economy. We strive to support the total wellbeing of PEOPLE and the PLANET holistically, through mind, body, and spirit. We understand the value of PROFIT and business but encourage new ways of envisioning these currencies as tools for social change. And we honour ART, in all of its forms, as the foundation for an innovative and creative New Economy.

You’re invited on the journey of understanding the true issues we must solve to create a conscious economy and advance diverse women into leadership roles within corporate Canada.

Intuition belongs in business.

The age-old challenge of tackling diversity and inclusion in the C-suite has been ongoing for decades with little meaningful advancement, especially when we consider diversity through an intersectional lens. Stories of pipeline, board training programs, and advancements in corporate DEI haven’t led us to the solution.

Our intuition told us there was a deeper story; an emotional story from the heart.

This is that story.

Community Partners

INDIGENOMICS INSTITUTE

LUNAR STUDIOS

GRANT CREATIVITY INC.

HACKWORKS

CONSCIOUS ECONOMICS

CEE CENTRE FOR YOUNG BLACK PROFESSIONALS OnePeopleTO HER BIORHYTHM

CANADIAN ARAB INSTITUTE

Corporate Champions

PWC

CASSELS BROCK LLP

INTERAC CORP

MACKENZIE INVESTMENTS

RBC

GLOBE & MAIL

CANADIAN TIRE

It takes a village

WE SAVED YOU A SEAT

real stories and experiences of diverse women within the labourforce. Through the intersection of research, art, and conscious dialogue, we’re building an economic solution that addresses business & policy from a heartcentered space.

This

is a movement towards reclaiming the narrative; we're uncovering the authentic experiences that affect women's decision to advance in the workplace.

+ Real, lived experiences of diverse women in the labour force

+ Intersectional barriers facing women in the workplace

+ The global she-cession and why women are choosing to opt out

+ Symptoms of a patriarchal and colonial framework impacting women at work

YEAR 1

We gathered intersectional Millennial + Gen Z women from various corporate sectors in small groups across 5 major cities in Canada.

We hosted safe, anonymous, deep listening circles to share real stories and emotions about work and leadership.

Using collaboration, compassion, and creativity as tools for social change, we invited BIPOC-focused communityserving organizations to join us, along with a select group of emerging artists/songwriters.

We aimed to understand the emotional, social, and intersectional barriers preventing women from advancing in business.

YEAR 2

We collaborated with a team of researchers to analyze the data from the deep listening sessions during Year 1.

We convened intersectional groups of women and non-binary folks to engage in the research and discussion.

We secured 7 Corporate Champion organizations to join us in analyzing the data and co-creating a solutions framework to address the issues we collectively identified.

We curated events & art-forward activations to broaden the discussion community-wide.

We publicly released a policy framework in THIS art-forward zine to engage multiple stakeholders and generations in the movement.

Lunar Studios artists in residence co-wrote ‘Changing’, a song inspired by the research sessions and the first social change song release for Lunar Studios via Hidden Pony Label.

YEAR 3

Our next phase goals are:

To support the implementation of the framework within the 7 Corporate Champion organizations across Canada

Establish intergenerational working groups within each organization to lead the project internally, including C-level executives

To collect feedback and measure the success of implementation of the framework

Continually adapt the framework based on real data to create systemic change

Engage more businesses nationwide to implement the framework and take tangible steps toward creating a more conscious economy

The Methodology

Following the extant literature (e.g., Overall and Wise, 2016) pertaining to the most robust methods to conduct exploratory research, we use a mixed methods approach in this research. Typically, a mixed methods approach involves an exploratory qualitative assessment followed by a confirmatory or generalizable quantitative study. Considering that this research involves a needs assessment of the corporate experiences of BIPOC women in Canada, this by definition, is exploratory. As a result, a qualitative approach is used in our first study, namely ‘Study 1’. Although qualitative research provides rich data, because the sample sizes are typically small, the data is not generalizable to the broader population. To overcome this limitation, in the second phase of this research, namely ‘Study 2’, we took the knowledge gained from Study 1 and conducted a larger scale,

quantitative assessment of BIPOC women working in corporate Canada. The results from Study 2 were more generalizable and, as a result, our findings are more robust. In the ensuing pages, we present the findings from Study 1 and Study 2.

To achieve the aims of Study 1, namely the nationwide needs as-

Following Overall and Gedeon (2018, 2022), our data was collected with the aid of a leading data collection organization with a specialization in survey distribution. At the time of data collection, this organization had a database of approximately 6 million members. As part of their participation in social science experiments like this, members of this organization receive incentives such as gift cards, the chance to win prizes, and donations to charities of their choice. As part of the research ethics protocol, we composed a participant information letter explaining the purpose of the study, guaranteeing confidentiality, clarifying how the data would be used, and detailing the length of time it would take participants to complete the study, which was approximately 20 minutes. This letter was sent to the organization and distributed to prospective participants on our behalf (Overall & Gedeon, 2022).

A total of 367 participants that identified themselves as full-time BIPOC employees living in Canada completed the questionnaire. According to the demographic factors of our sample, only those that identified as females completed the questionnaire, solely. The average age of participants was 34 years old and the average income was $48,000. Approximately 58% of participants declared that they were married or living in a common-law relationship. Nearly 48% of participants declared that they had children. In terms of education level, 68% of participants declared that they had an undergraduate degree or higher. In terms of job title, nearly 37% of participants stated that they were middle-managers or higher while 58% suggested that they were entry-level or intermediate.

The Issues & How They Show Up:

The following pages contain the results of our initial research phase. The 10 main themes presented here represent the REAL issues identified by diverse working women operating within the Canadian corporate labourforce. They are listed in no particular order, and include percentages relating to how many of our participants spoke of the issue during the nationwide sessions. We want to gently advise that the issues do FEEL heavy, and we acknowledge the complexity and systemic nature of many of them. We warn that the following pages may be triggering for some. We also do not intend to over simplify these issues and acknowledge the condensed and straightforward way we’ve had to consolidate them for the purpose of this zine. We know that the only way to create REAL change is to first understand the TRUTH.

Issue 1

Toxic workplace/system

100 %

HOW IT SHOWS UP:

• Diverse women feel like a quota, that they’re just being tolerated

• Expectations are too high

• People not respecting boundaries

• Being underestimated

• Given roles/tasks below skill level

• Work is isolating/lack of authentic connection

- Anonymous, Montreal

Issue 2 Need for corporate systemic change

100 % HOW IT SHOWS UP:

• Fixed mindset ex. “Time is money” mentality

• Challenging the corporate mindset of dismissing intrinsic value, meaning, and purpose of employees both within and outside of the corporate environment

• Rigid rules and thinking

• Inter-departmental trauma: exhaustion/stress from the top – passed down

“I WISH FOR CORPORATIONS TO HAVE A LOT MORE ROOM FOR INDIVIDUAL NEEDS, AND THE EXPRESSION OF EVERYONE’S IDENTITIES.”

Issue 3

Disparity in advancement & pay due to sexism or nepotism

75.9 %

HOW IT SHOWS UP:

• Women-identifying, non-binary, and BIPOC earning less/lack of promotion

• Male counterparts receiving more face-time with senior executives due to after-hours networking, mutual hobbies, or interests

- Anonymous, Calgary

“WE OFTEN TIMES HAVE TO NEGOTIATE OUR VALUE. WE HAVE TO STAND UP AND STATION OURSELVES. IT ISN’T EASY TO STAND IN WHAT IT IS YOU NEED FOR YOURSELF.”

Issue 4

The Heavy Invisible Load

96.2 %

HOW IT SHOWS UP:

• Employees that are systemically minoritized feeling overlooked, unsafe, overwhelmed, judged, responsible to come up with the solutions that are needed to protect themselves

MENTAL HEALTH IS A HUGE PIECE OF THE PUZZLE, AND PLAYS A MAJOR ROLE IN WOMEN DECIDING TO OPT OUT OF MORE SENIOR BUSINESS ROLES.

- Rhiannon Rosalind, Founder and CEO, Conscious Economics

• Chronic fatigue, anxiety, depression, weight-gain, divorce, substance abuse, presenteeism

Issue 6

Sexism (toxic masculinity, sexual harassment, sexual assault)

94.4%

HOW IT SHOWS UP:

• Microaggression, rude/crude comments, feeling sexualized, fear of sharing views and showing true emotion in the boardroom

• Feeling silenced

• Ideas are repeated by male counterparts and they receive the acknowledgment

• Physical/emotional abuse

Issue 7

Racism (subtle & overt), Homophobia & Transphobia

48.1 %

HOW IT SHOWS UP:

• Lack of mentorship from individuals with similar intersections of identity

• Disconnection/loneliness, depression, anxiety

• Fear of speaking up in meetings

• Emotional/social trauma, chronic post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD)

Issue 8

Woman-to-woman toxicity/ generational divide

33.3 %

HOW IT SHOWS UP:

• Lack of flexibility, unrealistic expectations from boss

• Microagressions ex. “We do things a certain way here”, “Interesting tattoos”, ‘smack downs’ from boss, being dismissed

• Watching women in management overwork, divorce, seem stressed, overwhelmed

Issue 9

Work/life imbalance

33.3 %

HOW IT SHOWS UP:

• Not enough time or support to balance personal needs, needs of motherhood, caring for children & elders (COVID amplified this)

• Feeling unable to grow or gain promotion, due to overwhelm

• High stress, illness, mental health issues

“IT WOULD BE GREAT IF LEADERS - OR THE NEXT GENERATION OF LEADERSCOULD CREATE OPPORTUNITIES FOR WOMEN TO MENTOR OTHER WOMEN."

Anonymous, Vancouver

Issue 10

Disparity between words & actions

33.3 % HOW IT SHOWS UP:

• Need for transparency and proactive communication

• Feeling confused about how to get ahead in company

• Inauthentic leadership/lying/lack of integrity ex. “We care about diversity” yet the full board is white male

like burnout, mental health, broken rungs in advancement, and work dissatisfaction, disproportionately impact women in the corporate setting due to a general lack of understanding and consideration of women’s unique biological and cultural needs. In the face of the largest mass exodus of women from the workforce, and statistics showing that women are failing to advance into leadership (only 30% of Canada’s corporate leaders are women), that women are burning out at alarming rates (2x more than their male counterparts), and struggling with their mental health (women suffer from depression and anxiety 100% more), we need real women-centered solutions and better-informed, conscious organizations to lead the way.

The solutions presented in this framework are intended to spark imagination, dialogue, and experimentation through their application within corporations across Canada. We see the intrinsic link between innovation and systemic change. While this framework is designed to improve leadership advancement and economic outcomes for diverse women operating within the corporate labour force, we hypothesize that the future of work and outcomes for all genders and identities, will be improved through the thoughtful implementation of one, some, or all of

These solutions were created through a unique co-creation process and design-thinking exercise, inclusive of diverse corporate women, diverse community leaders, policy makers, artists, and Canadian corporations acting as champions of the program. The solutions presented here are designed to directly address the key challenges that diverse women operating within the Canadian corporate labour force expressed during the HeARTwork project phase one: national research sessions across the country. Please note: that no singular corporation, organization, or participant is responsible for these solutions, they are a

collective response and articulate our best efforts towards consensus. It is NEVER our intention to simplify the experiences that intersectional groups of women have faced and/or continue to face, as a result of systemic oppression due to colonization, patriarchy, and racism. The HeARTwork project participants and partners acknowledge the slow progress made over multiple decades when it comes to advancing diverse women into leadership positions within corporate Canada. We also acknowledge the devastating impacts of COVID 19 on intersectional women and their economic advancement. These solutions are meant to be progressive and take us in a new direction, sparking important dialogue with the goal of systemic change and a more conscious economy.

The solutions presented are in no specific order and work well in tandem. Depending on specific industry requirements and organizational needs, some solutions may prove more applicable or urgent to implement than others.

Solution 1

Full company wide pay transparency.

Pay transparency is a bold and progressive way to develop a culture of authenticity and openness within an organization. Research suggests, companies that publish salaries are more likely to compensate employees fairly, manage performance consistently and communicate on other matters clearly and effectively.

Complete pay transparency is something that should be implemented in stages.

Stage one is developing a rules-based formula or framework to outline the company’s compensation model. Stage two is communicating more overtly about the annual pay cycle and related processes –making sure that everyone in the workforce knows about the rule-based approach to deciding pay. Stage three involves establishing and publishing pay ranges with the goal of moving towards full transparency.

Pay transparency is proving to be one of the most effective ways to end the gender wage gap and other systemic inequities within corporate compensation models.

Solution 2

Annual public reporting of DEI targets, metrics, and outcomes.

Public disclosure can provide a baseline to track progress and a method for companies to hold themselves accountable and stay committed to improving diverse representation. As part of disclosure, we recommend companies publicly demonstrate their preventative and corrective measures taken to address racism, sexism, and microaggressions. We also recommend a firm-wide policy audit to review and transform outdated systems and policies through a DEI and ESG-focused lens.

Solution 3

Hire a full-time company wellness professional to provide integrative and preventive wellness support.

Mercer annual Global Talent Trends survey suggests that employee exhaustion is perceived as one of the biggest obstacles to HR transformation in 2023. Hiring an internal company wellness professional trained in female-specific physiology and health is a progressive solution to support redesigning work and work processes with well-being as an outcome. A full-time wellness professional is a role with an employee-focused lens. It is designed to support staff year-round with integrative and preventive wellness strategies on a quarterly and annual basis as part of internal performance reviews and employee growth strategies. Businesses can ensure senior level executives and those taking on more responsibility, and/or leaders in people-management roles, have increased access to wellness coaching, avoiding burn out by learning preventive tools and receiving tailored coaching and support. The wellness professional should be trauma-informed and trained as well as have specialized training in women’s health.

Mindfulness, Nature, Quiet, Rest, Self Love, Resilience, Appreciation, Support, Total Wellbeing, Harmony, Health, Conscious Economy, Happiness.

Solution 4

Adopt wellness spending accounts with increased and additional spending categories for executives.

Choice is the future of employee benefits. By offering a wellness spending account, you can concurrently diversify and enhance your benefits program in a way that’s directly tied to the autonomy and wellness of each employee. We recommend building a long-term retention strategy focused on holistic wellness by offering a wellness account to long-term staff, which can be increased at employers discretion each year. We recommend a progressive approach that includes new spending categories like progressive home cleaning, childcare expenses, elder care expenses, dog walking services, women-specific health education, fertility treatments, alternative or naturopathic medicine.

Solution 5

Create a culture of inclusive leadership by updating performance review metrics to equally measure hard & soft skills.

Emotional Intelligence (EQ) skills are equally valuable and should be measured in conjunction with more traditional (IQ) skills. When skills like honesty, authenticity, empathy, creativity, and self awareness are measured and treated as equally valuable to performance related skills, company culture can shift and create more inclusive leadership.

Using an EQ assessment to measure the emotional intelligence and interpersonal skills of each member of a team can help you to understand where weak links might be found. EQ skills are valuable in any role and in all departments, and measuring these skills can help you identify not just how an employee is doing, but how they will do in the future.

EASE, OPEN COMMUNICATION, TRUTH, THOUGHTFULNESS, AUTHENTICITY, TRUST, GENTLE, FEMININITY, SELF AWARENESS

Solution 6

Address rapidly changing generational mindset with reverse mentorship program.

Reverse mentoring pairs younger employees with executive team members to mentor them on various topics of strategic and cultural relevance. Reverse mentorship programs can increase retention, help senior executives become more sophisticated about social media, drive culture change, and promote diversity. Reverse mentoring also helps executives to stay relevant to younger consumers. Additionally, reverse mentorship can build stronger intergenerational relationships with employees, supporting younger employees with gaining valuable facetime with executive leadership in a comfortable and flexible setting. This solution is also a supportive antidote to the isolation of hybrid work models that result in less face-to-face engagement between executives and younger employees.

Solution 7

Increase communication between employee resource groups and executive leadership team.

Employee Resource Groups can be utilised by executive leadership teams to enhance business strategy, improve inclusion and transparency, and create more holistic governance structures. ERG’s can present concerns, feedback, and solutions to executive leadership teams bi-annually through formal strategy sessions. Executives can also engage ERG’s in listening/feedback sessions when implementing new business strategies and updating corporate policies. ERG’s can be invited into a voting system to help determine top candidates for new executive hires, which can improve retention and company culture, creating a sense of empowerment amongst diverse groups within an organization.

Internal Experts, Inclusive, Togetherness, Collaborative, Democratic, Open Dialogue, New Economy, Resourcefulness.

Solution 8

Offer flexible and inclusive work schedules.

Develop flexible and inclusive work scheduling systems to support wellbeing, retention, and promotion of women. Examples of flexible work arrangements include working from home, compressed work weeks, and flexitime. In the most progressive form, flexible work systems would allow for schedules to be determined from week to week – allowing employees to adjust work routines to accommodate life circumstances, business or customer needs, and/or healthrelated cycles.

Solution 9

Experiment with cluster hiring for senior positions.

A forward-thinking solution deeply rooted in the new economy: Cluster hiring is where two or more individuals share a senior level executive role, splitting the compensation and responsibilities between them. Cluster hiring provides experiential learning for diverse leaders, and gently supports candidates that feel resistant to taking on senior leadership roles due to systemic issues, lack of representation, or work/life balance concerns.

Solution 10

Introduce a childcare backup benefit.

Allow reimbursement for the costs associated with alternative childcare on the days when regular childcare is not available. Examples of situations where back-up childcare may be required include:

• School is suddenly cancelled (weather, labour dispute)

• School is on break (PA days, statutory or March Break holidays)

• Regular caregiver is ill or otherwise unavailable

• Your child is ill and is not able to attend regular daycare

Solution 1 1

Create a culture of learning, self discovery, and social awareness.

Economic uctuations, shifts in cultural values, and rapid advancements in technology have changed the value proposition for employees when it comes to work. The future of work must be about social capital, self advancement, and lifelong learning.

In this nal solution, we recommend that organizations invest in annual and ongoing education with tiered and targeted programs for new hires, middle and senior management roles, and executive leadership teams. We also highly recommend building a culture of care and compassion through ongoing and frequent intermittent check-ins with employees on an ongoing basis. Below are some suggestions for progressive education topics that can improve DEI, productivity, and employee retention and wellbeing:

• Mandatory rm-wide anti-racism and discrimination training

• Unconscious bias training for company leaders in the position of hiring, promoting, or assessing employee performance

• Financial therapy/ nancial wellness for entry and younger employees

• Women’s health education – women’s physiology, health, and biorhythm education for female employees

• Women’s leadership training – training to align workflow and leadership skills with the female biorhythm for senior leadership team

• Women’s health education – biorhythm training for senior leadership team

• Mental health, mindfulness, and resilience tools for stress management & performance optimization

We want the HeARTwork project to be more than a national research project or a prescriptive policy framework. To us, it’s a living, breathing, movement intended to inspire systemic change, and improve outcomes for women across the Canadian corporate labour force. Through the activation of our ART pillar - we allow HeARTwork to be digested through multiple creative mediums allowing new layers of accessibility. We believe that ART allows the HeARTwork philosophy to move beyond tradition and create the new conscious economy.

The HeARTwork crewneck was designed in house by Conscious Economics and screened and stitched locally in Toronto.

The simple front design holds the heart symbol with the awakened eye, reminding us to stay heart-centred

An official partner of The Art of Falling Apart Tour

HeARTwork: Advancing Women in Leadership represents a movement towards embracing mental wellness as a foundational component for success in business. The Art of Falling Apart is Serena Ryder’s latest Juno Award-winning album that chronicles her own mental wellness journey.

The HeARTwork film is a short documentary that explores the intersectional experiences and needs of diverse women working within corporate Canada. The film profiles leaders from 6 community organizations working toward gender equity and inclusion in Canada, each sharing their own unique perspectives based on the communities they serve and represent. The film aims to create a hopeful vison for the audience, helping them to imagine what the future of work can look like with the goal of building a more conscious economy. Produced and directed by Conscious Economics + Lunar Studios –a Toronto-based team of women co-creating the new economy, radically, with love - the HeARTwork film was selected as a winner of the Toronto Independent Film Festival of Cift award in May 2023.

HEARTWORK IS A GRASSROOTS PROJECT DESIGNED TO CAPTURE REAL STORIES AND EXPERIENCES OF DIVERSE WOMEN WITHIN THE LABOURFORCE.

THROUGH THE INTERSECTION OF RESEARCH, ART, AND CONSCIOUS DIALOGUE, WE’RE BUILDING AN ECONOMIC SOLUTION THAT ADDRESSES BUSINESS & POLICY FROM A HEART-CENTERED SPACE.

The Solutions Summit was an important part of the HeARTwork project, designed to build a new corporate policy framework to advance diverse women into leadership within corporate Canada. The day was curated using a design thinking model to spark economic innovation in the spirit of the New Economy. Participant-driven and inspired, this experiential summit was activated at the intersection of art, business, and policy change—designed to give everyone a seat at the table in reimagining the future of work.

HE ART WORK ON AIR

The Conscious Economics Podcast, where vulnerable and radical conversations are delivered with love.

Season 3, Episode 11

S3.E11 Advancing women in leadershipthe real reasons that women are opting out.

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BY KAREN BLISS

Ryder, alongside her partner Brian Kobayakawa.

Conscious Economics is a not-forprofit that uses art, economic education and high impact events to co-create systemic change, under which is the research and solutionsbased project HeARTwork: Advancing Women in Leadership and the music platform Lunar Studios.

The three Toronto singer-songwriters are part of Lunar Studios’ artists-in-residence, a year-long program to empower emerging Canadian artists to use their music as a tool for social change. This assignment resonated with them all.

corporate but says, “I have been in spaces where gender and race have been issues.”

As part of HeARTwork, they were invited to eavesdrop on deeply personal storytelling sessions with online groups of diverse women from five major cities coast-to-coast, take notes as they spoke openly about the barriers, mistreatment and inequities they’ve faced, then distil them into a song lyric: that’s hours and hours of phrases, issues, emotions and ideas captured by three people, then whittled, honed, tested and tried into song-form. That ain’t easy.

Often, they report, the discussions between the women turned emotional and heavy. They needed to convey that too.

“They explored the barriers they faced when they chased their leadership or upward mobility within their job,” explains Kirby. “Mostly, what stood out to me was just their exhaustion and burnout, but with that their resilience and need to overcome it. They were still trying to change things. And the racialized women felt they were being picked as ‘the diversity hire’ and that the companies were trying to put these things in place just to get these women to be quiet.”

“From all the sessions that I heard, what stood out for me was a common connection and feeling of being understood and looking for respect within the workspace,” says De Lima.

The resulting three-and-a-half minute single, “Changing,” is an empowering harmony-driven alt-folk-pop anthem that addresses the decades-old glass ceiling and what women are doing to smash it. “I’m not yours to break this time / I’m taking back the fire I had when I started / Like the burning sun, I’ll rise /I am trying, fighting, changing,” goes the mellifluous chorus.

“Despite all these women’s frustrations working within the system, they were still trying,”echoes Your Hunni, who sings lead on the track. “The rulebook wasn’t written for them and despite this feeling of hopelessness, they were finding new ways to succeed in this world they were in.”

Kirby, who plays guitar on the song and sings harmonies with De Lima. The bridge is sung by all three.

After the HeARTwork sessions in Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, Calgary and Halifax — plus one that included women from all five cities — the three musicians spent two days at Lunar Studios writing the song, comparing notes and getting to the core of what stood out to them, ultimately wanting the lyric to impact, motivate and uplift women in the work force, and for others to take notice and understand the systemic inequities.

“It was so challenging.

I felt a big responsibility to share their truth,”

adds

“We all came to the writing session with very different things that resonated with us, which made writing it exciting,” says Your Hunni.

A couple of the lines were actually extracted from the HeARTwork: Advancing Women In Leadership discussions, such as the opening lyric: “One door opens / Ten behind it.”

“This was a theme that we noticed come up a few times,” says Your Hunni. “Women were talking about more and more obstacles as they get higher up in companies, women discussing the glass ceiling and how’s more like a glass elevator or revolving door.”

Another was “Gonna burn this rule book you made for me,” in reference to women carving a new path for themselves. With this line, Ryder, with her 20-plus years of experience as a songwriter, made a simple but crucial change: switching out the word “me” to “them.”

“Gonna burn this rule book you made for them.”

“Serena has been in the industry so long and she recognizes that the traditions that we have weren’t put in place with us in mind,” says Your Hunni. “Words like that changed the trajectory of the song.”

The “Stompa” and “Got Your Number” hitmaker whose tours behind her 2021 album, The Art of Falling Apart, were co-sponsored HeARTwork worked with the young talents at Lunar to record the demo. “The three of us are still learning and to have her in the room to teach us and being around her energy was really cool and appreciated,” says De Lima.

Ryder also plays drums and guitar on “Changing” and built the track, creating a beautiful, weary but hopeful song. Then, on the final day, Your Hunni,

Kirby and De Lima cut the song with her, laying down the vocals.

“When we started playing around with the chords, we didn’t want it to be too happy sounding,” says Kirby of the choice to do a ballad verses an angry rocker. “We wanted some of the inspiration, some of the optimism, to come through a little bit but, of course, we wanted to capture the feeling of anger and darkness. I think we did that well, and bringing in Serena to produce it, she took it to a whole new level with the percussion and drums.”

For De Lima, whose song “You Can” won Conscious Economics’ Artist for Social Change prize in 2021, this project was right up her alley.

“There’s so much healing and vulnerability that comes from music and I think it has the power to speak to people’s souls and can make a difference for the better,” she says. “If even one person comes up to me and says, ‘That song moved me’ or ‘That song healed me,’ that’s still changing the world. I don’t think we can make it perfect, but if we all make a difference in small ways, it makes a ripple effect.

“I want ‘Changing’ to make a difference, where people know their worth,” De Lima adds. “Society programs us to not to fight back and the system is set up that way. People are starting to be cognizant of that and I think songs like this can help people feel seen.”

HeARTwork, whose mission is to spark systemic change within the Canadian

Hidden Pony/Universal Music Canada, but it’s also part of their behind-thescenes project.

“The song will be released in tandem with the framework, allowing the music to be a vehicle for social change,” says Conscious Economics founder and CEO Rhiannon Rosalind, also co-founder of Lunar Studios. “Our hope is that the music will help inspire a widespread movement and ensure that business and policy are created with a more heart centred approach.

“The music element has definitely exceeded our expectations and been radically rewarding to witness. I love how the artists were able to capture the raw emotion from the research sessions and turn it into a song that I can’t get out of my head. In this instance, music is truly being used as a vehicle for social change and I couldn’t be more proud. This, to me, feels like the future.”

WE SEE YOU

Is This The End?

No. No. Not Ever.

There is no such thing as the end when it comes to progressively adjusting, evolving, healing, growing, changing, and building a conscious economy.

We are ALL on a lifelong journey as individuals and as a collective.

We hope that you cherish this work and allow it to inspire and motivate you to join the HeARTwork movement. We MUST do this together, in unity.

This is not the beginning, nor the end - it’s somewhere in the middle, honouring those that have come before us and those that will come after. But if you’re reading this today: Our time is now.

Let’s make this count.

We invite you to:

• Share this zine with friends, family, women you love, coworkers, employers, community leaders

• Sign up at consciouseconomics.ca to stay involved

• Advocate for the implementation of HeARTwork at your place of employment

• Start to implement some of the ideas shared here in your own life as an individual

• Get creative and honour yourself: mind, body, and spirit

• Bring this zine with you in your bag, reference it often, read it again and again

Let’ s co-create the new economy, radically, with love.

What we mean when we say :

New Economy

A term we use to describe progressive leaders, companies, and socioeconomic systems that honour and balance the needs and wellbeing of people, planet, profit, and art.

Conscious

A depth of awareness and responding to one’s surroundings; awake.

HeARTwork

A term we’ve created to describe a progressive approach to business and economy that honours creativity and leads with heart-centred compassion.

Additional Acknowledgments

A special thank you to the editorial team led by Rhiannon Rosalind

Photography – Amanda Coffey

Photography – Barb Simkova

Illustration – Bianca Alongi

Graphic Design – Davin Crawford

Creative Direction – Jacqui Playfair

Research Lead – Dr. Jeffrey Overall

Research Assistant – Dale Hamilton

Film Production – Emily Gioskos + Laura Bornacelli

Music Production – Serena Ryder + Brian Kobayakawa

This work would not have been possible without the support of