Announcing the 2025 Business Sisters Trailblazer Panel
Meet the Trailblazers: Four Rural Entrepreneurs Redefining Success
We’re thrilled to announce the inspiring lineup for our 2025 Trailblazer Panel — a Fireside Chat with Trailblazing Women Business Owners taking place at the Business Sisters Conference in Rockland on November 3. This dynamic conversation, proudly presented by the Scotiabank Women’s Initiative, and supported by Radio CJRC Rockland, will spotlight four extraordinary women entrepreneurs who are changing the game — and doing it all from right here in rural Eastern Ontario.
Get ready to hear real talk on the triumphs, the frustrations, and the fine art of juggling business, loved ones, and your own sanity — straight from the women who live it every day.
Here’s your first look at the 2025 Trailblazers:
✂️ Nathalie & Chantale Deslauriers | Co-Founders, Studio Shanthaly & Académie Shanthaly | Embrun, ON
Sisters in life and business, Nathalie and Chantale Deslauriers have been a force in the hairstyling industry for nearly three decades. Together, they own Studio Shanthaly, a high-end salon in Embrun known for exceptional service, creative artistry, and a loyal clientele. But they didn’t stop there. Driven by a passion for mentoring the next generation, they launched Académie Shanthaly, a hairstyling school built to train, inspire, and elevate future professionals in the beauty industry.
Visionary, committed, and fiercely entrepreneurial, the Deslauriers sisters have built a legacy rooted in skill, style, and sisterhood. Their award-winning work — including Business of the Year and Woman Entrepreneur of the Year — reflects a deep commitment to excellence and community.
👚 Katharine Perry | Co-Founder & VP, Adaptt Apparel | Williamstown, ON
A former special education teacher turned social entrepreneur, Katharine Perry is the heart and mind behind Adaptt Apparel — a fashion-forward adaptive clothing brand on a mission to make dignity non-negotiable. Her journey from caregiver to changemaker began when she couldn’t find stylish, functional clothing for her aging parents. At 48, she launched Adaptt to fill that gap — creating clothing that serves people with disabilities, long-term care residents, post-op patients, new moms, and anyone who deserves to look good and feel good.
Katharine brings bold energy, empathy, and lived experience to everything she does. From classroom to boardroom, she’s become a national voice in the inclusive design space, challenging the fashion world to think bigger and do better. Today, she balances business leadership with caregiving, advocacy, and family life — all while redefining what a midlife pivot can look like.
💡 Karen Brunet | Founder, CNTRL+ | Cornwall, ON
Karen Brunet is a femtech founder who doesn’t back down from a challenge — whether it’s launching a patented medical device or conquering a mountain trail. After decades of personal struggle with bladder health, she invented CNTRL+, a reusable bladder support that’s now FDA-cleared and transforming pelvic health care for women.
Karen’s approach is equal parts science and wild spirit. When she’s not in the lab or scaling her business, you’ll find her backcountry skiing, mountain biking, or hiking with her two teenage daughters. She’s on a mission to remove the shame from women’s health issues and replace it with innovation, confidence, and conversation.
Blazing trails in every sense of the word, Karen is living proof that necessity really is the mother of invention.
These four women bring bold vision, lived experience, and unshakable purpose to the stage — and we can’t wait to hear what they have to say about the messy, meaningful journey of entrepreneurship.
Mark your calendar for November 3 in Rockland and join us for a powerful session that promises truth, laughter, and insights you won’t find anywhere else.
👉 Tickets to the conference are on sale now. Get yours today!
Meet the Trailblazers: Four Rural Entrepreneurs Redefining Success
We’re thrilled to announce the inspiring lineup for our 2025 Trailblazer Panel — a Fireside Chat with Trailblazing Women Business Owners taking place at the Business Sisters Conference in Rockland on November 3. This dynamic conversation, proudly presented by the Scotiabank Women’s Initiative, and supported by Radio CJRC Rockland, will spotlight four extraordinary women entrepreneurs who are changing the game — and doing it all from right here in rural Eastern Ontario.
Get ready to hear real talk on the triumphs, the frustrations, and the fine art of juggling business, loved ones, and your own sanity — straight from the women who live it every day.
Here’s your first look at the 2025 Trailblazers:
✂️ Nathalie & Chantale Deslauriers | Co-Founders, Studio Shanthaly & Académie Shanthaly | Embrun, ON
Sisters in life and business, Nathalie and Chantale Deslauriers have been a force in the hairstyling industry for nearly three decades. Together, they own Studio Shanthaly, a high-end salon in Embrun known for exceptional service, creative artistry, and a loyal clientele. But they didn’t stop there. Driven by a passion for mentoring the next generation, they launched Académie Shanthaly, a hairstyling school built to train, inspire, and elevate future professionals in the beauty industry.
Visionary, committed, and fiercely entrepreneurial, the Deslauriers sisters have built a legacy rooted in skill, style, and sisterhood. Their award-winning work — including Business of the Year and Woman Entrepreneur of the Year — reflects a deep commitment to excellence and community.
👚 Katharine Perry | Co-Founder & VP, Adaptt Apparel | Williamstown, ON
A former special education teacher turned social entrepreneur, Katharine Perry is the heart and mind behind Adaptt Apparel — a fashion-forward adaptive clothing brand on a mission to make dignity non-negotiable. Her journey from caregiver to changemaker began when she couldn’t find stylish, functional clothing for her aging parents. At 48, she launched Adaptt to fill that gap — creating clothing that serves people with disabilities, long-term care residents, post-op patients, new moms, and anyone who deserves to look good and feel good.
Katharine brings bold energy, empathy, and lived experience to everything she does. From classroom to boardroom, she’s become a national voice in the inclusive design space, challenging the fashion world to think bigger and do better. Today, she balances business leadership with caregiving, advocacy, and family life — all while redefining what a midlife pivot can look like.
💡 Karen Brunet | Founder, CNTRL+ | Cornwall, ON
Karen Brunet is a femtech founder who doesn’t back down from a challenge — whether it’s launching a patented medical device or conquering a mountain trail. After decades of personal struggle with bladder health, she invented CNTRL+, a reusable bladder support that’s now FDA-cleared and transforming pelvic health care for women.
Karen’s approach is equal parts science and wild spirit. When she’s not in the lab or scaling her business, you’ll find her backcountry skiing, mountain biking, or hiking with her two teenage daughters. She’s on a mission to remove the shame from women’s health issues and replace it with innovation, confidence, and conversation.
Blazing trails in every sense of the word, Karen is living proof that necessity really is the mother of invention.
These four women bring bold vision, lived experience, and unshakable purpose to the stage — and we can’t wait to hear what they have to say about the messy, meaningful journey of entrepreneurship.
Mark your calendar for November 3 in Rockland and join us for a powerful session that promises truth, laughter, and insights you won’t find anywhere else.
👉 Tickets to the conference are on sale now. Get yours today!
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