What would it take to bridge the 131-year gap researchers predict until we finally achieve gender parity?
For Nicole Harvey, founder of empowHER, part of the answer lies in building powerfully authentic communities that connect women in tech and eCommerce! How She Got Here (HSGH) – season 2 kicks off with an episode featuring Nicole’s energetic aura that’s unmissable.
Joining Cass Cross, our Vice President and the host of the HSGH podcast, Harvey shared her journey and the compelling reasons why creating safe, supportive spaces for women is a necessity. What’s even more impressive about Nicole is that she’s juggling a full-time role at Recharge while building the empowHER community.
In this post, we discover how these women wage an ongoing battle against gender disparity and strive for genuine professional empowerment.
Nicole Harvey’s Journey – From Fashion Trucks to empowHER
Nicole Harvey is currently working at Recharge as a Senior Influencer Marketing and Community Partnerships Manager. But her path has been anything but conventional! Born and raised outside Toronto, she candidly shares her struggles with dyslexia and ADD (attention deficit disorder).
These health challenges made traditional university difficult, leading Nicole to pursue a college diploma instead of a four-year degree, something she felt ashamed of for years. But fate had plans to lift her spirits!
Nicole’s entrepreneurial spark ignited unexpectedly when she joined a unique startup called Fashion Truck Canada, literally a store on wheels. She drove their truck (and, admittedly, hit a garbage bin in downtown Toronto), handled buying trips, and managed the early Shopify backend.
This hands-on experience was her first taste of building something from scratch. Though she later transitioned into corporate roles at retail giants like TJX and Wayfair, that entrepreneurial spirit never waned.
Tackling Self-Doubt
Working at Wayfair, surrounded by Ivy League graduates and MBAs, Nicole experienced imposter syndrome firsthand. Despite her valuable hands-on eCommerce experience, she felt the pressure to conform to traditional educational paths.
She tells Cass about choosing a different route as she moved into roles working with wholesalers and brands, deepening her expertise in eCommerce strategy, D2C, and consumer behavior.
This wealth of brand-side knowledge became her superpower when she eventually landed at Recharge, a leading subscription platform provider, where she now leads their innovative influencer marketing program.
Why Safe Spaces for Women in eCommerce Matter
The impetus for empowHER grew directly from Nicole’s observations within the industry. Attending numerous events and conferences, she consistently saw panels dominated by men, often with only one “token woman.”
Nicole realized the critical need for spaces where the many talented women in eCommerce and tech could be seen, heard, and flourish!
empowHER’s networking events are safe harbors from the often-competitive corporate world. Nicole and her ambassadors host gatherings where women feel comfortable sharing challenges, seeking advice, and celebrating successes without fear of judgment or rivalry.
Take, for example, the recent How She Got Here Dinner event, where Cass and Nicole co-hosted a party to commemorate the successful first season of the HSGH podcast. Sponsored by Cronix, the evening was a celebration of trailblazing women and femme-identifying individuals who gathered to support one another.
The Long Game of Building Authentic Communities
As its name implies, empowHER was built for empowering women in tech! Nicole Harvey did not have profit in mind as she openly shared the hustle involved in securing sponsorship while maintaining her full-time role at Recharge.
Harvey started small, hosting coffee meetups she funded herself, simply to bring women together. The pure energy she felt from these early gatherings, witnessing women connect and support each other, proved that this community was truly needed.
Cass and Nicole’s organic, relationship-first approach emphasizes the long-term value of genuine connections, which is in contrast to the more transactional networking often seen in the industry.
empowHER: A Grassroots Movement for Women in Business
In just a year and a half, empowHER has hosted close to 10 events, bringing together over 400 women from diverse industries and career stages!
Nicole Harvey has hosted a variety of impactful women empowerment events. These range from intimate dinners to larger panels and summits.
A significant extension of the empowHER mission is SheInnovates, a highly successful one-day women’s summit. Designed to cut through the fluff, SheInnovates brings together founders, operators, and executives for panels packed with tangible insights for women in the commerce space.
Interestingly, our host, Cass, herself met Nicole at SheInnovates, highlighting the power of these gatherings to build connections. These empowHER events provide invaluable platforms for learning, networking, and mutual support, showcasing the strength of a united women empowerment network.
Overcoming Barriers in Tech
Beyond individual feelings, the podcast touches on the historical context and ongoing challenges, including gender parity in tech. Cass and Nicole discuss how inequality can sometimes be masked. They further discuss the persistent underrepresentation of women in top leadership roles across various industries.
A more nuanced point raised is the phenomenon of women being pitted against each other. Perhaps it is a byproduct of historically limited opportunities at the top. Through empowHER, Nicole is building community for women that dismantles such conflicts.
She is devoted to promoting a culture of championing each other’s successes, recognizing that one woman’s rise helps pave the way for others!
What’s Next for empowHER and SheInnovates
With a newly launched website and plans for a mentorship program and local ambassadors, Nicole’s vision of building a thriving female entrepreneur community is rapidly becoming a reality.
The upcoming SheInnovates summit in New York City on May 7th will be filled with inspirational keynotes, practical insights from industry leaders, and invaluable networking opportunities. Listen to the full episode featuring Nicole Harvey as she pulls back the curtain on her personal journey and the powerful movement she’s cultivating.
You can catch all the episodes on our official channels: YouTube and Shopify.
And for businesses seeking their own digital glory, Cronix is the right strategic partner. As a full-service eCommerce agency, we help clients build a profitable online presence catering to diverse industries.
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The How She Got Here podcast is brought to you by Cronix, which is proud to highlight the stories of women like Nicole who are achieving success while actively working to lift others with them. So, make sure to follow us on TikTok, LinkedIn, and Instagram to show some appreciation!