Who is Sheena Brady?
“I was out to build something big,” says Sheena Brady, an Ottawa-based entrepreneur. Her business, Tease Wellness, which creates botanical tea blends, opened in 2013. In 2019, she started the “Founder’s Fund” foundation to support women and non-binary entrepreneurs in Ottawa.
What’s her background?
“When I first went to college, it was for business — but I dropped out. The irony is not lost on me!” Brady told Capital Current. She began her career in the restaurant and hospitality industry at the Shangri-La group, working her way through several roles, until she ultimately landed at Shopify as a Merchant Success Team lead.
She continued to work with Shopify even after she founded Tease Wellness in 2013. She left Shopify in 2015 to focus on her company.
What is she known for?
Brady’s brand is the first of its kind to become a certified benefit corporation, which essentially credits it for “meeting the highest standards in verified social and environmental impact,” according to the Tease website. The brand’s products can be found in more than 350 stores in Canada and the United States.
The Founder’s Fund has more than 500 members, giving them access to networking events, mentorship and training programs and grants. The Founder’s Fund has raised more than $200,000 in small business micro-grants. In an article in the Toronto Star, the founders of athletic-wear company Alder Apparel, Naomi Blackman and Mikayla Wujec spoke of the $25,000 grant they received from the Founder’s Fund in 2020, which they used to expand their business.
What do people say about her?
Paolina Calabro complimented Brady in her blog Financielle, saying “her support for Female Founders is inspiring.” Brady was also a finalist in the 2022 RBC Momentum awards which “recognized and celebrated the strides of Canada’s most accomplished, influential, and impactful women,” according to their website.
What’s something people don’t know about her?
“I didn’t take the most straightforward path to get here,” she told Capital Current. She said she had struggles in secondary school, and personal struggles. “Those experiences shaped me and fueled my drive to create something meaningful. I want people to know that success isn’t always linear — it can be filled with setbacks, but each one is a stepping stone to growth.”
