SUMMIT Presenters
October 22 - 23, 2026 - Rossland, British Columbia
More presenters to be added soon!
Event Hosts & Organizers
Erika Krest
Executive Director, Trail & District Chamber of Commerce
Erika Krest is a long-time Kootenay resident and local entrepreneur. Fluent in two languages, she operated a reflexology clinic for over 20 years and now co-manages a successful short-term rental property with her husband of 26 years. Since becoming Executive Director of the Trail and District Chamber of Commerce in 2019, Erika has led transformative growth—expanding membership by 140% and elevating the Chamber to become a sought-after economic development partner in the region and beyond.
As the regional voice for business advocacy, Erika’s greatest strength lies in her ability to connect with and engage the local business community. With a keen eye for opportunity and a passion for innovation, she has spearheaded initiatives such as the Kootenay Teen Chef Club, the Chamber’s Tourism Initiative, and the newly launched Kootenay Women Summit.
Ona Stanton
Summit Co-Organizer and Business Owner, Business Reach Marketing & Social Media
Ona Stanton is a Digital Accountability Coach and Social Media Strategist who founded her digital agency, Business Reach Marketing & Social Media in Rossland in 2018.
With a focus on helping entrepreneurs show up with greater confidence and clarity online, Ona serves as a guide, partner, and confidence magnifier, empowering individuals around the globe to grow communities rooted in connection. Through visibility accelerator coaching, content 'cafes', and virtual events, she provides a platform for learning and engagement, helping her clients elevate their marketing efforts and maximize their impact and income. When she is not helping her clients shine online, Ona enjoys cheering on her three kids at their various activities, enjoying the Kootenay life, and volunteering in her community.
KEYNOTE SpeAKER
Stay tuned this Friday!
October 9, 2026 at 8:00 AM PST
SpEAKERS
Lynn Hiscoe
CEO & Founder, emPoweredlives & Kootenay Women in Business
Lynn is the CEO and Founder of Empoweredlives and Kootenay Women. She is also the publisher of the Kootenay Women in Business Magazine.
Lynn has an extensive background in understanding mental health and the workplace. She has been a national manager for more than 20 years serving professionals and organizations in psychological, social, and emotional well-being and workplace conditions, cultures, and policies.
Beyond the workplace, Lynn is also a psychotherapist with a private practice specializing in women and emotional health. She is registered with the BC Association of Clinical Counsellors and the College of Social Workers and the Canadian Association of Cognitive Behavioral Therapists.
Irene Rutherford
Founder and Owner, Irie Source
Mystic, Healer, and Artist Irene is thrilled and honoured to be speaking at the Kootenay Women’s Summit, where we will ‘Nurture the Source’ together. With 30 years experience in the Healing Arts, she comes with enthusiasm to share how she has created the life of her dreams. Irene’s approach to multi-dimensional wellness incorporates education, experience, intuition, and an ongoing thirst for knowledge in aromatherapy, craniosacral therapy, energy alignment, water worship and creative expression. While encouraging herself and others to be at peace in our current states of being, Irene also cultivates joy as a revolutionary act. Let’s imagine best outcomes together!
Find Irene at her sanctuary clinic in Winlaw for massage+ craniosacral therapy, aromatherapy, vibrational sound tuning; in person or online for tarot readings, healing sessions or guided visualizations; at New Denver Lodge in April 2027 for the annual IrieTreat Wellness+Discovery Retreat, and throughout the West Kootenays massaging horses. All services are mobile: invite Irene to your place of business, home, or vacation property for a truly bespoke experience. Single or multi-day onsite retreats available.
Fern Sabo
CEO & Founder, Spring Creative Inc.
Fern is a Digital Systems Architect, Certified Google Professional, and the founder of Spring Creative Inc. With over 25 years of experience starting, scaling, and running businesses—including 14 years specializing in brand infrastructure and digital systems—Fern brings a grounded, real-world perspective to digital strategy that prioritizes long-term viability over temporary trends.
As Google fundamentally reshapes search to tame the "wild west" of digital noise, how an organization's digital assets are structured matters more than ever. Specializing in custom WordPress architecture, local search infrastructure, and structured data, Fern helps organizations transition away from aging systems toward building lasting digital equity. She equips leaders to command their digital real estate, speak the language of modern search, and safeguard their authority against evolving AI search tools.
Based in Nelson, BC, Fern also serves as a WeBC West Kootenay Regional Ambassador and dedicated advocate for women business owners across British Columbia.
Kristen Begg
Founder and Certified ADHD Coach, Kortex ADHD Coaching
Kristen is an ICF-accredited coach with more than six years of experience supporting people with ADHD.
She created Kortex after seeing too many smart, capable people blame themselves for struggles that had nothing to do with laziness or a lack of effort. In her work, she recognizes that most people already know what to do; the hard part is consistently being able to do it.
Kristen’s coaching approach is practical, neuroscience-informed, warm, and non-shaming. She helps clients examine the executive-function patterns underneath overwhelm, inconsistency, burnout, emotional regulation, and follow-through, then collaborates with them to build tools and systems tailored to how they actually function.
Her goal is to help clients move from shame to strategy—replacing self-blame with understanding and overwhelm with clear, realistic, and sustainable support. Clients don’t need to arrive with the right words or everything figured out; coaching starts with what’s real, uncovers what is getting in the way, and builds forward from there.
Outside of coaching, Kristen spends as much time as possible outdoors, an environment that continues to shape how she thinks about regulation, capacity, and building a life that feels genuinely sustainable.
Tanya Wall
Executive Director, Fields Forward Society & Creston Valley Food Action Coalition
Tanya Wall is a longtime Creston Valley resident, entrepreneur, and advocate for local agriculture, food security, and economic development. With over 40 years of connection to the Valley, she has dedicated her career to creating business opportunities, strengthening community infrastructure, and building a resilient local food system. Her background spans more than 18 years across beverage manufacturing, hospitality, entrepreneurship, and local government—including co-owning and managing the redevelopment of Creston’s historic Kootenay Hotel into Casey’s Community House.
Today, Tanya serves as the Executive Director of the Fields Forward Society and the Creston Valley Food Action Coalition (CVFAC). In these roles, she leads the Kootenay Farms Food Hub to support regional food entrepreneurs, while also overseeing community initiatives like the Creston Valley Farmers’ Market and Harvest Share to strengthen local food security.
Tanya also brings extensive civic experience to her work, having served six years on Creston Town Council before her election as the Regional District of Central Kootenay Director for Electoral Area B. Grounded in her deep understanding of governance, local business, and agriculture, she remains driven by a simple belief: strong communities are built by investing in local people, local business, and the infrastructure that allows them to succeed.
Cindy Spratt
Holistic Nutritionist, Cindy Spratt Nutrition
Cindy Spratt is a Registered Holistic Nutritionist, Culinary Nutrition Expert, and Eating Disorder Recovery Coach who helps women build a healthier, more confident relationship with food.
With more than 20 years of experience navigating her own relationship with food and body image, Cindy brings both professional expertise and real-life understanding to her work. Her approach combines nutrition, eating psychology, culinary skills, and practical strategies that fit into real, busy lives, without diets, deprivation, or the pressure to do everything perfectly.
Based in the rural Kootenay mountains, Cindy works with women through one-on-one counselling, online programs, workshops, and cooking classes. She is passionate about making healthy eating feel simpler, more enjoyable, and actually doable.
Because eating well shouldn’t require another full-time job.
Her slogan: “Eat to feel good. Feel good about eating.”
Workshop Facilitators
Maria Kruchen
Senior Manager of Wealth, Kootenay Savings Credit Union
Maria Kruchen is the Senior Manager of Wealth, Subsidiary of Kootenay Savings Credit Union, where she has built a remarkable 35-year career dedicated to helping individuals achieve financial success without sacrificing the life they love. Starting in an entry-level role, Maria advanced through a variety of positions, earning her Certified Financial Planning designation while raising two children and working full time.
A passionate advocate for work-life balance, she pioneered job-sharing at her organization to ensure parents could thrive both at home and at work. Outside of her career, Maria devoted countless volunteer hours to local minor sports teams and school activities, embracing the same values of commitment and connection that define her professional life.
Today, she continues to share her expertise in personal financial management and education, empowering others to make confident financial decisions — all while cherishing her role as a proud mother and grandmother.
Sophie Barbarics
Founder and Artistic Director, The Booster and YolOne Art Group Inc.
Sophie Barbarics is an award-winning contemporary dance educator, choreographer, and artistic leader with over 20 years of international experience. Based in Nelson, BC, she is the founder of FootNotes Dance Co. in Budapest and The Booster & YolOne Art Group in Canada, where she leads multidisciplinary performance projects, masterclasses, and community arts initiatives.
Sophie holds a Master’s degree in Modern Dance Teaching and previously helped develop the Hungarian national curriculum for modern dance education. Throughout her career, she has created over 15 original works, directed the award-winning short dance film Daffodils, and coached high-profile talent. Her choreography and teaching approach combine raw emotion, research-based movement, and multimedia collaboration to explore deep themes of human connection, identity, and resilience.
Amber McGregor
President, Creston Valley Chamber of Commerce & Start-Up Business Advisor, Community Futures Central Kootenay
Amber McGregor is the current President of the Creston Valley Chamber of Commerce, a Start-Up Business Advisor for Community Futures Central Kootenay, and a community builder who believes that great businesses are built by great people.
For decades, Amber has worked alongside individuals building businesses and communities across the Kootenays. Her hands-on experience spans every layer of business, from the warehouse floor and sales floor to municipal offices, boardrooms, and kitchen tables. Throughout her career, she has built and marketed businesses, managed operations and distribution, launched entrepreneurship programs, and guided thousands of people dedicated to making something great.
Amber is deeply committed to rural economic development and the belief that strong local economies are built through the effort and commitment of local residents. Beyond traditional business planning, she is fascinated by the mindset underneath entrepreneurship: how our beliefs, values, and self-worth influence how we price, lead, and make decisions, ultimately shaping the bottom line.
Based in Creston and working throughout the Kootenay Boundary, Amber brings a practical, curious, and grounded perspective to the realities of building income and impact in rural business development.
