Meet the Authors
Suzy Tamasy
Creator & Co-Author
Suzy Tamasy is an entrepreneur, award-winning mentor in finance, and a leader in advocating for entrepreneurship as a way of creating positive transformation in the world. Suzy is the founder of SuzyQJewels, Frugal Divas, Empowered in Heels, Biz & Fashion Magazine, and Women on Biz, an initiative to radically transform how we support, celebrate and finance female entrepreneurs. She is also a blogger, event producer, and serial entrepreneur.
An entrepreneur and woman of style from an early age, Suzy understood from very early on that if she wanted something, she had to work for it, and it’s that knowing that has helped her break the barriers and tenaciously pursue a love of fashion. Suzy started as a jewellery designer using recycled items and has evolved to her mini-empire with a virtual consignment shop and new clothing line under SuzyQJewels and Frugal Divas. Her clothing line donates a portion of its sales to women shelters across Ontario. Suzy also has two magazines – Empowered in Heels and Biz & Fashion Magazine.
To give back to the community, Suzy hosts a yearly Swap, Sell and Donate event and fashion show with her signature trademark walk showing the cycle of abuse and stopping the violence.
Suzy strives to build relationships with her clients, encouraging them to never give up on their dreams because she believes that when we are open to the light of kindness, we can accomplish anything!
Suzy is currently based in Oshawa, Ontario with two lovely sons. Check out Suzy Q Jewels to learn more about the beauty, brains, and business-savvy of Suzy Tamasy.
Olimpia Tulpan
Co-Author
Olimpia Tulpan lives in Toronto, Ontario but is originally from Romania. She is an entrepreneur who started by flipping condos in 2006, then went into decorating and Feng Shui. Olimpia’s biggest passion is fashion, and everyone calls her a fashionista. She is also a published model and works in film. Olimpia was part of a series called “Empowered in Heels” by Suzy Tamasy, which is filmed in the studio of TV Chaar.
Olimpia became an advocate of a healthy lifestyle after her mother was diagnosed with cancer. In her journey to find a healthy and happy lifestyle, she became a reiki master and also does meditation in nature. When she’s not working, Olimpia spends quality time with her friends who have become like family to her since she is alone in Canada.
Sadia Salauddin
Co-Author
Originally of South Asian descent, Sadia Salauddin immigrated to Canada from Bangladesh in 1997 with her parents and sister. She started her university career at Ottawa University but fell in love with the hustle and bustle of Toronto through frequent visits to friends living in the city at that time. She finished her Bachelor of Commerce degree at Ryerson University after soon transferring over and majored in Marketing-Management and minored in Communications.
Modelling has been a big hobby over the years and fashion is what she has embodied into not only her wardrobe but also her lifestyle. Humble yet highly ambitious, she has been seen on every major catwalk in Toronto and Mississauga. From Canadian Asian Fashion Week to modeling for some of the largest South Asian fashion designers in the world of Bollywood like Rohit K. Verma and Jaya Mishra.
Apart from modelling, Sadia enjoys yoga, painting, swimming, music, movies, cooking, and spending time with her family and friends. She has hailed Toronto as her home for many years now and currently has a full-time career in Marketing & Sales. Throughout this difficult era of Covid, she has gained strength from her faith and spirituality and claims that a close connection to God, yoga, friends, and family have kept her sane in what seems to be insane times.
Cheryl Bailey
Co-Author
Cheryl Bailey is a photographer and artesian who resides in Durham Region, Ontario. She works primarily in oil-based pastels and ink on canvas. Cheryl specializes in lifestyle and wedding photography and recently added fashion photography to her repertoire.
Growing up in Toronto, Cheryl was surrounded by art. It was simply a way of life. One of her strongest influences, however, was her mother. Although her mother passed away when Cheryl was only 13 years old, she has always been able to feel her mom’s positive energy around her.
Cheryl believes the experiences she had growing up helped fuel her passion for helping people and ultimately catapulted her career into social work. It’s been her passion for photography though, that has truly enabled her to bridge those two worlds together. Cheryl has been shooting professionally since 1995. Her photographic style is fairly simple. It is modern, organic, and airy, but above all, honest. She strives to capture the real and the in-between moments that are unique to each situation and attempts to do so by creating a fun, energized, and candid environment during her photo sessions. For Cheryl, it’s all about having a great time and being in the moment.
When she’s not behind the lens, Cheryl enjoys spending time with her husband, their son, and her two daughters
Jennifer Traynor
Co-Author & Editor
Jennifer Traynor is a wife, mother, and entrepreneur in Ajax, Ontario. She began teaching yoga part-time in 2019 and now also works as a virtual assistant. Pursuing both of these passions has allowed her to support other women while doing what she loves: yoga, meditation, mindfulness, writing, editing, designing, and creating.
Jennifer is a mental health advocate, as she has struggled with depression on and off for several years. She is open about her journey with mental health in the hopes that it not only helps to end the stigma but also serves as inspiration for others who struggle. Her experience with depression is ultimately what led her to the path she’s on now. Her healing journey awakened a passion inside her to strive to help others, first through yoga and mindfulness, and then in supporting other female entrepreneurs.
Jennifer has had a life-long dream to become a published author. A graduate of the Centennial College print journalism program, she spent over 15 years working with major media outlets, being published as a blogger and copywriter before embarking on this journey with the co-authors of Empowered in Heels. The experience has sparked a drive in her to publish her own book and she has already begun a project to hopefully hit shelves in the near future.
When she’s not busy in front of her laptop writing, editing, and content creation, you can find Jennifer spending quality time with her husband, Paul, their two children, Benjamin and Charlotte, and their dog, Seth. As a family, they are avid movie-watchers, enjoy epic family game nights, and love reading books together. On her own time, Jennifer likes to be in the company of good friends, practice yoga, or curl up on the couch to do word puzzles.
Mackenzie Lubeck
Co-Author
Mackenzie Lubeck is 19 years old and was born and raised in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. From birth she always loved music and at two and a half years old was enrolled in dance lessons, starting with ballet. By the time Mackenzie was around five years old she started loving fashion and getting her photos taken. She was born into a family that was very close and supportive so that she could follow her dreams. Mackenzie always loved to make small plays, musicals, and fashion shows. When she was about 10 years old, she started drama classes with a local production company. This gave her many opportunities to participate in live theatre productions, which she loved doing for almost five years. During that time, she expanded her dance to jazz, tap, and lyrical. When she turned 16 years old, Mackenzie decided that she wanted to pursue her true dream of modelling. Her family arranged a professional photoshoot with a local photographer that included a makeup artist and hairdresser to see if she truly had a feel for it. She absolutely loved it and it was exactly what she dreamed of. Mackenzie had to put her dancing on hold so that she could concentrate completely on modelling, which she has now been doing for four years. She has also had the opportunity to walk in many runway shows, including New York Fashion Week. She loves the runway and that’s where she comes to life.
Mackenzie loves travelling, whether it’s for modelling or on family vacations. One of her favourite places to visit is the family cottage where she loves being on the water to go boating or fishing. She is also an excellent swimmer and had opportunities to swim competitively.
Mackenzie is a very compassionate person that has experienced a lot of bullying and cyberbullying in the past. For this reason, she is always trying to promote kindness and likes to build people up instead of tearing them down. She’s a fun-loving girl who is always trying to make things better for someone else and loves to help others follow their dreams too. Mackenzie hopes to continue modelling and travelling in the future and has big goals ahead of her. During her spare time, you will find her writing poetry.
Demi Theo
Co-Author
Demi Theo is a mother of two in Scarborough, Ontario. She is an interior designer, artist, writer, model, and show production co-organizer. After obtaining her bachelor of applied arts in Interior Design, she went on to design retail stores for an architectural firm. She started modelling in 2012 for a health and wellness company as their product ambassador and her photo is on one of their product boxes. She has written articles for many magazines, is a published model, and has participated in many runway shows and other events, as well as a music video.
One of Demi’s dreams was to write and publish her very own children’s book someday. This dream came true in the spring of 2021 when she became the author of a new children’s book called “The Magical Chickadee and Friends – Stories and Crafts,” a project she completed before embarking on this wonderful journey with the co-authors of “Empowered in Heels.” When she is not busy organizing dance, fashion, and other related events, you can find Demi spending quality time with her family and friends. Demi enjoys the outdoors, movies, sports, crafting, music, gardening, and anything related to art.
Sutha Shanmugarajah
Co-Author
Sutha Shanmugarajah graduated from the University of Toronto with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry. Currently, she works as a Clinical Research Coordinator for the Psoriatic Arthritis Program at the Toronto Western Hospital.
She has a deep love of reading books with inspirational and motivational themes, as well as having a spiritual lifestyle. Sutha spends her free time volunteering and assisting people in need. She is dedicated to charity work and derives satisfaction from the happiness of those that she helps. Every year, Sutha takes part in different activities that bring meaning to her life. In the past, she has done the United Way CN Tower Stair Climb, completed the 60km walk for the Weekend to End Breast Cancer, ran a half marathon to raise funds for arthritis, took part in multiple 5km/10km walks to raise funds for different charities, coordinated many bake sales to raise money for arthritis program, has coordinated food drives, and has helped prepare meals for the homeless in shelters.
In addition, she has spearheaded a children’s book drive and clothing drive that was devoted to impoverished families overseas. She takes on volunteer activities where there is a need for help. One of her meaningful volunteering opportunities was for the Invictus Games. Since last year, she has also been doing modelling and has been published many times. She has been on the cover of an international magazine, as well as has been interviewed by many media.
Beverley Thomson
Co-Author
Beverley was born in Ottawa and now resides in the Greater Toronto Area. Her mom was a born-again Christian and her dad was an inventor and wild man. She grew up with a mix of religion and how to party throughout her life. Beverley’s mom passed away in 2013 as a minister in Guatemala helping children in need. Her father suffered a deep sadness and isolation from his alcoholism and took his own life in 2019.
Beverley left home in her early teens, wanting to see the world and live a life of passion instead of staying with her mom after her parents divorced. It wasn’t as easy as she thought. She had to work day and night to get herself through hairdressing school – but she did it! One day, a good-looking man came into the barbershop where she worked and swept her off her feet. They travelled the world together for nine years before she found out he was a cheater and involved in criminal activity. Beverley left him to start her life again. She went back to school and graduated with honours from college, becoming the only woman in her family to ever go further than high school. It was then she decided to go to university and get her Bachelors in Marketing and a Minor in Law so that one day she could support herself.
After working in the corporate world, she decided to open up her own cleaning business after a dream she had. Today she is a web designer, author, speaker, business owner, YouTuber, and free-spirited animal lover. Beverley’s best achievement is trademarking and creating Maid Mart, a detailed residential and commercial cleaning company that covers the Greater Toronto Area. Her dream is to educate the public on the fair treatment of animals around the world. She has just finished working on her first of many children’s books and is also a published poet. You can learn more about Beverley on her website: www.BeverleyThomson.com
Victoria Trinh
Co-Author
Victoria Trinh has been modelling and acting on and off since the age of four, although more seriously in the last 13 years her focus has been on modelling. She uses modelling as an artistic outlet to help deal with anxiety and depression. Victoria also finds modelling is a fun way to meet people, travel, and push her creative limits in fashion, projects, and shows.
She was born and raised in Ontario, Canada, her background is Chinese and Vietnamese, and she speaks all three languages fairly well. Victoria likes to pull ideas from everyday inspirations and her dreams. When she’s not modelling you can find Victoria with her nose in a novel or her hands drawing and painting. She stays healthy with daily exercise and taking care of her mental health. You can learn more about Victoria on her social media.
Pat Kozyra
Co-Author
Pat Kozyra (Nykorchuk) of Ukrainian descent was born, raised, and educated in Port Arthur (now Thunder Bay), Ontario. Twenty years ago, when she and her husband were “financially down and out,” so to speak, because life had “thrown them lemons,” Pat was experiencing panic, stress, depression, and desperation. Then, the expression she had always clung to and had tried to follow once again kicked in – these ten, simple, two-letter words: IF IT IS TO BE, IT IS UP TO ME! Fast forward to 2001 when she and her husband, Taras, left Canada to fulfill a two-year teaching contract in Hong Kong, which Pat was successful in obtaining, as a Learning Specialist for the Canadian International School of Hong Kong. Now, twenty years later and back in Canada, as they both try to grasp the reality that those years have passed by so quickly and that the grandchildren can now drive cars and have jobs already, Pat and her husband are also getting used to life in retirement and presently live in Courtice, Ontario.
This seasoned professional, who is the mother of two daughters and the grandmother of six delightful grandchildren, has had an exemplary career. Pat has taught primary grades, Nursery, Pre-K, Kindergarten, vocal music, English as a second language, Gifted Education for 15 years, as well as being a Pre-school Coordinator, an Art Resource to teachers, and taught Special Education at Lakehead University. She is well known for her Webinar presentations and workshops for parents and teaches. Pat was the soloist for large Catholic churches in Thunder Bay, Toronto, and Hong Kong. She can be seen on her two YouTube channels called Read Me a Story and Hymns to Touch Your Heart. Yes, Pat has learned how to take lemons and make lemonade!
Kimberly Anne Cranley
Co-Author
Kimberly Anne Cranley is a mother of three beautiful girls and is happily married to her husband, Shaun, who works 12-hour shifts in the public sector. As busy as her family keeps her, she still has managed to find time to build a highly successful home-based business in the Health & Wellness industry working exclusively from her phone and on social media.
This dynamic and energetic woman entered into her very first Direct Sales company and hit the ground running only five years ago. After a trip to Orlando, Florida with four other women who were virtually strangers, she has hit rank after rank and helped women all over North America to find their purpose, gain back their health, and empower them to be and do anything they desire. Her team is devoted to her and together they are working towards building their empires.
Life wasn’t always this blessed for this former young single mom who once lived on social assistance in low-income housing with her daughter. Kimberly has battled with depression and low self-confidence. Being an underdog all of her life, she now strives to show other women that no matter where they are in their lives and no matter what has happened in their past, they can still create the life they have always dreamed of.
Her inspiring quote to share: “When you decide that going back is not an option, you’ll find ways to grow into the person you were created to be. No change is easy but all growth is worth it. Burn every bridge in your life that causes you to settle for less.” ~ Author Unknown
This is what Kimberly teaches her girls, and this is the passion from which her story is created. Her hope for those who read her story is to know that while she could have given up at any time, Kimberly had one driving force and that was a belief in something bigger than herself. She shares her story in the hopes that she may inspire others to continue pushing forward, no matter where they are right now or where they’ve come from.