Women and Wealth: Understanding the Mining Raise Playbook

In this LinkedIn Live, we sit down with Alicia Milne, CEO, President, and Director at Q2 Metals Corp, and pull back the curtains on how mining companies raise capital, navigate commodity cycles, and make decisions grounded in geology and market reality.

Alicia walks us through Q2's lithium project acquisition in 2024 during a market downturn and what that experience taught her about timing, research, and risk tolerance. She breaks down what retail investors need to understand about mining investment, from commodity cycles to project quality to management track records. We talk about the gaps women face when moving from operations into capital conversations and why building investment knowledge matters as much as building technical expertise.

This is exactly why we created Women + Investing Live at PDAC. On March 1 in downtown Toronto, we bring together women for an in-person session on financial foundations, investing education, and how mining can play a role in investment portfolios. Tim Borody, Wealth Advisor at Advice First Wealth, walks through planning, risk, and tax considerations. Alicia shares what makes mining companies investable and how to evaluate opportunities beyond commodity price alone.

If you work in mining and want to understand investing from inside the industry, you already belong in this conversation. We built this space so women move toward ownership with context, vocabulary, and the ability to ask better questions.

This is for educational purposes only. We do not provide investment advice.

Women and Wealth: The Importance of Investment Education

In this LinkedIn Live, we sit down with Tim Barody, CFP and CPA at Advice First Wealth, and get real about a gap we see every day in mining. Women earn high incomes and carry serious responsibility, yet many still feel unsure about investing, equity compensation, and the decisions that shape long-term wealth.

This is exactly why we create our Women and Wealth event at PDAC. On March 1 in downtown Toronto, we bring together an intimate group of 30 women for a four-hour, conversation-first session on financial foundations, investing education, and why mining matters right now. Tim walks through planning, risk, and tax considerations, and Alicia Milne, CEO of Q2 Metals, shares what retail investors mean for mining companies and how to think about mining as part of the investment landscape.

If you make good money and still feel uncertain about how to turn income into wealth, you already belong in this conversation. We build this space so women in mining move toward ownership with community, connection, and a clearer financial centre.

This is for educational purposes only. We do not provide investment advice.

The Experience 2026: A Letter to the Women Who Are Ready for More

The Experience Retreat offers an opportunity to have new headshots taken that feel like YOU!

As we prepare to welcome the 2026 cohort of The Experience, I have been reflecting on why this program exists and what it has come to represent for the women who join us.

When I first imagined The Experience, it was never meant to be another leadership program or professional development course. It was a space to reimagine what growth could feel like for women in mining; a form rooted in connection, joy, and wholeness. Over the years, I have seen it transform lives. Women who arrived uncertain or exhausted have left grounded, clear, and connected to something greater. To each other, and to themselves.

The Experience is not a program you attend. It is an experience you feel. Three days that remind you of your strength, your softness, and your sovereignty.

Below is the letter I wrote to the women joining us in 2026. It captures what this Experience means to me and, I hope, to you.

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Scenes from our June retreat

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Dear Experience Participant

When I dreamt of The Experience, I wanted to create more for women. I wanted to build a space where women could show up, connect, and feel that spark of magic that happens when we gather with intention. I did not want another professional development opportunity. I wanted a lifelong connection, shared ambition, and a network of women bound by something deeper than titles or performance.

I built this for you. For the days when you feel tired, overwhelmed, or uncertain. For the moments when the peaks and crashes of life feel like too much. I wanted you to have a place that feels safe enough to pause, reconnect, and gather the energy to keep showing up for your teams, your families, and yourself. This is not about earning the next promotion. It is about realizing that you are the creator of your next steps. You get to decide what works and what does not.

The Experience was born from what I craved in the industry but could not find. It is about being human together, finding joy in connection, and remembering that when you put yourself first, everything else expands.

Our retreats are equal parts reflection and celebration. Structured workshops blend with unstructured freedom. We laugh. We cry. We share meals and stories. For three days, you are cared for, not because you need permission to rest, but because you deserve to.

The Experience invites you to show up in your full power. Big, bold, and beautiful. You do not have to prove anything. I am not interested in your title or your income. I care about your ambition and your well-being.

This program was not built on a whim. It was built with intention, for you. Step into The Experience and see what becomes possible when you give yourself the space to grow.

With love,
Beth

About The Experience

The Experience is Femina Collective’s year-long journey for women in mining who are ready for more. More clarity. More connection. More alignment. It includes 1:1 coaching, a three-day retreat and purposeful growth through a year of community and coaching. Together, we create the kind of growth that feels real, not performative.

Learn more and join the 2026 cohort here.

The Changing Face of Mining: Mapping Your Impact

What if mining started with a map, not a model? In this episode of The Changing Face of Mining, Peggy Bell and Allison Coppel uncover how defining your “neighbourhood” can transform community relationships, build trust, and create people-first mining projects that succeed because of values, not just resources.

By Peggy

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Leadership in mining is often defined by technology, economics, and environmental performance. Yet the success of any mining project depends on something more human. It depends on how well a company understands the communities it touches.

In the latest Changing Face of Mining conversation, I sat down with Allison Coppel, founder and CEO of Pacha Associates, to explore how companies can transform community engagement. Allison’s work is grounded in a simple but powerful idea. Before you can build trust, you need to know where you stand.

After nearly two decades in global mining leadership, Allison founded Pacha Associates to help companies strengthen relationships through practical, people-centered systems. Her approach begins with a map.

“The first thing I tell teams is to pull out a map,” Allison explained. “Not a geological map, but a people map. Figure out your neighborhood. Understand who’s in and who’s out, and why.”

That exercise reveals how each team defines community. It also shows how easily misalignment can happen when companies move too quickly into exploration without taking the time to listen.

For Allison, mapping is both a mindset and a management system. It helps companies move beyond compliance to a genuine connection. It defines their social area of influence and creates a process to revisit it as projects evolve.

We also discussed what it would look like to design an exploration company from the ground up with people at the center. Allison believes the industry’s next major transformation will come from leaders who start with values instead of output.

“Projects do not fail because of the rocks,” she said. “They fail because of people. Investors may think they are buying into resources, but what they are really betting on is trust in the team and how they operate.”

That trust extends to everyone connected to a project, from local businesses to regulators to employees. Consistency in how a company behaves defines both its reputation and its relationships.

“Your brand is how you show up,” Allison said. “It is the experience people have with you. When that experience is transparent and fair, trust grows naturally.”

Our conversation connected brand, community, and leadership into one idea. Mining’s social performance is not a department. It is a culture. When companies lead with curiosity, clarity, and consistency, they create long-term relationships that support both communities and investment.

Watch the full conversation below to explore how mapping, listening, and leading with people first can reshape the way we define success in mining.

🎥 Watch the full conversation: The Changing Face of Mining: Map Your Impact

A Rebuild Worth Talking About

After five years of growth and reflection, Femina Collective is entering a new chapter. Founder Beth Borody shares how community feedback inspired a rebuild focused on intimacy, purpose, and connection through The Experience—creating spaces where women in mining can grow, lead, and belong.

by Beth

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This year has been a milestone for me and for Femina.

I started Femina five years ago as a side project built on curiosity and a deep trust in my intuition. I wanted to create a community that I wished existed for women in mining, and I believed others wanted it too. Over those five years, I poured my time, energy, and resources into it. There have been moments of incredible growth and moments that tested every part of me. What has never changed is my commitment to radically changing the experience of women in mining.

For a long time, Femina lived beside my full-time career. It was a passion, not yet a profession. That changed this year.

There was a moment this summer when I knew I had to give Femina my full attention. If this movement was going to make its mark, it needed mine. I sat down with my financial planner and accountant to ask if I could make it work. The numbers said “not really,” but my heart said, “you have to.” So, I jumped.

I went all in.

The first step was understanding how our community was truly experiencing Femina. What was working? What needed to evolve?

This year had already been full. We launched The Experience, introduced new Investment and Mining Courses, and brought new team members on board. But even with the excitement, I felt something shift. Our core group, the women who joined our Executive Membership, started to feel distant. I could feel it too.

I showed up for every call, stayed active on Slack, and reached out personally to members. But it still wasn’t enough. So we asked directly. We sent a feedback survey and held one-on-one conversations.

The feedback was real and humbling.

We learned that we were losing the intimacy that made Femina special. As our membership grew globally, connection became harder to sustain. Women were asking for smaller circles, in-person gatherings, and for me to be more present.

Where we thrived was clear. Our experiences: PDAC in Colour, the Dinner Series, the retreats, and the informal meetups. Those were the moments that sparked energy and belonging. They were the spaces for growth, confidence, and honest conversation.

So we began to rebuild.

Peggy and I reflected deeply on how we lead together and how we show up in our roles. It was not easy, but it was necessary.

As a leader, my goal is simple. To ensure Femina remains the safest, most empowering space for women in mining. A place where women show up authentically, connect deeply, and grow together.

The feedback gave us a gift: the opportunity to rebuild with intention.

We reviewed everything. We brainstormed, mapped scenarios, and weighed costs and capacity. We even considered removing memberships entirely. Then we realized we already had the model that reflected what women were asking for: The Experience.

This program offers safety, intimacy, coaching, a retreat, and real connection. Everything our community wanted most. What started as a program for senior women is now expanding into new cohorts and formats, welcoming more women into this kind of deep, aligned growth.

It feels right.

Femina’s next chapter is rooted in connection, purpose, and feminine energy. It is alive in our programs, our experiences, and in our Slack community, where women connect daily across the world.

Femina feels aligned again. And that is exactly why I started her in the first place.

Women Investing in Mining

Why An Investment Course?

Two years ago, I was wrapping up a lunch meeting with a table full of potential investors—all of whom were over the age of 65, white, and male. It was myself and the CEO of a junior mining company, and we had entertained this group numerous times, hoping for a signed deal and a commitment to invest.

We had answered their questions, provided resources, and listened as they repeatedly claimed they wanted something different for the industry. They wanted to invest in women. Yet when it was time to make a decision, we faced a familiar obstacle—there was no credible male name on the board. So, there would be no investment.

It was deflating, to say the least. Once the room cleared, we looked at each other and asked, Where are all the women?

That question sent me down a rabbit hole. Where were the women? Not just in leadership roles, but as investors? As decision-makers with capital to deploy? During this process, I also uncovered my own knowledge gaps. I had spent years in mining, yet I had no idea how to engage with the industry as an investor. In fact, I didn’t even realize that I qualified as an accredited investor. I didn’t know the term existed. When I learned that my income level gave me access to private placements and direct investment opportunities beyond the open market, I was stunned. How had I not known this? More importantly, why weren’t more women aware of these opportunities?

The Investment Knowledge Gap for Women

As I dug deeper, I saw an alarming trend. Women don’t typically see themselves as investors. Many believe they need significant wealth before they can start, which simply isn’t true. When I examined how women were portrayed in financial media, it became clear that we have an image problem when it comes to wealth and investment.

Women are often depicted as the household budgeters—clipping coupons, grocery shopping, and penny-pinching. Meanwhile, men are portrayed in suits on Wall Street, driving luxury cars, and making power moves in the boardroom. The subliminal message? Money, power, and investment are not women’s domains.

Determined to change that narrative, I immersed myself in learning. I read books, attended webinars, and took courses designed to educate women on investing. Resources like Female Invest , Girls That Invest and Movement51were invaluable. However, despite their comprehensive teachings on tech investments, venture funds, angel investing, and stock markets, one crucial sector was missing—mining.

The Missing Link: Mining & Women Investors

Mining is fundamental to the global economy, yet it’s virtually absent from investment education targeted at women. I searched for data on women as retail investors in mining and found almost nothing—outside of cases where generational wealth enabled women to inherit and maintain mining investments.

At the same time, we know that mining’s #1 risk factor, according to EY, is access to capital. The industry is starved for investment, while a demographic shift is underway—by 2030, women in Canada will control 50-60% of the country’s wealth, according to CIBC. The solution seems obvious, doesn’t it?

Yet, even within the industry, women who manage and assess risk daily often don’t recognize their potential as investors. We focus heavily on women as employees, but real change happens where the money is. If we want to reshape mining, we need women at the decision-making tables. Not just as workers—but as investors.

The Solution: An Investment Course Built for Women

That’s why Femina Collective is launching this course. Because no one else is talking about this.

Mining investment is often dismissed as too risky or too complex, but the best way to combat fear is through education. By providing women with the knowledge and tools to navigate investment opportunities—including those in mining—we can bridge this gap.

Whether you work in the industry or are simply interested in growing your wealth, this course is for you. It’s time for women to claim their space in mining investment.

The Femina Collective Launches an Investment Education Course for Women with Partners PearTree Canada and Nicola Wealth

[Toronto, ON] – [March 5, 2025] – The Femina Collective, a leading organization dedicated to empowering women in the mining sector, proudly announces the launch of its Femina Investment Education Course, an 8-week program designed to introduce women to the fundamentals of investment strategies. This course is part of The Femina Collective’s ongoing mission to support women with tools, resources, and opportunities to thrive in traditionally male-dominated industries.

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Femina Collective is proud to partner with PearTrea Canada and Nicola Wealth to deliver the course.

PearTree Canada is a national investment firm specializing in flow-through investments. It is committed to empowering women to create personal wealth by focusing on the mining industry.

Nicola Wealth was founded in 1994. It has over 30 years of investment management experience and has navigated numerous market cycles, economic downturns, and geopolitical events. As of January 1, 2025, Nicola Wealth is one of Canada's largest independent (non-bank) private investment counselling firms, with approximately $17 billion of assets under management.

Beth Borody created The Femina Investment Education Course in response to delayed learning of her status as an accredited investor. Upon learning her status, Beth also uncovered that women’s wealth is exponentially growing, which aligns with the increase in retail investment. Understanding that women often search for a dedicated space to learn, Beth designed the course for women who want to start with the basics but have goals of creating a responsible mining sector and wish to become accredited investors themselves.

The Investment Education Course offers an accessible and structured approach to understanding investment concepts, financial products, risk tolerance, and portfolio diversification. The program includes:

• Comprehensive Content: The "Introduction to Investment" workbook will guide participants through eight weeks of structured learning.

• Expert Webinars: Weekly sessions featuring guest speakers from the mining and financial sectors.

• Action-Oriented Outcomes: Participants will learn how to create personalized investment plans, gaining practical knowledge to build confidence in financial decision-making.

• Exclusive Networking Opportunities: Access a community of like-minded women and industry experts.

The Femina Investment Education Course is an educational program only and does not provide investment advice. Instead, it serves as a foundational course to help participants understand the basics of investment strategies and navigate the complexities of financial planning.

Beth Borody, CEO and Founder of The Femina Collective, shared her vision for the program:

"Women’s share of Canadian wealth is rapidly growing. By 2030, women will hold and control approximately CAD 1 trillion, equating to close to 60% of the accumulated wealth in Canada. We created this course to fill a critical gap in financial education and prepare women for becoming a significant contributor to mining sector firms’ investment strategies. Without including the wealth women will have access to, Canada will be challenged to meet the energy transition needs and risk losing its status as a region of choice for exploration and production. We aim to empower participants with the knowledge and confidence to take control of their financial futures while fostering a supportive collective of women investors and significantly impacting the mining investment community."

PearTree Canada is excited to partner with The Femina Collective, saying:

“We are proud to partner with The Femina Collective to help deliver the Femina Investment Education Course. This collaboration reflects our shared commitment to empowering women to create personal wealth and drive positive change in the mining sector.”

Nicola Wealth is looking forward to the collaboration, stating:

"At Nicola Wealth, we recognize that investment knowledge is a key driver of financial empowerment. As one of Canada’s leading independent wealth management firms, we equip women clients with the expertise and confidence to navigate wealth matters and investment opportunities with sophistication and strategic insight," says Jasmine Marichic, Wealth Advisor at Nicola Wealth. "The Femina Investment Education Course aligns with our mission to ensure everyone is empowered to meet their full potential. We proudly contribute our expertise to an initiative fostering financial independence and long-term wealth creation."

Registration for the Femina Investment Education Course opens on March 5, 2025. For more information, visit www.thefeminacollective.com.

About The Femina Collective

The Femina Collective is a global organization dedicated to empowering women in the mining sector through community creation and educational programs. Focusing on fostering diversity and inclusion, the Femina Collective offers a range of initiatives designed to support women at all stages of their careers and entrepreneurial journeys.

For more information, please visit: www.thefeminacollective.com

About PearTree Canada

PearTree Canada is Canada’s leading source of flow-through capital for exploration and development financing. It is the originator of the Flow-Through Share Donation Platform, which connects donors, investors and mining companies. A Canadian Securities dealer and investment fund manager, PearTree advances $500 Million annually for mineral exploration and mine development in a uniquely Canadian structure, which results in as much as $2.00 of capital deployed for every $1.00 invested by global institutions, family offices and strategic investors. Since 2007, the PearTree platform has provided exploration and development funding at premium share prices, reducing share dilution. PearTree’s platform “subsidizes” the investment cost for domestic and international market participants by capturing the value of tax deductions and credits available to initial Canadian subscribers to benefit issuers and long-term investors. PearTree’s platform has helped create jobs in rural and remote communities while supporting Canadian charities.

For more information, please visit: www.peartreecanada.com

About Nicola Wealth

Nicola Wealth is a national wealth management firm serving high-net-worth entrepreneurs, families, and institutions. With advisors in British Columbia, Alberta, and Ontario, the firm manages over $17 billion in assets. In addition to traditional investments, Nicola Wealth portfolios include private asset classes such as real estate, private equity, private debt, and commercial mortgages, offering a broader approach to wealth management. The firm is recognized for excellence in business and workplace culture, earning distinctions as a Deloitte Best Managed Company (Platinum Member), one of Canada’s Top 100 SME Employers, BC’s Top Employers, and a 5-Star Wealth Management Firm by Wealth Professional Canada.

For more information, please visit: www.nicolawealth.com

Media inquiries:

Beth Borody

Founder & CEO

bethborody@thefeminacollective.com

Mining Is Not Too Narrow—It’s the Foundation of Our Future

The Femina Collective has launched our Investment Course, which is designed for people interested in learning more about investing and how mining can play a critical role in diversifying their portfolios. During the course development, I reached out to companies and institutions to explore partnerships and bring their expertise forward for participants.

As is often the case, we received an enthusiastic “yes” from some and a committed “no” from others. That’s business. But one particular response stopped me in my tracks. Someone told me, “Mining is too narrow, and we are about bringing private opportunities to retail investors.”

That comment broke my brain. Not because they mentioned private investments—I understand the value there—but because they dismissed mining as being “too narrow.”

Too narrow?

That simple phrase sent me down a rabbit hole. It sparked conversations and venting sessions with colleagues about how little people understand mining. Because here’s the truth: mining is anything but narrow. It is vast, dynamic, and deeply interconnected with every facet of modern life.

When people hear “mining,” they often picture little more than digging holes in the ground. But mining underpins the global energy transition, technological innovation, and infrastructure development. It is the bedrock upon which we are building the future. And that future requires more metals and minerals than ever before.

Mining is not just one thing—it is everything.

It is critical minerals enabling electric vehicles. It is copper wiring powering renewable energy grids. It is lithium batteries driving the electrification revolution. It is precious metals stabilizing economies and safeguarding investments.

Beyond that, every mine brings a network of supporting industries and opportunities—engineering, construction, transportation, technology, and community development. To call mining “narrow” is to overlook the sheer complexity and breadth of this sector.

Now, let’s be honest: investing in mining carries risk. We know this better than anyone. It can be volatile. It requires patience. It is often a long-term, strategic investment. You don’t touch it during the ups and downs; you let it sit and do its work. But with that risk can come exceptional returns.

And the range of investment options is far from limited:

Stocks. Bonds. ETFs. Private placements. Direct investments.

There are entry points for every investor, at every stage, with every risk appetite.

What that comment truly highlighted for me was the industry’s ongoing image problem. People simply don’t know. They don’t understand the scale or importance of mining. And that is exactly why we need to offer more opportunities for education—to empower people to see beyond the surface (pun intended) and make informed investment choices.

Mining is not narrow. It is foundational.

And it’s time we start treating it that way.

In a time when mining capital is at risk and our traditional ways of investing are not moving us forward, we need to focus on educating those populations who have typically not been active mining investors—women being one of these markets. We know in Canada and in most economically stable countries that women are going to hold a level of wealth that has never been seen before. We have a bridge to build between these two.

This is exactly what our upcoming Investment Course aims to achieve. We want to demystify investing, starting with the basics—understanding your investment style, identifying opportunities, and assessing risk. From there, we will dive into mining: how the sector operates, why it matters, and how it can contribute to a resilient, diversified portfolio.

Educating and empowering women to confidently navigate investments, including mining, is not just an opportunity—it is a necessity. Together, we can break down the barriers and build a future where more people, especially women, see mining for what it truly is: a vital, strategic, and rewarding investment.

Interested on the course? Sign up for our waitlist to be the first to register!