Barb Stegemann
Barb Stegemann (born 1969 in Pointe Claire, Quebec) is a Canadian author, motivational speaker and social business innovator. She was also the first female honorary colonel for 14 Wing Canadian Force Base Greenwood (2011-2015).[1][2] She is the author of The 7 Virtues of a Philosophical Queen and CEO and founder of the fragrance company The 7 Virtues Beauty Inc, both inspired in part by the peace mission of her friend Trevor Greene. She became better known to the public after her appearance on the Dragons' Den on CBC asking for an investment in her perfume business using fair-trade orange blossom essential oil from Afghanistan. [3]
Stegemann and her work to help Afghan farmers grow legal orange blossoms and roses are featured in the 2016 documentary Perfume War.
Biography
Early life and education
Born in Montreal, Barb Stegemann's family moved to Nova Scotia when she was 8 years old. Her parents split up shortly after the move. Her teenage years were spent living in a trailer with her mom and her sister Marjorie. Stegemann experienced bullying in school and an absent mother at home.[4] [5]
She attended The University of King’s College in Halifax, Nova Scotia where she met Trevor Greene who became like a brother to her. She did her journalism degree at King's College and eventually moved to the West Coast and attended the Douglas College Self-Employment program in Vancouver.[4]
Friendship with Trevor Greene
Trevor Greene and Barb Stegemann became friends during their student years at King's College. They met again in British Columbia years later. In 2006, Trevor joined a mission to Afghanistan to bring clean water to villages where he was nearly killed by an axe to the head. [6][4] When he was flown back to Canada, Stegemann promised herself to continue his peace mission, not knowing if he was going to live.[7]
Her book The 7 Virtues of a Philosopher Queen is dedicated to Trevor. After publishing it, she kept looking into opportunities to carry on his peace mission. Both believed in peace through economic development.[4]
Orange Blossoms
In 2008, NPR published a story about Abdullah Arsala, an Afghan businessman who denied growing poppies for opium and who grows orange blossoms and roses instead.[8] As Trevor Greene was still healing, Stegemann read about Arsala and promptly decided to meet with CIDA and the Ambassador of Afghanistan in Ottawa in order to find him. The idea of trading with him directly and encouraging his initiative seemed to her a way to fulfill Greene’s mission. She bought 2000 Canadian dollars of his oil on her credit card and created a perfume "out of her garage" with the oil she bought.[9]
Dragons' Den
Barb Stegemann presented her perfume and need for investment in The 7 Virtues fragrances on season 5 (2010-2011) of the TV show Dragons' Den. She gained the partnership of dragon and mentor W. Brett Wilson.[3]
14 Wing Greenwood
Barb Stegemann was celebrated as the first female honorary colonel of the 14 Wing Greenwood Base of the Royal Canadian Air Forces during her installation ceremony on December 9th, 2011, taking over George Canyon.[2][1]
Career
Book - The 7 Virtues of a Philosopher Queen
The 7 Virtues of a Philosopher Queen (A Woman's Guide to Living and Leading in an Illogical World) was initially published in 2008. The 8th edition is being sold in 2021.
Stegemann wrote this book to share the purchasing and voting power that all can use to help the world. She encourages everyone and especially women to harness it. Divided into 7 chapters representing each a virtue, Stegemann uses leadership examples from various industries to empower the reader to take action. Multiple quotes and wisdom inspired by philosophers, such as Marcus Aurelius, can be found as well as examples from Stegemann's life experiences.[10][11]
Fragrances & Beauty
Barb Stegemann is the CEO and founder of The 7 Virtues Beauty Inc. It launched with her first fragrance Afghan Orange Blossom in March 2010.[9] The main products are a collection of organic, fair-trade, essential oil perfumes in 2 different sizes.
Stegemann sees this business as a social enterprise using perfumes to fight war and poverty.[10] As a way to help Afghanistan's poppy crops workers to build a life in legal fields for themselves and their families, she decided to create a product that would use organic, fair-trade essential oils from farmers such as Abdullah Arsala and develop a product for the North American market. [3] Having herself grown up on welfare for part of her childhood, she considers that supporting the economy of a region in need is a more effective way to create stability for them than to rely on charity. This thinking is the root of The 7 Virtues fragrances.[4]
Perfume War Documentary
Perfume War is an hour and thirty-five minute long documentary under the direction of Michael Melski and producer Mike Velemirovich. The documentary takes the viewer into Abdullah Arsala and Barb Stegemann's collaboration to resist the pressure to grow poppies used for opium in Afghanistan.[12][13]
Motivational talks
Barb has done multiple talks including her journey and knowledge where she shares skills useful to leaders. She talks about the possibilities that business can bring to fight war and poverty. [10]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1302030. "Tidings Winter 2011". Issuu. Retrieved 2021-04-04.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Keddy, Sarah (2019-12-19). "Stegemann signs on Honorary Colonel 'right at home'" (PDF). The Aurora Newspaper. 32. No 49. Retrieved 2021-04-01. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Season 5: 7 Virtues - Dragons' Den". CBC. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Kimber, Stefan (January 2018). "Scents and Sensibility" (PDF). Atlantic Business Magazine. Retrieved 2021-03-26. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Barbara Stegemann | HuffPost". www.huffingtonpost.ca. Retrieved 2021-04-04.
- ↑ "Barb Stegemann: An Entrepreneur of Virtuous Purpose". Canadian Military Family Magazine. Retrieved 2021-04-04.
- ↑ "Dragons' Den: Flower power". nationalpost. Retrieved 2021-04-05.
- ↑ Garrett, Leslie. "The Man Who Defied the Taliban by Growing Flowers". Pacific Standard. Retrieved 2021-04-04.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Perfumery explores virtues of building a socially conscious brand". Retrieved 2021-04-05.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 "Barb Stegemann". BigSpeak. 2021. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Book Review: The 7 Virtues of a Philosopher Queen (4th Edition) by Barbara Stegemann". Chris Hache. 2014-04-04. Retrieved 2021-04-04.
- ↑ "Perfume War – watch this fascinating documentary..." The Perfume Society. 2020-05-07. Retrieved 2021-04-03.
- ↑ "Perfume War offers real substance as it follows a single mom taking on corporate giants". nationalpost. Retrieved 2021-04-05.
External links
- Barb Stegemann
- CBC Dragons' Den 7 Virtues
- Perfume War Documentary
- IMDB Perfume War
- NPR 2008 Story: Abdullah Arsala
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