

Welcome to the Empowered & Kind Blog, a space dedicated to inspiring and supporting women through authentic stories, personal reflections, helpful articles and fund quizzes. Turn inward to explore your relationship with yourself, or look outward to discover new ways of seeing the world around you. You can also get to know more about our co-founder on Karla’s Korner, try some fun quizzes and catch up with our Sunday Relax & Read Series.
Travel Stories: India II – I’m back, reflecting on India!
Karla Stephens-Tolstoy is the co-founder of Stand Up Speak Up, a brand devoted to healing and giving back. She was
Travel Stories: India I – From the Triad to the Director of Bribes!
Karla Stephens-Tolstoy is the co-founder of Stand Up Speak Up, a brand devoted to healing and giving back. She was
Travel Stories: China IV – The Last Straw
While we knew things were never going to be easy in China, even the more experienced members of our team
Travel Stories: China III – Adopting Lake to the Red Army
It was a lonely existence for me in China. We only had a dial up connection and couldn’t often talk
Travel Stories: China II – Staffing & Life in Changsha
Going from Canada to Changsha in the mid-90s was a culture shock for our team in almost every way. We
Travel Stories: China I – Moving to Changsha
I graduated from McMaster University with a BA in Humanities, a concentration that no longer exists. It was basically a
Travel Stories Intro – Al & Karla’s Love Story
We are about to get started with a series that is all about my career of working internationally in telecommunications.