I came across an article recently about the future of AI. The part that stopped me in my tracks wasn’t the usual speculation about jobs, ethics, or power. It was a comment from one of the founders of AI who said: the only way we’ll stop AI from ruining humanity is to make it more female.
Tell me more…
He went on to explain that we need to train AI to care for humanity the way mothers instinctively care for their children. Not because fathers don’t care deeply, but because biologically, a mother’s instinct to nurture, protect, and even sacrifice is powerful. If AI can learn that level of care, perhaps there’s hope.
It made me think about the phrase “the future is female” in a new way.
Leaning into the feminine
This resonated because over the last year, I’ve been leaning more into my feminine side—both personally and professionally. Yes, I own a consulting company. But I also opened a female-focused coworking space, The Apiary. That idea came to me after attending a conference filled with 300 women entrepreneurs—surrounded by flowers, bouquets, twinkle lights, and fierce energy. It wasn’t frivolous; it was powerful.
For years, I worked in sterile 1970s architecture—steel railings, concrete floors, and professional wardrobes of suits, pencil skirts, and black heels. Spaces built for utility, not beauty. Opening The Apiary was my way of reclaiming feminine energy in a professional setting. Each room is named after a flower. Colours are soft and welcoming. And you can feel it—whether you’re one of my teenage boys or a woman founder walking through the door.
Writing my book has made me notice this shift too. My closet is no longer only black, white, and grey. It’s pink, yellow, and light blue—mirroring the very rooms of The Apiary. Femininity isn’t a “nice to have.” It’s a form of power we’ve been told to suppress.
The softness we trade away
This showed up again as I prepared my daughter for university. Her dorm room theme? “Granddaughter Coastal.” Think Cape Cod cottage meets summer softness. Not my dorm experience. But then I remembered my first apartment, with its white frilly duvet and flowers. Over time, like so many women, I traded softness for practicality—grey couches, beige walls, “neutral” choices that supposedly meant serious, adult, professional.
Somewhere along the way, we’re taught that femininity doesn’t belong in our work lives. And yet, when people walk into The Apiary, they immediately feel the opposite: that softness, beauty, and care belong exactly here.
If AI needs it, don’t we?
Which brings me back to AI. If the founders of AI believe humanity’s best chance is to infuse this technology with feminine energy—care, empathy, nurture—what does that say about us?
At The Apiary, our consulting company anchors this belief. We’re women, and we don’t hide that we care deeply about our clients, our colleagues, and each other. Family health and well-being come first. That doesn’t make us weaker; it makes us better.
So maybe we should offer ChatGPT a desk at The Apiary. Who knows? Maybe feminine energy really can save humanity.
A final thought
I recall the universities and colleges I’ve worked with. Rarely do I see feminine energy celebrated in those halls. A female dean redesigns her office with white furniture and is whispered about as frivolous. A male leader installs a massive oak desk, and no one bats an eye.
So I’ll leave you with this: What is it about embracing femininity in our work lives that makes people uncomfortable? What would happen if we welcomed more of it in—at our desks, in our spaces, in our leadership?
Next time you dismiss something as “girly,” pause. That energy might be precisely what we need to fix the things we’ve been getting wrong.
**********************************************************
Every week, I share a roundup of positions connected to career education, work-integrated learning, experiential learning, and executive education—roles that shape the environments where students, staff, and communities thrive.
Here are this week’s opportunities across Canada:
British Columbia
- Career and College Preparation Instructor — Northern Lights College — Link — Close Date: 06-Sep-25
- Director, Centre for Economic and Workforce Development — College of the Rockies — Link — Close Date: 26-Sep-25
- Indigenous Student Success Coordinator — College of the Rockies — Link — Close Date: 10-Sep-25
- Associate Director, Student Life — BCIT — Link
- Director, Student Success — Kwantlen Polytechnic University — Link
- Field Experience Manager — UBC — Link — Close Date: 10-Sep-25
- Co-op and Career Assistant — University of Victoria — Link — Close Date: 11-Sep-25
- Employer Engagement & Events Coordinator — Okanagan College — Link — Close Date: 07-Sep-25
- Associate Director, Student Affairs — University of the Fraser Valley — Link — Close Date: 14-Sep-25
- Director, Executive Education — Simon Fraser University — Link — Close Date: 08-Sep-25
- Associate Director, Indigenous Engagement and Citizenship — TRU — Link — Close Date: 09-Dec-25
Alberta
- Indigenous Student Advisor — NorQuest College — Link — Close Date: 11-Sep-25
- Project Navigator, WIL Bursary (term-certain) — Red Deer Polytechnic — Link
- Senior Manager, Business Development — SAIT — Link
- Work Integrated Learning Officer — University of Alberta — Link — Close Date: 12-Sep-25
- Development Associate, Corporate Relations — University of Alberta — Link — Close Date: 09-Sep-25
- Student Services Coordinator — Haskayne School of Business, University of Calgary — Link — Close Date: 11-Sep-25
- Manager, Community Partnered Research and Engagement — University of Calgary — Link — Close Date: 08-Sep-25
Saskatchewan
- Associate Vice President, Student Services — Saskatchewan Polytechnic — Link
- Manager, Student Services, Edwards School of Business — University of Saskatchewan — Link — Close Date: 08-Sep-25
- Student Advising and Career Readiness Officer — University of Saskatchewan, St. Thomas More College — Link — Open until filled
Manitoba
- Clinical Education Facilitator/Clinical Internship Supervisor — Université de Saint-Boniface — Link
- Indigenous Academic Advisor & Counsellor — University of Manitoba — Link — Close Date: 16-Sep-25
Ontario
- Employment Consultant (Term) — Cambrian College — Link — Close Date: 04-Sep-25
- Lead Applied Research Project Coordinator (2-year Initiatives Opportunity Contract) — Centennial College — Link — Close Date: 05-Sep-25
- Field Advisor & Placement Coordinator — Wilfrid Laurier University — Link — Close Date: 17-Sep-25
- Placement Officer — Wilfrid Laurier University — Link — Close Date: 05-Sep-25
- Pod Coordinator and Community Liaison, Abundant Intelligences — OCAD University — Link — Close Date: 05-Sep-25
- Work Integrated Learning Manager — Western University — Link
- Career and Engagement Advisor (contract) — King’s University College — Link — Close Date: 09-Sep-25
- Manager, Educational and Employer Partnerships — York University — Link
- Director, Admissions and Student Services — Queen’s University — Link — Close Date: 18-Sep-25
- Co-op Internship Coordinator — University of Toronto Mississauga — Link — Close Date: 09-Sep-25
- Teaching Lab and Field Coordinator — University of Toronto St. George — Link — Close Date: 10-Sep-25
- Student Success & Program Coordinator — University of Toronto Scarborough — Link — Close Date: 07-Sep-25
- Team Lead, Co-op Curriculum/Learning and Student Experience — University of Toronto Scarborough — Link — Close Date: 07-Sep-25
- Team Lead, External Relations and Industry Partnerships — University of Toronto Scarborough — Link — Close Date: 08-Sep-25
New Brunswick
- Executive Director, Startup Programs & Innovation Partnerships — University of New Brunswick — Link — Close Date: 10-Sep-25
Nova Scotia
- Director, Executive and Professional Development (Temporary) — Saint Mary’s University — Link — Close Date: 12-Sep-25
Newfoundland & Labrador
- Employment Consultant — College of the North Atlantic — Link — Close Date: 05-Sep-25