It’s no surprise that tech’s got a serious gender gap issue.

When it comes to the allocation of resources and mentorship within the industry, things tend to skew male. That’s where local Toronto co-working group SheCoSystem comes in. SheCoSystem is a hub for women in Toronto to collaborate and engage in creativity together. Their goal? To promote holistic self-care as a way to thrive in the entrepreneurial field.

Founded by experiential education specialist and teacher Emily Rose Antflick, the collective aims to change our views on so-called soft skills, ones that are usually undervalued in a contemporary work culture that thrives on hard data and other rigidly quantitative measures.

Antflick has leased a space that will be opening in the fall on Bloor St. near Christie Pits. For the month of August, you can find her at the Gladstone for the pop-up #ShecoXGladstone.

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Each session begins with what Antflick has dubbed a “check in.” Participants are invited to meditate briefly to help themselves focus on their intentions for the session. There is a strong emphasis on shifting old ways of thinking that keep professionals alienated from each other. Antflick hopes to do away with the stale paradigm of competition, fragmentation and hierarchical leadership that she believes no longer serves us. According to her, a more interdependent and collaborative society is the only way toward a more sustainable future.

I got a chance to sample SheCoSystem during Tech Week and walked away with a spinning head. Antflick encouraged participants to brainstorm the ways in which we can use technology to contribute to balance in seven different spheres of the self: emotional, physical, social, intellectual, spiritual, financial, and environmental. For instance: if you feel like your spending is out of control, you can turn to personal accounting apps to set a budget and keep track of where it all goes.

Getting a business running from the ground up can be an isolating task, so participants were encouraged to cultivate understanding and supportive relationships in order to arrive at a more holistic definition of success. Technology connects, but community provides a sense of belonging and unites us through shared values. Antflick has seen first-hand that when women thrive, they reinvest in their communities.

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Want to get involved? Find a mentor? Learn more about how to take care of yourself with a busy schedule? Try a SheCoSystem event for yourself. Details here:

When: August 16, 17 & 18, 10-4 each day
Where: Gladstone Hotel Melody Bar, 1214 Queen St. West
Bring: Laptop and work materials, business cards, clothes you can move in
Cost: $25 per day or $60 for all 3 (includes coffee & tea, mentorship, and a 45-minute wellness session)