As a young child, Janany Jayanthikumar struggled with her self-esteem and confidence, recalling incidents where she felt she did not belong due to the colour of her skin. Remarks about being “too dark” as a South Asian girl stayed with her for years, leaving a lasting impact on how she saw herself.
Today, Janany has a master’s degree in social work from the University of Toronto and is the founder of the Centre for Social Work Education (CSWE), which provides training and consultation specializing in mental health and trauma resolution for individuals and organizations. Before starting CSWE, Janany worked in various clinical and academic settings for nearly a decade, including The Hospital for Sick Children (Sickkids), the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, and the Scarborough Health Network.
Drawing on this rich experience, she launched CSWE which aims to empower its clients to reach their full potential and become mental health leaders. After Janany enrolled in Sheridan EDGE’s cohort-based Rise program for entrepreneurs, CSWE doubled its revenues in the last nine months and is now adding therapy services as it branches into new revenue streams outside its established educational offerings. Other project milestones achieved for CSWE through Rise include a clear marketing strategy to help drive up sales and market visibility.
For Janany, building a business while participating in the Rise program was a journey of healing, as she mastered her lingering fears around public speaking and self-image. As a Rise member, Janany benefited from personalized coaching, a supportive network of entrepreneurs and the opportunity to network and build the connections she needed to scale up her enterprise.
“The individual sessions with my Rise coach Chris-Beth Cowie were really impactful, because we could connect around faith, using it as a pillar for motivation,” says Janany. “It is thanks to the supportive community at Rise that I can build CSWE as a sustainable venture.” Chris-Beth drew on her experience as a serial social entrepreneur leading purpose driven organizations and supporting equity-deserving communities to empower Janany’s leadership development for CSWE.
Janany is not only betting on herself and her business; she is a busy mom of three young children. When she met the Rise team during her application process, she recognized that this was a space that would support her business and recognize her as a whole person.
She reflects on the first meeting with the EDGE team “with a sick kid on my lap.” Her first lesson with Rise was that there are spaces where you can be many different things outside work. Rise itself is a holistic program that promotes mental wellbeing as well as success in business.
“That really set the stage for me – previously I would have talked myself out of doing something like this,” says Janany.
Next, Chris-Beth steered Janany through the early stages of establishing CSWE, including setting up logistics and building up her confidence in pitching her idea to potential clients. This allowed her to make “10 calls before 10 a.m.,” under Chris Beth’s guidance.
As CSWE grew, Janany’s Rise community continued opening doors for her. She attended the Generator at Sheridan’s annual showcase conference, meeting Sheridan researchers and faculty members. She also presented a session on shifting the mindset through the power of thoughts and how to plan for 2025 at last year’s closing session celebrations for the second Rise cohort, titled Lead with Vision: Clarifying Purpose Through Mindset Work. Most recently, Janany spoke at the Empowering Women in Business (EWB) Conference held over International Women’s Day. She showcased her venture to more than 300 women entrepreneurs and professionals in attendance. Her EWB session focused on promoting wellbeing in women entrepreneurs and preventing burnout. She also discussed how achievement can be redefined to include personal fulfillment, maintaining a healthy mindset and self-image, as well as impact and sustainability, moving beyond traditional expectations
of business success.
“Being asked to do these things really helped me overcome my fears – you must step into the arena even if you don’t feel prepared,” says Janany.
Her advice for others following in her footsteps is to “be open to the possibilities that may show up, even if it’s outside your work. Really take the time to invest in yourself, as we’re often stuck until we fully believe in ourselves.”
Currently, CSWE has major organizations as clients, including the Peel Regional Police and the Toronto Fire Services. Janany’s business presently spans Ontario, but she aims to scale it up nationally and globally.
About Sheridan EDGE
Visit Sheridan EDGE’s website to learn more about Rise, a program tailored for social entrepreneurs who have a viable product or service and have defined objectives grounded in social or environmental impact.
