International Women’s Day is often marked by bold statements and big ideas, but sometimes its power shows up more quietly. In shared stories. In moments of honesty. In rooms where people feel safe enough to speak, listen, and be changed by what they hear.
This year, Bow Valley Boot Stomp is marking International Women’s Day with an evening built around that very idea.
On March 7 at Found Books in Cochrane, the International Women’s Day Female Songwriters Round brings together four emerging country music artists, Jennie Harluk, Hayley Isabel, Ashley Law, and BERLYN, for an intimate night of conversation and live music. As part of Alberta’s growing country music scene, this event highlights both local and touring female talent in a uniquely personal format. Each performer will share a story from their life or career, followed by a song shaped by that experience. Story first. Song second. Truth at the centre.
In the lead-up to the event, we asked the artists to reflect on what International Women’s Day and the Give to Gain theme means to them. What they shared were personal stories of community over competition, finding confidence in uncertain rooms, and the quiet power of being believed in.
Together, their voices paint a picture of an industry and a world at their best when women support women and when space is made for everyone to be heard.
Community Over Competition
For songwriter Jennie Harluk, the idea of giving generously in the music industry looks less like rivalry and more like friendship.
“In an industry that can feel very competitive, sometimes secretive in ‘routes to success’, relationships can sometimes feel surface level and fake,” she reflects. But she has seen another way forward, one rooted in collaboration and trust. “Collectively, we enter songwriting rooms and break open our hearts to create the best song. There’s room for many. If we brought that same mindset into our relationships with other women, we’d be so much better off.”
The belief that there is space for more than one voice, more than one version of success, is echoed throughout this event. It is not about comparison. It is about connection.
Ashley Law shares a similar perspective, shaped by her own journey.
“Over the years, I’ve really tried to support women within my music. And that’s why I love International Women’s Day. It brings the hard work and dedication that women have put into their careers and their journeys, and it tells the true story behind it. I believe my music shows the hard work, the resilience, and the pain it took to get to a place, but also just how strong women are as individuals. And that’s truly why I love this day so much.”
Her words speak directly to the heart of the evening: resilience, honesty, and the strength behind the songs.
Finding Your Place in the Room
That sense of connection, of knowing there is room for more than one voice, does not appear overnight. For many women in music, it is shaped by specific moments: the first time they felt seen, the first time they were taken seriously, or the first time someone said, “You belong here.”
Many women in music can point to a moment when they questioned whether they truly belonged, whether their voice would be heard or taken seriously.
Jennie remembers hers clearly. At just 16 years old, she entered the YYC Music Awards with a song she had written entirely on her own. She did not expect much. Instead, she walked away with Pop Recording of the Year.
“I think that was one of the first moments in my career I’d felt validated and ‘believed in’ by ‘the industry’,” she says. Years later, that moment still grounds her. “I can look back and see all the connected dots, so I know there are also dots ahead yet to be connected.”
For BERLYN, confidence grew more gradually through encouragement from other women who had already walked similar paths.
“Walking into industry spaces where I was young and unsure if I’d be taken seriously,” she shares. “The support I received from women who encouraged me, shared their experiences, and reminded me that I belonged gave me the confidence to keep going. That support changed how I showed up, not just as an artist, but as a woman finding her place in this tricky industry.”
Those stories, of doubt, validation, and growth, are the heartbeat of this night.
Creating Rooms Where Women Can Thrive
Finding your place in the room is one thing. Helping shape the room itself is another.
As the artists reflected on their own journeys, a shared responsibility emerged, not just to belong, but to create spaces where others feel welcome, supported, and encouraged from the moment they walk in. For singer-songwriter Hayley Isabel, that sense of support has been foundational to her artistic growth.
“There have been times when I felt nervous or inexperienced stepping into writing rooms or on bigger stages,” she says. “What helped most was having people believe in me and my music, not looking at me like a naive little girl.”
That belief, Hayley explains, had a lasting impact, not only on her confidence but on how she shows up in creative spaces.
“The support I’ve received and advice to just be myself has significantly shaped my confidence and made me feel like I belong in rooms of musicians, no matter my age, gender, experience, etc. I’m so grateful for this, and I want everyone to feel that way when attending their first industry event or co-writing for the first time.”
It is that desire, to move from individual encouragement to collective culture, that fuels her hope for the industry moving forward.
“I hope to see more spaces where girls and women feel supported, encouraged, and not compared to each other,” Hayley says. “Events like this matter because they bring women together and remind us that we’re stronger when we support one another.”
Especially in music, she adds, collaboration over competition can change everything.
“Especially in the music industry, it’s important to recognize that nothing really is competitive and we thrive when we work together! I hope more people who are new to the industry feel welcome in the rooms they are in.”
Listening Is Part of the Work
While the evening centres women’s voices and lived experiences, the conversation does not end there. International Women’s Day is also an invitation to men, allies, and anyone who loves country music in Alberta to listen with intention and to consider the role they play in shaping more inclusive, respectful spaces.
For Jennie Harluk, meaningful support has often come from the people who took the time to truly show up, not just professionally, but personally.
“I have been SO blessed by the men who have surrounded me in my music career,” she says. “The guys in my band are some of the people I would consider some of my greatest friends in my life. I’m well aware that is not everyone’s story, and I’m very grateful that it’s mine and it’s something I never take for granted.”
She describes the kind of allyship that has made a lasting difference for her, grounded in respect, curiosity, and shared humanity.
“The attributes of the men I’ve surrounded myself with in music look like this: kind, willing, light-hearted, intentional, good listeners, involved in my personal life and know my personal life to understand me, respectful,” Jennie shares. “Having a mutual respect, a mutual openness to each other, a mutual understanding that I can learn from them and they can learn from me, human to human, not guy to gal, is so important.”
At its core, she says, the work is simple and deeply human.
“We are all just artists, creatives, musicians. What a privilege it is to be brought together by music.”
Meaningful support does not always mean having the loudest voice in the room. Sometimes, it means listening closely and making space for someone else’s story to be heard.
An Evening of Stories, Songs, and Connection
The Bow Valley Boot Stomp team is proudly all-female, a group of women committed to growing country music in Alberta while creating inclusive, welcoming spaces for artists and audiences alike.
As one of the standout events in Cochrane this spring, the International Women’s Day Female Songwriters Round is not about polished answers or perfect performances. It is about honesty. About hearing the stories behind the songs and recognizing pieces of your own journey in someone else’s.
Whether you come for the music, the conversation, or simply to experience one of the most meaningful live music events in Cochrane this season, this night offers something rare: a chance to slow down, listen deeply, and celebrate the power of women sharing their voices, and to leave feeling inspired by what you have heard.
Come early, grab a drink, and settle in for an inspiring night of stories and song, one that stays with you long after the last note is played.
This International Women’s Day, when women give their stories, we all gain.
Found Books
March 7 | 6:30–10:00 PM
Tickets: $30 in advance | $35 at the door (if available)
Curated swag bags for all attendees
