Meet Clarté—Vancouver’s upcoming sanctuary for high-capacity women founders where boardroom ambition meets mindful restoration. Launching January 2026, this members-only House (founded by Kelsey Acres) promises curated rituals, intimate gatherings, and nervous-system–friendly programming designed to help women scale their businesses without sacrificing their wellbeing. In our Q&A, Kelsey shares why harmony, not hustle, is the new power move for leaders. —Noa Nichol
What was the moment that made you realize Vancouver needed a private club like Clarté—one built specifically for high-capacity women founders—and how would you sum up the club’s purpose in one sentence?
Clarté was born from a feeling we know many women founders experience, feeling unseen in traditional spaces, burned out by performative networking, and underserved by rooms that didn’t match their depth or discernment. We realized Vancouver had no space designed for the woman who had already done the work, where they could be themselves, feel held, and connect deeply without the pressure to perform.
In one sentence: Clarté exists to guide women founders toward clarity in their businesses, in themselves, and in the way they lead their lives – with strategic depth, emotional resonance, and community that feels like home.
Clarté promises luxury down to “the scent in the air”—how does the sensory design of the House reinforce wellbeing, focus, and the kind of conversation you want members to have?
From the moment a member steps into the Club by Clarté, every detail, from lighting to scent, sound, and tactile touches, is designed to create presence, ease, and belonging. These sensory cues allow women to step out of “performance mode,” drop the hats they wear all day, and show up as they truly are. By crafting experiences that feel luxurious, intentional, and grounding, we invite clarity of thought, deep conversation, and connection that nurtures the whole person, not just the founder.
Who exactly is Clarté for—what are the criteria for membership, and how do you balance exclusivity with accessibility and diversity?
Clarté is for women leading six- and seven-figure businesses who are ready to deepen their personal and professional growth. Members are intentional, growth-oriented, open, and curious, seeking connection, wellbeing, and a space to expand themselves beyond the day-to-day of running a business.
While the club is intentionally curated to maintain a high-caliber, focused environment, we are deeply committed to inclusivity: women of all cultural backgrounds, identities, and lived experiences are welcomed, provided their mindset, intentions, and energy align with the club’s ethos. Accessibility needs are thoughtfully accommodated, ensuring every member can fully participate and feel supported.
You describe community over networks—what intentional rituals or recurring experiences will you host to deepen connection and prevent the surface-level networking that founders often complain about?
Connection at Clarté is ritualized and grounded in real conversation. Our Founders Dinners are designed to romanticize the founder experience: long tables set in candlelit rooms, multi-course meals in hidden gems or Michelin-recommended spaces, and conversations that go far beyond the highlight reel. Every table includes a conversation with a local founder willing to share the parts most people leave out. Members can ask questions, engage deeply, and leave with insights and relationships that matter.
Every other month, we host wellness experiences (yoga, breathwork, meditation, sound baths, sauna and cold plunge) followed by grounding lunches. These rituals allow members to reconnect with themselves, laugh, and experience the joy of presence. This is sisterhood, grounded connection, and strategic growth, not networking.
How will Clarté support members’ inner lives—nervous-system care, emotional clarity, and rest—alongside high-level business strategy and growth resources?
We bring in vetted experts to support emotional clarity, nervous-system regulation, and rest. Sessions and experiences teach practical tools for managing stress, cultivating presence, and tending to wellbeing, so members can show up fully not only in business but in life.
What programming can members expect—mentorship, peer advisory circles, investor salons, wellness sessions—and how will you curate the mix each season?
Clarté programming is structured across a 12-month calendar:
- Bi-monthly expert-led table sessions
- Bi-monthly in-person experiences (3 founder dinners, 3 wellness socials)
- Rotating accountability pods quarterly
- Ongoing online community support
Experts are carefully curated, blending established voices with new perspectives each season, ensuring a mix that nourishes, challenges, and inspires every member.
For founders who join, what are three tangible wins you hope they’ll leave with after six months of membership?
- Connection & belonging: Members feel held, understood, and supported, with a trusted circle they can lean on.
- Business clarity & momentum: A 12-month strategy plan with quarterly pulse checks, wealth-building insights, and actionable steps to grow the business sustainably.
- Grounded presence & resilience: Improved nervous-system regulation, emotional stability, and practical tools to maintain clarity, focus, and wellbeing in high-pressure moments.
Confidentiality and trust are essential in private spaces—what systems or cultural norms will you put in place to ensure members feel safe sharing wins, failures, and vulnerabilities?
Clarté is intentionally non-performance-based. Members do not network for leads or sell to one another. A clear code of conduct emphasizes support, kindness, generosity, and inclusivity.
We begin with intentional curation: every member is thoughtfully selected not just for what she’s built, but for how she shows up, for herself and others.
Culturally, we establish shared agreements from the start. Every member receives a clarity guide that outlines not only our expectations around confidentiality, but the deeper ethos of the room: listen more than you speak, hold without fixing, and never share stories that aren’t yours to tell.
How will you measure Clarté’s impact—both qualitatively (wellbeing, belonging) and quantitatively (revenue growth, partnerships, hires)?
We track impact through a blend of intentional touchpoints and member-led reflection. Every member begins with a personalized onboarding strategy session where we define what aligned growth looks like, for her business, her leadership, and her life. This creates a values-rooted baseline from day one.
Throughout the year, we conduct quarterly 1:1 pulse checks, short but potent check-ins to assess progress, pivots, and patterns. These aren’t audits; they’re invitations to reflect on what’s shifting, what’s working, and what support is needed next.
At the end of each membership year, we offer an optional Rhythm Review, a guided reflection that captures both qualitative insights (well-being, clarity, connection) and quantitative shifts (revenue growth, new hires, operational upgrades, strategic collaborations).
We also document ripple effects organically: member stories, referrals, repeat renewals, and in-room collaborations all become markers of resonance.
What’s one bold piece of advice you’d give to an ambitious woman founder right now—about scaling with softness, asking for help, or showing up fully—and how does Clarté help her do that?
Be resilient, grounded, and unapologetically yourself. Scaling with softness is not weakness… it’s strategic power. Ask for help, tend to your wellbeing as fiercely as your business, and lean into community. Clarté provides the space, tools, and trusted circle to do exactly that: show up fully without sacrificing the life you want to lead.
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