Despina Zanganas

All the work Despina Zanganas does is dedicated to empowering women. Zanganas is the co-founder of Lean In Canada, a networking organization that empowers women to build purposeful and fulfilling careers. She is also a realtor and the founder of I am Despina Realty, where she helps women navigate the real estate landscape and coaches them to be financially independent through homeownership. In 2013, Zanganas read Sheryl Sandberg’s book, Lean In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead, and was inspired to co-found the Lean In organization. In only five years, it grew to 6,000 members, and it currently holds well over 8,000 members across Canada. During this time, Zanganas made a wealth of connections and discovered her life’s work: to empower her fellow females. Zanganas' podcast, Connect and Bloom, features prominent women from all walks of life who talk about how the right connections have changed their personal and professional lives.

When Zanganas was 16, she bought her first fixer-upper in Toronto with her mother and sold it for profit. Years later, she did the exact same thing again, quickly realizing a passion for real estate. Through personal experience, Zanganas knows the importance of owning real estate as a single woman. She often holds events for first-time female homebuyers to educate them on everything they need to know from statistics on female homeownership, how to finance buying their first home, to cohabitation agreements.

Zanganas began her career in the digital design space, and was the creative director of multiple design agencies. She won many distinguished awards such as the IABC Gold Quill and NSPRA Awards of Excellence. After several years in the industry, she started her own successful design company, which would later become 108 Ideaspace, an award-winning digital marketing agency in Toronto. Zanganas has worked with many clients including British Airways, LCBO, Metrolinx, Toronto Hydro, Law Society of Upper Canada, Mellon Bank, and Nestle. She has been featured on CBC Radio, CP24, Global News, Toronto Star, Sun News Network, Livabl, Apartment Therapy, Flare Magazine, and more, discussing issues that are pertinent to women. She is also a public speaker, advisor, board member, mentor and coach. Empowering women is at the heart of everything she does.