Over the past few months we’ve reached out to members of the CanvasRebel community to dive deeper into their stories. We wanted to learn how they got to where they are today and we heard stories that will keep our inspiration cup full for a long time. Their stories, lessons and humor have lifted our spirits and we hope you’ll take a minute to check out the stories below.

Morgan Bolling

Diary of a CEO is a video podcast I love which has helped me expand how I think. He has so many good episodes with interviews of different founders or thought leaders. Dare to Lead By Brene Brown
The Art of Gathering by Priya Parker which may be a little more specific to my work (often bringing people together around food) Read more>>

Chané Michelle

My name is Chané. At my core I am an artist. I think that vocation describes me best bc I consider myself a creative but I also model in my free time. I graduated w a major in Fashion Marketing and Management and I’m currently working in my field an ASM at Lululemon so I’m no stranger to styling and style in general. I paint, I draw, I’ve been designing and sewing since I was 8 and though a lot of my interests lean more towards the materialistic realm of this human experience, I am very deeply absorbed in spirituality and what that journey looks like and means for each of us. Read more>>

Darnell Brown

My path to being a Speed and Performance Coach was initially sparked through curiosity and my passion for problem solving. As an athlete who has participated in sports since a young kid, I’ve accumulated a lot of knowledge and found a passion in helping athletes, and weekend warrior alike. As a high school and collegiate athlete, I would find myself helping my teammates through injuries and helping them peak for their championship meet. As I got older, my thirst for knowledge increased, as well as my passion for problem solving and helping people. That set me on the path as a Speed and Performance Coach, where I have the privilege of helping athletes and weekend warrior reach their athletic and fitness goals. Read more>>

Lisa Raebel

Rebel Girl Marketing exists because of a profound love for storytelling, deeply rooted in a childhood spent immersed in the world of theater. Growing up alongside my dad, who ran the community theater in Woodstock, IL, I found myself captivated by the magic of transforming ordinary moments into extraordinary experiences. While I lacked the skill to memorize lines or hit my marks on stage, I discovered my passion for storytelling in a different realm – marketing. Read more>>

Vera Pashkevich

It’s a bit of a winding story. I suppose it all started when I was a wide-eyed 16-year-old in Germany, watching my family prepare to separate and for my mother and I to make an international move. I didn’t like the idea of leaving the only place that had ever felt like home without taking a piece of it with me. Read more>>

Cat Lantigua

I’m a multi-hyphenate creative who has never been afraid to try new things! My journey as an author, podcaster, founder, and facilitator have stemmed from my insatiable desire to learn as much as I can about the things that spark excitement and curiosity! Read more>>

Asa Leveaux

My journey in the business transformational space began in 2007. At that time, I owned a childcare facility licensed for over 120 children. It was so large that I was responsible for two electrical accounts for one building. Simultaneously, I owned an African-American centered art and collectible boutique called Mahogany Concepts, known for offering fraternity and sorority regalia of the historically black Greek-lettered organizations commonly referred to as the “Divine 9”. Read more>>

Tricia Schmorde

I started with a love and passion for dogs as a very young girl. I dreamed of raising dogs and had a love for wolves at a very young age. I wanted to be a different kind of breeder. So many I saw raised dogs like livestock and had far too many dogs to all be a part of the family. I set out to change this and bring awareness to dog raising and how it should be done to make man’s best friend a valid part of the family from birth up. In my opinion. I have my own views through my research on raising dogs and how it should be done. Read more>>

Amanda Foster

Amanda Foster’s Journey: From CAD Monkey to eDesign Guru

Hello! I’m Amanda Foster, also known as Amandork, the heart and soul behind Foster Decor Consulting. I’m here to share my exhilarating journey from a traditional job to becoming a beacon for creativity in the interior design community. Read more>>

Heidi Alberts

Hi, I’m Heidi, the owner of Body Solutions Electrolysis & Training Center in Rochester, MN. We’ve been a trusted part of this community since 1990, and in 2020, I became the proud owner after years of mentorship, hands-on experience. We’re still family-owned and client-focused, and I’ve worked hard to continue the same welcoming, supportive care that this practice was built on. Read more>>

Anika Baty Mills

Finding my way to publishing was definitely not a part of my plan. Yes, my degree is in Journalism/Mass Communication, but I was a radio and tv kinda girl. After I gave birth to my first child, I realized very quickly a career in the television and radio industry was not going to be easy for me to be with my family the way I wanted to be. So I became a personal trainer and group fitness instructor, which offered the perfect schedule to help me manage my family. I worked in the health and fitness industry for over a decade and loved every minute of it. Read more>>

Alex Shwarzstein

I’ve been fundraising and championing important causes for as long as I can remember. At 23, I realized I could turn my passion into a career, and I’ve been a professional fundraiser ever since.

Early on, I could see that my strengths lent themselves to consulting – I’m a great problem solver, strategist, and I love coaching others. I figured that someday, I would just know when it was time to make the shift away from in-house roles. Then, in 2023, I underwent cancer treatment (for the second time in my life!) while working a demanding job as director of development & communications for a local nonprofit. When I came back to work, my diminished energy and emotional health forced me to reckon with the burnout that so many of us face in the nonprofit sector. Read more>>

Tiffany Spradley

I do have a creative mission that fuels the end goal of my content creation. While sharing food content as a Digital Content Creator is my niche, there is an aspect of the food content that I’m more interested in sharing than the content that I currently share. Folks love to see the comfort food, the cheese pull, the rare steak, the perfectly crisp chicken pot pie, the magnificent 12 layer chocolate cake and while I love sharing these dishes and recipes, I’m extremely interested in the food ways of the south and sharing the history behind the reasons that we eat the foods that we do. For example, rice and gravy was a staple in my home as a child. Read More>>

Jorie Blake Rosen

At just 12 years old, Jorie Blake Rosen has emerged as an inspirational figure with exceptional songwriting abilities. With her lyrics and melodies, she effortlessly captivates audiences, drawing comparisons to the unparalleled talents of Dolly Parton and Taylor Swift. Read more>>

Alice Shikina

When I was a little girl, about 7, I wanted to become an actress. I followed my dream all the way through my early 30s. When I was 13, I auditioned for my first play and was cast as Lucy in the musical Snoopy. Once in high school, I competed in local speech tournaments and made it all the way to nationals. During my sophmore year, I applied and got into a performing arts school for my junior and senior year. I went on to major in theatre in college. Read more>>

Marissa McCurtain

With a love for aesthetics and time management I have always been drawn to creating order and beauty! My family often reminds me that as a child I would rearrange furniture in their homes, create seating charts for holidays as well as timelines and shopping lists for vacations, so when I was exploring careers I had a very natural inclination for event design and management. This industry provided a space for creativity in a visual and logistical capacity which are equal peak interests for me. Read more>>

Maryam Khanna

I don’t even know where to start. Maybe with Alhamdulillah for everything, including every obstacle I didn’t enjoy. For those who don’t know Arabic, Alhamdulillah means “Praise be to God” or “thank God.” I have been alone for about six years, living in two different states by myself. I faced many obstacles to get to where I am. Sometimes I wonder why these obstacles happen, but once they are over, whether I encounter another obstacle or achieve a victory, I learn and understand how they benefited me. I owe my current position to Allah (God) and my resilience. Read more>>

Ronnie Kenyatta

My name is Ronnie Kenyatta, and I’m the founder of RK Strength Training and creator of the Integrated Athletic Enhancement (I.A.E.) Program. I’ve been in the strength and conditioning industry for over 20 years, including 12 years as a strength coach in professional baseball with the New York Mets organization. My journey began with a love for sports, a strong desire to help people, and a deep curiosity about human performance — both physical and mental. Read more>>

Toccarra Cash

I wear a few hats (actor, voiceover artist, writer, entrepreneur), but all of them operate under my core mission: to make sure Black women are seeing themselves and their experiences reflected authentically back to them in a complex, honest and nuanced way. Whether I’m playing a role that makes them feel seen, writing a script that makes them feel heard, or leading one of my workshops that makes them feel understood and connected, my “why” has always been clear, and continues to sharpen in clarity with each project. Read more>>

Stephanie Nash

I think just offering a platform that is unapologetically me. I can be pretty out there for some people but I believe there is a call for action. Most leaders in my industry are either tired of fighting or blinded by fancy wording that consumers push for but fails to support the men and women growing our food. Read more>>

Susy Siddens

I have always made art, but at the age of 19, after just one year at art college, I decided I wasn’t good enough to be a successful artist and I turned to my next favorite thing, art history.

After graduating, I interned as exhibitions officer at Nottingham Art Museum, UK (my big achievement was the Dame Laura Knight traveling exhibition), Leicester City Gallery, UK (where I taught a dry-point print workshop) and San José Museum of Art, USA (where I was introduced to the work of Frida Kahlo for the first time). Read more>>

Laudy Burgos

As a young Latina born and raised in Harlem, NY I had big dreams but did not have the access that many people had to educational programs. In high school I was discouraged from applying to NYU, but I still applied and was accepted. I am a first generation Latina and the first to graduate college and grad school in my family. From a young age I had the calling to become a social worker. As a Brown woman my family and I had faced obstacles in navigating the healthcare and educational systems and I wanted to help others have access to the services they needed. Read more>>

Oliver Caspersen

I’ve always been drawn to film and storytelling, and it all really started when I studied film in London. What I learned, though, wasn’t just technical skills—it was about seeing life as a dream, full of contradictions and surprises. Over the years, I’ve faced a lot of challenges, including a Western I worked on for nearly five years that was totally derailed by distribution issues. But I’ve kept pushing forward, always seeking discovery in my creative work, whether through film, cartoons, or new projects. Read more>>

Bolissa Rejoice Dennis

I’m a nursing student passionate about helping others and making a positive impact on people’s lives. I chose this path because I’ve always been drawn to caring for others and wanted a career that combines compassion with knowledge and skill. Read more>>

Karey Casto-Chrin

Welcome to HOPATHEKAREY I’m Karey, the founder and driving force behind HOPATHEKAREY, a revolutionary beauty brand that harnesses the potency of nature’s most powerful plants, botanicals, and herbs. Our product range spans anti-aging solutions to pain-relieving topicals, all carefully crafted to promote holistic well-being. Read more>>

Jonathan Reddoch

I am a sci-fi, fantasy, romance, and horror author. I write mainly horror flash fiction: that’s my dead and butter. I am also a co-owner and publisher at Collective Tales Publishing. We publish speculative fiction anthologies. We love working with new and upcoming authors. Many of our writers are first-timers so I really enjoy seeing them get excited for their first publication. Our most popular books are Collective Darkness and Darkness 101: Lessons Were Learned, which features 101 stories that are each 101 words in length exactly. We’re always looking for new stories so anyone who is interested in submitting should check our website for open submissions: CTPfiction.com Read more>>

Zoe Branch

I left my career in journalism in 2020 to pursue being fully self-employed in New York City. Prior to that, I’d run my original typewriter poetry business, flora & phrase, as a side hustle for two years, and I wanted to give myself the chance to see if I could take more control over my creativity and harness it into my job. Read more>>

Jen Zwinck

My name is Jen Zwinck. I became a widow at 35 years old when my husband Brent was suddenly and unexpectedly killed at a bachelor party for a friend. I was left alone to raise our 2 year old daughter, Claire. After months and even years of healing, I have learned many lessons about grief along the way. I had so much support from my family and a local widows group, who became an integral part of my healing journey. We shared our struggles, our hopes , our fears. I thrived on hearing the stories of those widows who were months and years ahead of me on their widowhood journey. Read more>>

Kristen Calderon

I got into screenwriting through a friend of mine, which led me to various mentors who inspired me further with screenwriting. I have written several scripts now, including two feature films, one being a Native American Christmas movie which I hope to get made someday soon. Read more>>

Amir H.Toosi

Hard work, consistency, patience, and taking risks have brought me to where I stand today. I was born in the capital, Tehran, but due to my father’s business, I grew up on a small island in the Persian Gulf—Kish Island, Iran. Growing up in the 1990s, in the aftermath of the Iran-Iraq War, meant living with limited infrastructure. This experience taught me, and many others of my generation, the value of hard work in achieving even the simplest things in life. Read more>>

Tony Brinkley

I’ve never planned very much – although if necessary, I can. Without planning, I discovered I could be ready for what I needed to be ready for. I went to graduate school because I was in love with someone who was no longer there when I got there. And so it went on from there. “Readiness is all,” Hamlet says – the readiness for example of an actor on each night of performance – and that has been an understanding I have relied on. Now at 77 I practice readiness as an aesthetic and as a blessing. I’ve also learned to listen to what Jesus says in the BOOK OF THOMAS: Don’t tell lies and do not do the things you hate. Easier said than done, but it is good imperative. Read more>>

TiElla Grimes

I’m TiElla Grimes — a Mindset Coach, Generational Relations Advisor, and Founder of InnHer Uplift Consulting. With over two decades of experience in youth development, coaching, and facilitation, I help individuals and organizations build the internal capacity to lead with clarity, resilience, and purpose. My path into this work was never linear — it was shaped by lived experience, creative expression, and a deep desire to bridge the gaps I saw between success and sustainability, leadership and self-awareness, achievement and authenticity. Read more>>

Michael Otule

how I wanted to go about it. I could have easily recorded myself in the gym or recorded daily vlogs, but I wanted to do something different. I follow athletes who are at the top of their game when it comes to making relatable content for everyone. Now, I know what you are going to say. “It doesn’t matter what others are doing, as long as you are doing honest work, people will follow” or my favorite, “You most likely will reach people these top athletes aren’t.” Sure! Read more>>

Alexandra Mosca

I have a dual career in which I’ve been able to merge my passion for writing with my primary career as a funeral director. As I explained in a 2022 interview with Canvas Rebel, my journey into funeral service began unexpectedly during my college years when I started working part-time at a local funeral home. The job was only meant to help pay my way through school. However, my early experiences in the funeral home had a profound impact on me and, as time passed, I decided to enroll in mortuary school. That meant putting my dream of becoming a writer –my intended career path–on hold for a while. Read more>>

J. Michael Miller

Stories showed me the possibility we all have to be greater and gave me an escape from a world that seemed big, scary, and painful as a child. Instead of escaping to a different world, I get to create them. There’s no bigger honor than that. On days that I’m struggling or feeling down, I try to remind myself of that and reflect on the positive moments — like kids coming back to your table to ask for an autograph they were too shy to ask for the first time and fans asking when the next release is. Read more>>

Troy Kirby

I always start with the fact that I work with amazing people, regardless of the job, or position. Too many of us, and I was a victim of it early, do the career track instead of just enjoy the moment, then we regret not knowing how good we had it until it was gone. I went back to the college athletic director’s conference in Las Vegas (NACDA), and it was the 10 year anniversary of the National Association of Athletic Ticket Sales & Operations (NAATSO) that I helped start. Read more>>

John Agbekponou

I didn’t necessary find my purpose, it found me. As I worked in different areas, I kept coming back to the same mission: empowering others through innovation. Whether through small or big actions, inspiring someone through innovation, providing insights, or simply being a source of support. I realized that this is where I can make a difference. That’s what gives my work meaning and keeps me motivated every day. I’m the founder of DigiTrans LLC. Read more>>

Fatima Khan

My artistic journey started at a young age when I discovered my love for drawing. One of my earliest memories is sketching my father with his reading glasses perched on his nose—a piece I, unfortunately, lost but still hold close to my heart. In school, I was the go-to person for friends who needed help with drawing-related assignments, which further fueled my passion. Read more>>

Nathan Bucher

My name is Nathan Bucher and I have been involved in the tattoo Industry a little over 20 years, actively tattooing around 8 years. Things were in a way going well; a lot of ups and downs with scheduling, but I was given the freedom of handling most of my scheduling and pricing. Read more>>

Rose Golden

In true Rose fashion, I think it’s best we take the scenic route through my story since my path that has been anything but linear!

Let’s start in 2005. This time period is significant as it created my passion TV & Film. I can remember being captivated and inspired by the Disney Channel series ‘That’s So Raven.’ Seeing another young Black girl who was both fashionable and feisty, yet didn’t fit into the ‘standard’ was incredibly inspiring. Inspiring enough to help me dream of being on TV and in media. A dream that I ended up putting on the back burner for over ten years as I dealt with issues of confidence and insecurity. Read more>>

Sarah Espaillat

My name is Sarah Espaillat, and I’m an Emotional Coach, Master Practitioner in NLP, Clinical Hypnosis, and Neurocoaching. I specialize in helping women—especially Latina professionals and migrant mothers—heal deep emotional wounds, transform unhealthy relational patterns, and reclaim their voice, confidence, and sense of worth. Read more>>

Bombalicious Eklaver

I didn’t start out with a business plan or any kind of strategy—just a gut feeling that I was meant to do something more creative, more personal, and definitely more me. I tried the “traditional” path for a while—clocking in, paying bills, playing it safe—but I always knew I wanted to build something of my own. Read more>>

Patty Rice

As a writer and producer dedicated to the faith-based genre, I advocate for clean content that resonates with audiences. My portfolio includes short films like “2020,” “The Shirt,” “The Assignment,” and “Five Minutes with Jesus.” Through my production company, Christian Culture Entertainment, LLC, I am actively developing a lineup of uplifting television and film projects aimed at entertaining adults and families. Additionally, I lead DMV Faith-based Filmmakers, a professional networking and educational organization that brings together East Coast filmmakers through in-person events. Read more>>

Akerele Olanrewaju

Many people know me as CHEF O. I got into food and hospitality business after being an apprentice from a great chef of all time and realized that I can do better,my tenacity to bring out the best set me apart from other and I am proud to be the next generation builder in my family. I would like my potential clients and followers /fans to know that I am happy to have them and also inform them about CHEF O and keep it in mind , I give the best taste that elevates your taste bud. Read more>>

Michael Guberti

I am a results-driven digital marketer and freelance writer with nine years of experience developing and optimizing paid and organic marketing funnels across both B2C and B2B sectors. My marketing strategies have generated approximately $90 million in lifetime revenue for my clients, and I’ve managed over $1 million in online advertising campaigns. Read more>>