Winning comes in so many different forms that it’s hard to define, but you know it when you see it. The CanvasRebel community is filled with so many incredible folks who have overcome long odds, challenged the status quo and won. Below, you’ll find stories of these winners along with much of the accumulated wisdom on what it takes to succeed.

Alison Mcgrath

As a licensed mental health counselor I realized there was a need to support those worries that many children (and adults) face, I wanted to provide a tool for people to use to make sense of the worries in their mind, reframe their thoughts which would ultimately change their behavior. This is based on the principals of CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy). This became a passion for me and a labor of love. My goal is to normalize that all feelings are okay and support as many children as possible! Read more>>

Jake Smith

I got introduced into footwear from a few factors, all of which are still continued activities and inspirations for me to this day. The first is my mother and coaches from early middle school through highschool with cross country and track. Since I work within athletic footwear/focus of running footwear, naturally I owe a large part of my journey to the ones who motivated for me to run in the first place. My mother asked if I wanted to start running with her close to 14 years ago and only a few years following that, I met my two coaches when I joined the team. These two men were then the ones who reinforced my appreciation for the sport and showed me what it can really do for someone’s mind, body, and soul. I could talk about them this whole interview but this eventually combined with my appreciation of the arts. At the time I primarily illustrated with a young focus on storytelling and even animation. I loved creating compelling characters based on people around me and eventually this translated to me drawing of course professional runners (go figure). This eventually picked up in my freshman year of college, still majoring in animation and as a byproduct of these illustrations, eventually athletes and brands begun to take notice. Read more>>

Cherrelle Allen of Wow Just Wow Candle Company

The story of Wow Just Wow Candle Co. began in March 2022, fueled by a girls’ trip to Miami and a love for fragrance! A fun candle making class sparked a passion, and I knew I had to bring that “wow” moment home. Armed with a candle making kit, I dove into a world of testing and experimentation. The journey wasn’t always easy, but the dedication to crafting captivating scents and luxurious self-care products kept the flame burning. Read more>>

Treyon Sargent’s Story

Well, I started off dancing at the age of 11 at a summer camp. The camp would host an end of the year show and everyone in the camp would kind of have their opportunity to showcase what they could do. Being that I grew up around dance thats what I chose. At first I took honestly just took it as a hobby, still performing in different places like church, banquets, schools. It was genuinely something I enjoyed doing. But it was one year at the age of 13, I auditioned for AileyCamp Miami, a summer camp hosted by the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre. That is when I started actually taking Professional Dance classes, building character, and actually envisioning myself being an artist, developing self and performing for well …the world. I was then discovered by Ricardo Dume who was my what the camp would call “Group Leader” and basically took me under his wing and introduced me to this entire world of dance professionally. Then well… Here I am. I’ve done a lot in my life because of him, God, and believing in myself. I’ve been through MANY trials, ones spoken and unspoken, but here I am, Continuing to grow, heal, and share that to heal others. Read more>>

Elvin Catley’s Story

How my story started…well I kind of fell into photography because of skateboarding both are very aligned and I wanted to take pictures and videos of my friends skateboarding and having fun. As I still skateboard and take photographs today, My focus on photography has changed slightly. Read more>>

Alison Pandora of Alignments 17

My story is immense! I’ll start at the beginning. I was born in Northern New Jersey, and put in the care of the foster care system. At three months old I was adopted by my parents who were Jehovah’s Witnesses. Looking back on my life now I see how much my past experiences have impacted the way I see life on a whole. For so long I felt trapped, and unable to accept myself, which impacted all my actions and relationships. Read more>>

Greg And Lacy Harris of We Can Too

We have always had a love for helping people from a very young age. We enjoy helping individuals who need a little extra help and TLC. Lacy became a Certified Nursing Assistant as a teenager assisting and helping those who were elderly or disabled with their everyday living activities. As for myself, I worked at a Disabilities board for adults with Special Needs as a teenager as well. While attending college, I found myself lost looking for my class room and walked down a wrong hallway. Down that wrong hallway I found a flyer advertising working with children with Special Needs. I went home and told my wife (Lacy) about it, we both interviewed and got hired. From day one, we immediately fell in love with the job. Since that one day in college Lacy and I have worked with both children and adults with disabilities in various environments such as; in the field of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), in schools, in their homes, behavioral health hospitals, orphanages, in the community, and other environments. Read more>>

Debi Mitchell

As I look back on my life at 52, I can honestly say I am where I am today because of the strong women in my life. My mom is the strongest of them all and has always stood behind me and beside me in supporting everything I have set out to accomplish. Her best friends, whom I call “The Aunties,” are all strong, independent women who have been and are still amazing mentors. Because of them, I’m a confident, independent, and self-driven woman who feels like I can do anything I set my mind to, which I have. I started my career with the State of California at 19 years old as an office assistant and have worked myself up through hard work and dedication. I took every opportunity to learn all I could to enhance my skills and knowledge. During the past 30-plus years in state service, I have earned a respectable reputation and am now a senior manager. Because of my dedication and thirst for learning, I’ve accomplished all this without a college degree. Read more>>

Bindi Zaveri

I started my professional journey about 12 years ago in 2012. I had gotten married and moved to US from India in 2008. I attended UNLV for my bachelor’s (in Finance and minor in Accounting). My start was a bit bumpy; Even though I had my Bachelor’s in Marketing from India, when I moved to US, little did I know that not all my credits would transfer over and I had to basically re-do my entire Bachelor’s. It was devastating back then, I felt that was the end and I would fall behind in the race. But, looking back I think it was the best thing that happened in my journey so far. My college led me to meeting so many new people. some life long connections and friendships and some very valuable lessons. Read more>>

 

Chris Hernandez

I spoke before about my clothing brand and content creation. I want to shift my focus to what’s most relevant to my life now. I’m actually in the process of shutting down my clothing brand. I’ve spent the last 3 years learning all about the process of owning and operating a clothing brand and run a business. If I never started that process, I most likely would have never picked up a camera. I found a love and a passion for what I can do with a camera in photography and content creation. I’ve been able to use this skillset to tell a story, to highlight products/brands, or just capture moments in time that can live on forever. Since my last interview, I have been able to photograph a wedding. Being able to capture those moments showed me how powerful my skillset can be especially when I received such happy and appreciative feedback from the married couple. I have friends and other acquaintances that I’ve met through other avenues like sneakers and fitted hats that have clothing brands or companies, and I realized that all of my experience has become my business model. I’m able to design products, offer a variety of photography services, or even help clients build their websites. I pride myself on quality of work, and I can bring that same work ethic to the table to help others. I am given the opportunity to help clients connect the dots on their thoughts and their final products. My experience has been extremely valuable and is giving me the chance to create a positive impact on others. Read more>>

Aurora Abzug

I’ve been painting for as long as I could hold a brush, and began formal training in observational oil painting at age eleven. I decided against going to art school, and opted to get a liberal arts degree from Bard College just to keep my options open, but decided shortly into my time at Bard that my heart was in painting and that I wanted to pursue fine art academically. After graduation, I felt unmoored and frustrated with my prospects. I had no trouble showing my work in group exhibitions, but it didn’t seem like I was making solid connections or advancing my career. In fact, much of my day was spent at various food service jobs, feeling as though my degree and my field had failed me. In a way I was saved by the pandemic, which forced me out of my jobs and into lockdown shortly before I was due to embark on my first artist residency. Especially frustrated and at a financial loss, I funneled all my time and energy into commissions, built up my following, and finally started to make virtual connections by showing online. By the time lockdown ended, I had doubled down and felt surer than ever of my path forward. Read more>>

patranya Bhoolsuwan of Patranya Media LLC

Patranya Bhoolsuwan is the Founder & CEO of Patranya Media LLC, a full-service media consulting agency based in Las Vegas Nevada. As one of the first Thai-American TV journalists working in the US, Patranya has always taken pride in telling stories of diverse communities. Today, as a “Storytelling Entrepreneur”,  Patranya provides high-level consulting for her clients from various industries and backgrounds on how to amplify their message and communicate their business & life stories in clear, concise and compelling ways. Read more>>

Ara Ko’s Story

I was born in a small town in Korea. Both my parents were teachers, and my mother, who majored in art, ran an art academy. Thanks to this, I became accustomed to drawing from a young age and naturally entered an art middle school and an art high school. During my time at these schools, I was a scholarship student every year, but I dropped out of high school to take time to reflect on my life’s purpose and the right path. I was given a year before entering art college, but I could only find 40% of the answers I was looking for. After entering university and pursuing a master’s degree in painting in the United States, I feel that I have found about 90% of the answers to purpose, and reasons for my life. Read more>>

Tennisha Martin

My BGH story starts from a place of Empathy and Community. When I started trying to transition into cybersecurity over 5 years ago I said if i’m having trouble navigating the job market imagine what the people without a bunch of degrees and certifications and 20 years of experience are having. I could have just self corrected and persevered like I always do but instead, I took a moment to reflect on what must be the experience of the people coming behind me. I started BGH as I was learning to hack myself and started live streaming my learning process and bringing people along with me. When I started these streams we’d have maybe 5-10 people come along for the ride and there was always turbulence. I didn’t always have the answers but I consistently showed up and we learned together. Today most of those folks who started with me at the beginning are well into their cyber careers. Some are now team leads and managers of their own team and we’ve grown to over 100 volunteers and over 2500 members who join with us to learn the hands on skills they need for their new careers. Empathy made me consider the experience of others, and community helped us to build a safe space where others can come and learn. We’ve trained thousands of people for careers in technology and cybersecurity and will continue to help increase diversity in the industry. Read more>>

Douglas Robbins

Doug’s journey as a writer began with a pivotal moment in high school, where a teacher encouraged him to craft a poem, sparking Doug’s creativity. This transformative experience laid the foundation for Doug’s path as a writer. Doug has navigated through various jobs throughout his life, contributing to his growth. However, storytelling emerged as his true calling. As a prolific author, Doug explores diverse genres—sci-fi, romance, contemporary literature—while consistently delving into profound themes. Throughout his work, the consistent thread remains—a focus on characters undergoing personal growth, navigating life’s complexities, and embracing introspective narratives that resonate deeply with dreamers and knowledge seekers. Read more>>

Darina Eid

I started as a child who could not sit still. Ever. Before the age of 5, my favorite part of the day was coming home from school and dancing in our toy room with my sisters for 4-5 hours straight, playing pretend, of course. Little did I know that I would still, quite literally, be doing that today—though a bit differently, I hope. Or maybe not. Read more>>

Robert Parker’s Story

I set a Goal to change the outcomes of my life seems like forever ago and every since I’ve been focused on forward Progression. Constantly researching and learning assisted me with being able to incorporate different aspects of creativity into my brand Read more>>

Hope Smashey

I have always been passionate about telling stories. Stories captivate our imagination and can help us view life from a different perspective. My dream has always been to tell stories through writing, singing, and acting. Growing up, I enjoyed writing short stories and was active in music. In 2017, I graduated from Regent University with a Bachelor’s degree in English, a concentration in Creative and Professional Writing, and a minor in History. As happens, life gets busy. After graduating, I focused more on what is commonly referred to as “the day job”–which is important. However, about two years ago, I decided it was time to get serious about developing my skills in the writing, singing, and acting mediums. For writing, I devoted time to reading about the writing craft, setting time aside to write daily, and taking online writing courses to get feedback from professional writers. Then, for music, I joined a community choir and started taking vocal lessons which also helped my acting because I mainly sing Broadway songs. In regards to acting, I also took a weekend acting intensive and have practiced becoming various characters on a regular basis. For me, telling stories gives me joy, and it is my hope to share my love of stories with others to bring them joy as well. Read more>>

Ezekiel Kincaid

Most people expect a pastor or a minister’s life story to be one of pristine perfection with no failure or tragedy. That is not the case with me. When I say I am here only by the grace of God, that is not an understatement. So how did this pastor get into writing horror? Here’s the short version: Read more>>

 

 

 

 

 

 

Emely Viscarra

I’ve came out with Sensor E in January of 2021 with the launch of my therapeutic sensory play boxes. By my surprise it was a hit & very successful! Many families found my creation to be of great support in the home which not only kept individuals off electronic devices but gave them the opportunity to be creative and imaginative while gaining skills. Some play boxes were even being used in school setting during break time/OT/Speech sessions or in home ABA sessions. So not was I only able to accommodate the special needs community which was my main focus as I have a son whose non speaking and on the autism spectrum but I was able to help all families. From then on I started to continue creating, customizing & gifting Sensor E Play boxes. Read more>>