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.

Dr. Clinton Bullock of Clinton Bullock Worldwide

I was born to a 16-year-old, drug-addicted sex worker. In fact, my mother had consumed so many drugs while pregnant with me that I was born two months premature. I was born so incredibly small that the doctors didn’t think that I was going to make it. In that, I was placed in an incubator for two weeks, where I grew strength and eventually survived. Growing up in a tumultuous environment in the streets of Philadelphia marked by poverty and instability, I encountered obstacles that seemed insurmountable (domestic and school violence, discrimination, near-death experiences, PTSD). Yet, it was during these formative years that I developed the unwavering determination and tenacity that would define my path forward. Read more>>

D’yonce Williamson

Today, I am a 23 year old Master’s graduate, but it started at 18 months. My parents placed me in a daycare where my provider, Ms. Marie, spent everyday preparing all the children for elementary school. From then I’ve been instilled to put school first. I attended two Marianist schools, St. Martin de Porres and Kellenberg Memorial High School both in Uniondale, NY. It was at these two places where I began to ground my identity in academia after establishing a solid foundation in elementary. The rigor and quality of not only the educational aspect, but the athletic, technical, and spiritual aspects poured into me and allowed me to walk right into what I now hold as one of my greatest educational accomplishments, being accepted into North Carolina A&T State University. Read more>>

Denice Martin-thompson

Let’s go back to 1989 for a minute or two. It is the year that ushered me into this country with hope for a better life. My arrival in the Bronx was a crash course in rejection and assimilation by any means necessary. I quickly learned that the little Caribbean girl had to tuck and roll with her new environment to survive. I went wild, and from the age of nine through 16, I was searching for love and acceptance without having a true definition of either one. High school days were a haze, and reality kicked in when I got pregnant during my senior year. Read more>>

Nikita Turner

I started making jewelry right at the start of the pandemic (late 2019/2020). During that time, I was in a poor mental state. Making jewelry was ( and still is) a coping mechanism for me. It was something that I enjoyed and it was something to help me relax and clear my head thus, putting me in a better mental state. Once I started to wear my jewelry and post it on social media, I started to gain attention from people who were interested in my work. That’s when my brother suggested that I start an Etsy shop. And the rest is history! Read more>>

Dayna Guinn’s Story

Hey friends! My name is Dayna Guinn. Curly headed Dayna here 37-year-old and happily married to Luke of 12 years, plus a dog mom to Seymour and have owned my small business for 3 years now! AKA, Awaken Tie Dye Company! My life hasn’t always been easy, heck I’ve felt like I have had to work really hard to get where I am today. Looking back on my younger years of working for others and seeing the hard work I would dedicate to them and also wouldn’t. I would be lying if I didn’t struggle with having a job throughout my 20s. I’d either really strive and like the job or it be the complete opposite where I hated it. From working at a restaurant at the age of 16 till I was 17 being a hostess really taught me a ton of patience, how to have a job, work ethic, how to seat and clean up tables, than going from that to working for the state just a short time as a flagger for construction, I tried to enjoy it and I did but the employees made it hard for me as I was one of the fewer women working in that crew. Read more>>

Nancy Guberti of Total Wellness Empowerment Institute

I was working on the trading floor at Goldman Sachs, minding my own business, and very happy with my career, marriage, and family life, and then my son developed a liver disorder, and no conventional doctor could help. We went to many doctors, but they could not explain why this happened and what to do. I imagined myself on my deathbed, questioning if I would be happy with all I did for him, so I got my MS in Nutrition and went into functional medicine. I researched with PhDs in Italy and Spain, pulled in many sleepless nights studying, and it was nothing short of a miracle; fast forward 24 years, and he is running the six major world marathons and thriving in his freelance financial writing business, and I thank God every day. I say a gratitude prayer when I read his articles on MSN, InvestorPlace, U.S. News & World Report, and Newsweek. Read more>>

Nycole Mason of Elegant Boutique Beauty Supply

I have always had a dream of owning a beauty supply store. And I’ll admit I started doing research on it years ago and then I stopped. In 2019 I started back up again and my goal was to have a brick and mortar location. When the pandemic hit in 2020 I was crushed because everything was shut down. I knew I wouldn’t be able to get a physical location so I had to think outside the box. I didn’t want another year or longer to go by without me tackling my dream. I was sitting in my room one day thinking “wait a minute, you can get groceries delivered, clothes, and anything else you can think of (thanks Amazon), why not get your hair products delivered too. That’s when the idea came to me to pivot my business model from the traditional brick and mortar to a delivery service. I told myself I can be the DoorDash of hair products. Customers would place their order on my website and get it delivered the same day. They would be able to stay safe during the pandemic and still be able to look and feel beautiful. Read more>>

Paige Mcconney of Spruce NY

I grew up in a small town in New Hampshire with big dreams of living in New York City. I was fortunate enough to receive a full athletic scholarship to Manhattan College’s Division 1 Track & Field program where I high jumped for all four years After graduating in 2009 with a degree in Marketing, I started my career in retail. Eventually, I transitioned into the experiential event industry by working as a Brand Ambassador for some of the biggest sports, entertainment, and beauty brands in the world. I set a goal to work in account management for an agency. Over the next five years, I gained valuable experience by working in every position involved in running events. I worked my way up and eventually landed a job at a major experiential event agency. I have now been working in the events industry for over 13 years. Read more>>

Gerard Furbershaw’s Story

I studied architecture and industrial design in college and spent most of my career at Lunar, the design firm I cofounded in 1984. The company quickly established itself as a firm that was highly regarded by clients, employees, and the design community. Over my three-decade tenure at Lunar, our efforts amassed more than three hundred design awards. Our work was showcased in over twenty museum exhibitions, including prestigious venues like MOMA and the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum. Notably, in 2014, Lunar received the esteemed Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum National Design Award, recognizing our three-decade body of work. While Lunar’s legacy stands as a remarkable collective achievement, I launched Furbershaworks in 2019 to pursue a personal legacy. Read more>>

Scott Hess’s Story

I began with Barrier Free Living over 20 years ago as a volunteer. My journey with the agency allowed me to truly understand the work we do with survivors of domestic violence with disabilities as I have held a variety of positions in various programs. I’m also grateful, through the years, to have worked on projects that allowed me to work directly with tenants of our supportive housing programs, developing a tenant garden club and planning community events. In my role as Director of Communications, I have been lucky enough to work closely with other team members developing our communication committee to connect our staff with the leadership team. In my current role, Director of Communications and Development, I work closely with our CEO Cynthia Amodeo in building our development strategy and creating events like our upcoming June 2 Spread the Love Pride event in New York City (event link: https://givebutter.com/bflspreadthelove) Read more>>

Magnus Champlin

I have been fortunate to work with a variety of creatives and designers over the years. It all started with a woman named Nancy Pennell, who had her own design studio and demonstrated how to work for yourself outside the typical 9-5 framework. She taught me the importance of hustling efficiently, working with a small team, and scheduling projects to allow time for vacations and enjoying life. From there, I made a point to connect with other creatives and illustrators to learn directly from them. Instead of following the traditional college path, I completed a busy year to earn an associate’s degree and quickly entered the professional world. I challenged myself by surrounding myself with the most creative people, striving to rise to their level of work and meet their high expectations. Read more>>

Akomolafe Oluwatofarati. F of Royale writers.

My journey began in early 2021 when I took on a role as a content creator and social media manager for a small startup. I had to get creative with our marketing efforts. I dove deep into learning all the latest trends, tools, and strategies for content creation and digital marketing. Through a mix of creative storytelling, strategic hashtagging, influencer collaborations, and optimized digital advertising campaigns, I was able to significantly grow our online presence and audience engagement. Our social media following exploded, website traffic soared, and we started getting featured in industry publications. Read more>>

Char Newell of Your Healthy Reality

Getting started with Your Healthy Reality was a journey that combined my professional experiences and personal passion. After spending 18 years as a Human Resources Executive, I realized how crucial it is to create workplaces that truly support and nurture their people. I’ve seen the good, the bad, and the ugly of organizational cultures, and I knew there had to be a better way. Throughout my career, I managed high-volume mergers and acquisitions, turned around broken cultures, and aligned business goals with actionable plans. But what stood out the most to me was the power of people. When you invest in your team and create an environment where they can thrive, amazing things happen. Read more>>

Petra Neiger of Red Pantz

There are 2 threads that merged perfectly in Red Pantz. One is my lifelong struggle with skin issues and the second is a burnout many years ago—before there were talks about burnout, stress, adrenal fatigue and the like. Let’s start with the latter. In my business life, I worked for companies of different sizes, from multinationals to startups in Silicon Valley so I’m very familiar with the challenges these environments represent. I’ve been there, lived it and walked in those shoes. After my burnout, I was determined to make a change. So, I went back to school to study Ayurvedic medicine, graduated with a master’s degree in Ayurvedic medicine and became a board-certified practitioner. Read more>>

Chanamon Ratanalert of Maison Chanamon

Where to start… well, I’ve always loved drawing and being creative, but it wasn’t really encouraged when I was growing up. I didn’t really get to do much more than doodling in the margins of my notebooks and grade school art classes because traditional academics were emphasized as more important for your future. I would take every opportunity I had to be artistic though, from volunteering to paint children’s hospital windows during high school to doing graphics for clubs in college. Read more>>

Jamila Small’s Story

I embarked on my advocacy journey driven by a deep passion and conviction. From a young age, I immersed myself in various communities, fueled by a desire to foster positive transformation. While others might have viewed these communities with disdain, I saw them as beacons of hope and potential. I chose to engage actively with every community, not just those that appeared appealing. My commitment was unwavering, recognizing that true progress often begins in the most overlooked places. Read more>>

Paula Swope

“Girl, ye getting’ above ye’ raisin.’” That’s what I was told repeatedly. Anytime I talked about my dreams of being wealthy and successful, I was shot down with that statement. Wanting more was wrong. Wanting more meant I was a stuck-up snob. Being socialized in rural Kentucky has its fair share of disadvantages, especially growing up in the 70s and 80s when belief systems were even more archaic than they are now. Women were perceived as the weaker sex, and I had already adopted that belief as young as the age of probably 6 or 7. Read more>>

Quani Bates of Rayzo Vending

I began my journey with Vending Machines in October 2019. I was looking for ways to earn passive income and wanted to become more diligent about finances and wealth. I binged watched hours of YouTube videos, all showcasing the various ways to create additional income outside of a day job. Vending Machines resonated with me the most because it would allow me to balance all of my responsibilities while also building equity and wealth through assets. After investing into my first three (3) candy machines, I was committed to scaling the business and grew to as many as 21 vending machine locations in my first year of business. Rayzo Vending continued to grow online as well when I created a YouTube channel, and a social media handle on all channels. Before I knew it, my company quickly became a household name online for all things Vending Machines. Now, we have 8k subscribers on YouTube, 105k followers on Instagram, 4k members in our Facebook Group, Vending Machines for Beginners, along with additional followers on X and TikTok. Read more>>

Shianne Wisdom of The Cre8ive Space

Growing up I didn’t believe I was creative because I couldn’t draw, sing, or play an instrument. I was a big reader and writer, I started writing poetry in the 4th grade and always did it on/off and I loved writing so much I decided to go to a journalism high school to merge my love for writing and media together. Fast forward to now, I can tap into different creative mediums because God opened my eyes to show me creativity isn’t limited to just a field. It’s simply who you are, just like He (God) was able to speak and create we have the same power where we can see/hear/experience something and make it tangible on Earth. That’s simply what a creative is. So in simple terms, I am a Creative Director with expertise in content curation and mentorship for creatives! Read more>>

Jenna Morello’s Story

Art is something that’s just always been there. It’s with me since birth. But I assume that’s the story of most creative people. You don’t really know where it comes from, it just is. My brain doesn’t naturally understand most things as easily as it understands art. Or I should say using art as an outlet. So I think my life has just been an evolution of that starting from when I was really little. My family and the environment I grew up in definitely did a good job at encouraging me with whatever I wanted to do. My mother was an educator, my father was a graphic artist. The combination of that as well as having two sisters that book ended and believed in me really built a strong internal confidence. In the sense of not being afraid to fail because I got that’s how you learn things. When I was in my 20s I moved from Jersey to Brooklyn. Read more>>

Robert Speewack Bojorquez

Let’s go way back: for starters, I grew up in a very kid-friendly neighborhood in Spokane, WA that allowed for all kinds of post-Tony Hawk/Jackass mid-00s mischief: ding-dong-ditching, appliance smashing in the local abandoned movie theater, riding bikes under power line towers, and TP-ing a house every now and then. There was no shortage of after-dark sneaking out to do and we were hungry for goofing at those early teen ages. All that’s to say: I was super close with my neighborhood friends (still am!) and we had energy to spare. My first video project ever was for 8th grade social studies about the three branches of the US government and we basically used it as an excuse for a sleepover where every dumb idea made it into the final video. Learning how to point and shoot on a DV camera and edit in Adobe Premiere (I think CS3?) woke something up in the creative space of my brain, because that was the jumping off point. Read more>>

Stefanos Koroneos

My path started in Italy, as a professional opera singer in 2000. My work as opera singer brought me to the US a few years later. I was always interested in directing and arts administration, especially fundraising. On 2020 I was nominated the new general and artistic director of Teatro Grattacielo in NYC. I do not sing anymore, but I do have an active career as an opera director. I am particularly interested in multidisciplinary, experimental and technology driven works. Read more>>

Torrey C Butler of Scribble

If someone showed you everything you would have to endure, losing friends & family, falling into depression, fighting every day for every inch to reach your dreams, would you still embark on the journey? That’s the interesting thing about following your dreams, that at some point we have to wake up and face reality first. What’s actually in front of us and how we want to move through it all. As I reflect on my story, my biggest accomplishment hasn’t been what I’ve been able to do for myself. I believe providing for self is always the easiest part. I focus on what can I contribute to help propel other people and their goals & how I could be a blessing to others. Read more>>

Lishawn Alexander of Lishawn Consulting

Our company is committed to supporting health and human service nonprofits with building capacity. Our mission and vision are to see our clients achieve their goals and mission. We specialize in strengthening local nonprofits’ thrive. Our work aims to bolster community resilience, particularly benefiting vulnerable populations. Lishawn Consulting was founded to address nonprofits’ numerous challenges and gaps where existing support was insufficient. Our services effectively bridge the divide between these challenges and the solutions needed. Our consulting empowers executive teams and boards to operate efficiently. Through our commitment, we have supported many NYC nonprofits to be sustainable and relevant post-COVID. Our goal is to have meaningful and impactful support systems in place. Read more>>

Farida Mazlan

I grew up in between two Southeast nations and cultures – the Muslim-majority Malaysia and Buddhist-oriented Thailand, with a diplomatic family history with ties to Australia. This instilled a strong travel instinct and curiosity to expand my worldview from an early age. I’m grateful that my parents encouraged open-mindedness, nobility in action, moral integrity, and resilience that trusted me to carve my path to individual freedom and build a life across the world. Since I left my country at 23 years old, I’ve travelled through 35 countries, worked in 11, and found a real sense of home and belonging in California, where I am today. Since I was 14, I’ve always wanted to be near the historic music venue 924 Gilman Street, and now I live 8 minutes away! If you really know what you want, be open to the evolution, be in service to the those around you, life will conspire to help you get where you need to be. Read more>>

Tor Smith

My journey’s quite an interesting one, starting with a battle against self-doubt. It all stemmed from a deep-seated desire to open a shop—a place where I could express my passion for vintage, original art, and the creation of culture through my unique perspective. Yet, at the outset, I was plagued by questions: Could I really do this? Who was I to think I could? Would anyone even want to buy from me? It almost felt comical, like some kind of joke. Overcoming this mental hurdle was my first major leap—reinvesting in myself and reaffirming that I had what it takes. I had to silence those doubts and remind myself, “You’ve got this. You were meant for this.” Read more>>

St. John of Canna Bookkeeper ™ & CBK

Sure, my background is a bit of a mixed bag which has actually helped a lot in what I do now. I started out managing high-end retail and services, which taught me heaps about customer service and operational efficiency. I’ve always been someone who loves solving puzzles, especially when it comes to numbers, which led me to become a Certified Public Bookkeeper. My education in Integrative Management from Niagara University really tied all these skills together under one strategic umbrella. When New York opened up the market with the 2021 Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act, I saw a golden opportunity to blend my skills with an industry I’m passionate about. That’s when Canna Bookkeeper™ was born—right at the intersection of my expertise and a brand-new market. Read more>>

Kemerlin Richards of SHE Leads Authentically Coaching

My story has been unfolding for some time. I feel like it’s still unfolding in many ways. No different that our common human experience. But the story where I began on this path of leadership coaching I believe began after losing my corporate job. I was the resolution specialist/liaison over a multi-million dollar account. I wrote organizational policies, resolved issues on all levels, trained teams and offered organizational functionality processes to drive productivity. And after years of service in this position, I was fired. With no true valid reason given except for the organization jargon… but I knew what was happening. Read more>>

Tavion Dixon

Im Tavion, also known as Supa Dupa. I’m a 25-year-old producer/DJ/artist/creative currently living in Brooklyn, New York.I’m in the pursuit of chasing my dreams and shaping my own reality. I was born in North Carolina and grew up in Greenville and Kinston, where I found my love for sounds at an early age through my family and my grandmother’s house. Music was always present in my childhood and played a big role in my family’s culture and the way how we lived. On holidays, family events, and even on regular days, there was not a time when music wasn’t playing. It was really the cherry on top for the special moments and memories of my early years and still to this day. My parents used to play RnB, Hip Hop, Funk, and Reggae throughout our first house and when I went to my grandmother’s, it would be Motown, Blues, Gospel, and Rock playing from her stereo in the living room. Read more>>

Bennett Breslow

From a young kid I was singing. I was raised in New York City and music was something that always was an influence in my life. My parents loved music and it was constantly playing. I started making my own songs at 17 years old, but I got my official start as a musician in terms of career base in 2013 after a year of working as a Justin Bieber Impersonator. I got into a studio and started making music professionally. I spent the next 14 years making singles and several EP’s, doing performances across the east coast, and had a lot of fun doing it. I found it necesarry to learn how to make music myself so I studied through Berklee on a Music Business certificate course. I also learned how to mix and master, do my own photo/video shoots, graphic design, etc. I did it all, I was my own everything in terms of creating and executing. I also worked with some incredible artists along the way. Read more>>

Jamie-lyn Della Selva

My mother was an artist. When my sister and I were little, she would draw for us, sort of on demand; things like her version of Cinderella, mermaids, princesses and princes (our requests). I would carefully watch her draw – her pencil on the paper, how she started and how she finished. I was in awe of how perfect it was. I have a very clear memory of one day, I must have been four or five years old, she was busy at the kitchen table making phone calls, but I kept begging her to draw a princess for me, This time, she showed me how to start the drawing, explaining so that I would learn and remember to do it myself. She instructed, patiently, to start with the head, and then each line following after just cascading to create an entire figure. From that point on, I felt like I knew a secret in how to begin a drawing – something that I think a lot of people overthink. This mini lesson is something I have used going forward from that point on anytime I drew anything. Read more>>

Amira Martin of MA Therapy, LLC

I struggled through college after becoming a mom at 18 and completed graduate school on time with my grad school peers, at 25 years old, by then a single mother of two. Growing up as one of 7 children, there was always so much going on at home, and so much I didn’t understand. My dad suffered from mental illness, and my mother struggled to parent us. The affordable housing (NYCHA development, a NYC-based project) I was raised in offered little inspiration to me and my siblings. Eventually, we moved with our mother to the North Bronx to a tenement apartment. And that’s where I learned a lot about social justice, the needs of my community, and learned firsthand how lack impacted my community. Lack of quality medical care, lack of high-quality education, and lack of mental health care. By the time I was 16, I imagined I might become a psychologist or a clinical social worker; I had been seeing one for my own depression and some early trauma I dealt with in my youth. Read more>>

Lashonda Rice of The Christian Crochet Addict

I’m a born and bred New York native. Recently, my family and I relocated to Pennsylvania, My love for crochet started at the age of nine. My classmate taught me how to crochet with a pencil. That weekend, my grandmother gave me my first crochet hook. She also taught me a few stitches. Each weekend she taught me different stitches and techniques. I initially started making baby items and hats. Some would say I’ve had an interesting and varied career; I am a United States veteran. Before Becoming a legislative aide, I was a teacher, then I became a NYC police officer (retired) and best selling children’s book author. Crochet has always been in the forefront. It helped me with childhood PTSD. Growing up in an abusive home, then fostercare, then back to the same abusive home was no easy fete.  Read more>>

Brianna Jones of BBrand Xtensions

I simply started my hair journey my 11th grade year of high school. I’ve always wanted to learn about the ins and outs of hair so I decided to sign up for a cosmetology class called the Bryant Center. The Bryant Center would take you off campus to attend a hair class for a hour and then they would bring you back to school afterwards.I was only able to attend that class for a semester but I knew there was way more to learn. By the time I got to college i decided to major in cosmetology. I ended college with a degree in cosmetology and barbering. Which lead me to the path that I am on today. Read more>>

Author K Reshay

“Me Time Book Club” was started by Author K. Reshay the Summer of 2011. What started out as women getting together discussing books turned into an organization determined to bring about change within the community. This book club was created to enhance the minds of women who already loved to read. Each member is encouraged to speak their minds without being judged. We also are involved in many community service projects. In 2023, “Me Time Book Club,” became an official 501 3 C non-profit organization. Read more>>

Andrea Serrano Villaverde

Really appreciate the chance to chat with you today! I’ve been working as Creative Art Director since 2016, collaborating with awesome brands like Coca-Cola, Starbucks, Microsoft, American Express, and Mercedes-Benz in agencies around the globe like MRM, Publicis or Ogilvy.Throughout my career, I’ve spearheaded both 360 and digital campaigns, catering to clients ranging from regional European to global scales. My journey into the advertising world began through an opportunity presented by my university. Starting as an Art Director for the L’Oreal account at Garnier, I quickly found my passion for the role. This enthusiasm led me to pursue a master’s degree at the Miami Ad School in New York until now! Read more>>

Dre Torres

My beautiful mother enrolled me in tap dance at Melba’s Dance in McAllen Texas at the age of 2! I stayed there through the age of 18 and then left to graduate from Oklahoma City University. New York City was always the goal and so straight from college I moved to NYC to begin an incredible journey! Read more>>

Lena My of Inspire Me Latin America

Lena May is co-founder of Inspire Me Latin America, a fair-trade company dedicated to creating economic access and changing the lives of women in Latin American countries. After a trip to Guatemala in 2019 to visit a friend, she saw an opportunity in the retail sector to share her passion for business empowerment. Lena felt that it was important to use her entrepreneurial talents to empower women in business. After a couple of brainstorming sessions and research with co-founder Michelle Elkin, Inspire Me Latin America was born. Read more>>

Tiesha Bryant of Resilient Family Wellness LLC

Tiesha’s story is one of resilience, determination, and triumph against the odds. She is a native of Pittsview, AL. At the tender age of 13, Tiesha found herself facing the daunting reality of being a teen mom. The challenges were immense, but Tiesha was determined to provide a better future for her child. Despite the difficulties, she managed to balance her responsibilities as a young mother with her academic pursuits. Tiesha attended Russell County High School, where she worked tirelessly to keep up with her studies. Her dedication and hard work paid off when she graduated with honors in 2009. This milestone was a testament to her perseverance and commitment to her education. Read more>>