Ep. 25 What if the very setbacks meant to break you became the blueprint for your empire?
In this powerful episode of Grace & Grind, Dr. Pamala Brown-Grinion sits down with the dynamic Dr. Tonya Cannon—educator, entrepreneur, filmmaker, and founder of Ascension Online College—for a conversation that will shift your mindset and challenge your definition of success.
From navigating professional setbacks to building a thriving consulting firm and award-winning production company, Dr. Cannon shares how choosing resilience over resignation changed the course of her life. She dives deep into how forgiveness, self-belief, and bold innovation helped her rewrite her story—and how you can do the same.
✨ Whether you’re reinventing yourself, launching a business, or healing from your past, this episode is your permission slip to level up with intention.
💎 Key Takeaways:
Reinvention Is a Choice: Adversity doesn't define you—your response to it does. Dr. Cannon shares how her lowest moments became fuel for her next chapter.
Multipassionate Leadership: Explore how blending education, creativity, and consulting can create a career as unique as you are.
Healing Through Forgiveness: Learn why forgiveness isn’t about others—it’s a decision to free yourself.
Build Your Own Table: If the system won’t open doors, create your own space for excellence, as Dr. Cannon did with Stagecraft Entertainment.
Education Without Barriers: Discover how Ascension Online College is democratizing access to affordable, high-quality learning.
🗣️ Notable Quotes:
"You can aspire to greatness, but that is a choice. Success is a choice."
"You cannot expect to experience change or to reach a higher level of success with yesterday's strategies."
"If Hollywood's not gonna give me what I want, I'll make it myself. I don't need you."
"Healing is a choice, forgiveness is a choice. All of these things that we're talking about, these are all choices."
"It's about you and your healing. If you want to carry this, again, that's a you decision."
Contact Dr. Tonya Cannon, CEO:
Email: Consults@ExceptionalConsulting.me
Phone: 840-336-3498 (PST)
Podcast: The HR Files
Exceptional Consulting Services – Organizational development and HR consulting by Dr. Cannon
Stagecraft Entertainment – Home of Dr. Cannon’s award-winning films
Ascension Online College – Affordable, accessible, online education for all
Chapters:
0:00 Introducing Dr. Tonya Cannon
5:10 Overcoming Adversity and Redefining Success
14:32 Mindset Shifts for Achieving Personal Growth and Success
19:33 Creating Opportunities in Hollywood Against All Odds
20:35 The Power of Forgiveness and Personal Growth
29:51 Sisterhood, Podcasts, and Creating Unique Days
🧘🏽♀️ Tune in for an unforgettable reminder: You don’t have to wait for permission to transform your life—you just have to choose it.
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