Grace & Grind

Built My Own Table + Brought My Own Director's Chair Dr. Tonya Cannon’s Journey from Rejection to Reel Power


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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:

    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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      Grace & GrindBy Dr. Pamala Brown-Grinion

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