In this episode of Dreamers, Drivers, Doers, Greater Akron Chamber President Steve Millard sits down with Frey Canty, owner of The Soulful Vegan, Downtown Akron’s first Black female-owned restaurant. What began as a personal fitness journey and a love for sharing workouts online turned into a powerful pivot—from running a gym to creating plant-based meals that filled a gap in Akron’s dining scene. Frey opens up about the barriers she faced as an entrepreneur, her experience with community support programs like DAP’s Start Downtown and the Western Reserve Community Fund, and the difficult realities of opening a vegan business in a region still warming up to the lifestyle. She shares her belief in meeting people where they are—offering sample tastings, plans for a vegan-friendly food truck, and even blended menu options to bridge dietary divides