The Sanctuary

Mitch Cobb is the Co-Founder and CEO of Upstreet, a brewery , and beverage company working to create a positive impact in their community. Upstreet is the first company on PEI to become B. Corp certified, a designation demonstrating positive social and environmental standards. Mitch has been named one of Atlantic Canada’s Top 50 CEOs by Atlantic Business Magazine for four years running. Learn more...

Hailing from industrial Cape Breton, Stef Nicholson and Natasha Lefort now call Halifax their home. Drawing from their Cape Breton Celtic and blue collar influences, they found a great appreciation for the darker side of Appalachian and Americana folk music with the same eerie, Celtic roots. Factory Girls is an Appalachian folk duo that brings the warmth of a vocal firelight with songs to soothe a...

JJ Steeves is a Nova Scotia-based illustrator, street artist, cartoonist and arts educator. Treasuring the mundane in order to foster intimacy between art and viewer is especially important as she explores the significance of our daily patterns. Her work is largely influenced by street art, comics and zine culture. When not making art at her kitchen table, JJ is dedicated to bringing art out...

Derek Clarke is the president of FLA. A Maritime Based Combat Sports Company. From travelling and organizing luxury vacations to operating a previously well known professional grappling circuit across Canada, he comes to win. A love for combat sports and a passion for helping athletes succeed and grow led him to become a steady athlete and black belt out of Pictou County Jiu Jitsu under...

Jimmy experienced trauma at a very young age which fueled a ruthless, self destructive lifestyle full of pain, crime and addiction. With a go big or go home moment, he turned it all around, but he had to fix 10 years of wreckage to get his life back. Jimmy is now a husband and father of three and has great appreciation for his second chance at life. Armed with a Post-Secondary degree and dipl...

Kennedy means helmeted warrior; relentless in pursuing her dreams, developing her skills, and taking her audience on a musical ride like no other. Kennedy’s star has risen fast in the maritime community thanks to her originality, determination, and professional skillset that assures success for events, clubs, and shows as she builds relationships and collaborates with artists, Grammy award-winning...

Jayna Swan, founder of Swan Academy. Life-long learner, self-proclaimed "certification & personal growth junky". She started as a waitress & professional dancer in 2011, turned self-employed house cleaner, became an accomplished property manager, and is now sharing her passion as a sex educator / Love & Intimacy Coach. Jayna has a background in health & fitness...

Gabriella is a Registered Counselling therapist Candidate (RCT-C) and a member   of the Canadian Art Therapy Association (CATA). Art has always been her outlet for self-expression. It has allowed Gabriella to convey emotions when words could not. She decided to share the artistic knowledge she gained by completing her BEd from St. Francis Xavier University in 2016. Although working with stude...

Jonny "Jonathan" Rotsztain is an artist, writer and dreamer based in Toronto and one half of graphics duo ALL CAPS Design. His autobiographical comics deal with class, identity and self-esteem while using the power of drawing to conjure the fantastic. He has led #Sadvember every November for the last four years, an online invitation to share art about mental health. Check him out @jrotszta

Rhea is a recent graduate from Saint Mary’s University with a Bachelor of Commerce. She was born in Montego Bay, Jamaica, spent several years living in India before returning to Jamaica at age 11. While in University she enjoyed participating in activities on campus, networking, meeting new people and working towards creating positive change on campus as a member of the SMUSA Board of Directors. S...

Malia Kong is a Halifax-based photographer with an array of styles varying from family photos to boudoir. Malia, since childhood always had a love for taking “too many pictures” no matter what the subject may have been. She is an avid foodie, loving fur mom, and vacation lover to all places hot. As a late teen, Malia began in the industry working as a model for several local events and gaining exp...

The sound of Earl Donald is born from the fusion of hazy dream pop and wall-rattling house music. In 2019, Earl took these sounds across the country, playing shows from Halifax to Vancouver. His debut release, Where You Know Yourself, ranked in the mid 300's on the US Top 800 Radio Weighted/Unweighted charts. Earl Donald's sophomore release, A lighter World, flaunts a progression in his beat-drive...

Tyree is a third-generation Black Nova Scotian whose main purpose in life is to create a man he admires to give him away to the world. He has held a number of different hustles including a barber, sushi chef, artist, ambulance driver, which has all helped him get to where he is today. He knows he is at his best when he is helping others pursue their passion or make a change. He is a model, actor,...

Surrounded by an extremely supportive family, CASSANDRA has been heavily influenced by her mother’s musical talents. She began taking classical voice lessons at the age of twelve and has continued to do so for the last eight years. By age thirteen, she had already released her first pop single, “Never Stop Dreamin’.”  Born in Rockville, MD, CASSANDRA began singing as soon as she could speak....

Chef Neha is a certified professional patissier who brings passion, talent, and culture to the dessert table. Having lived across three continents, she appreciates and utilizes a global variety of flavours and styles in her baking. Her boutique cakes can often be recognized by her signature gold-leaf touch of glamour. Find out more @cakes_by_neh

Wafa Alamm is the owner and the founder of One Frame Production Company based in Canada, and a journalist and TV anchor with 20 years experience in journalism between print and TV media. Wafa has extensive experience as a Senior TV Anchor and Program Broadcaster and has presented a range of political and social talk shows.   As an expert in Gulf affairs, Wafa has written a number of arti...

Mo'Green (Ohis Abdulrahman Yakubu) is a sound engineer/ music producer, singer, and songwriter originally from Nigeria, but based in Cape Town South Africa. Mo'Green who began his music journey over 11 years ago is highly inspired by Afro Beats, Reggae as well as Hip Hop and R&B. After moving to South Africa in 2015, Mo'Green released his first Album titled "Lagos To Mzansi". According to...

General Khan is a local artist, born and raised in Kjipuktuk, Mi'kma'ki (Halifax, Nova Scotia). For General Khan, poetry is an expression that is tied to her cultural practice as a Pashtun. Her first album Wrath of Khan dropped on April 30th, 2021. General Khan recently completed her Center for Arts Tapes CFAT) artist in residence. Her art style is influenced by her lived experiences inc...

Kyla Mackinnon resides on the east coast of Canada in Halifax but fulfills her sense of wanderlust by traveling regularly. Most of her travels involve leading yoga retreats and yoga teacher training as she loves to combine her passions of connecting with people and creating memorable experiences. Kyla teaches yoga as a way to inspire others to live a happy, healthy and authentic life. She&nbs...

Jenn is a nature lover, explorer, SUP guide, and a new Mom. She has a full-time job at Dalhousie University(when she’s not on maternity leave) and when she’s not wearing her professional hat, you can find her; cycling, SUP’ing, camping, hiking, plogging, surfing, skateboarding, snowboarding, birdwatching, volunteering for numerous local events, fundraising, or just out for a breath of fresh air in...

Tara was born and raised in Calgary, Alberta, and is of Jamaican/Haitian heritage. She began singing at the age of 3 and has had a passion for it ever since. As a child, Tara was immersed in music through singing and piano lessons and studied dance as well as various sports. With such strong taking to music and after competing in local events and attending and graduating from Berklee College Of Mu...

Melānie Mendez Munden is a multidisciplinary artist. Her background in fashion Design keikaikoa.com has been shown in Atlantic Fashion week since 2016. Their campaign supports an anti-bullying campaign called RESPECT. Her recent studies at the Atlantic Film Co-op have resulted in a funded film1 called MAMA and Film 5 called MAID. interiorsurfaces.ca that she co-owns with her husband is an agency t...

dillion s. phiri is a 32-year-old father of Wandi + Niki, a coffee enthusiast & creative strategist who has made his mark in the African creative industry with more than 10 years of experience working on a variety of projects across the African continent. He is a multifaceted creative strategist & social sculptor who has worked in the world of design, placemaking, photography, web developm...

Joe Hubley is a musician and student currently living in Halifax, Nova Scotia. At 17 years old, Hubley has released 2 singles and is in the process of recording his debut EP. His newest single “California, I’m Comin’”, is scheduled to release in late May/early June on major streaming platforms. An award-winning musician, Joe Hubley has toured around Atlantic Canada playing shows under his solo act...

LXVNDR is a Halifax-based rap artist with a very unique sound and outlook on life. The content of her music usually speaks of unseen forces both dark and light, the paranormal, astrology, philosophy, and the hidden treasures of the human psyche.  Adding a mystical touch to even the sharpest of rhymes she sits down with The Sanctuary's very own Israel Ekanem and covers topics such as her music...