Meet Allison Andrews Canter

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Allison Andrews Canter a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Allison, we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?

My resilience was born out of necessity — but it’s been refined through experience. I’ve had to learn, sometimes the hard way, that no one is coming to save you. Whether it was launching my first company at 19, building Fashion Week San Diego from the ground up, or navigating life-altering moments like my son’s critical NICU stay and a divorce — I had to choose to rise, over and over again.
What kept me going was a deep belief that I wasn’t just building businesses — I was building myself. Every challenge became a chance to own my next step, and that mindset is what I now teach and model through my book OWNERSHIP, my businesses like Canter Creative Group and Cleaner Coops, and especially in my role at Active Recovery Network.
At Active Recovery Network, I get to bring all of that lived resilience into an organization that’s built on helping others reclaim their lives. That’s what resilience really is to me — the daily decision to show up, stand up, and never give your power away.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

At my core, I’m a builder — of brands, experiences, and people. I’ve been an entrepreneur since 19, when I launched my first consulting firm, which evolved into what’s now Canter Creative Group, specializing in luxury marketing, business development and branded sales events. Not long after that, I founded Fashion Week San Diego®, which became the longest-running independently owned fashion week on the West Coast, helping launch over 300 designer careers and working with some of the fashion industry’s most iconic names.
But my story isn’t just about fashion or events — it’s about resilience through reinvention. Life threw me some real curveballs — becoming a mom, navigating my son’s critical health journey, and facing personal upheaval. That’s when I wrote my first book, OWNERSHIP, and created a coaching framework around helping people reclaim their lives with clarity and power. And yes — I also launched a chicken coop cleaning subscription business, Cleaner Coops, while pregnant and knee-deep in motherhood. I always say: dirty hands, clean money.
Right now, what excites me most is the work I’m doing with Active Recovery Network. It brings everything full circle — my entrepreneurial mind, my passion for helping others, and my belief in real accountability and transformation. As part of the AR Network team, I get to support individuals on their own path to recovery and growth, using many of the same tools and mental models that have carried me through the hardest — and most defining — seasons of my own life.
Looking ahead, I’m continuing to expand my coaching work & contributions to recovery and mental health through Active Recovery Network, consulting through CCG, and working on a new project focused on my personal life and leadership. And of course, I’ll always be a forever cheerleader for Fashion Week San Diego, which continues under new leadership.
At the end of the day, everything I do — whether it’s fashion, flock, or faith — is about helping people own their lives and step fully into what’s possible.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Three things come to mind immediately: resourcefulness, emotional intelligence, and execution. Those qualities didn’t just help me build businesses — they helped me rebuild myself when life got hard.

1. Resourcefulness – I started my first company at 19. I didn’t have a roadmap or connections, but I figured things out. From building Fashion Week San Diego® into a nationally recognized event to creating a chicken coop cleaning business during maternity leave — I’ve learned that where there’s a problem, there’s a possibility.

Advice: Don’t wait for perfect conditions. Start where you are, with what you have. The skill of figuring things out is more valuable than any resume line.

2. Emotional Intelligence (EQ) – Whether you’re leading a team, coaching a client, or comforting a NICU baby, the ability to read a room, stay grounded, and connect with people is everything. EQ is what allowed me to transition from the fashion industry to coaching and now to my role at Active Recovery Network, where we work with people navigating real life, real challenges, and real change.

Advice: Invest time in self-awareness and reflection. You’ll be a stronger leader and a more aligned human.

3. Execution Over Perfection – I always say: Done is better than perfect. That mindset helped me launch brands, scale events, and write a book in a season when most people would’ve hit pause. It’s also what allows my businesses like Canter Creative Group and Cleaner Coops to thrive on lean, smart systems.

Advice: If you’re early in your journey, don’t overthink. Move. Execute. Learn. Repeat. You’ll evolve faster than if you waited for “ready.”

And one bonus lesson I live by? Own your life.
That’s the heart of everything I do — in business, in coaching, and now as part of the incredible team at Active Recovery Network. You can’t outsource your success. But you can design a life that reflects what you value — with the right support, mindset, and grit.

Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?

Yes, collaboration has been a huge part of my journey — and I’m always open to connecting with people and brands that align with my core values: integrity, innovation, and impact.

Right now, I’m particularly interested in partnering with:

Service-based businesses or wellness organizations looking to scale through authentic branded sales events and marketing campaigns (that’s where Canter Creative Group thrives).

Product-based brands who want to increase visibility through events, influencer partnerships, or creative marketing strategies.

Coaches, therapists, and recovery-focused professionals who align with the mission of Active Recovery Network — empowering individuals to take back ownership of their lives through therapeutic coaching & accountable support.

And of course, fellow entrepreneurs, authors, or creatives who are walking their own “from the ground up” journey and want real talk, real strategy, and real collaboration.

If you’re reading this and something clicks — reach out. You can find me on Instagram at @allisonandrewscanter, or connect via my site for consulting, collaborations, or speaking at allisonandrewscanter.com.

Or if you need support for recovery, mental health I would love to help you with my team at Active Recovery Network and you can call or text 619-247-9017 for more or go to www.ActiveRecoveryNetwork.com

Let’s build something meaningful — whether it’s on a runway, a podcast, a farm, in a boardroom or in your own life!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.allisonandrewscanter.com
• Instagram: allisonandrewscanter
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonandrews/
• Other: https://www.ActiveRecoveryNetwork.com

Image Credits

Active Recovery Network
The B’s Inc