Kyle Shewfelt didn’t seek out gymnastics — the sport found him. As a six-year-old, he discovered a knack for being upside down. “My brother taught me to do a cartwheel, and it just stuck,” he says. “Gymnastics was the sport I fell in love with.” Recognizing his passion early, Shewfelt’s mother enrolled him at the Altadore Gymnastic Club, where he was paired with a coach who would guide him for 16 years. This partnership ultimately led to a historic Olympic gold in Athens in 2004, Canada’s first ever Olympic medal in artistic gymnastics. “When I was nine, I said I wanted to go to the Olympics and win,” says Shewfelt. “If I had lived anywhere other than Calgary, I don’t know if that would have been possible.” But after reaching the pinnacle of his sport, Shewfelt faced a new question: what next? “You don’t just hold your gold medal for the rest of your life. You say, ‘Okay, how can I make an impact?’” Today, through Kyle Shewfelt Gymnastics, he is dedicated to nurturing happy, healthy children who love movement, inspiring the next generation of athletes and fostering lifelong wellbeing. “With sport, every day you try to show up and be your best,” he says. “I think that’s a metaphor for life.”

When they say keep it in the family, Ryan Mortson took notes. His Calgary-based brewery, Best of Kin, was founded in 2018 by himself, his brother Collin and good friend Cole Glendinning; the space (opened in 2022) was designed by his wife, and the business was named to honour his father. It was created as a family-oriented space, open to everyone. “We’re focused on the social [aspects] of food and beverage. Yes, we offer a product and we think it’s great, but it’s more than that to us,” says Mortson. “It’s that excuse to get together with your friends and loved ones.” Giving back to the community has become a pillar of the business, starting with Dad Beer — brewed in memory of their father — to raise funds for Wellspring Alberta, an organization designed to support individuals living with cancer and those who support them. After the 2023 Alberta wildfires they partnered with Pursuit Properties and Project Forest to raise money for reforestation efforts and launched Fire Bloom beer, made with fireweed honey. Teamwork is at the core of his brewery’s success. “It’s all-hands-on deck and I think we have a pretty well-balanced team,” he says. “We all have our specific expertise, and it truly is a family business. We welcome people with open arms.”

Just say yes. These are the words improv performer Donovan Workun lives by. “The tenents of improv are always to say ‘yes’,” says Workun. “I say ‘yes’ to weird and strange and new opportunities, because I can’t say ‘no’ and I am willing to give everything a shot.” Workun hails from a long line of hilarious people, he says. And it was watching and listening to his family crack jokes and act weird that inspired him to perform with a decidedly peculiar flare. In fact, his wife calls him “the king of the weird gig.” Workun’s craft sits at the intersection of acting and comedy — with a little bit of everything in between, even song-and-dance: he once played former Premier Jason Kenney in a musical. His current gigs include hosting Edmonton’s Great Outdoors Comedy Festival, infield hosting for the Edmonton River Hawks and, for the last five years, he’s been the resident Santa Claus at Fairmont Banff Springs, joyously reading bedtime stories to the hotel’s young guests. Workun’s advice on life? “Don’t worry about the past, don’t worry about what will happen next,” he says. “Focus on the task right now, make it the most important thing in your life and everything else will take care of itself.”

Valerie Ehrenholz found her path in life by sowing the seeds of her heritage. Ehrenholz is the third generation to work the farm in Barrhead, a legacy that began in 1952 with her grandparents. Farming can be a hard life, one that Ehrenholz’s parents didn’t want for her. But after completing a history degree, she inched her way towards horticulture — then agriculture — before returning home to run her own farm. “I remember being small and watching the gates while Dad fed the cows. I have always enjoyed farming.” Today, Ehrenholz raises beef cattle while her father crops the adjacent land, continuing the family’s history of mixed farming. For her, the joy comes from knowing each day is different — but with a plan. “Next week, I can start cutting hay. Tomorrow, the calves are going to the market, but there is always the unknown,” she says. “That makes it interesting.” Ehrenholz sees Alberta’s spirit rooted in past generations, where people came together to build communities with shared purpose and tireless, cooperative effort. “There are still people who put in extra time to make the community better, to keep it going,” says Ehrenholz. “I think we are going to have to keep doing it for future generations to have a province like what we have.”