Jamaica’s first Canva Ambassador Carey-Lee Dixon on helping women entrepreneurs show up boldly—online and in life.
When Carey-Lee Dixon first started posting on YouTube, she kept her camera off. The idea of showing her face — let alone speaking directly to an audience — felt like too much. “I was fumbling over my words,” she remembers. “I was sweating. I was just… nervous.”
Today, Carey-Lee is still a self-described introvert. But you wouldn’t know it. She shows up with calm clarity, a quiet authority, and a deep understanding of what it means to build a presence — not just online, but in your own life.
As a visual design and digital strategy specialist — and Jamaica’s first Canva Ambassador — Carey-Lee has worked with hundreds of women entrepreneurs to help them feel more confident about how they show up in the world.
But she’s the first to say: this work goes far beyond graphics.
“It used to be all about making things look pretty,” she says. “But now, it’s about impact. It’s about helping people show up with the skills they have, the voice they already carry, and the story they’re trying to tell.”
Carey-Lee’s journey is one many creatives will recognize. The early days of hiding behind a logo. The Canva templates that feel like a safe starting point. The quiet fear of being seen — and the slow, steady work of moving past it.
These days, she’s focused on helping women answer that question for themselves. Because while branding can start with a colour palette or a content plan, it doesn’t end there. Real impact requires clarity. Real confidence requires practice.
Carey-Lee’s own growth didn’t come from going viral or launching something big. It came from showing up, imperfectly, over and over again — until the fear became background noise.
“At what point are you going to stop saying you’re the behind-the-scenes girl?” a friend once asked her. It stuck.
Now, she’s paying that lesson forward.
When asked what women-led means to her, Carey-Lee pauses. “It’s when a woman takes something — anything — and adds her own spark,” she says. “That natural drive, that love, that innovation. She reshapes it into something that thrives.”
There’s power in that kind of authorship. Not just designing a brand. But designing a life that feels like yours.
And if you’re waiting until you’re “ready” — she’s been there too.
“It’s going to be uncomfortable at first,” she says. “But the moment you turn down the noise of what people might think… that’s the moment you start stepping into your potential.”
Carey-Lee’s story is a reminder that showing up isn’t about perfection — it’s about presence. The messy drafts, the nervous first posts, the moments when you’d rather stay behind the logo — they all matter, because they’re part of becoming who you’re meant to be.
If her journey sparks something in you, don’t let it pass. Connect with Carey-Lee on LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube, where she continues to share her insights and creativity.
