In every era, a few rare individuals rise from the depths of adversity with a voice powerful enough to
alter the course of the next generation. Kimberly “Kim” Cano—globally recognized by her pen name
Natasha Brune and her artistic movement The Wise Marie—is one of those forces. Her presence is
fierce but grounded. Her story is raw yet refined. Her work is visionary while deeply human.
Today, she stands as a published author, public speaker, nonprofit founder, investor, creative
producer, and entrepreneur with multiple streams of income. But her beginnings were far from
polished. They were shaped by homelessness, addiction, violence, incarceration, and years spent
rebuilding a life that many would have abandoned. Instead, Kim forged it into something
extraordinary.
“I feel the power,” she says. “Not to control—never that. The power is in the knowledge. My
knowledge bank runs deep. Every hardship taught me something I now use to help others.”
This November, Vogue Athens honors a woman who proves that success isn’t something handed
down—it’s something rebuilt, reimagined, and risen from the ashes.
THE JOURNEY BEFORE THE SPOTLIGHT
Before Kim was gracing covers or speaking on global stages, she was a young runaway navigating the
streets of Hawaii, Japan, and California. From age 15 to her late twenties, life unfolded
chaotically—drugs, trauma, survival, motion without direction. Eventually, incarceration and
rehabilitation marked the turning point.
“I became a late bloomer,” she reflects. “Post-prison, post-rehab—I was starting from scratch at 30.
But starting is starting. And I was ready.”
She enrolled in college full-time, worked a demanding nine-to-five job, and rebuilt her life one bus
ride at a time. It wasn’t glamorous. It wasn’t easy. But it was foundational.
Her first career foothold came in the private investigation and background screening
industry—hardly the typical path of choice, but one of opportunity for someone with a former
record. Kim took the job, excelled, and worked her way up to managing the company’s largest
revenue-generating department.
From there, she and her husband began investing in real estate, slowly elevating from dangerous
neighborhoods to safe, thriving communities. Over the next thirteen years, Kim became a self-made
property manager and investor, mastering everything from finance to operations to tenant relations.
“It shaped me. Every job I’ve had built a different layer of who I am today,” she says. “And I don’t shy
away from any of it.”
THE EVOLUTION INTO A CREATIVE FORCE
From rebuilding her life to building businesses, Kim eventually discovered her most impactful voice
through storytelling and service. Today, she works from what she calls her “Command Station”—a
beautifully designed home with dedicated studios for writing, filming, content production, and
business operations.
Here, The Wise Marie universe was born.
Through books written under her pen name Natasha Brune, Kim shares deeply personal narratives
and fictional expressions derived from her lived experiences. Her genres span adult literature, young
adult stories, children’s books, and motivational nonfiction.
As her writing grew, so did her artistic brand—culminating in The Wise Marie Collection, 2Gnarly
Productions, and her growing presence as a speaker and thought leader.
“I inspire myself,” she says. “That’s what keeps me sober. That’s what keeps me moving.”
Her creative empire is not just about expression—it’s about impact.
“THE ALOHA JIGSAW FOUNDATION: A VISION FOR THE NEXT GENERATION”
If there is one legacy Kim aims to leave behind, it is embodied in the nonprofit she founded:
The Aloha Jigsaw Foundation (AJF).
Co-led with business partner James Salas and lead volunteer Mike Cano, the AJF mission focuses on
youth and communities in Hawaii, Colorado, and Los Angeles affected by wildfires and generational
hardship.
To Kim, the gap is clear: Generation Z has brilliance, creativity, and tech fluency—but often lacks the
real-world life skills once taught in schools.
“Navigation without GPS. Using intuition instead of relying on apps. Trades. Personal development.
Practical survival skills. These things matter,” she says. “AI can support you, but it can’t replace the
human foundation.”
The AJF Academy curriculum integrates mindset training with practical trades such as cosmetology,
construction, real estate, management, culinary arts, sewing, carpentry, and more.
“It all starts in your mind,” she emphasizes. “We are building an academy that teaches students how
to survive, thrive, and lead.”
In 2025, AJF purchased land in Colorado to build the first campus—funded by Kim and her team
after selling their investment properties.
“Yes, we are technically philanthropists now,” she adds with a smile. “A title earned, not given.”
WHAT MAKES HER UNIQUE
When Kim speaks, there is no pretense. No filtered messaging. No polished façade hiding her scars.
She delivers the truth as someone who has battled the darkest corners of life and emerged with
clarity, radical self-awareness, and unapologetic authenticity.
“I’m surprised I’m this smart,” she says candidly. “I survived overdoses, violence, trauma, mental
health struggles, addiction, and chaos. I’ve had brutal words and brutal hands against me. And yet I
rise.”
Standing barely over five feet tall, she carries a presence far larger than her frame. Her unique
strength lies not only in surviving—but in transforming survival into art, mindset work, leadership,
and education.
She is proof that brilliance can grow in the harshest conditions and still shine with precision.
THE MEANING OF SUCCESS
Success, to Kim, is profoundly personal.
She speaks of her Japanese Daruma “Burning Desire Dolls,” where one eye is filled in when a goal is
set and the other when the goal is achieved. Many of her dolls now have both eyes colored—a visual
manifestation of decades of triumph over adversity.
Success is the emotion she feels in her newly renovated home—a stark contrast to the instability of
her childhood and young adulthood. It is in the healed relationships she has rebuilt, the students she
empowers, and the people who once seemed miles ahead now asking her for advice.
“Money helps, but it’s not everything. Success is waking up grateful. It’s having the hustle hat
on—not because you’re desperate, but because you’re alive and purposeful.”
“HER MILESTONES: ACHIEVED, EARNED, LIVED*”
Kim’s highlight reel includes accomplishments that once felt impossible:
- Healing a relationship with one of her children, despite losing custody of her children decades ago.
- Raising her youngest son successfully, proving her resilience as a mother.
- Becoming a multi-home owner and investor after once living in uncertainty.
- Becoming a published author across multiple genres.
- Establishing a nonprofit and becoming a philanthropic leader.
- Receiving a pardon after decades, a milestone that signifies legality, legitimacy, and redemption.
- Leading a life of sobriety, discipline, and creativity.
- Becoming a public speaker, sharing her testimony with audiences that need her voice the most.
- These achievements aren’t trophies. They are transformation embodied.
THE FUTURE: FILM, TV, BROADWAY & BEYOND
Kim’s future plans are as expansive as her story: - Film, TV, and Broadway adaptations of her work
- Games, dolls, and SWAG collections
- Books across her Wise Marie universe
- Career-development and real-estate literature under Natasha Brune
- Public speaking tours, paid or unpaid, for communities that need transformation
- Completion of the first AJF Academy campus
- A personal brand partnership as “The Face of the Brand” with a company aligned to her mission
- Magazine covers, including this debut with Vogue Athens
Even as she prepares for a major shoulder surgery, she is pouring content into her creative pipeline
so she can keep momentum during recovery.
“I tore my shoulder out during a dark time in my past,” she says. “That story is written. This surgery?
It’s just the next chapter.”
THE WOMAN ON OUR COVER
For this issue, Kim collaborated with an exceptional team of artists whose talent shaped the
aesthetic vision of the November 2025 cover:
Makeup & Hair – @Kallistas.Kosmo.world
Laura Colorado — @sharpmakeupp
@sarah_hall_photography (Sarah Hall) Cover and images
@mova.masha (Masha) Photography of Last Image
Publishing
Kizzy Riffle — @eternalpagepublishing
Additional Credits @stylistshawn @adragency
@wisemarie (collaborator tag)
Kim owns full rights to the featured images and has authorized their use across her 2025 PR and
marketing campaign.
CONNECT WITH KIM / NATASHA BRUNE
Websites:
www.alohajigsawfoundation.org/donate
www.thewiseladybug.com
www.klifedesign.com
www.wazzcleaning.com
www.wisemarie.com
click here to see IMDb
click here to see Amazon Author
click here to see LinkedIn
A FINAL WORD
Kimberly “Kim” Cano has lived a hundred lives in one. She is a warrior, a storyteller, a mother, a
survivor, an educator, a philanthropist, a creator, a producer, and above all—a woman reborn with
purpose.
Her story is not just one of redemption. It is a declaration.
A declaration that no past is too heavy, no beginning too late, and no dream too audacious.
As she says, “My life has just begun.”
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