Our story began with a question.
Before EVOKE became a framework, it was something we were each trying to understand in our own lives.
We were both actors. Shanga was often typecast because of his race. Anna Rósa’s Icelandic accent often led to roles like the Russian assassin or mysterious foreigner. We knew what it felt like to have the world hand you a story and to wonder how to live beyond it.
Our lives were also drawing us toward each other. As a girl in Iceland, Anna Rósa dreamed of America. Growing up in America, Shanga was fascinated by Iceland. Long before we met, we were each learning to listen more closely to our own sense of what was possible.
That experience left us with a question: Who are we beneath the stories we’ve inherited?
EVOKE grew from our belief that when we understand our own story, we can make more intentional choices about what comes next.
Meet the founders
Shanga Parker
Co-Founder
Shanga is an actor, director, educator, and Certified HeartMath® Coach. A Full Arts Professor at NYU and adjunct faculty member at Columbia University, he has spent 30 years helping people find their voice through storytelling, performance, and heart-centered leadership.
Anna Rosa Parker
Founder of the EVOKE Your Story™
Anna Rosa is a creative entrepreneur, actor, and a Certified HeartMath® Coach and NYU guest lecturer and mentor. Drawing on her background in theatre, luxury marketing, and brand strategy, she brings together narrative, identity, and practical tools to help individuals, entrepreneurs, and leaders better understand who they are, how they show up, and what they want to create next.