Over the years as we connected with incredible from folks from almost every imaginable industry we realized that every nook and cranny of our economy is full of small business owners, artists and creatives who live and breathe what they do – and their stories are nothing short of heroic. It’s the immigrant parents who overcame the odds and kept their small business alive for decades allowing their next generation to thrive and the artisans who pour their passion into every piece and refuse to let even the most common items remain mundane that make our communities come alive. The stories below will inspire you and we hope you’ll take the time to read and connect with these incredible folks.

Beth Morrison

I started as an opera singer in my studies and early career. Early on, I began working for the Boston University Tanglewood Institute and quickly rose through the ranks to Administrative Director, where I as able to have a vision for something much larger than myself as a performer. That broad reach was thrilling to me, and I quickly decided that management was more my calling. After several years in that leadership role, I began to miss production; however, the opera I was seeing at that time left me cold and bored, while the avant-garde theater I was seeing was thrilling, visceral, and compelling to someone in their 20’s (me at the time). I started dreaming of a new kind of opera, something that more closely mirrored what I was experiencing in theater, as well as stories of our time, and music that was fresh and new. Read more>>

Alyssa Reed of The Apothecary Girl Corporation

I began my skincare journey around 2009 I believe and it grew from a hobby into sort of a necessity around 2011/12. I was working for a doctor at the time and although I enjoyed my job, the pay was very little. So I began to make amateur body scrubs, lotions, soaps, oils, etc. and I sold them to ladies around the office and their friends in order to make my rent. I was single with zero support system, so this helped me survive. It ended up blossoming because I was truly interested in it. I educated myself endlessly to come up with better products and my clientele consistently loved whatever I created. Read more>>

Ronika Merl

I’ve lived a lot! I grew up in an indigenous mountain tribe in India, on the Kashmir border. I lived a pretty upper-class life in Austria in my teens, then fell in with a bad crowd and spent four years in sex work, being trafficked across the country. Then I uprooted myself, moved to Ireland, where I established my writing career. It’s been a journey! What initially got me started was an essay I’d written, which became the first thing to ever be published commercially. I then moved towards film and screenwriting, and never looked back. Read more>>

Cait & Casey Fitzpatrick & Carroll of BWB

Casey and Cait first met in 2016 working in San Francisco, California at a global communications agency. They instantly had a mutual respect for one another, and appreciated each other’s positivity, approach, and creative spirits. Their paths crossed a few times working on new business projects. Cait was also very interested in Casey’s coaching business that she had started to build (the foundation for current day BWB). After they both left the agency in 2017, they reunited to work on a few projects together. Their first collaborative project was to build a new brand for an organization built to support executive assistants. They brought their strengths in coaching, market research, strategy and design to this project. After its successful launch, they decided to officially partner together, and fold their businesses together and partner in BWB. Read more>>

Yolanda Brunson-Sarrabo- CPT, BCS of Chronic Fitness LLC

I got my start in the fashion industry. I graduated from the prestigious F.I.T. (Fashion Institute of Technology). My goal was to be a Designer, then Buyer, while ending up as a Technical Designer and Product Development and Production Management wiz. I had thoughts of making a career change but wasn’t sure where I’d fit in, and after becoming ill with a chronic condition and seeking a fitness trainer for my new health journey, which led me into this area of instructing people with various forms of chronic conditions seeking a new way with fitness though meeting slight limitations. In my journey, I wanted a trainer who understood my boundaries yet still provided me with a good workout. I hit a few dead ends in finding a trainer who understood the complexity of my fitness journey, so it led the door to becoming a certified performance trainer and meeting the client where they are in their health journey. Read more>>

Javenna Bellinger

My passion is writing. I wanted to be a Songwriter and have written a number of great song lyrics. However, awhile ago breaking into the music industry was no easy feat for me. As time moved on, I started having children. As a parent I often repeat myself and as a creative person when I say something a lot in my head. Those words become a song or a book. For example, I had 3 stair step children and they all were learning how to put their clothes on at the same time. My children would ask ” Is This The Right Way?” I had to think of a way I could help them so they can dress themselves and I can drink my coffee! I would say a million times “Is The Tag In The Back?” My children would say yes even when it wasn’t. Read more>>

Shannon Hartford

I’ve always been extremely sensitive to the emotions of others and the world around me, which required me to find some sort of “release” at an early age. I can remember being very young and staring at the tiny creatures in the grass and exploring nature in the woods near my house. When I was young, I was gifted my grandfather’s old camera and began to explore the world of black and white film photography and eventually learned how to process photos in a darkroom. I now use both digital photography and film photography but my style has evolved overtime and I’m sure it will only continue to as time goes on! Read more>>

Zach DeLoach

I grew up in the state of Georgia and only recently moved out of the state for the first time in my life. Before I did anything with photography, I was a musician, a drummer specifically. I started playing drums about 10 years ago and was in a band for years with two of my best friends. We started recording a project at a recording/production studio in Atlanta (Bravo Ocean Studios). From there I became an intern with the studio and eventually moved into various roles in their creative departments. The owner bought a bunch of really nice lighting and camera gear and basically told me to figure out how to use it. That experience started my journey into what I’m pursuing now full-time. That was almost 11 years ago. Having a place to have an on-hand trial and error experience was integral in developing the skills I have and I’ll always be thankful for that. Read more>>

Md Tapon Mahamud Jony

From Tinkering to Olympics: My Journey in Broadcast Engineering Since my childhood, my dream was to become a computer engineer. I always loved playing with tech gadgets, taking apart new toys, and repurposing transistors, capacitors, and motors. This tinkering sparked my curiosity and led me to discover my interest in programming languages like C++, Visual Basic, and web development while I was a Polytechnic student back in 2004. My career began in Dhaka, Bangladesh, as an IT support engineer for Diganta Television, a 24/7 satellite news channel. I then moved to another news channel, Independent Television. Read more>>

Andrea Morris

Photography has been a part of my life since I was a teenager. Whether it was taking photographs of my mom’s garden or taking photo breaks between classes in college, photography was always a consistent source of joy. In July 2018, I began Apis Photography. My business grew as I grew, and I dove headfirst into every style of photography. It wasn’t until I moved to Portland, OR in 2021 that I fell into my favorite niche – photography specifically for small businesses, creatives, and entrepreneurs. Read more>>

Sasha Wilson

My name is Sasha Wilson. I am a Singed model, Music industry Touring Assistant/ Manager/ Booking Agent and Actress and Pre-Nursing Student. I began modeling towards the end of 2020. I was scouted out by a casting agency and worked with them for a bit. Just by staying consistent and working with a lot of different people within the fashion industry, I was able to walk and get experienced in runway. I’ve walked in many different shows for New York Fashion Week, Miami Swim Week, Atlanta Swim Week and Philly Fashion Week. I Signed with my commercial mother agency in 2022. I’ve always really loved music and every aspect of it since I was a kid. I always wanted to do something in music. Read more>>

Emily McCormick

Prior to owning Cobblestone Kitchen, I worked for several years as an event coordinator and then later in the energy industry. I ended up quitting my job to stay home with our 10 month old when my husband’s job transferred us from Oklahoma to Wyoming. When we moved back to Oklahoma, the opportunity to operate Cobblestone Kitchen arose, and I was thrilled at the aspect of being creative and using my brain for non-mom tasks again. My husband and I live in Oklahoma and have a 6 and 4 year old. I’m thankful that owning Cobblestone Kitchen allows me the flexibility of being able to be involved in their daily lives as well as create income and a “non-mom” world. Read more>>

Ivy Brown

Opened in New York City’s Meatpacking District in 2001 Ivy Brown Gallery represents and exhibits contemporary art of all mediums with a focus on work with a 3D element. The gallery has dedicated itself to supporting both emerging and established artists of every ilk, from local to international. The gallery opened earlier than expected as a reaction to 9/11 and the need to do something for the community. The artist’s got together and created a dreamy environment and the opening on November 8, 2001 was at capacity, many people had not gone out after the events of 9/11, there were 9 performance artists throughout the gallery, people were able to just experience what was happening around them rather than going over the previous events we had all been living through. The gallery then closed to finish building the walls and lighting and reopened in 2002. Read more>>

Kacie Swaffield

I found my love for acting on a whim when I started taking acting classes at my new school. I was 11 years old and had no clue what I was getting myself into, but had vague preconceptions about it involving games. It was nothing like that; I found myself doing Meisner exercises taught by a student of Meisner himself. It was intense and strengthening and the standards set in that class set me up for success later on when attending an acting conservatory. It felt like kismet from that first repetition exercise. It was almost an immediate understanding that this was what I was meant to do, without knowing what it would all entail. When I was 12, I made the decision to study acting after I graduated high school and was dead set on New York. Read more>>

Nicole M. Wolverton

Being able to entertain myself as a kid never seemed like something that would pay off as an adult, yet that’s exactly what happened. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania–a place where there wasn’t much to do except fantasize about all the extraordinary things that definitely were NOT happening in my very quiet life. My imagination was strong, perhaps owing to all the Alfred Hitchcock and Fantasy Island my grandmother consumed while babysitting me on the weekends when I was little, but the first stories I remember making up are about my imaginary friend: a curly-haired redhead named Mona, who had knives for fingers. I used to draw our adventures. Read more>>

Andrea Bosbach Largent of AndreaBosbachLargent.com

Big Question! As a full-time international Teacher, Facilitator & Therapist with over 30 years of experience this may fill a tiny pamphlet. Let me be brief and say: it started with childhood and the distinct experience that people’s Nature, and people’s actions do not always match. And a curiosity in me was born, or rather a passion, to understand both: what moves us away from our own Nature. And nowerdays: What moves us into intimate connection with our Nature. Read more>>

Blair Edwards and Nat Vorel

Nat and myself make crochet chalk bags. It started over 10 years ago when a young Blair started crocheting. 6 years ago and I made my first chalk bag by myself. A rather ugly thing but I wore it for year, until I met Nat in 2021. During the time I made a few other bags, only slightly better than the first, but meeting Nat changed everything. With his extensive years of sewing under his belt we joined forces and starting make even better chalk bags. Prettier and sturdier than before. Read more>>

Crystal Ifekoya of BOSS Encounters

My journey has been one of resilience, passion, and an unwavering commitment to helping others reach their full potential. I dropped out of school and had two children before I was even 18 years old. Both my parents were in prison, and I lived in a shelter for two years with my two children. Despite these challenges, I’ve dedicated the past 15 years to empowering women through education, entrepreneurship, and community. I understand firsthand the obstacles women face and the transformative power of education and opportunity. From overcoming homelessness to earning my Master’s in Accounting and Bachelor’s in Business Management, I’ve experienced the importance of perseverance. Read more>>

Ashley Dudas

Over a decade ago, I felt a nudge to explore Herbalism. At the time, I didn’t know anyone who was an herbalist or worked with herbs. I found it intriguing that this idea kept recurring in my mind. Eventually, I couldn’t ignore it any longer and decided to enroll in a short online course about making herbal medicine at home. I had been struggling with a persistent cough due to a cold and decided to create a herbal syrup using Thyme. To my surprise, not only was it delicious, but it also helped alleviate my cough. In that moment, I realized that Herbal Medicine truly resonated with me—it felt like coming home. Read more>>

Erin Slutsky

As a stay-at-home mom for over 20 years, my four daughters began to leave the nest. I was left questioning, my identity and purpose. While raising my family, I led several women’s groups, spoke at retreats and counseled women through difficult times in their lives. Once I realized my years of experience leading and mentoring women from nursing school through raising my daughters was my passion, I wanted to take my experience of supporting women and create a coaching practice. As I did my own work rediscovering who I was, I learned about the Enneagram personality assessment. This tool helped me so much on my journey that I wanted to share it with others. I received my accreditation as an Enneagram Practitioner and use it to personalize my coaching for clients. Recently, I have become a Menopause Advocate and empower women to advocate for themselves so they feel seen, heard, and understood. Read more>>

Raditia Lasry

As I reflect on my forty-five years of life, I realize that my story is not defined by a single moment or situation. Rather, it is a collection of diverse experiences and explorations that have brought me to where I am today. It is only upon looking back that I am able to recognize how each small step I took played a crucial role in shaping my journey and led me to my current position of teaching mindfulness and raising awareness about the incredible impact of human life. Read more>>

Grizel Ubarry

During my early college years and after graduation, I worked in the nonprofit sector. I eventually became the CEO of a community-based service organization in Newark, NJ. From there, I transitioned into government for several years, working both in New York City and New Jersey. I found government a bit constraining. So, I chose to start a consulting practice with a niche in community development. My goal was to continue working in economically depressed communities, facilitating the work of nonprofit organizations in rebuilding neighborhoods using every possible tool for change. Read more>>

Dana Spanierman’s Story

My passion for creation began as a child. Designing for women has always been in my family. Growing up on the east coast, my grandmother owned a women’s clothing store, LEEBA, or “loved one.” In 2014, I founded LEEBA to honor my grandmother. LEEBA’s ocean inspired sterling silver jewelry reflects my passion for travel, the ocean, and creative design. I use natural seashells, sliced and polished, in hand-crafted sterling silver settings. The pieces I design are elegant, beautiful, and significant in their meaning and healing powers. Shiva’s Eye shells are known to have the power to protect and watch over those who wear them. Mother of Pearl provides healing and protection and stimulates intuition and imagination. Read more>>

 

 

 

Renee Lopez

I first became interested in photography in 10th grade, back then we shot with film and got to develop it in a darkroom etc and I remember how cool it was to see the photos start developing. I looked at photography as a hobby until about 2014 after living out of the country in Mexico I came back with the motivation to take it more seriously. I was interested in shooting live music and, became involved with activism and the Black Lives Matter movement. I started documenting all the protest I was attending and realized I could use my camera as a tool to show what was happening to myself and folks around me. I am a self taught photographer, when I first started shooting live music I didn’t realize how hard it was to do! Read more>>

 

Jessica Weaver of Pinkfix Productions

I joined my father’s financial firm in 2010, and quickly felt like I didn’t belong in the boys club that makes up the financial industry. Within a few years, I began to carve out a community for women to learn, invest, and grow not just their money but their careers, businesses, and identities. In 2022, I left my father’s firm to launch the Women’s Wealth Boutique, now the Wealth Boutique to take our community to the next level. In the first 2 years, we brought on 6 female advisors in different states from Alabama, to Michigan, to New Jersey. While this was all taking place, we built our productions company: Pinkfix Productions publishing my own 3 best selling books: Strong Woman Stronger Assets, Time to Refine, and Confessions of a Money Queen. Read more>>