Winning often looks like a long trail of losses that were too weak to keep you down. We are beyond inspired by the stories below. Resilience cannot capture the true nature of what so many of these entrepreneurs, artists and creatives possess and there is so much to learn from the folks highlighted below.

Amori Bieller

I am Amori Bieller. I am 24 years old and a Junior at LSU. I major in Renewable Natural Resource Ecology and Management, Conservation Biology focus, and my two minors are in Oceanography and Environmental Science. I was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana and moved to Baton Rouge in 2019 to pursue school. Growing up, art and nature were staples in my development and personal solace. My time was either spent outside fishing, catching bugs, trying to build things with sticks, or drawing. Now, all of that has come full circle. I spend a majority of my time studying wildlife and global cycles, and every free moment thereafter is spent making art about it. Read more>>

Lacie Dillon

I started my career as a PA-C in pulmonology and quickly decided I wanted something a little faster paced. I landed a dream job in general surgery where I practiced for right at seven years. During the last year I took a dive into aesthetic education. I soon realized there was a lack of knowledge around this topic and quit my job to take on med spa owner full time. This was right during Covid and was risky, but felt a pull to take the leap. I’ve been blessed with the best clients and have grown so much as a provider in a field that some see as “fun” however there is so much more to the art than that. Read more>>

Ashley Jennett

I had freshly moved to the sleepy beachside town of San Clemente from the gritty San Fernando Valley and I was working as a registered nurse at a hospital nearly 100 miles away. I was a year into recovery from having 13 levels of my spine fused when a car struck me on the freeway, totaling my car and causing my life to flash before my eyes. My oldest son was 3, my youngest just a year-and-a-half behind him. In hindsight, you could say The Bee & The Fox was born out of the fresh scenery that comes with moving to a brand new town, a well-shaped perspective having spent weeks in the hospital and months in bed building back strength and really just wanting to be able to do the mundane things I now complain about having to do (but also recognize are a privilege to be able to do); like make dinner and put in a load of laundry.  Read more>>

LaShandra Logan

At 34, I bravely faced my fear and embraced swim lessons with a local non-profit organization, launching my swimming journey. Read more>>

Laura Brogan Browne

Its hard to wrap it in a pretty bow sometimes, but I guess upon reflection my story started when I got into the film industry and started writing as well as acting. It was a great way to gain autonomy in an industry where you lean on other peoples power to allow you to work. Read more>>

Natalie Roy

I was raised in a small community in Eastern Canada and knew from a very young age I was entirely motivated and inspired by creativity and curiosity. Though I didn’t always know where it would lead me I spend hours of my childhood making up stories, dancing up and down dirt roads, singing in farmland fields and convincing my cousins to put on plays with me. As I grew I realized I loved human psychology, acting, storytelling, writing and finding links between what we are and how we express. Read more>>

Holly Corsano

I’ve been artistic for as long as I can remember, always painting, drawing, and putting together creative outfits. My uncle, a hairdresser, taught me how to do a professional blowout when I was in middle school. By high school, friends were coming to me to do their hair, makeup, and even shape their brows. Read more>>

Cassandra

I was raised by a single mother in the inner city, exposed to diverse cultures and backgrounds. At age 5, I participated in the Cambodian Flower Dance at the local community center. I grew up in a Mormon church and, at 8, chose my missionary for baptism. By 10, I was learning about Islam through Somali refugees in our community, praying with them and immersing myself in their culture. These early experiences instilled in me a deep curiosity about others and a strong sense of compassion and empathy. Read more>>

Laurent Chavannes

I started playing guitar at 12 years old and began to learn my favorite songs from bands like blink-182, Pavement, All Time Low, and Bullet For My Valentine. After years of writing songs in my bedroom and longing to be in a band, I joined my first real group during college and continued to work on my songwriting ability. Read more>>

Terrye Morgan

I’m a self-taught braider and have been braiding for many years. I decided to acquire my natural hair license at the Magic Fingers Institute where I built upon my braiding skills and learned to care for natural hair. My Muses as I affectionately call my clients inspire me every day and is the reason I decided to name my business Hairmuse. The care and attention to client detail has become an expectation. My Muses are coming from all 5 New York City boroughs and some from out of state. It is a pleasure to serve my Hairmuse community. Read more>>

Emily Goulazian

I’ve been performing for as long as I can remember. As a kid, I was always putting on elaborate shows in my living room, forcing my brothers to be my backup dancers and making my family watch. My parents have endless home videos of my wild, over-the-top productions—it was clear from the start that performing was in my blood. Read more>>

Irene Delgado

My name is Irene Delgado. I’m a fashion designer, a skincare formulator and maker. I went to school at F.I.T. in NYC and started making clothing for friends when I was in my 20’s. I now have a custom made clothing business called Atelier I, Delgado. Read more>>

Chasen Lykins

My story is honestly one of my favorite parts of Bad Apple. I started candle making as a hobby just for something to do during lockdown. I was working at my local hospital at the time as a Patient Care Tech in 2020 and at the time, we had a very large handful of Covid-19 patients. When I had accepted the job, it was just a normal floor but in the time it took me to finish out my two week notice at my last job, we were in full swing lock down- and I was going right into the fire with no hospital experience. It was a major adjustment in itself, let alone adding a pandemic on top of it. Read more>>

Christie Rafol

I am at the precipice of a new chapter in my career– as a small business owner– but like so many others, it is an endeavor born out of a desire to do things my way. At the root of it, being a creative entrepreneur is a response to the things I’ve experienced both in my personal life and my work experiences, as well as an expression of how I can impact and change my own corner of the world. Read more>>

Jessica Jones

I never expected a position as a breast cancer research nurse to completely reshape my life’s purpose. In 2016, I walked through the doors of the University of Pennsylvania’s Abramson Cancer Center carrying both hope and heartache – the kind that comes from watching family members battle breast cancer, some emerging victorious, others leaving us too soon. Those personal experiences, though painful, had only scratched the surface of what I was about to learn about this disease. Read more>>

Rebecca Raine

After finishing beauty school, I landed a job at a hair salon my mom loved. Spoiler alert: it was a total letdown. The place thrived on gossip—stylists trash-talking guests, each other, and even themselves. It felt more like high school than a career and I definitely didn’t fit the cookie-cutter hairstylist mold. Fast forward a few months and I was over it. I traded my shears for espresso shots and dove headfirst into the world of coffee. There was something electric about the constant chatter, the daily grind, and the endless amounts of caffeine. Read more>>

Lisa Meddin

Starting a business was never part of my original plan. In 2003, I founded Harmony Design in Williamsburg, VA, after working as an environmental educator for James City County. My role involved developing public-private partnerships to encourage water conservation and watershed stewardship, a mission that deeply resonated with me. To expand my expertise, I enrolled in the University of Richmond’s landscape design program, where I immersed myself in the study of plants, habitats, and sustainable water practices. Inspired by this new knowledge, I took a leap of faith and left my government job to embark on the entrepreneurial journey of building my own landscape design business. Read more>>

Jasmine Kazera

As a child I always knew I was creative and wanted to own my own business in some capacity. When I was younger I had dreams of becoming an ophthalmologist and owing my own practice. However, my plans changed during undergraduate school. I completed school and landed a corporate job in the health field but my creativity was still there. Read more>>

Bining Xu

Hi, like many lighting designers, I started my career by getting the opportunity to work on an event. During my second semester of graduate school, I was invited to be the lead lighting designer for an event at Terminal 5, one of New York City’s high-profile venues. It was an incredible opportunity. Following that event, I gradually began exploring the industry further. I am currently working as a freelance lighting designer with Kawa Lighting, primarily focusing on different nightclubs. Read more>>

Neha O’Rourke

My name is Neha O’Rourke.

Professionally, I am the Founder of Somewhere In Between Coaching and use my gifts as a Career & Energy Coach, Speaker and Podcast Host to help people come back home to themselves and create a career and life they thrive in!

Personally, my name means love, so a mantra I really resonate with is “I am love”. It’s something I enjoy embracing in various aspects of my life – asking myself, “how can I show up as love today?”. Read more>>

Larisa Volkavichyute

I am an artist and jewelry designer based in Brattleboro, Vermont, where I live with my husband, 2 kids and 2 dogs. My passion for soft pastels and jewelry making has led me on a journey of self-discovery and artistic expression.

Today, I view my art as a means to explore the collective unconscious and connect with others. Influenced by archetypes, myths, stories, psychology, and folktales, my work reflects on the human experience in the contemporary world. My style is characterized by a sense of whimsy and curiosity. Read more>>

Zaina The Phenom

My name is Zaina the phenom I’m 8 years old I’ve been rapping since I was 3 and a half. All of my music is about uplifting kids and inspiring them to be all they can be. I’m also an actress with a new comedy coming to Netflix called “the Rodger’s” I begin filming December 14th 2024. I have a new single coming out January 6th 2025 on my grandma Sadie’s birthday🥰🎤 I love doing music and giving back to my community with my non profit organization “zainacares”. I made it to where I am with hard work, committing to my art form and being motivated by my father Lewis brooks who is also my manager and agent. Read more>>

Conrad Byron

I started Sweep because I saw how much consumer brands—especially in the early stages—struggled to bring their ideas to life visually. They had great products, big vision, but no clear way to translate that into content that actually moved people. So I filled that gap. I started small—shooting photos, building websites, helping brands launch with limited resources and tight timelines. Read more>>

George Davis

I started college in East Texas as a science for pre-med major – not my first choice . My first choice was art, but I succumbed to parental pressure and chose a path that my father insisted would be a well paying and respected career in psychiatry.

While I loved psychology and biology, chemistry and math were my downfalls. Read more>>

Rachel Cleary

As a child I always had a ridiculous obsession with horses. When I was 3 my parents bought me my first pony. From there we had an off track racehorse given to us, at 8 I had purchased my first horse ( for $1) and by 9 I was given my first 2 year to break out and train. I rode and showed as many horses as I could get my hands on. By 13 I was training for profit and instructing others to ride. When I was 16 years old a family friend had passed away and willed me her herd of horses. 20 in total all of which varied in age from 1-20+ most of which had never been broke to ride or lead. Over a two week span i was able to halter break and load all of the horses to find homes for them. Little did we know that 7 of those 20 were pregnant! Read more>>

Isa Diaz

My story? Well, I was born and raised in Philadelphia, North Philadelphia specifically. I had my mother and father ( love them so much ) but spent more time with my grandparents! They taught me a lot of history about our family that made me who I am. After I graduated highschool , and lost my grandparents from my father’s side I became a bit lost. Read more>>

Remi Attia

I was born in Los Angeles and was always drawn to the stories my family used to tell around the dinner table. I was very close with my grandparents and they loved to cook and gather friends and family around the dinner table. From a young age, I fell in love with the world of hospitality. In college I studied Culinary Arts and Hospitality Business Management because I wanted to expand my skills in the industry. After years of working as a hotel inspector, consultant and designer I decided to go off on my own and launch my business, The Nosh Table. Read more>>

Melissa Martini-Morales

My story starts when I was a kid, writing little stories in the back of my mom’s office or playing make-believe while running through the garages at my dad’s body shop. Whether I was at work with them or on my own, I was always using my imagination to create something new. That love of storytelling grew with me and became a core part of who I am. By the time I was in high school and college, I was working on literary magazines, refining my skills and deepening my passion for writing. Through it all, I never fell out of love with creating stories or building worlds. Read more>>

Kerry Kazmierowicztrimm

I first discovered my love for theatre when I was eight and saw my dad audition for a production of LEND ME A TENOR at a local community theater. My dad was always a quiet, shy man; but when he got on that stage, he dropped into a voice and presence I’d never seen from him before. As a child who was extremely insecure and overwhelmed by social interactions (I wouldn’t be diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder until my thirties), I was immediately enraptured by the idea of being able to loudly, boldly express myself within a structure that made sense to my brain. Read more>>

Michael Kivland

I woke up every day knowing I had to change my ways. Toxicity surrounded me. I was working in an industry that I had no passion for. I was working for people whose main desire was to line their pockets. My bosses purported themselves as something they were not. They didn’t lead, had no motivational skills, and were inauthentic. I value authenticity and realness in people. My coworkers and the industry I was in didn’t inspire me. I didn’t feel like myself. I felt trapped. I knew I had to make a move! Read more>>