Everyday we meet business owners, professionals, artists and creatives. Photographers, florists, realtors and more. They might come from different backgrounds, work in different industries, have varying personalities, and have vastly different income and educational profiles, but the one thing we’ve seen over and over again is that most people have a unique and special reason for why they do what they do. From a realtor helping families afford the first home he always wished for as a kid to a photographer using her skills to give a voice and face to victims who feel voiceless, we have been blown away by what happens when you just ask people a simple question – why do you do what you do?

Samantha Knott

Throughout my lifetime, I’ve experienced an immense amount of grief, whether that be a family member that passed, losing a friend, a loss of innocence, or an end to something important in my life. Grief is never easy to cope with. Something that always helped me during these hard times was looking back at photos of those times, to appreciate all the good that came from it and all that I learned from it, instead of focusing on the loss. I became a very sentimental person and found myself capturing moments that meant a lot to me, so that I can hold onto it and cherish it forever. I want others to have that experience. Read more>>

TeKeisha Wade

My mission-driven company was inspired by my relationship with Trauma, Abuse, & living in a Trauma Body. My childhood experience and being in a Narcissistic Abuse relationship is what drives my mission. I navigated through darkness and survival mode for over 20 years. This caused me to remain silent, and not know the power of my voice. Read more>>

Phillip Little

Our mission statement is deeply rooted in our family. “All Voices DSM is committed to celebrating the diverse wonders of Des Moines, from its iconic landmarks to the rich cultures and voices that make the city unique. Through film, storytelling, and events, we aim to illuminate the city’s beauty, create space for every voice to be heard, and foster understanding through shared experiences. Our goal is to inspire laughter, tears, and learning, connecting people from all walks of life and embracing the power of storytelling to unite and uplift.” Read more>>

Ronnie Carew

Our mission is to empower others to elevate their business presence with purpose, creativity, and community while also making sure to remember to do the same for our company. Too often we lose ourselves in helping others attain their goals and end up neglecting our own. We have to show up as our best selves to give our best to others. Read more>>

Lauren Lester

The day I found out I passed the bar was a wild mix of elation and panic. I’d just conquered one of the hardest exams out there—after four years of attending law school at night while working full-time during the day—and I was finally standing at the edge of my dream: launching my own law firm. But as the excitement settled, reality quickly crept in. I had absolutely no idea how to run a business. Read more>>

Brianna Keaton

At Humble Tees LA, our mission is to inspire, comfort, and encourage every individual. We aim to empower people to feel bold, confident, wise, and reassured while reflecting the encouragement and light they seek to embody daily. goal is to deliver positive, faith-filled messages that resonate in life. These messages are primarily rooted in scripture from the Bible, complemented by general words of encouragement and advice to uplift individuals any season of life. Read more>>

Laurie Mcdermott

I discovered my husband’s affair standing in the kitchen May 2013. We had been married 16 years, best friends for 21 years, when he stared at me and flat out said, “I love you, but I’m not in love with you.”
Over the next few days, while he was buzzing around joyful with a new life with a woman I called “horseface,” I struggled to simple things like: breathe. Read more>>

Erika Kulovitz

Our mission is truly about serving people first for genuine connection and long lasting effect. This came from a place of knowing our purpose as a company, how we can impact those who work with us on our team, to our event guests and beyond. When I started the company I knew I wanted it to be unique and shaped from the good experiences I had with previous leaders and take the lessons learned from past disappointments and traumas. Unfortunately, we’ve all had a negative work experience that may have lead to a small, big, or traumatic impact on our lives. Read more>>

Ani Smith

The mission behind Le Feu Skin is to heal and hydrate skin in the most non toxic and natural way. The story behind my mission is that after I was burned, the doctors encouraged me to use non scented lotion and eat fatty foods to help with skin regrowth, but I wasn’t sold on the idea. I checked labels on scar creams and non scented lotion and the ingredients lists shocked me. I was pretty into a clean, non toxic lifestyle to begin with and so I decided to research and come up with my own product. I never intended to sell my lotion or make it a brand, but after the miracle healing it performed on my own skin, I had to share it with others. I wanted others to know they could heal burns, prevent scarring, and hydrate their skin with non toxic ingredients that actually work. I’ve done the research, I’ve trial and errored for many years getting this lotion right and I know it works. Read more>>

Michael Wyatt

Our mission is simple. Take care of each other, the customers, the neighborhood, the equipment, and our fair trade suppliers. The rest will take care of itself.

By this, we mean that we put our operational and leadership focus on service, quality, and ethics rather than growth, brand, and efficiencies because we’re aiming to build collective value rather than just owner value. A few examples: Read more>>

Jean Ketcham

My mission is to help women age with Fun, Spirit and Style.To feel good about themselves as they get oder. It’s important to me because I see too many women get hung up on that age number. That number is just not important. I want to help change the way we look at women aging. Read more>>

Lady Madelyn Patterson

GoneMad Productions emerged from my darkest moments as a beacon of hope and purpose. When domestic violence trauma resulted in my trach then followed up with a breast cancer diagnosis with extremely complications in my treatment plans, numerous surgeries, I found myself unable to continue working in the same manner ad capacity. I ended up having to take a disability retirement after 34 years. As you can imagine, that was a shock and I honestly felt very inadequate. I wasn’t ready to retire. Read more>>

Andrew Chiang

The Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company is a leading force in creating innovative cultural experiences that capture the hope, resilience, and energy of the immigrant. The mission of the Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company is the creation and production of dance performances, training, and learning opportunities that advance the vision of its founder, whose innovative work as a choreographer and dancer is deeply rooted in the Chinese American immigrant experience, the struggle for social justice, environmental awareness, and race and gender equity. Read more>>

Teinamarrie Scuderi

I am here to ignite joy, presence, and purpose in the lives of others by transforming workplaces—and hearts—through the power of NLP, Gratitude, and Play. Through conscious gratitude practices, transformational language, and the healing magic of play, I help individuals and organizations transmute stress into strength, disconnection into connection, and burnout into brilliance. Read more>>

Erica Cook

I’m here for the woman who’s ready to break free from the masculine prison she never asked to be in. As someone who has lived and survived through multiple forms of abuse, I know what it feels like to walk through the fires of hell, where I had to save myself, and I’ve come back to show others the way out. Read more>>

Christaveon Gaines

At The Flava TrapHouse, our mission is to serve bold, soulful food that brings together the richness of Black culture, the energy of street hustle, and the comfort of home cooking. We are more than just a food trailer—we’re an experience rooted in authenticity, creativity, and community. Every plate we serve is packed with flavor and made with intention, reflecting the spirit of those who hustle hard and love harder. Read more>>

Gideon J. Gallegos-Sanchez

Even early on in my Photography career (2016) I kept seeing an extremely frustrating pattern: there were simply too many people missing out on capturing life’s meaningful moments – whether that be weddings, graduations, anniversaries, etc. – because professional photography was priced so far out of reach. At the time, photographers, at least in my area, seemed to be charging rates that simply didn’t feel affordable.Read more>>

Sarita Shimizu

My journey with yoga began early. I was introduced to it around the age of ten, but it didn’t fully take root until much later—after I was diagnosed with PTSD following a traumatic domestic violence situation in my early twenties. Read more>>

Stephanie M Seaton

I serve in ministry because I know the pain of being broken. I grew up in what appeared to be a functional home, yet behind closed doors endured abuse, abandonment, and the aching silence of being forgotten. But even in my darkest moments, the Lord Jesus Christ never let go of me. He found me, healed me, delivered me, and gave me purpose. Read more>>

Yana Anders

As the owner of Style Fix Studio and a certified personal stylist in Boston, MA, I am passionate about helping women and men of all ages and body types discover their unique style. My goal is to ensure that my clients not only look their best but also feel truly confident and comfortable in their clothing. Read more>>

Ebony Woods

The story behind my mission is simple. My life’s purpose is to help and aid other’s in their time of need. It took a lot of up’s and down for me to figure this out. I have dealt with a lot of health issues and overcoming them were not easy. While overcoming these difficulties times I was draw closer to the Lord and kept seeking an answer to what my life’s calling was. In my darkest hours I heard the Lords voice. He told me that he wanted me to help others. At this time I couldn’t help myself but I kept my faith and asked God daily for the strength and health to complete such task. It took some time however; the Lord did deliver and now I own my cleaning company. Read more>>

Sara Shaw

A healthy and happy childhood should be a foundation to build strength and love to enter adulthood as kind and responsible citizens. The five siblings in the true story, Two Sisters & The Four-Leaf Clover (Trilogy 2021) did not have that chance. Abused sexually and physically throughout their childhood, their lives were compromised from a young age by an abusive stepfather and a mother who felt powerless to stop it and was abused as well. Read more>>

Ana C. Barajas

Our mission was born out of heartbreak; but it turned into a purpose. A few years ago, I hired a contractor to renovate my home. What started with excitement and dreams of a fresh start ended in devastation: the contractor disappeared with my life savings, leaving my house gutted and unlivable. I felt helpless, with no recourse and no system in place to protect me. Read more>>

GEREMY DAVIS

At Golf and Gospel, our mission is to bridge the gap between faith and sport, using golf as a platform to have meaningful conversations about life, purpose, and the good news of Jesus Christ. This mission is deeply personal because, after playing six years in the NFL, I experienced firsthand how easily identity can get tied to performance and status. When that chapter ended, I wrestled with what was next. Golf became an outlet for me to stay competitive, but more than that, God used it as a space for reflection, growth, and connection. Read more>>

Maryna Gliebova

My work as a photographer has always been about seeing the unseen — not just in terms of light and shadow, but in people themselves. After nearly two decades in portrait photography, I realized that certain faces — especially those of older women — were simply absent from the visual narratives around us. That absence became my mission. Read more>>

Julia Kraemer

Hi! I’m Julia, the proud owner of this small business. As a mother of two, and a fellow NICU mom, my journey has deeply influenced my mission to create Kangaroo Cozies. My true inspiration came from witnessing my son’s time in the NICU and watching him quite literally fight for his life. He was born at 27 weeks, weighing just 2 lbs, and spent three months in the NICU. He was so brave, courageous, and strong. Read more>>

Martine Breau

Her Femina Studio was born from my own healing journey from chronic pain and hormonal imbalance to deep body awareness. I saw how many women were stuck in cycles of stress and disconnection, so I created a space where they can feel heard, supported, and guided toward lasting results. My mission is to help women get lasting relief from chronic pain, reconnect with their bodies, reset their nervous systems through ASMR-inspired techniques, and shift their mindset so healing becomes a way of life and not just a quick fix. Read more>>

Lauren Hayes

I didn’t create The Upgrade with L because I had it all figured out. I created it because I was in the middle of rebuilding everything—my identity, my confidence, and my belief that something greater could still be possible for me. Read more>>

Sabrina Gonzalez

Our business is dedicated to supporting individuals through their cosmetic surgery recovery. Our goal here at Las Vegas Cosmetic Recovery is always to facilitate our patients in their healing process because the healing journey can be a rough one . With that being said there is a lack of information in the plastic surgery world. This lead to the birth of my podcast “Talk Plastic Surgery” where we talk about the “The Good, The Bad and the Ugly” of Plastic surgery. We bring on real people who talk about their experiences with plastic surgery with the the hope their stories will help guide others on their own path with plastic surgery. Read more>>

David Akao

Growing up, I struggled with confidence and didn’t feel like I belonged in sports or in the weight room. I was the underdog—always having to prove myself. I walked on at Coffeyville and eventually earned a scholarship. I transferred to Friends University, where I became an all-conference linebacker. The weight room didn’t just make me a better athlete—it changed how I saw myself. Read more>>