Our stories are often hard to understand until folks understand our true motivations, our true drivers and the stories behind why our mission or purpose truly matters to us. We’ve asked some inspiring folks from the community to talk to us about why they do what they do and have shared some of our favorite responses below.

Patricia Smart, Rebecca Beech, and Katie Smart

Patricia: The idea was triggered by a surprise sighting while traveling through New England. Though I had long been a fan of historic houses, I didn’t expect to spot at the side of a country road an old rustic mailbox with handpainted letters spelling “Frost.” I asked my husband to pull over so I could peek around the bend of the driveway and verify that it really was where the poet Robert Frost had lived. I knew enough about the poet’s geography to believe it was possible but doubted because I hadn’t seen any promotional fanfare on the road before the mailbox came into view. The property overwhelmed me! It was not only sprawling and tranquil but open to the public! It also bordered a wood that inspired one of my favorite Frost poems. Read more>>

Aliyah Houston

Dunia Organix was founded & funded by myself a grad student with shallow pockets who just wanted simple & effective skincare. Skincare that was made using what mother nature had already gifted us. I wanted to move away from what had become an industry norm; ingredients hard to pronounce, un natural preservatives, silicon and other harmful additives. We should be able to trust the things we put in and on our bodies. Derived from plant based and organic ingredients, my products help treat & heal skin ailments while giving you a natural glow! Read more>>

Kimberly Rice

The Mission of The Path Illuminated is to create a safe container for clients to dive deeper within themselves and to develop rituals and a spiritual practice that most resonates with them to assist them in balancing their whole selves body, heart, mind and soul. My own personal journey has helped me to understand that in life having a spiritual practice is deeply foundational for creating the life that you want to see in your reality. Discovering spiritual tools and grounding practices has helped me expand personally, improve my relationships with others and with myself. These tools have helped me to better navigate the complex and constantly changing world around us. Read more>>

Courtney Weis

I tell the same story every time someone asks me this question, but it really is the reason behind my mission and drove me to where I am today. When I was 18, I was involved in a rollover car accident and was ejected. I flew to the other side of the highway and landed on my side in the middle of all the lanes. Miraculously a guy driving an 18 wheeled semi on that side of the highway saw my body land, and he slammed on his brakes and cut off all the traffic coming directly for me. I was taken by flight for life to the nearest hospital which I spent 18 days at. I suffered numerous injuries so severe, forcing me to eventually having to relearn how to walk. I questioned the accident for years, and I still do to this day. I wondered not only how I survived, but why I was given a second chance at life. Read more>>

Marilee Bramhall

Iola Wines is on a mission to bring our members the best naturally made wines from women winemakers in France and Italy at the top of their game. We’re passionate about sourcing vibrant, low intervention, terroir expressive wines for our members and customers. It’s been a circuitous route getting to where I am today. After years of working in the wine business in Washington and California and studying and traveling around the wine regions of Europe a common thread was persistently present. Despite how women were kicking butt in so many professions, wine was different. Read more>>

Shehara Wooten, CFP®

When I changed careers from Engineering to Financial Services, I did it because I wanted to help promote Financial Literacy. It’s a subject that is not taught in schools. I remember being 25 years old and living in Philadelphia. I started my first role after completing the Technical Sales and Marketing program at the engineering company I worked for at the time. Philly was a new city and I wanted to learn the city as well as meet other young professionals. I attended the Urban League Young Professionals Financial Empowerment event. There were numerous vendors in financial services ranging from banks to insurance companies. Read more>>

Angel Taylor

‘All of the Above’ Podcast began in February 2017 with the sole mission of promoting, highlighting, and supporting local entrepreneurs, creatives, independent music artists, authors, designers, etc. This mission was birthed due to my long-term goal of permanently moving to Los Angeles, CA after graduating from Temple University in 2015. I lived in L.A. temporarily in the fall of 2014 and knew that I wanted to go back to pursue my dream of being a Hollywood Entertainment Reporter. However, that plan shifted after my podcast co-host/brother-in-law, Kevin Strickland made a business proposal in hopes to have me remain in Philly with my family. Read more>>

Jared Acker

My wife, Jenn, who is the Program Director of Craft for Community and I were traveling through Central America in our mid 20’s for 6 months. We had never visited Nicaragua before and had just spent a month or two in Costa Rica and Panama studying Spanish. As soon as we crossed the border into Nicaragua we fell in love. What was supposed to be a two week stopover in Nicaragua turned into three months. The people were as warm as any we had met on all of our travels in Asia, the Americas and Europe. The natural beauty of the land was breathtaking, volcanos, lakes, beaches, colonial cities, at every turn. Read more>>

Terrisa Duenas

When I was very young I learned an important lesson about not being good enough. Since I was the fourth child of an immigrant family and only our Japanese mom raising us, we were going to have strict upbringings about education. It was an ideal situation for my mother and her first three kids. They were pretty much straight A students from kindergarten to high school graduation. I, on the other hand, was a below average little kid in grades. I remember my mom telling me that my kindergarten teacher said I was slow. I didn’t know why since I remember always being first or second in my times tables and then I realized she was referring to my reading speed. Read more>>

LaTonya Bentley Jackson

ur mission is to empower and transform the lives of newly divorced single moms, corporate professionals, and individuals seeking a positive change. Through dedicated coaching, we aim to guide and support these individuals in their journey towards personal growth, self-discovery, and empowerment. For newly divorced single moms, we strive to be a trusted companion and source of strength during this challenging transition. By offering personalized life coaching, we assist them in rebuilding their lives, fostering self-love, gaining confidence, and creating fulfilling personal and professional relationships. Read more>>

Javonne Sanders

One day I ass driving in my car, and I was asking myself what business I wanted to start. And at the time, I was craving a salad; with stuff like Kale , Arugula, onions and spinach, and as I was thinking about making this salad and what my business would be, I heard on the radio, “there’s a. huge epidemic of high blood pressure, obesity and diabetes that’s effecting the community”. And I said, ‘that’s what I’m going to do, see lord! I’m going to start a salad company. But I need a name that POPS, so that everyone in LA can know it”. Read more>>

Aja Ottero

My dream started with a strong desire to reinvent both aspects of the salon experience. Starting with the Stylist and then the client’s experience as well. After working in salons in Denver and South Korea for 8 years, I constantly felt a cog in the line. I wanted more, more responsibility, more control over MY career and the potential it had. The salons I worked for controlled most aspects of my business. When you’re a salon stylist you’re one of two things, a commissioned employee or renting a chair or now suite space. Both with pros and cons. Hair designing is an art, and that should be the focus. Read more>>

Emily Maione and Taylor Straeche

Although we seem like the happiest company ever the start of our company wasn’t that, not in the least. It all started on August 22nd, 2018, it was a normal day, my daughter, Octavia and I just spent the day at the beach, my fiance, Taylor came home from work and we went on a walk. I was 9 months and 1 week pregnant at the time, it was such a beautiful day, almost too beautiful and calm. I sat down to rest my feet in bed while Taylor cleaned up and Octavia played, I was scrolling social media and saw a message come in. This message stopped my heart, and my lungs, all I could do was scream out and cry. Taylor ran down to our room to see what was wrong. That’s when I looked at him and said “Jill’s dead”. Neither one of us could really comprehend what was happening, but it was true, and she was gone. 5 Days later on August 27th we laid her to rest and saw her for the final time. Read more>>

Deshawn Holmes

To help people achieve their goals in the hair industry. Giving kids other options outside of going to college. You can be a successful hair stylist in a growing industry. I also teach and hire my students. Giving opportunities and changing lives is our mission. Read more>>

Nakisa Nowroozi

My mission is to help families of special needs children providing them with a healthy superfood snack that is a gut and brain food for their children. Read more>>

Natasha Helwig

Broken Heals Inc. began as an organization to support women who had gone through dating violence, domestic violence and toxic relationships. At the time of its inception, I had just left what would be my third toxic relationship and second experience of physical violence within a relationship, and I was looking for support. I had reached out to organizations within my city seeking support to deal with the abuse and was told that I didn’t fit the demographic or the criteria needed for their programming – I wasn’t jobless, I was either too young or too old, I didn’t have children, and I wasn’t fleeing in distress, and therefore it was suggested that I could figure it out on my own. I was desperately seeking community and was looking for someone to talk to, someone who could relate to my experiences, a community that I could grow, love and heal with, so I started Broken Heals. Read more>>

Crystal Robertson

Our Mission: At Crystal Robertson State Farm we promise to listen to you, our customer. Our dynamic diverse and highly-talented team will educate you to make sure you’re prepared to make the right choice. “Partnership IS the process!” My motivation behind this is partnership. Far too often people feel ass though they have very little choice in their coverage or just dont understand the options, which sometimes cause people to avoid purchasing insurance. My goal is to partner with our customers, educate them and discuss the best option collectively. Read more>>

Patricia Gras

We recently finished a documentary on sex trafficking (Modern Day Slavery) that we shot in Houston, one of the hubs for this type of trafficking. As a producer with over 3 decades of experience, I decided to do this with a team of talented award winning friends without paying too much attention to funding the project. We donated our time and talent to get it done because we felt it was important for our community to know what is really going on in secret inside our borders. We raised 6500 dollars and paid those in the team who had the greatest need, but it was much less than what they deserved. Most Americans believe trafficking happens elsewhere by foreigners which is a serious myth. Trafficking is happening right here in the United states online and has increased by 40 percent due to the Covid pandemic and children spending so much time online. Read more>>

Anthony Richardson

“Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me…” is one of the biggest lies ever told to me because there have been words said about me and spoken towards me that have been absolutely debilitating. And I know people saw me smiling and thought that everything was okay, but deep down I was reeling from the blows and deeply inflicted wounds incurred by these super hurtful words. And these words were not only spoken about me or said towards me by my school peers, and so-called friends, and co-workers…these same damaging and debilitating words were said about me by my close family members. Read more>>

Christy Melgoza

My newest business, Girl! Can You Talk? Podcast has been years in the making my whole life, I just didn’t know it till now! The podcast was launched on June 1st of 2023. The struggles and triumphs of my life have prepared me to have this voice to help others know “they are not alone!” One of the times where life hit me hard was at the age of 43 and pre-menopause seemed to come out of nowhere! I felt like i was crazy, had no energy, and certainly no motivation. This put me on a journey to find better answers for myself and share it with others. My co-hosts Ana Allen and my mission is to “talk about the things your mama didn’t” and create a community that feels seen and heard. Read more>>

Sterling “Silver” Wragg

Traveling and conversation is the antidote to ignorance. That is my mission statement for my channel “Silver Rides” on YouTube. I started driving for lyft in 2015 full time. During the time, it was hard to stay afloat. Money wasn’t as good as I thought. But everyday I got on the road and drove people to their destinations. One night, new years night to be correct. A passenger attempted to stab me in my car! Lucky me, I wasn’t far from the police station and an off duty cop saw the whole thing since I was in the middle of the street. He was able to capture the passenger. I didn’t want to drive again! Not after that. But I was always told to never live in fear. Read more>>

Dani Smith

The story behind my mission sounds so cache but it’s actually much deeper. My mission is to capture all the big….and small moments in people’s lives. For people to look back on these moments in the future and feel like it’s a pause in a movie still. To help everyone capture the moments that we don’t realize we need to, along with the ones we know we need to. During the big moments I like to add focus on little lost details that will take someone back to how they felt in that moment. Read more>>

Kammie Semien

My mission in this industry is to empower and uplift women (and men) of all ethnicities with my art. My goal is to make sure that each client is left feeling and looking their best self. I provide a serine environment for my clients that leaves them refreshed and relaxed. I pour into them why i am servicing them and beyond the chair. I build a spiritual connection with my clients and they become like family. My goal in this industry is to make sure each person knows they are seen, and they are loved. Read more>>

Sparkle Hoston

Hello! My name is Sparkle Hoston and I am the content creator and founder of Autism with DJ, an advocacy project aiming to increase awareness and support families impacted by autism. Autism with DJ was created in March 2022 and is largely based on my experiences as a mother raising a child on the spectrum. My son, De’Unte Hoston Jr. (“DJ”), was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and developmental language disorder in January 2021. He was 3 years old. Read more>>

David Ellis

Auroras & Blossoms, founded by Cendrine Marrouat and David Ellis, publishes “positive, uplifting, and inspirational written and visual art” from artists of all ages. Beginning in early 2019 as a poetry journal, Auroras & Blossoms now publishes a variety of genres and produces anthologies, books, and guides for writers. They also started PoArtMo, originally shorthand for Positive Art Month/Positive Art Moves, which brings attention to positive art in the month of June and promotes the creation of positive art year-round. PoArtMo now stands for Positive Actions Rally Thoughts & Momentum and has expanded to foster a community of people sharing positive ideas and stories. Read more>>

Ashleigh Keith

I did everything my parents told me to do – went to college, got my degree, got a job, and got my own place. Pretty much in that order. I was lost in what I wanted to do with my life and I had no creative outlets. I went to a school in the south so my creative skill at the time was balancing a high alcohol tolerance and a full course load. I was in for a rude awakening when I graduated and entered into the corporate world. I absolutely hated it. I craved for something creative to take my focus away from the fact that I felt like a failure. So I bought a Nikon D3000 on Amazon and started to learn all that I could about photography. Read more>>

Barbara Kriss

I’ll admit when I started my “cute, little” wedding business – 14+ years ago – I didn’t know shit. I, 100% get how hard and scary it can be to run a business and not know what the next move is. I kept asking myself “I wish there was a place that I could go to and actually talk to other business owners. A place to ask all the questions and meet people who can help me figure this stuff out.” So I started attending business classes at a local college. Read more>>

Billy Frazier

Like most well-adjusted humans, I started off in customer service. I bagged groceries, made pizzas, slung drinks to college kids, waited tables, sold books, moved furniture, kept kids from peeing in a pool. And yes, I once proudly wore the badge of “hostess” at a crappy steakhouse during college. After graduating with a major in graphic design, I fumbled head over heels into full-time freelancing which means I’ve made a living illustrating posters and prints, building brands, laying out websites, designing apps, writing blog posts, leading workshops, throwing summer camps, starting (and ending) companies, and pretty much everything else in-between. I’ve even fired the big man upstairs as a client. True story. Read more>>

Rachel Vanoven

So when my husband and I got married in 2006, I thought I would be a stay at home mom while he worked on the railroad. A few years and two kids later, his small train conductor income wasn’t cutting it and we were barely scraping by each month. I had dabbled in Photoshop when I was creating “siggies” (e-signatures) for moms in my online mom group, and started applying the editing knowledge to my personal photos, one thing led to another and my photography business was born. Read more>>

Tiffany S. Carter

The story behind my mission, I’ve dealt with grief on a large scale not only personally, but within the insurance industry as a broker overall. During the pandemic several families have dealt with grief, not only through the loss of a loved one, but loss of marriage, loss of job, even loss of our daily routine in life. When delivering hope, I wanted to create a timeless resource that couldn’t expire. While starting this journey, I began to speak on a topic, that wasn’t so bright, by delivering hope in a form of a book. Broken: Seven Steps to Healing While Grieving will teach you:•How to effectively deal with grief in your life•Steps to overcome grief and live victoriously•The effects of grief•The benefits of the grieving process•The importance of a support system while grieving•How people grieve differentlyBroken will open up your understanding about grief and guide you through the grieving process step by step. Read more>>

Curtis & Corinna Kelley

We are both military veterans with a background of mentoring and helping people. After military retirement, we wanted to continue to meet and help people not only within our community but across the country as well. We started The Culture Marauders Podcast in 2019 and evolved into The Culture Marauders LLC in 2020. The title is a combination of “Culture” which is what we explore every episode and “Marauders” which means to take or loot and is also a tribute to A Tribe Called Quest’s classic LP “Midnight Marauders”. The premise of our show is to maraud on all culture with the intent to enlighten and entertain. Read more>>

Jaime Purinton

Jaime’s story is rooted in overcoming a traumatic event and finding gratitude for it every day. A story of jumping feet first off a cliff to do what she loves and finding a welcoming community at the bottom with arms wide open to soften the landing. Her story is one that is always changing and always beautiful. On June 4th, 2014 while celebrating her birthday, the universe decided to change her life forever. Jaime and her husband, Tony, were hiking a trail they have hiked a hundred times before and Jaime lost her balance and in a split second shattered all three bones and dislocated her right ankle. Jaime and Tony had no idea how much their life was about to change while lying in the dirt waiting for help to arrive.​ Read more>>

Angelia Robinson

After a 16 year failed marriage and a fledgling music career I discovered the world of Women’s Empowerment through sexual health & wellness. With this new chapter I was able to rediscover who I am as a woman, heal from past traumas of sex abuse and as a result, help other women to heal and become the best version of themselves. Read more>>