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.

Yooyeon Nam

Hi, I am Yooyeon Nam! I am an oil painter living and working in New York, originally from Seoul, South Korea. I started painting about a decade ago in my early 20s. I was good at drawing and my hobby was always drawing, but I did not think of becoming an artist before then. However, I realized that I always wanted to live a creative life when I was inspired by a rock band Nell at a music festival. I started to teach myself to draw and paint, and eventually wanted to learn painting more deeply and professionally, since it was hard for me to teach oil painting myself and improve myself better and faster as I expect myself to be. I decided to go to an art school, even though I was studying at a business school by then. In order to learn specifically oil painting, which is medium of western art, I decided to study abroad. I could speak English, so I came to the States, and studied at Pratt Institute, which is in New York City, the center of art. Read more>>

Lindzi Shanks & Kat Connor

XO Marshmallow manages our own social media platforms — with the majority of them run by Lindzi from day 1. Last year, we hired our first ever social media assistant to help capture and create content for all of our social platforms. While she did an amazing job executing the vision, we noticed our social started to under perform based on our normal standards when we had someone take it over. We asked friends and close customers why they thought that was the case and the ultimate consensus was “the vibes are off”. Read more>>

 Benni Black

Back in high school, I spent most of my time between art class and playing music in the school band. I thought I’d be an artist or a musician, but a required communications class changed everything. One day, I watched a classmate turn lines of code into a thought-provoking website. That moment opened my eyes to a whole new side of creativity. I decided to dive into graphic design, teaching myself on an old Toshiba laptop with barely enough storage to handle basic programs. Most of my early clients didn’t have a large budget, so I had to get creative with whatever was provided, which sometimes was just the name of the project lol. These limitations pushed me to think outside the box and find unique solutions, helping me develop my style. Looking back, I realize that having almost no resources gave me the freedom to experiment and grow. Read more>>

Lisa Chiodo’s Story

Lisa Chiodo is a 24 year old Artist from Melbourne Australia currently based in New York City. Vocalist, trumpet player and producer/ audio & mixing engineer, Lisa has created waves with her live vocal and horn performances all around Australia, Europe and America working with artists including Usher, Lalah Hathaway, Chuck Rainey, Son Jobarteh, Snarky Puppy, Q-Tip, Lawrence and Ledisi to name a few. Read more>>

Randy Luna

I grew up in the vibrant heartbeat of NYC’s Lower East Side, among a tapestry of cultures woven tightly by the strength of resilient Dominican women. My grandmother, Victoriana Tolentino, was the golden thread holding us together, my shining armor and soulful guide; her Spanish whispers became my Spanglish lullaby. As the eldest sibling, I often wore the cloak of fatherhood, a role stitched with both pride and conflict, while the true fathers in my life unraveled like loose threads. Read more>>

Matt Krahula

My name is Matt Krahula. I am a singer-songwriter based in Honolulu, Hawaii. My musical journey began at the age of 9 with upright bass lessons and orchestra through public school. My love for music eventually lead me to the Purchase Conservatory of Music where I studied with Timothy Cobb (principal bassist of the New York Philharmonic). While in conservatory, I started playing a lot of electric bass. I was playing in a synth pop group called Fire Flies and I thought it would be really amazing to have them do one of my songs. The guys writing the songs for that group had been writing since they were kids and I was just getting the bug. I knew I had a lot of catching up to do so I started writing songs every day. Sometimes I’d write two or three songs in an afternoon. They weren’t all great but it was the beginning of me honing my craft as a songwriter. Three of my songs were actually slated to be on the 3rd Fire Flies album but during the recording process the group disbanded. Those songs became the foundation for my first record with The Nightmare River Band, which every member of Fire Flies performed on. We’re all still great friends almost 20 years later. Read more>>

Rose Gaffney

Three years ago, I started Loving Local NYC as a passion project to highlight small businesses in New York City through high-quality, short documentary videos posted to Instagram. I don’t charge businesses to be featured and make all content available for their own use. Slowly but surely, word got out and the businesses I featured on the page started recommending me to other people. Now the project is a mix of businesses I reach out to and businesses that come to me! So far, I’ve filmed two seasons of Loving Local NYC, a total of 28 businesses so far, and look forward to start filming again in Spring 2025 for season 3! Read more>>

Shana Francesca of Concinnate LLC

I was born into an abusive household and raised inside a religious cult. My humanity, my curiosity, my life, was not honored and valued. I was seen and treated as property, someone to be raised and groomed, not nurtured and empowered. When I left those environments at 26 and began building my life, I realized, despite my best efforts, I had very little idea how to be a healthy part of relationship or how to identify those who I could build healthy relationship with. That’s the part that I think that is so sinister and most people don’t think about.  Read more>>

Kaitlyn Mccolez

I am a small scale business owner, specializing in gourmet cookies and brownies. I’ve been working hard over the years to get my name out there and be known. I started working on my dreams one day during the Covid pandemic when everyone was shut in at home and I needed a way to keep my mind occupied. Read more>>

Amy Lynch

I’m a writer. My story, however, started as a reader. As a very young adult, I began devouring the British classics, 1790-1840. I literally couldn’t get enough. I scoured every remote, back-alley bookstore in search of a forgotten or little-known volume. At the end of this journey, I just wanted one more. So, I decided to write one—a (neo) British classic in the style of the Brontës or Gaskell. It was my first novel and the birth of my writing career. I have been writing books since that day. Read more>>

Patricia Wasy

It all started with Piano lessons! I went through the Royal Conservatory Curriculum as a young kid, right through High School. I continued as a Teacher, and in 2017 began Composing and Recording for Streaming Sites. This also led to becoming active on social Media. It’s there, that I was able to meet some incredible Collaborators/Colleagues/Producers. Read more>>

Steven Muleme

Just like any ambitious young man, I always dreamed big and looked up to some individuals for their achievements in society. My goal has always been trying to be me and not trying to impersonate for recognition. I have had my bad days many times, but I choose to focus on the little achievements. After losing my teaching job as a Fine Art teacher to a homophobic principal in 2015, I decided to start my own organisation called Visual Echoes for Human Rights (VEHRA), to connect the LGBTIQ community in Uganda to use sport, art and economic empowerment as a tool for advocacy. Understanding the obstacles of not having any financial resources to run the organization, I maintained my dream and relied on the few donations from well-wishers who were impacted by the unique initiative I deployed for queer advocacy. Read more>>

Derrick Wessels

Oh man, I first started in the coffee industry as a part time barista during high school at a local roastery in my hometown of Normal, IL called Coffee Nation. I learned to ropes of making coffee there, and continued on into college where I worked at another local place called Uptown Cafe’ where I learned a ton about business from the owners Tony and Shannon who took over as I started. My freshman year of college I was gifted a small home roasting unit which I used to start selling coffee at a farmers market and launched my first business venture Beagle Brews Coffee. The success of Beagle motivated me in part to follow my passion and leave college to learn more about coffee and roasting. After a short time at Thirty-Thirty Coffee in Peoria, IL I packed up all my stuff and moved west to Fort Collins, CO where Beagle Brews became Beagle Coffee Company and I began competing in national and international coffee competitions. Read more>>

Jennifer Crystal

I first became interested in the genre of Writing to Heal during my senior year at Middlebury College, where was I was an English major with a focus in creative writing. For my senior project, I wrote a long-form essay about the last year of my grandmother’s life. I began to see the benefit of processing through grief, or any adversity, in writing, and also saw how written stories can honor those who are no longer with us. Read more>>

Joseph Pastrana

My career in communications started in public relations but eventually included working as a journalist and editor for various media titles. There was a natural progression to the way my projects developed from various lifestyle industries eventually leading me into the fashion industry. I was fortunate enough to have been welcomed into the field by brilliant people like the late Richard Martin who was curator for the Costume Institute at the Met. It was then when I began covering Fashion Week and reviewing collections and profiling designers including Calvin Klein, Isaac Mizrahi, Todd Oldham, Oscar de la Renta and many others. My understanding of how the industry worked allowed me to concurrently represent emerging labels and help them develop their brands. And to this day I still work within those two areas of journalism and public relations. Read more>>

Sam Chambers

Everyone draws when they’re a child, but true artists never put down those crayons, pens, markers and pencils. I’ve been making art since I was old enough to pick up a pencil. I grew up in a house with a variety of literature and film. Comics, children’s fantasy stories, Sci-fi/Fantasy movies, etc. So I was exposed to stories at a very young age and always had a passion for storytelling. That passion never went away and so here I am now still making comics like I have been since I was 9 years-old. Read more>>

Amanda Mcknight

I have been interested in voice acting for as long as I can remember, and I’ve been singing as long as I could talk! I started my voice acting journey by auditioning for countless unpaid roles in small projects, building up my experience until I could eventually start landing paid roles! I was fortunate enough to get into contact with two wonderful authors during the early stages of my voice acting career who hired me to narrate their audiobooks. Audiobook narration gave me an incredible breadth of experience that I am beyond grateful for. Constant auditioning, improving my skills, and making connections are the steps I try to take every day on this amazing journey! Read more>>

Barb Nangle of Higher Power Coaching and Consulting

You could say that I got started as a boundaries coach the day that I hit a codependent bottom in the spring of 2015. This came as a result of inviting a homeless friend named Dan to stay at my home during a snowstorm. I met Dan as a fellow parishioner at my church and we became pretty friendly. I now know that it’s not normal to invite a homeless person to stay at your home! Read more>>

Beau Jennings

I began writing songs in college, and started a band soon after. I studied architecture in college at the same time. It was a time of constant learning. I guess I still am always learning. Read more>>

Natasha Huggins

I began taking social media seriously in 2014 with network marketing. I watched YouTube creators such as Jackie Aina, Raven Elyse, etc and soon realized social media was becoming more than coffee pics and Pinterest quotes. I watched and learned for years, but felt the growth was slow. Then along came TikTok and after 2 years of consistency, I grew a community of over 10k. In March 2023, TikTok launched Lemon8 and in less than 6 months, we reached 10k and climbing over 3 million impressions. I’m also part of the YouTube Shorts community, have attended amazing brand events such as Tyla’s first album release party and Pacifica’s premiere of The Little Mermaid in NYC, and attended my first NYFW show last fall. God gave me the gift of creativity and I’m blessed to be able to be in a position to express it Read more>>

Chellis Baird

From a young age, I was drawn to the process of making and creating. My mother often recalled how I would spend hours in my room with paints and crafts, completely absorbed in projects. A local art teacher once said that this dedication was a sign of an artist. At that age, it wasn’t about how the art looked, but rather how much time and focus a child was willing to invest in it. That sentiment still holds true for me today. As I fast forward to the present, I recognize a deep internal need to create. When time constraints limit my ability to do so, I feel restless and find it hard to sleep. My work is often driven by a desire to solve something, whether it is perfecting a texture, exploring a color, or expressing a feeling. Read more>>

Stefanie Zito

I’ve always known myself to be an artist. As a child, I had an insatiable need to create, whether drawing or constructing with any material on hand. My family moved around a lot during my childhood, so while many typical extracurricular activities were less consistent or available to participate in, art making of some kind was always within reach. As I grew older I struggled to understand how this way of being could sustain my own livelihood, and wondered if I should be doing more straightforward in practicality to contribute to the world. Upon going to college, I mulled over many ideas and changed majors a number of times, even changing schools a few times as well. I found myself just wandering the art departments even when I had no classes there just to get close to this space and the sights and smells of it. It took me a couple of years to realize that for me, it had always been art and I’d need to stay true to that and figure out the rest somehow. Read more>>

Toni Dewese

I started my journey over 25 years when a friend asked me to join the drama ministry at my church in Albuquerque. That is where my love for drama, acting and the theater began. Since then, I’ve done numerous plays, films, a tv series and even a movie. Read more>>

Robert Cividanes’s Story

I’ve aways had entertaining inside me. When I was a kid and my family would visit relatives, I would sometimes put together a show with my sister and cousins performing in it. It was always comedy based, I would incorporate music cues with the record player, directing the whole thing. We would put the show on in my cousin’s basement for our parents.That impulse to create and share with others was there for me very early on. In my first grade classroom, the restroom was at the back of the room. Since acting things out in class would get me in trouble I would go into the restroom and mime different characters in the mirror sometimes using water dampened toilet pare to make mustaches, eybrows, etc. I am presently in my sixties and have found employment performing annually as Santa Claus and there I am putting on a mustache, wig and beard to do what I love and getting paid well to do it. Read more>>

Stephanie Rodgers of Mosaic Creative Studios

My journey started when I was 5 years old and a neighborhood friend invited me to join a children’s community choir. Music became a constant in my life, providing expression, fun, friends and a creative outlet. The world of choral singing provided a community and a place to belong. I thrived in an environment that focused on the overall group while finding your place within the whole. As a shy and self-conscious kid being a part of a choir allowed me to work on what I could personally provide the group, while staying safely anonymous. In High School, however, I was mentored by strong and supportive teachers and friends who encouraged me to step outside of the safety of the group and branch out into theatre. Read more>>

Laura Mauger

During the pandemic I got back into making art more frequently, and it was then that I tried making polymer clay jewelry for the first time. I had some leftover Sculpey from a previous project and I sculpted it into some flower earrings and necklaces. They were all white since that was the only color of clay that I had, so I decided to paint them. That’s how I got started with my painted clay jewelry style. When things started to open back up in 2021 I began working part time as an assistant for a luxury wedding and event company and tried testing out selling my paintings and polymer clay jewelry at a few small events on the side. In 2022 I decided to make my art an actual business and continued the assistant job while selling my art. Read more>>

 Minyar Dhahbi’s Story

I discovered my passion for art during my teenage years, as I began exploring creativity through practice and self-reflection. By immersing myself in learning, reading, and honing my ability to observe the world around me, I nurtured a deep drive to push my thinking beyond conventional limits. This early curiosity laid the foundation for my artistic journey, helping me grow not just as an artist but as someone dedicated to forging creativity in others. This is how I’ve arrived at where I am today—teaching, creating, and using art as a powerful tool for cultural change. Read more>>

Justin Petty’s Story

I started a ambitious young man at the age of 17 years old writing music film pilots and playwrights as a plan of preparation for a lifestyle I had only dreamed of at that point in time of my life. Read more>>

Twila Mcgee of NOLAs Finest Pet Care llc

Firstly, thank you for inviting me back for another series. The idea of in-home pet care struck a chord with me in my mid-20’s, particularly after I walked away from my college career in psychology to fulfill my purpose and passion of pet advocacy. This epiphany arose from a distressing boarding experience that my spouse and I encountered. Witnessing our cats’ anxiety, which starkly contrasted with their usual tranquility at home, was a pivotal moment. Their signs of stress, loss of appetite, and trauma led me to investigate how stress affects pets’ well-being, similar to our human experiences. Read more>>

Ethan White

My name is Ethan White. I’m 24, a Leo, and a life path 1 in numerology. I’m from Milwaukee, Wisconsin (and no, I’m not a cheesehead, contrary to popular belief). I’ve been a tarot reader since January 2018, having discovered tarot while watching YouTube videos in late 2017. Tarot instantly changed my life, and I felt a deep connection with the practice. I never expected this to happen, as I grew up as a devout atheist, so tarot definitely shook up my entire worldview regarding spirituality. While I’m still not religious (and have nothing against religion), I do have my own spiritual life that works for me. Read more>>

Andrew Denicola

The beginnings of my musical journey I have to credit my mother. In fourth grade she picked the saxophone for me. I wanted to play the drum but she thought this would be a better fit. It turns out she was correct. Over the course of 20 years, I have never given up my love of playing the saxophone and making music. Throughout the years, I have a had a lot of great instruction not only about how to play my instrument, but about being a professional musician on and off the bandstand. At this moment, I have two degrees in jazz studies from two prestigious programs. This is Berklee College of Music and Queens College. The instruction at both schools has laid the foundation for which I can work in so many arenas in the music industry. Currently, I am working on the most premier cruise ship in the world Royal Caribbean’s Icon of The Seas playing jazz every night. All of my hard work over the last twenty years has led me to where I am today, and I do not see myself ever letting up. Read more>>

Jastin Taylor

My story as it relates to professional wrestling started with just a dream. Ever since becoming a fan of wrestling as child, there was always this part of me that envisioned that I could do it  I vividly remember being a kid in my room, jumping and rolling about. Tossing and body slamming pillows, imagining that they were my opponent in a ring. I could practically hear the roar of the crowd chanting my name. It all started with just a little boy with a vivid imagination. That vision, that dream, stuck with me as I grew into adult hood.  Read more>>

Majo Rivero

Everything started growing up in Mexico seeing my sister sing and dance her heart out. We started taking classes together just for fun not knowing it could be, and soon would be our careers. I always saw performing as a priority and I would even get in trouble at school for missing homeworks, until they gave in and would ask me to organize performances at school for the students, I even started teaching dance classes to my classmates and neighbors. I was 6 years old when I started dancing, 12 when I started teaching. At the age of 12 I performed in my first musical as a lead performer “Annie” in Mexico, and soon after went to study Musical Theater full time at a performing arts school in London for a year. That was the year that changed my life. It opened my eyes to what my life could be, that it was possible to make your passion your career. I had to go back to Mexico because I was to young according to my parents (and yes I was), so although I was still not the best at school work I would find ways to keep my passion alive by taking all the dance and singing classes possible and joining my high school’s dance team. Read more>>

Kellyn Mcmullan’s Story

Back in high school, I signed with a modeling agency, and they told us to get on Instagram and Facebook to build our personal brands. I started posting my photoshoot pics, but got teased at school. This was when everyone was just taking pics of their bagels with filters. But I quickly fell in love with creating content and connecting with other models, photographers, and creatives. When I went to college in Indiana, I couldn’t take modeling jobs in Chicago anymore because of the travel. Brands started sending me clothes to shoot myself in, so I learned photography to take pics of my sorority sisters and host little photoshoots. We thought it was so cool to get free clothes from brands! Read more>>

D’ann Schaefer

I’m a self taught entrepreneur and photographer who has been in this creative industry for over ten years now. I have always had a passion for storytelling through photographs and began working with my parents film camera when I was a young girl. I guess I was always meant to do photography and didn’t even know it! Not only am I a photographer, but I am also a firefighter wife, military spouse, mom of twin boys, Christian and bone marrow cancer survivor. At the age of 22, a tumor broke my back and I was rushed into the ER for immediate spinal fusion surgery. I’d have to relearn how to walk again properly and gain strength. Following surgery, I underwent numerous rounds of radiation and chemotherapy followed by two bone marrow transplants. Even though the treatments were tough, they were thankfully successful. A few years later, I got married to my now husband who stood by my side through it all. Read more>>

Mangda Sengvanhpheng of BACII

I never dreamt or planned to be working so intimately with grief, loss, and death. In 2018 my mother was diagnosed with cancer and shorty after I found myself navigating unknown territories while tending to my mother through her final days. At a much later date after my mother transitioned, I shared my experience with my friend, Nicla DiCosmo on how I supported my mother while navigating different end-of-life systems such as hospice and the funeral industry while fulfilling all the aftercare that is required after someone dies which was very isolating and confusing to navigate alone. She told me I was doing death doula work and I had never heard of a death doula before. After much time researching, I decided to enroll in Going With Grace’s program. I am grateful that I took that leap (which required a lot of encouragement from a loved one). Read more>>

Akshat Jha

The start of my story is the very beginning, I do not know a childhood version of myself that didn’t love dancing around. Wanting to perform has been instilled in me since day 1, and it only grew stronger, thanks to the positive and encouraging environment my family created for me. Cut to – I’m 23 years old, pursuing a career in acting / modelling / dancing in New York City. It’s still my baby self and support systems that continue to carry me with the confidence and love I have for performing arts. Read more>>

Nicole Majik of Majik, LLC

Sure! My journey has been one of deep transformation, filled with lessons that shaped who I am today. From a young age, I could see auras, energy, and spirits. I didn’t fully understand what I was experiencing at the time, but I always had a sharp intuition that guided me in ways I couldn’t yet explain. In 1997, I graduated with a degree in Biology/Chemistry and dove into my career as a chemist. I was absolutely fascinated by the science behind everything. Over time, I found myself in a leadership position, guiding teams of chemists in international campaigns across the globe—from China to India, the UK, Spain, Canada, and the US. I thrived in that role, always putting a strong emphasis on work-life balance, personal growth, and supporting my team. And, it worked! We consistently achieved outstanding results that earned accolades. Read more>>

Natalie Fuertes of Industry Gymnastics

My story started with a love for teaching and a desire to create something different—something that wasn’t just about skills or competition, but about building confidence and fostering inclusivity. Before founding Industry Gymnastics, I spent over a decade as an educator, working in environments that often didn’t prioritize mental health or personal growth. That experience shaped me because I always knew if I started something on my own, it would be a place where everyone—kids, staff, parents—felt seen and supported. Read more>>

John William Law

I’m a writer and author who writes about film history and pop culture. I started out in the newspaper business reporting, writing, and editing news copy at weekly, daily and monthly news publications and moved to books nearly 25 years ago. My current book, Wicked Becomes Her – Bette Davis and the Story Behind Wicked Stepmother was named best performing arts book of 2024 in the Book Excellence Awards. My 2016 book, Movie Star and the Mobster was named best performing arts title in the Hollywood, New York, and London Book Festivals. In 2021 my book The Longest Suicide in Hollywood – The Death of Montgomery Clift was a finalist in the International Book Awards. Read more>>

Gerry Wilson

My story is long, so here is just a bit of it. I turned 83 in September, a number that seems surreal and all too real at the same time, and I have a sense of urgency about my life and writing work. I’m keenly aware that I’m much, much closer to the end of my story than I am to the beginning. I’ve come to call this time of my life my “grace” period: time I neither expected nor asked for, but I recognize it as a gift. Read more>>

Dawn Mercier

My journey into soapmaking began in 2007, fueled by my love for creative, science-driven activities like baking. However, it wasn’t until 2020, while I was recovering from cancer treatment that I truly decided to turn this passion into something bigger. Starting Bathena became a crucial part of my recovery process by offering me both a creative outlet and a renewed sense of purpose as I focused on building something meaningful. Starting this business during my recovery was a turning point in my life, and today Bathena stands as a testament to resilience, creativity, and the power of giving back. Read more>>

Heather Robinson

Like an awful lot of artists, I was a creative child, always drawing and collaging, or building little dioramas. I was an academic high achiever, but I wanted to be an artist from a very young age. Around the age of 12, I fixated on becoming an architect – it seemed like something that would please my engineer dad while still allowing me to be creative. I took drafting classes in high school instead of art, and I applied to architecture schools in college. I ended up with an undergraduate in Environmental Design from Texas A&M, and went to MIT for an M. Arch., but dropped out when I realized my heart wasn’t really in the profession after all. Read more>>

Andrew Sachs of Mauloa

I was born in Los Angeles and grew up in San Diego, attending La Jolla Country Day School and playing Torrey Pines Golf Course for $5. My dream was to become a professional golfer, and I often battled with a young Charley Hoffman at Stone Ridge Country Club. However, destiny had other plans for me, and I was fortunate to be blessed with a talent for math and problem-solving. Read more>>

Tiffany Gomez

My name is Tiffany Gomez and I am owner of Gomez Design Studio, a women led sustainable design studio specializing in the fabrication of custom furniture and architectural surfaces using local construction waste lumber. I started my journey in a rather unconventional way 8 years ago, as a newly single mother to a 3 month old baby. I was in a very difficult place in my life, but decided to start my business anyway. I didn’t have any knowledge of business nor a solid plan in place, but I just went for it. I taught myself how to use tools and picked up any material I could find. Being in NYC, you have an endless supply of materials people are throwing away, so this made it easier on my pockets. I didn’t have any significant start up costs to worry about. Read more>>

Kersten Luts

Photography has been lurking in my family for at least three generations, starting with my grandmother, who dived head first into this newfangled fad back in 1938. Little did she know, this was to become a family “curse” that ensnared my dad and has left me little room for escape, even 90 years later. Now, here I am, trying to pass on this tradition to my kids, as if I’m handing them a torch that’s already burned my fingers. Before succumbing to the family legacy, I spent over 20 years in the music industry as a session musician. I really gave it my all, cranking out riffs and licks like there was no tomorrow. But then, about a decade ago, life threw me a curveball, and the “curse” of photography finally caught up with me. I found myself being dragged—kicking and screaming, mind you—into the world of commercial photography. Truth be told, I was hooked the moment I opened the box of my first camera. As a teenager, I flirted with filmmaking, rebelling against stills photography in my quest to become the next Steven Spielberg. Who wouldn’t want that? Even as I played countless shows as a hired guitar slinger, I became increasingly obsessed with lighting and visuals, so trading my guitar for a camera probably didn’t raise too many eyebrows. After a few years of shooting my friends and former bandmates performing, I had an epiphany: there’s a whole world beyond the gritty, sweat-drenched venues that deserves to be photographed. And just like that, the foundations for my life in commercial photography were laid—at least until the world turned upside down. Read more>>

Aaron Wisniewski of Alice & the Magician Sensory Design

My story might sound a bit chaotic, but the one constant has always been my passion for taste and smell. It all started when I fell in love with cooking as a kid, which led me to start working in a professional kitchen by the time I was 13. From there, I went to culinary school and studied food science, spending the next 10 years as a professional chef, sommelier, and bartender/mixologist. What intrigued me most, though, wasn’t just food and drink—it was the science of aroma and how it affects not only flavor but our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. After a decade of exploring that in the culinary world, I founded my first company, Alice & the Magician, which used my expertise to create unique flavors and beverage formulas. Read more>>

Emelie Woodruff of Holy Divine Official

My story is rooted in heartbreak and transformation. It began with the loss of my younger brother, Simon, who was tragically killed at just 19 years old—a senseless act that shattered our family. Having him taken from us shook me awake in a way I never expected. Before that moment, my life looked perfect from the outside—steady job, nice home, a relationship—but inside, I was merely existing, battling depression and anxiety. Read more>>

Kelly Pekar

I grew up in a small suburb of Cleveland, OH. The weekly trips my mom and I took to our local library definitely set the stage for my passions to develop. It was on those weekly library excursions that I discovered my entryway into the arts – the movie musical. I developed a voracious appetite for this medium of storytelling, which led to 8-year old me begging to audition for my first play. After playing a Cratchit child in A Christmas Carol at a local community theatre, I never looked back! Building a life in the arts requires a lot of patience, resilience, and creativity because there isn’t one right way to do it – there’s no set of steps that guarantees “success” in this field- and defining what success even looks like can feel like trying to catch a goldfish with your bare hands. I’ve spent the last two decades working as an actor, voiceover, and teaching artist – and recently am finding opportunity in writing and directing as well. The goal has always been the same – collaboration with kind humans who are passionate about creating quality, accessible, surprising stories. For a long time I identified as an actor only, but the longer I’ve been part of this industry, the more my passions and hats continue to expand. At the moment, I’m at the beginning of a run of Ken Ludwig’s Moriarty at freeFall Theatre in St. Petersburg, FL playing Irene Adler and others, am developing several new works with fantastic playwrights as an actor and dramaturg, getting ready for the release of upcoming Indie Game The Haunting of Joni Evers with Causeway Studios in which I voice the title character, have several new writing projects, and am in pre-production to direct a new play, Emily Dickinson: Star-Crossed Employee by Melissa Maney, in New York City in early 2025. Read more>>

Reina Montenegro of Chef Reina

Reina Montenegro hails from Dumaguete City on the Philippine island of Negros, relocating to the Bay Area in 1997. Her journey into the culinary world began as a self-taught chef after leaving a decade-long corporate career in 2012 to pursue her passion for cooking and food. Starting as a personal chef and caterer, Montenegro quickly made a name for herself, creating dishes for notable figures such as Mayors Jean Quan of Oakland, Tom Bates of Berkeley, and the late Ed Lee of San Francisco. Her culinary talents also graced events hosted by tech giants like Apple, NASA, UBER, Twitter, and financial institutions like Goldman Sachs and BlackRock Investments. Read more>>

Serena Norr’s Story

I grew up with a single mom and my sister in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn in the 80s/90s. I was always interested in creating – in some form – when I was kid where my sister and I made up songs, plays, and skits. While creativity was in the air – so was chaos, dealing with my mom’s wavering up and down moods and feelings of lack that filled the air as well as the unspoken about my father who left. Read more>>

Doug Taylor of Taylor Chip

My wife and I got started in a very organic way. I actually got my introduction to sales and marketing through a recording studio I had, which is where I learned the ins and outs of social media and online marketing. I had to figure out how to grow an artist’s following from scratch, so I’d build landing pages that mimicked Spotify’s top 10 artists, and then place my artist on the list. I’d run ads to that page, getting incredibly cheap link clicks, which allowed me to scale the artist’s notoriety fairly quickly. Read more>>

Michael Olsen of Mailbird

I’m a tech entrepreneur, co-founder, CTO and CEO of email client Mailbird. I have a background in computer science and started working as a software engineer early in my career. Over time, my path has evolved into something much broader, but my love for tech has always been at the core. Around twelve years ago, I teamed up with my business partner, Michael Bodekaer, to launch Mailbird. Our goal was to create a modern email client for Windows users to fill a gap in the market where alternatives like Outlook weren’t cutting it. While Mac users had Sparrow, Windows lacked a similar option. So we set out to develop a clean, easy-to-use platform that would help users manage multiple inboxes and alleviate the email anxiety we all experience. Read more>>

Neyda Urias of HR and Career Talks

I grew up as a first-gen Latina, navigating a world where I had to figure a lot of things out on my own. My parents migrated to the US from El Salvador in the 1980’s escaping the civil war. My parents worked hard to provide for us, sometimes juggling 2-3 labor-intensive, low-wage jobs each. There was no handbook for how to climb the corporate ladder or build a career. So, I learned by doing. I started my career knowing absolutely nothing about HR. I landed a job as a recruiting assistant, and little did I know, it would change my entire life. Watching my recruiting team help people find better jobs, secure higher pay, and set themselves on career paths ignited a passion in me. I fell in love with the impact we were making—not just filling roles but changing lives. Read more>>

Nico Sun

My name is Nico Sun, and I am a New York-based working artist. My artistic background is in illustration and printmaking. Currently, I teach art classes to young students and create art in my studio after hours. My practice involves drawing and printmaking, as well as object-making and community-based projects. When I graduated from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2019 with my BFA, all I wanted to be was a freelance illustrator, and that was my first job. I did commissions online but soon realized that working in isolation was not ideal for me. I wanted to work with people. Read more>>

Wei Ta Chen’s Story

My journey into filmmaking was not conventional. I began my academic career in Electrical Engineering at National Taiwan University. However, a spark was ignited during my senior year when I joined the university’s photography club. What began as an exploration of static images soon evolved into a passion for visual storytelling. Read more>>

Monica Mangelson of Austin and Monica Coaching

Austin and I met in college and fell in love over our mutual love for travel and adventure. As we were getting ready to graduate college we decided that we wanted to delay getting “real” jobs and applied for jobs in the Peace Corps where we were eventually assigned to head to Mozambique Africa for 2 years. In preparation to leave we sold most of our stuff, got rid of our housing contract and packed our suitcases. Two weeks before departure Covid shut down the PC and suddenly we found ourselves jobless and homeless.  Read more>>

Blkchrist

I was born in Houston, Texas and moved to NYC at 2 months old. Growing up I was fixated with the arts. My mother and father REALLY supported anything my sister and I wanted to do artistically. I started off with Ballet and Contemporary dance. From there on I went off to become a professional dancer and danced with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theaters Second Company, Ailey II.  Read more>>

Kelsay Myers of Dialogical Persona Healing Arts

One of the aspects of my identity that has informed so much of who I am and how I move in the world is being surrendered at birth and flown across the world at three months old. I’ve come to think of it as somewhat like the photograph my parents captured of me taking my first steps around age 1. My arms are outstretched – reaching up – and there’s a look of pure joy on my face as the sun shines through the window in our family living room. Read more>>

Melissa Rohwer

Hello you mesmerizing human! I’m so happy that you’re here :) My name is Melissa and I’m an artist from the land of cheese and cows; good ol’ Wisconsin! My husband and I have been married for 10 years and we have 3 beautiful boys together. Family is everything. We also have a rescue pup named Max, two rescue kitties named Nala and Luna, and a sassy beta fish named Dory. Read more>>

Yencil

At a Young age I always dance, act and sang, It was in junior HS where I recorded a tape and everyone heard it in the Cafeteria. There was a young girl who heard it and she almost cried. There I knew I touched someone with music and never looked back. Always looking for the feeling. Read more>>

Lizzie Parra

We started in Interior Design by accident. We had just moved from Boston back to Central Pennsylvania. We began flipping homes in the urban style that we had come accustomed to in Boston. People started asking us to help them with their own home renovation design. And Parra Design was born! Read more>>

Leah Beach

For my final project in art school, I decided to share the story of my great-grandmother, Treva Yohe, who was living with Dementia. She had been in her 13th year of living with the condition, and I spent hours in her memory care unit with other patients who were in a similar situation. Despite her not recognizing me, I found it fascinating to observe her and others as they navigated through their days. It became apparent that she was essentially waiting to pass away, living only in the present without any concept of the past or future. I found something hauntingly beautiful about her experience. Read more>>

Elizabeth Paschall

Like many hairstylists, I knew from a young age that I wanted to work in the beauty industry, especially in movies. From the outside, my life may seem glamorous, fun, and exciting. I get to play dress-up, work on human Barbie doll heads travel the world, and get paid for it. But what a lot of people don’t know is how much work I have put in to get to where I am today. Read more>>

Terri Frohman

I would like to say that I started my professional career in High School interning in the education space and already know at a young age I wanted to pursue a degree as an Art Educator. After graduating from SUNY New Paltz I continued a long and successful career as an Art Educator and Educational Mentor for over a decade at both the middle school and high school level in NYC & Newark NJ. Read more>>

Zan Fiskum

I grew up taking classic piano lessons from a young age while also volunteering as a family at a local dinner theater, where I learned to fall in love with music and performing. I had taken a step away from playing music for a few years and picked it back up at 12 when I started writing music and singing at my church. It was a very exciting time for me, I had a journal full of song ideas and wanted to sing at church every moment I could. This brought many musicians into my life that I am still collaborating with to this day. My church needed a guitar player so I started learning at 17 and picked it up in just three months, my obsessive nature at work there. Around the same time was asked to perform for my high school coorination, where the exhilarating feeling of performing returned to me. Shortly after I started playing in local coffee shops and joined a band as the keys player/background vocalist. When I left for college in 2015, I couldn’t kick the itch to keep writing and performing despite entering a busy season. Read more>>

Carlotta Romano’s Story

I’m Carlotta Romano, an Italian composer for film and media, based in New York City. My journey with music began at five, with the violin becoming my first attraction into the music world. Years of training at the Conservatory in Rome and playing in orchestras led me to the piano, through which I discovered the joy of composing. I would enjoy spending hours shaping melodies that expressed who I was as a little artist. I would think of a title and would make sure to stick with the theme in mind. That made me realize I love writing to a concept, an idea. And soon came to discover that film was able to give me that. At 14, I moved from Italy to Abu Dhabi, where my passion for singing and performing flourished. After earning my degree at Bristol University in the UK, I moved to New York in 2022 to pursue a Master’s in Screen Scoring. Now, as a freelance composer and singer, I combine my skills to craft music that brings stories to life. Read more>>