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?
Marcus Gray
The mission of hiphop Diaperbag is to create a spiritual philosophical and cultural space for hip-hop to perceive itself and grow into as it emerges into maturity. When I began thinking about how much hip-hop culture has grown over the last 50 years, and began to reflect on how much the culture is still perceived as an adolescent, Immature, rebellious, emotional, belligerent I began to look for signs of its maturity in pop culture. The truth is this is not only how hip-hop culture is perceived in pop culture and by pop culture but in large, this is how hip-hop culture perceives itself. In many ways, this is a part of its strength, it’s courage and genius. To articulate societies underbelly, trauma and shadow. But, it is only part of what this culture has become. Read more>>
Cassie Rae
One of the biggest things I’ve always cared about is making sure my portfolio is representative of ALL the people I work with. My biggest mission is to make people see how amazing they look in the body they are in NOW. It’s so common for clients to say things like “can you take 30 lbs off” or “can you make me 10 years younger” and that’s just something I won’t do. I will work with them to come up with poses that help show off the best version of them as a human. I always want to show people how incredible they are even if they don’t see it at first. Read more>>
Lisa Mozzini-McDill
I’m not sure if I’d call this a mission so much as the reason I create art? First of all I have always been drawn to making art. I loved drawing as a child. In kindergarten I would get in trouble for embellishing books with added people and various objects. My favorite thing was practicing cursive writing before I could read. The reason I continue to make art is to have meaning in my life. I believe expressing thoughts and feelings through art about what it is to be alive, the good and the bad, is meaningful. Connecting with others through my art is a great privilege I hope to continue through out my whole life. Read more>>
Maddy Eberhardt
“Nobody left behind” I’ve struggled with anxiety, depression, and a very stubborn eating disorder for as long as I can remember. For a long time, how weak and alone I felt completely dominated every single aspect of my life. I hit a very very low point and finally allowed myself to quit my job in order to start something of my own so I could start to get my mental and physical health under control. As I fight for my health, happiness, and safety, one of my main concerns is the health, happiness, and safety of the rest of the world. Read more>>
Margaret Kirk
My mission and passion is to highlight women throughout history who have been under recognized or completely written out. Myra Pollack Sadler, who was an educator, said: “Each time a girl opens a book and reads a womanless history, she learns that she is worth less.” Stories connect us, like threads create a tapestry. They stitch us securely into a multigenerational quilt of life and community. History helps us learn who we are, but when we don’t know our own history as women in a broad sense, our power and dreams are immediately diminished. History must tell the whole story; knowing the achievements of women expands our sense of what is real and what is possible. Read more>>
Donna Cates
I embarked on a second career as a financial advisor after a successful stint as an analyst in the US Army and the creation of a thriving direct marketing business. In an industry predominantly dominated by men, I recognized a glaring oversight in catering to women as clients and professionals. Driven by a resolute determination, I set out to rectify this disparity, spurred by the shared struggles of countless women facing a world of potential but grappling with financial disempowerment. The statistics laid bare a harsh reality: gender pay gaps, a dearth of financial literacy, and an alarming lack of readiness for unforeseen economic challenges. Read more>>
Lynn Flake
Our mission at Petals Tea Shop is pretty simple, we drink tea, read books, and change lives. Tea and books not only go together, but they both bring people together — and that is what we do too. As an educator, one of my favorite parts of my job was creating meaningful connections with students and their families. I loved pouring into the individuals that I encountered and doing whatever I could to make their lives better, easier, or richer. Simply put, I love serving others. However, I recently left the classroom and I immediately missed the opportunities to connect and serve, so I decided that would become the heart and soul of the small business that I was building. Read more>>
Rejeaner Burney
My mission behind my business is that I’ve been doing hair since I was 12 years old.. while all my friends played outside daily with running and playing, I would be inside of the living room doing hair. I saw it as fun and exciting. I also made a lot of money per head wishing was $5-$10 then lol. I would come up with my own styles and create magic. It has always been a gift and a talent. I was self taught of my craft. I begin to do my own hair weekly. I showed off the styles and more people wanted me to do there’s. In those days there really wasn’t phones to take pictures, so word of mouth was my marketing. As years went on, the clients increased. Moving forward as a adult in my 20,s and 30,s I purchased a shed and turned it into a salon in the back of my house. Read more>>
Laura Nunnelly
Edara Apparel’s mission is to design attractive and high performance tennis apparel for female athletes. Growing up, I was a multi-sport athlete – namely playing softball, basketball and volleyball through high school. I opted to focus on academics for college, but sports has always been a through-line in my life. Tennis was a sport my parents introduced me to as a child and that I played off and on, but never consistently. I picked it back up as an adult, around 2019, once I enrolled my daughter, then 5 years old, in her first tennis camp. Read more>>
Fatima Balde
At Amarafit, we are on a mission to empower women of all sizes and shapes to embrace their fitness journey with confidence. Founded by Fatima Balde, a passionate traveler and fitness enthusiast from Guinea, Amarafit is born from the belief that every woman deserves fitness wear that not only fits well but also instills the self-assurance needed to conquer any workout challenge. Our journey began with Fatima’s personal experience of struggling to find fitness wear that catered to her body type. This led us to take a stand and create a fitness line that redefines inclusivity and comfort. Our collection features high-waisted leggings and supportive sports bras, designed to empower you during activities like running, yoga, workouts, or even casual strolls. Read more>>
MIMI MALA
Mimi Mala American broadcaster Owner of music radio show “Peace On The Streets Radio” on WOKB provides others a platform of opportunities. She’s able to stay focus on assisting nonprofit organizations, local and small business / independent talents. Published several times winning “ Best Host” “Most Influential Women Of Orlando” and 100 Successful Women In Business” winning three Stellar Awards in a row. Currently nominated on her fourth. She has been honored and awarded best host, best radio show, most woman in Orlando, and 100 Successful Women In Business! Read more>>
Olivia Khiel
When Atlas Artist Group was started, it was our mission to highlight artists making amazing music while also making a positive impact on their scene or community. That’s still our mission today and we’ve been able to expand it beyond the local Arizona scene and the constraints of genre- we aim to shine a spotlight on artists across the musical spectrum that we really believe in. This is so important to Atlas as a whole because we feel that it’s only possible to create truly great music if it comes from a place of honesty and integrity. This mission has really allowed us to expand our coverage across the country and the world and let our readers know about some amazing people we’ve encountered along the way. Read more>>
Terrell Daron (DAY-RON)
The mission behind my company is to provide individuals with similar backgrounds as me the opportunity to be successful. In practice, this is educating those who are interested with the knowledge of how to create digital media. I’m currently starting a series where I’ll be providing behind the scenes content of certain projects for some of my favorite local creators who also happen to be my friends. This is actually to provide marketing content for he creators as well as to educate the youth on how to create projects. Read more>>
Amy Morris
Our business first started when my mother realized what I was doing for teachers might just be worth putting out there for others. I love creating special tags or stickers that go along with gifts for others; something that may include a sweet message or a funny quote. Each year for my children, I create meaningful gifts for their teachers and classmates. Gifts that always include a colorful, personalized message from my kids. With many teachers in our family, we understand the hard work and dedication they go through. We have seen the joy on a teachers face the moment their student gifts them with a unique, personal gift; especially when that gift includes a personalized tag just for them. Read more>>
Tim “Chigger” Louie
My band Rahway has had this mission of just being successful in the music industry and to just make some money doing what we love to do and that is playing music. Before I joined the band, I felt there was no business plan and these three guys were just writing music together. They had a bad reputation and venues were banning them. When they asked me to join the band, I decided I wanted to help them turn this into a business with the help of our manager Larry Jones from Arc Angel Entertainment, so we can make money while the four of us can enjoy writing and playing music together. We came up with a plan which started with fixing the reputation of the band. We played many charity events for free and made our money on merchandise. Now, the band Rahway looked like the good guys. Read more>>
Donna Toland
Our mission is to make every client as happy as possible. We understand that without customers there is no Boardroom Hairstylists. We also want to make sure that ALL our clients feel LOVED and respected regardless their gender or state of being. Boardroom Hairstylists has three principles when it comes to the art of hairstyling: Knowledge. Creativity. Trust. In this salon, all hairstylists are constantly enhancing their knowledge of the newest trends in haircuts, natural hair, color and treatments, while polishing their classic cuts, coloring techniques, and styles. To achieve this, the Boardroom Hairstylists team has taken expert-level classes from industry leaders nationwide, including private color classes at top celebrity salons and the Goldwell Color Zoom Academy With this foundation in knowledge, each stylist brings their own insight and energy to your service. Read more>>
Hugo Medina
As our globalizing world has increased the need to improve public spaces and create a sense of place-based identity, researchers and urban planners have also become increasingly aware of the benefits of environmental aesthetics in urban public spaces (Alyari, 2018). Psychological connections are fostered through public art and placemaking enhancements which are essential for creating an authentic sense of community and a meaningful impression of identity and place. My designs draw inspiration from the arts, our history, the collective human experience, and our natural environment. Born in La Paz, Bolivia with an architect father, I immigrated to New York as a child. My great appreciation of the Southwest and a constant search for adventure brought me to Phoenix in 1998. Read more>>
Nancy Bordine
My mission is to increase awareness of the humanity of each person around us to promote empathy in children. In my roles of foster parent, exchange student host, and psychiatric nurse, I’ve witnessed the challenges of overcoming barriers of marginalization firsthand. Being a foster parent opened my eyes to the world of childhood outliers, the kids that don’t fit in because of the differences in their home life. As a psych nurse, I saw the challenges many of those children experience in adulthood. As parent to children of color, I’ve experienced the heartaches of racism. My experiences brought the world’s need for more empathy into my heart and soul.
Sylvie Gilbar
Our mission is to help individuals unlock their confidence through dance! Dance has been a kind of North Star for me, no matter what I’m facing in life it has been my therapy, my safe space to self express… basically my happy place! Why I created Certified Baddie is because I want others to experience all that dance has given me over the years — joy, freedom, creativity, healing, and confidence! As dancers immerse themselves in our dance community, they find a supportive network of like-minded individuals who uplift and inspire one another. Read more>>
Fabio Melo
Growing up in a humble home in Brazil, I grew up watching my grandfather who was a builder, create a safe, friendly and family construction zone. That really stuck with me as an aspiring labourer in the earlier days of my career. I began to see a stigma around construction, its workers and their trades. My mission has always been to mirror and elevate what I saw in my grandfather, to break the stigma of a rough and rude construction world and instead create a safe space for our clients to feel welcome and part of the process while their dream comes to fruition. We strive to be known as a clean, organized and a complete company instead of chaotic as the construction world stigma seems to be. That is why we are name ‘Kaza’ which signifies “home” in our native language. We want to build homes and not just houses. Read more>>
Kylia Jackson
“The richest place in the world is the graveyard.” This is because so many people take their big ideas with them instead of executing them. Can you imagine having the solution to someone’s problem in your hand and never releasing it? Sadly, this is the reality for most people. I used to be an information hoarder, spending hours and hours collecting research and never doing anything with it. I talked myself out of every opportunity that challenged my confidence even though I was overqualified to complete the task. I was frustrated because I would constantly start projects and never finish them. Read more>>
Trey Flynt
My mission is to share the beauty of the world around us. So many of us are stuck behind a desk or at home and I hope my photography will inspire you to get out and enjoy the beauty of nature. Read more>>
Chef Stacey Dougan
Our goal is to provide more awareness about the health benefits of plant-based food and plant medicine to communities who are disproportionately affected by food deserts. We had a brick and mortar vegan restaurant for 7 1/2 years and during this time we offered complimentary plant-based cooking classes catered towards black and brown communities. There is a community in Las Vegas called The Historic Westside which in the past was a thriving predominately African American community that played a pivotal role in the history of Las Vegas. Some 50 years later, this community has experienced economic and urban challenges including extremely limited access to healthy food. Read more>>
Elizabeth (Lisa) Liang
My mission is to remind everyone, especially women and underrepresented people, of this: Our stories and our feelings about them matter. Honor them. The “why” for my mission is that I had never seen a story like mine told, so as a professional actress and published writer, I took it upon myself to write, produce, and perform a one-woman show about my life, Alien Citizen. It had a successful run in Hollywood and ended up touring internationally for six years. Since it did so well, I believed I could help other people tell their intercultural stories, so I began leading workshops on creating a solo show or memoir at colleges, universities, summer schools, and conferences in the US. Read more>>
STEPHANIE THORMAN
About 8 summers ago, I made up a party to throw for me and my mom friends. I told everyone that spouses and kids were not welcome….Moms only! I warmed up the pool, hired a bartender and caterer, made us all matching shirts and hats, and I called it, Moms Day Off. It ended up truly being the most remarkably fun day ever. At the time, I had very young kids and was constantly at their beck and call. I could never have a full conversation with anyone, never was really able to sit down for a meal, and really missed being with my friends for uninterrupted hours. So I made up this day and the outcome was the best. We were able to speak in full sentences, laugh, have fun, and just be us…the people we were before kids. Moms Day Off was a tradition after that, we would look forward to it with each passing year. Read more>>
Alex Pierre- Louis
My business’s mission is to guide people through healing, learning, and evolving from pain and trauma. Many have dealt with abandonment, rejection, and abuse from loved ones, adopting these experiences as their identity, despite their true potential as radiant beings meant for purpose and joy. Traumatic events often distort the ability to imagine and create positive, abundant life experiences. Unfortunately, being let down so frequently makes you believe life will forever be hard. Coming from me understand my purpose in my life. It also led me to connect with wonderful people who genuinely love me for who I am, helping me erase the wounds of past of abandonment and rejection. Read more>>
Anna Vocino
Eat Happy Kitchen was created with the foundational mission of offering organically sourced, gluten-free, grain-free, and filler-free foods with no sugar added – ever. The mission to create Eat Happy Kitchen was born out of my health challenges as a child and young adult. I battled respiratory infections, asthma, stomach distress, vitamin deficiency, and anemia. When I was 28 years old, both my mother and I were diagnosed with Celiac Disease, an autoimmune disorder. Read more>>
Allison Bansen
Mission: Providing a romantic, intimate venue where guests fall in love with the one-of-a-kind vibe in an unhurried atmosphere. Story: My name is Allison. Along with my husband, Jim, we are the owners of Bansen Farms. We bought the farm a few years ago as a complete fixer upper. We originally wanted it for land for our three boys Ben, Jack and Lane. My husband grew up on a dairy farm so having land to raise his boys on was important to our family. I remember walking on the farm and saying, this could be something really special. I had no idea what was in store for me the day we signed that contract. Now a full business with employees, we are thriving! You know that saying, “Sometimes the best things in life just happen without a plan” that was us. Read more>>
Stacy Keele
My mission, at its core, is to make Human Design (the map of your energetic DNA) as actionable and accessible as possible, so you can build the life you WANT to live, and not the life you think you “should.” Everything came into focus for me around 2019 when I was diagnosed with the autoimmune disease Hashimotos soon followed by Endometriosis. At the time, I had been living in New York City for a decade trying to further my career in music theatre. I was working too many jobs to count, rushing from one gig to the next so I could pay my bills. I had little to no time for rest, reflection, or mindfulness and my body was trying to tell me something important… the way I was living was not sustainable. My health struggles forced me to slow down in a way I never had before and that’s when I was introduced to Human Design. It was like a lightbulb went off and everything clicked. Read more>>
Sterling Rung
Sterling Rose Art combines the magic of the art and wellness fields to create unique experiences for healing and creative expression. The mission of this work lies within the embodiment process: the unification of the physical, mental, energetic and emotional aspects of self to create the foundation of safety within the body. This process gives us access to wisdom that lies deep within to experience much more clarity, joy and ability to create! What brought me to this place of awareness and inspiration in my work was years of not feeling safe in my own body. I know firsthand what it’s like to feel detached and dissociated from life which blocked my creativity, ease and inner truth from shining. Hitting rock bottom in my late twenties at a corporate design firm, “woke me up” to the simplicity that I was not living in my body or purpose. Read more>>
Debbie Hudecek
Having been in the beauty industry for over 25 years and observing how different owners ran their businesses I felt I could bring about a change. Opening Lavish Boutique Salon gave me the opportunity to elevate how a salon was run! I wanted to empower and encourage the stylists, esthetician and salon coordinator to have a voice and involvement in the running of an upscale salon. I feel if everyone has an opinion it makes for a happy cohesive environment. My goal was to create a one-of-a-kind upscale salon where our clients come into and feel the stress of their lives melt away! Starting with a warm greeting a lovely beverage and sweet treat to begin the relaxing experience we provide. Read more>>
Michelle Surrena
The story behind my mission, This a meaningful story, I didn’t know what I wanted to be? I’ve always loved beauty. I went to nail school, I was ok at it , than went to skin care school, it was not bad. Nice prepped skin is always important for makeup application! Than I decided I want to go to makeup school. I decided on, Cosmix School of Makeup Artistry! It was a 3 month program, a fast paced program. I really loved makeup, and how awesome it was to see people transform into prettiness! Another fun one, is special effects, playing with blood, etc. Read more>>