It’s more important to understand someone than to judge them. We think the first step to understanding someone is asking them the fundamental questions about who they are and how they became the person they are today. Understanding and empathy are essential building blocks for a better, more compassionate world. We’re incredibly fortunate to be able to ask these questions each week through our interview series. Below you’ll find inspiring interviews from in and around Michigan.
Dominic Aker
I started this with a passion to be an entrepreneur. My love for cars and cleaning has been since I was little. What I do now is something I enjoy and to be able to service people for their needs is a blessing in full. Read more>>
Tyler Mitrzyk
Been boxing 25 years fighting around the world. Boxed while in the United States Marines. I’m a business buy, so I promote fights as well as train fighters Read more>>
Aya Restrepo
I’ve always been fascinated by the idea of beauty. Growing up, I was often compared to my sister and would hear those backhanded compliments like, “you’re getting pretty,” which made me acutely aware of how much weight society places on appearance. As a teenager, I spent hours poring over fashion magazines and making collages of women I thought were beautiful. Read more>>
Tatiyana Stankovic
Naturally You Aesthetics began in 2022 with the belief that beauty should be effortless, authentic, and more than skin deep. From the beginning, my vision was to create a space where clients feel at ease—confident that their results would look natural while celebrating their unique features. Read more>>
Rob Murphy
I was born and raised on the west side of Detroit. I grew up in one of the toughest neighborhoods on the west side. Losing my mother as a teen to gun violence (while never meeting my father) made times very challenging for me early on. Read more>>
Tom DeLong
Growing up, every gathering in our family seemed to revolve around food. My mom loved to cook and entertain, and my grandma was always in the kitchen, feeding anyone who would eat. Those moments made food feel like more than just a meal — it was connection, comfort, and creativity all in one. Read more>>
John Vasquez
My interest in martial arts spiked after seeing The Karate Kid in 1984 at 7 years old. I started training in Martial Arts in 1989 at 11 years old through the YMCA and other various short courses offered here and there. I joined a full academy program in 1992 at 14 years old. Read more>>
Tim Maletic
I’m an assistant instructor in Aikido at Grand Rapids Aikikai, a martial arts school in Kentwood. I was a long time runner, hiker, yoga practitioner, and meditation practitioner, but with zero martial arts experience, when I discovered this Aikido program while searching out activities for my then-14-year-old daughter. Read more>>
David Shock
I’ve been in coffee, food and beverage for over 20 years. When I met my wife in 2012, her parents owned a small coffee roasting business on their property in rural NH since 1995. We decided the move the business to Detroit in 2019 and have since grown the business to include over 50 wholesale partners, 4 cafes and 2 more coming soon. Read more>>
Meredith Schindler
Ann Arbor Academy is an independent, gender inclusive day school for students in grades K through 12, as well as post graduate students in our 13th Year program. Ann Arbor Academy’s mission is to allow students with divergent learning styles to flourish in an environment which promotes social and academic confidence and growth. Read more>>
Mary Michail
I fell in love with psychology in high school when I took a course and decided that it was going to be my career path. Thankfully I was able to work hard and achieve me dreams. Read more>>
Chad Ever
I didn’t start out planning to run an agency. I started out wanting to make an impact. My background was in helping small businesses grow, but I kept running into the same problem: they had great products and services, but no one was finding them online. Read more>>
Spencer Hodgman
I was 13 years old, armed with a push mower and a drive that didn’t quit. In South Haven, I started mowing neighbors’ lawns, one yard at a time. What began as a few weekend jobs quickly became a routine: after school, after sports, I’d come home and go to work. Read more>>
Caleb Kitchen
I grew up in a very automotive household combined with animal rescue, the upbringing I had has led me to have a strong passion for anything mechanical (which has passed down to my children as well!), the inability to not stop for turtles or brake for squirrels, and every day try to teach my children to lead with love to live the life you deserve! Read more>>
Ellen Schwartz for Wu’s Tai Chi Chuan Academy-Ann Arbor
Wu’s Tai Chi Chuan Academy-Ann Arbor grew out of classes taught by my teacher, Sifu Genie Parker. She began teaching at the Ann Arbor branch of Jewel Heart, a Tibetan Buddhist center in town. Her classes were some of the satellite classes offered under the auspices of the academy in Detroit. Read more>>
Ashley Troszok
I went in the field of social work because of my desire to help support others. After obtaining my bachelor’s degree, I was uncertain of what area of social work I actually wanted to be in. It took me a while to realize that I wanted to be a therapist. Read more>>
NATALIE DAVIS
I got started as a baker about 20 years ago. I had just moved to a new town and needed a job and saw a sign on the door of the grocery store that they were hiring. This was in the days where you could still walk in to a place and ask to talk to a manager about a job. Read more>>
Noize Pierce
Man, my story’s been a wild ride. I grew up surrounded by a lot of chaos, and trauma, and for a long time I let that define me. I went down some dark paths, battled addiction, lost a lot of time, and almost lost myself completely. But one day I just decided enough was enough — I wanted more out of life. Read more>>
Tom Arthur
I grew up in Indianapolis in a family of entrepreneurs, so building things from the ground up is in my DNA. My first job was helping open a Fazoli’s — learning firsthand how teamwork, risk, and vision turn an empty space into something that brings people together. Read more>>
Clare Ramirez
I’ve been in the boxing world for over 25 years — as a fighter, coach, and now the co-founder of Boxing House International. I started boxing as a young adult in Chicago and competed in six Golden Gloves, winning titles and eventually trained under the Cuban national team in Havana, Cuba. Read more>>
Belle Massoud
I got my start in baking when I had to do a project for high school. I had to do a “day on the job” of the career I was wanting to pursue. I was already going to skill center (high school technical school) for culinary, so I asked one of my instructors what restaurant I should go to and Pesto’s was recommended. Read more>>
Jane Garrett
I studied graphic design and photography in college and actually stumbled across custom picture framing almost by accident. I answered an ad looking for help at a custom framing shop in Ann Arbor. I actually didn’t realize what custom framing was all about but got a great start at Pictures Plus. Read more>>
LaNeisha Watson
I am a Detroit native, a storyteller, and a mental health advocate. Growing up, my access to art and entertainment came largely through Black sitcoms like The Bernie Mac Show, My Wife and Kids, Girlfriends, Living Single, Martin, and The Steve Harvey Show. And of course, there was the radio. There was no place like WJLB in the late ’90s and 2000s. Read more>>
