Michigan’s Most Inspiring Stories

The heart of our mission is to find the amazing souls that breathe life into our communities. In the recent weeks, we’ve had the privilege to connect with some incredible artists, creatives, entrepreneurs and rabble rousers and we can’t begin to express how impressed we are with the incredible group below.

Emily Jacobson

In the Spring of 2020, the Montessori school that several of our current staff worked for decided to eliminate the entire infant and toddler program in order to use those classrooms for the older children to have smaller cohorts of children which was recommended at that time during the pandemic. This unfortunately left many staff without jobs some of which had been employed there for 25 years as well as the families without care at that age level. Read More>>

Kaitlyn Joy

I appreciate you asking me! I was born and raised in Michigan. I’m 30 years old and currently live in Lexington. I love to bring out the best in people. Whether that’s through my personal life or my career as a manager of a hair salon. You just never know what someone is truly going through and being able to spread positivity wherever and whenever I can is so important to me. Read more>>

Kevin Devries

In this inspiring Keynote Talk, Extreme Explorer Kevin DeVries will REFRAME YOUR STORY to CLIMB THE TRUE SUMMIT—the space where we don’t have to prove we can climb Everest because we’ve already proven to ourselves we no longer need to because we’ve climbed Everest within. Read More>>

Jordan Schaefer

The inspiration for our business came during the COVID pandemic. Like others, I transitioned from a traditional office job to working from home for several months. During that time, I realized just how much I missed the daily social interactions, being around others, and the collaborative energy of working with a team. The absence of these experiences had a negative impact on my mental well-being, highlighting the importance of community and connection in the workplace. Read More>>

Lauren Quinn

My journey into the beauty industry started long before I became licensed. I’ve always had a deep passion for skincare and beauty, spending countless hours learning about different techniques, trends, and treatments. After completing my formal education and receiving my esthetician’s license over two years ago, I dove into the industry by opening my own business. Read More>>

Mridu Pasrija

I started exploring different energy modalities. Slowly, things started to change. I still remember. The first thing I felt was ‘lighter’. And I don’t mean physically. Feelings and thoughts that had weighed me down began to go away and I felt lighter and happier. How I reacted to others started to change too. The biggest testament though, was not just my own observations but people around me noticing how I was changing. I began to witness my life transform. That was exciting! Read More>>

Malique Grear

Positive Impact for Life was founded in September 2018 by me. It derived from a non-profit organization called Moise’s Minds Educational Program, which was founded by my mother and a close friend and focused on improving the lives of individual youth in the community’s physical, mental, and dental hygienic well-being. When Moise’s Minds Educational Program ended, I decided to continue helping others improve and transform their lives by providing them with practical educational tools, positive methods, and solutions for everyday living. Read More>>

Maurice Chriss

opening a business definitely has its challenges, but perseverance is key to overcoming any boundaries I may cross. a good example i can think of is at the beginning of this season our health permits didn’t arrive in time for opening weekend at the little fleet so it put us behind schedule, but we didn’t let that discourage us from having the busiest summer yet. Read More>>

Glen Lundin

I also buy a wide range of other antique/collectible items so the store has something for everyone. Hand tied oriental rugs are my second largest sales category. My wife, Diane, is a certified appraiser of antique and household items. I have a daughter, Alyssa, who is an Interior Designer and she uses part of my store to sell Mid-1900’s modern furniture. This is the 55th year that the barn has been selling antiques with us running it for the last 25 years. Read More>>

Melissa De Leon

I do this because its my passion and what I love to do and I love even more now than I did before because my dad recently passed away and he was the number one person I would make things for so now I feel like not only am I doing this for my family an I, I feel like I am doing this for him too because I know he always told to me never give up and to keep doing what I was doing. Read More>>

Kumi Wolff

My heart currently is with my YouTube channel I do ASMR [Asmrbywolves] on and I’m working to make it a space for people like me to go to and hear peace sounds affirmations a soothing voice in a otherwise loud sea of anxious fish. I also offer more spicy and sensual audios for people who like to use their imagination, or have trouble feeling their bodies due to trauma. Read More>>

Michelle Soltman

I have spent my entire career working for highly successful, privately owned businesses, gaining a wealth of experience by wearing many hats and learning every facet of business operations. From an early stage, I approached my work with an entrepreneurial mindset, always eager to learn from mentors and build meaningful relationships. I hold a BBA with a major in marketing, and over the years, I’ve grown into business development consulting. My journey has been shaped by a passion for fostering leadership, trust, and collaboration within teams and organizations. Read More>>

Hannah Grace

In the beginning, we focused on smaller, intimate gatherings and used word-of-mouth marketing to grow. Slowly but surely, our reputation for excellent service, attention to detail, and the ability to customize the experience to fit our clients’ needs started to gain traction. Over time, we’ve expanded our services, offering not just a full-service bar but also curated drink menus, décor, and a team dedicated to making every event special. Read More>>

Deija Willis

I have also spent a full academic in Spain working on making my goals a reality. My youtube channel has gone from sharing tools, resources, and my experience of figuring out what I wanted to do as a career. To my adventures in Spain. To the ups and downs of what life brings and figuring out how to navigate through it. Ending most videos with “Let’s continue to figure this life thing out together.” Read More>>

Karen Godfrey

I have always resonated with Henry Miller’s quote, “ Whoever uses the spirit that is in him creatively, is an artist. To make living itself an art, that is the goal”. I have always liked this way of viewing life, as it gives me permission to be an artist from the moment I wake up in the morning and begin to plan my day. I ask myself, how do I want to express myself today? Read More>>

Liz Brown

I was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic in June of 1985. I have no known family members, but the nuns at the Catholic orphanage where I lived, said that I was found on a street corner between their orphanage and the fire station. I truly believe that whoever put me there wanted me to be found and didn’t want anyone to find them. I lived in that orphanage until I was adopted at 5.5 months (November 18, 1985). I was adopted to White, Christian Reformed Church Missionaries who had been living in Latin America since 1975. I was their second child as I have one older brother who is biological to them. Read More>>

Adam Jaksa

Since January of 2023, I am now full-time with Central Michigan as the “Voice of the Chippewas” calling most all of our games/events that we broadcast. I come up with content for our website and social media, while also doing interviews, podcasts, hosting events, etc. On top of all that, I work directly with the current students going through the broadcasting program at CMU and helping them get prepared for life after graduation. It’s fulfilling for me helping the current students go through the same program I went through. Read More>>

Terry Beach

I started my business at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, literally purchasing my first machine that could also embroider a week before the state retail business was shut down. During the pandemic, I began embroidering and sewing my first purse design; using different colors of materials, threads and linings. I wondered if anyone might like them and figured, if not, then everyone I knew was getting a purse for Christmas and their birthday! Read More>>

Riley Bean

I recently started partnering with Hummingbirds. A spin on influencer marketing, Hummingbirds drives hyperlocal behavior by pairing brands with people in specific cities. I have been amplifying and sharing content supporting brand of all sizes as a creative outlet outside of my full time job. Read More>>

Gem Miller

I declared my Major as Communications with a minor in Marketing and there my love began to develop for the field. My first official marketing position was as the Marketing Communications Coordinator for BOOKEMU, the event planning department at the University. Shortly after, I was promoted to be the EMU Student Center’s Marketing Communications Coordinator. Read More>>

Lesley Alicia Tye

With the support of our community, including successful crowdsource funding, we began producing one-of-a-kind remix musicals. It was a first for everyone involved – an opportunity to collaboratively create a show completely from scratch – and the experience prompted us to become a troupe where each show was written specifically for the performers. Read More>>

Abigail Powers

The first chapter of my career was dedicated to teaching art to middle and high school students. While I cherished watching my students create, by 2019, I felt it was time for a new direction. This led me to transition from teaching to working for a yearbook company. However, when the pandemic hit in 2020, my entire division was laid off, and for the first time in my life, I found myself without a job. Read More>>