Portraits of Michigan

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.

Sarah Lange

I was really blown away how well received it was within our community. In April 2021 my husband and I were eating brunch at Red Spire at The Grand Traverse Commons and we noticed there was an available space in The Mercato and thought it would be a great opportunity. By Memorial Weekend I was opening The Refillery TC as a brick & mortar location and I continue to be amazed by the support we receive from locals and visitors alike. After a few years of slowly growing and filling our shop with refillable products as well as plastic alternatives, we were running out of space! I opened a second location in April 2024 in Warehouse MRKT that allows us to order our best-selling bulk products in larger quantities and continue to expand our consciously curated selection of goods. Read more>>

KayLyn Havranek

Ive always wanted to do hair. I started working in a salon when I was 15 as a receptionist. After 4 years working in Ann Arbor, MI during the beginning of my career my husband and I decided to move out west. We lived and worked out west for a long time and decided to move back after having kids. This was during the early days of covid and I was staying at home with the kids. I missed working and taking clients and so I started taking clients out of the house. I soon was outgrowing taking clients out of the house and the dream I once had of starting a salon started to take shape. Read more>>

Donta Linton

Honestly, I’ve been drawning for and painting since I was a little kid I started with cartoons and as I got older, it just progressed into other things I started selling art in 2015 and I’ve made over like 400 art pieces and I haven’t stopped and I sell my artwork through Facebook Instagram, Snapchat TikTok you name it and one day I hold you on my own art gallery Read more>>

Morgan Humphrey

The 500 District all began with 505 Cafe. We started with a small cafe, running it for a few years before expanding to open The Venue at 501 next door for larger events. The Venue features a reception space on the main level and a ceremony space upstairs. A year later, we transformed the upstairs of the cafe into two Airbnb units, available to the public and also used to host wedding parties. Read more>>

Angie Thieszen

THIS is being an artist. Putting out financial resources, time, passion, a lifetime of learning and perfecting abilities and a piece of your heart all the while never guaranteed that any of that will be recognized or replenished financially. That’s the crux of the struggle I think. Everyone may “love” my art and compliment it all they can, but if I don’t find the right investors to actually purchase the pieces then I will still end up having to shut down my art as a business loss. When other careers are rewarded with guaranteed income and raises based on how good of a job they do at what they do, artists are never given the same guarantees and that is difficult to shoulder. Read more>>

Meagan Bretz

After graduating from school in Chicago, my husband and I relocated closer to his home in Ann Arbor, MI. Here I started my own clinic and expanded as I moved into my women’s health specialty. With this clinic expansion, I added the most amazing and talented practitioners to my team – acupuncturists, a massage therapist, a Reiki master, and a Craniosacral therapist. A few years ago we moved into a beautiful clinic space on the west side of town that I also started, called the Little Lake Wellness Hub. This hub is a full and part time practitioner space for all things wellness, and most of the businesses are woman- and LGBTQ+ owned practices! Read more>>

Clint Tacy

She slept under her bed for weeks after viewing the film. Fast forward to the point in her life when I came along, and her fear of all things spooky bled onto me as she attempted to shield me from the genre and culture that had terrified her years prior. Naturally, being kept from something made me want to embrace it even more and so my journey began. The fact that my father was born on Halloween, his mother on Devil’s Night, and my mother in November (most serial killers are born in November) might have a cosmic hand in shaping things as well. Read more>>

Emilie Eklund

No, it has definitely not been a smooth road. A lot of moments of “why am I doing this?” and “Do the outcomes really outweigh the input?” And often my answer is “I’m not sure,” especially in this season of mothering alongside of running a creative business. But I have never landed on a solid “No,” so I keep going. And I keep holding on amidst my doubts, my months (or years) of lower income, my feeling alone in running a creative company, and a big part of that is because my work is an expression of myself. It feels deeply connected to who I am, and what I want to bring to my community. My desire to create and create space for others to do the same is still strong, and I’m grateful for that. Read more>>

Mikayla Figures

I was a single mother going thru life i was homeless and got a job at tgi fridays in walker on alpine and kept my head up i had a coworker(now like a brother)from the grandville tgi fridays that i worked at years before allowed me and my daughter to stay in a spare bedroom until i was able to get an apt i was very blessed to have supportive and understanding bosses who worked with me even though i was going through alot i always came in and got my done very well.  Read more>>

Stephanie Stewart, PA-C

Then, years later and with thousands of procedures under my belt, I found myself extremely burned out. I was ready to leave medicine all together, but was crippled by student loans. I started training in injectables and applying to dermatology and plastic surgery offices just to pay off my loans, however, no one would hire me. Then one day I googled how to start my own business and that is when The Aesthetic Method was born. 7 years later and a dream team of 10 and I’d say we’re pretty good at what we do. Read more>>

Charlie

When we started in 2023 I was still in the process of earning my degree in entrepreneurship from Baylor University so we knew at the start Wee Bean would have to just be operational throughout the summer months. It wasn’t until April of 2024 when we were gearing up for our second summer, (I was still in Texas finishing my degree) when we heard there was a space available for a physical location in Lake Orion that had previously been a coffee shop. This time we took an even bigger leap of faith and decided to pursue this lead. Read more>>

Paul LaMantia Ryan LaPensee

That’s when I started turning bats for friends and teammates. My first client was Ryan LaPensee, who bought a red pea-shooter from me. Over the years, my father, John La Mantia, and I kept the business going, especially during my college years at Wayne State University in Detroit. Fast forward to April 2024, Ryan and I decided to partner and take the business to the next level, combining his technical expertise with my background in sales. We incorporated the company, Backyard Bats, in Michigan and recently got it certified. Read more>>

Rachel

Starting and running a business is never easy! I’m very grateful that I have had experience running my own business before, but working to break into a new-to-me industry has had its own challenges. I’m still very new to this side of the business and am constantly learning and looking to soak up all the information I can. I’ve been blessed to have a few solid mentors alongside me that are always willing to share their experiences and true expertise to help me grow and be the best I can be for my clients. One of my biggest takeaways or pieces of advice to another person starting their own business is that sometimes you can be prepared ahead of time but ultimately some lessons can only be learned on the fly! Read more>>

Paola Mendivil

I then enrolled at Ferris State University for a bachelor’s in business administration where I obtained the Pace-setter award after graduation. I wanted to launch my own consulting business to continue providing guidance and resources to small business owners in the area, specifically in the Latino community when the pandemic came. At that time, I continued to assist entrepreneurs navigate the challenges of the pandemic, especially in the restaurant industry. During that time, the new CEO at Grow invited me to become a Business Development Officer to assist clients access affordable working capital for their businesses. I transitioned out of the family business and have been in this role since October of 2022. Read more>>

Victoria Ahumada

I’ve always been a jack of trades, whatever it is I know I can do it, from doing makeup and being a self taught artist to finally getting my dream job at Sephora & to trying/making trends and starting up my own side hussle, a little sweets business called EV Sweets (candied fruit) Read more>>

Sarah Lawrence

Though I’ve always had an interest in herbalism and have practiced for years prior, I felt deep down that’s what I was meant to do. That was my calling. To help people find healthy/herbal alternatives for everyday ailments and to help heal people; mind, body, and spirit, with the power of nature. Read more>>

Brantley Moore

I believe my style fits into the traditional/illustrative forms of tattooing. I like bold lines, defined shapes, and eye-catching designs. If you can’t tell what the tattoo is, in the first second you see it, from across the street, I haven’t done my job properly. What I’m most known for is a hard question for me to answer, but I like to think I’m known for clean tattoos, and a comfortable environment for anybody. Read more>>

Lauren Slade

I’ve been blessed with an incredible support system—from my family to my friends. If I ever need anything, I know without a doubt that they’ll show up for me. I am the woman I am today because of the people who’ve poured into me. My mother was a single mom, but she had the help of my great-grandmother, grandmother, grandfather, my aunts, father, uncles, and cousins. We had an amazing village. But I know that’s not everyone’s reality. Read more>>

Tabitha Zabik

I’m a photographer and I specialize in weddings. I guess I’ve always been a hopeless romantic, but truly I could never have a bad day at work when I’m at a wedding. It’s an amazing thing to witness and document two people surrounded by their closest loved ones, all there to celebrate them. I think what I’m most proud of is my ability to make people feel comfortable enough to really be themselves in front of me. I want to document them for exactly who they are and show them just how beautiful that is. Read more>>

Damon Bomar II

Born and raised in Detroit, I always wanted to create, help people, and do amazing things along the way. As someone who is proactive, hands-on, and loves to learn, it became easy to acquire an appetite for what I enjoy today. Sports and design have always resonated with me the most. From the earliest games watched, played, or had conversations about, sports were always in the middle of it all, specifically basketball. The design came from curiosity and reverse engineering in cartoons, billboards, video games, and posters/trading cards. The commonality within them was how I could foster friendships and relationships through those things and find passion and purpose along the way. Read more>>

Stephanie Castro

When I was a young girl my aunt opened the first tortilla factory in West Michigan and one of the few Mexican stores (La Favorita) it was a family affair and I loved going their to help. The spark of owning my own business was ignited. In 2023 I took a road trip with my cousins and i made us all small charcuterie snack boxes, one one my cousins said you should sell these and start your own business. I really enjoy the social life style more so now that I’m basically an empty nester, so I figured why not now. I started the journey of starting The Tabla, Mi charcuterie catering business and I’ve enjoyed the process, I’ve learned so much from stepping out of my comfort zone. Read more>>

Jayy Perk

I sing , i use my music to vocalize how I feel about certain things that goes on in life , im proud of the progress ive made when it comes to the business side that nobody else sees , im different i know i am and thats what separates me from other people because im 100% me , unapologetically me, no matter what or who im around Read more>>

Michelle Dawson

As long as we are breathing, we will encounter struggles. For some, it is a choice to stay on a road that flattens their spirit like a damaged tire that has lost air. Thankfully, with faith and persistence, many will learn there is always a better path. As mentioned earlier, doubt allowed me to be a victim of not believing in myself. I also suffered from depression and low self-esteem, which caused me to make poor decisions in life. As time progressed, I discovered to travel the road that brings me peace, harmony, and strength. Read more>>

Nika Jusufi

Nika attributes a portion of her success to a more measured approach. “I’m careful about scaling up internally,” says the 38-year-old entrepreneur about bringing on new people. “I’m not on a fast track to hire multiple agents, it’s the quality of the people I add to the firm, not the quantity. It’s important to me that the values my associates bring are aligned with the values and passion we embody at Nika & Co.,” she remarks. The company consists of only three full-time licensed agents–Nika being one–with many others operating behind the scenes, including contractors, marketing and social media managers, photographers, and videographers. “My role isn’t just being a real estate broker, I’m also there to coach agents and guide them to build their business.” she says. Read more>>

Adil Palwala

Not at all — the road’s been full of bumps, long nights, and lessons we had to learn the hard way. From figuring out how to run a kitchen on a shoestring budget to dealing with unexpected setbacks, it’s been a grind. But that’s what makes it real. We’ve always tried to stay focused on the people — our team, our customers, and our community — and that’s what’s kept us going. We didn’t come into this with all the answers. We just came in with heart, hustle, and a belief that if we took care of people, the rest would follow. Read more>>

Rachelle Conroy

The beauty space can be unkind to older women. Brands that send makeup products in PR packages don’t send the same fun things to mature women, they will send us skincare. To me, that is saying I am not worth having an opinion about a blush or a lip gloss, but skincare is obviously a concern with me because of my age. Nothing could be further from the truth, older women love makeup still, and are amazing consumers with real opinions and concerns. Read more>>

Jenny Shuman-Lowe

During this chapter of my life, I learned vast knowledge of bead and leather work from elders and peers. Just as importantly, I learned about the Spirit and intention behind the work. I learned that prayer during the creation of a piece is inseparable from the material outcome of the work. For example: When I made the dress for my daughter’s dance outfit, I sewed 365 cones on to her skirt, and I said a prayer for every day. I still have that dress, and all of those prayers still exist. I was taught that there is no such thing as perfect, for the only perfection in this existence is God, and we are simply reflections of this beauty. That we are imperfect and that when there is a flaw in our work, this is homage to our Creator. Read more>>

Denise Geisman

I had a strong background in teaching trade students, as I had previously managed the EMS (emergency medical services) department at Jackson College and had a good understanding of business as my husband has been a part of a thriving Machine and Tool Company for over 40 years. So, with the help of my friend, a previous cosmetology director we established Atlas Academy of Cosmetology. Read more>>

Aarian Jiminez

My social media journey started completely out of boredom. I had just gotten sent home from my dorm at Michigan State University because of COVID-19 and I was looking for new ways to express myself. I had randomly decided one day to record my wash day routine because I’ve always received questions about how I took care of my natural hair. I posted that video on TikTok and it hit 20k views; that was my first video. Now 5 years later I am a beauty influencer still sharing my favorite beauty products, tips, and tricks and I’m so happy that I finally had the courage to post that first video Read more>>

Forest Barstead

There’s a quote I came across recently that truly stuck with me, especially in this season of life as both a creative and a mother: “I’ve never been more ambitious than I am as a mother. My ‘why’ got so much bigger.” — Unknown. Since welcoming my daughter, everything has shifted in the best way. She’s my biggest inspiration, and the driving force behind why I show up with more heart, more creativity, and more purpose than ever before. Every project I take on, every idea I explore—it’s all rooted in the desire to create a life filled with love, intention, and expression, not just for myself, but for her. She’s a daily reminder of why I do what I do. Read more>>

Amy Dawson

The greatest joy and passion I derive from my work is making all our guests feel absolutely radiant about their hair design and health. I pride myself on the communication skills that ensure each guest leaves with a design that makes them feel wonderful about themselves, ultimately leaving with a genuine smile. This daily motivation fuels my spirit and makes every day in this beautiful life we live an enchanting adventure. Read more>>

Jacob Prusakiewicz

The most stressful time was in the beginning. Failing over and over again. Finding what works and improving on it. It took awhile to get my feet underneath me. When I started we were just coming out of the Great Financial Crisis. It wasn’t a great time, but grew every year. I took me almost two years to quit my day job and be able to support myself. Even then only because my living expenses were so low. I split a 3 bedroom house in Lansing for $700, using one bedroom as the printing room. I don’t think any of it was really easy, but growth was steady. Read more>>