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.
Yana Sifford
Everything changed after becoming a mother and experiencing my own health struggles. After giving birth, I dealt with hormonal imbalances, postpartum depression, digestive issues, and symptoms that did not feel fully explained or resolved. That experience changed the direction of my life. I wanted answers. I wanted to understand not only what was happening, but why. Read more>>
serenay akçiçek
Hello, my name is Serenay Akçiçek, though many people know me through my Instagram account, @serenayakcicekx. I am a tattoo artist working primarily in microrealism and avant-garde styles, and I have been professionally involved in the tattoo industry for more than six and a half years. My artistic journey actually began long before tattooing. Read more>>
Van Kassab
I started my real estate career at the age of 40 years old after I moved back home from Chicago. I was a branch manager for Chase bank. I came back home to Michigan to be with family again and start over . 2011 I got my real estate license and I built my entire real estate career by networking with hockey players. Read more>>
Daren Palacios
Songbird Provisions really got started in 2023, in Grand Rapids, but was a culmination of a couple brands that I started previously. Shaker & Swine was the first brand where we did pop-ups, private dinners and ticketed events. When COVID happened, Shaker kept up with pop-ups but I also launched Taco Mule which was a late night taco pop-up at bars that didn’t have food. Read more>>
Harry Rughoo
Harry Rughoo is a Mauritian-English 18 year old violist. He studied at the Purcell School for Young Musicians and the Junior Royal college of Music department under the guidance of Sarah-Jane Bradley, where he then went on to continue his studies with Martin Outram at the Royal-Academy of Music with a very generous scholarship. Read more>>
Marcell Glover
Fitness started for me in 2016 when i won a Instagram contest to go see CT Fletcher. (YouTube search CT Fletcher contest to see video). From there i followed in gods plan that this is what he wanted me to do. After working Chrysler 9 years i quit my life plan to follow gods plan for me. I opened my first gym in 2021 1400Sq.. Read more>>
Karai Brown
As a child, my mom worked night shifts, so she often tells the story of setting up a camcorder on a tripod to act as my babysitter. I would stand in front of it and film myself for hours, completely entertained by the idea of being on camera. Read more>>
Megan Lutz
I’ve worked at multiple doggy daycares including The Barkshire, Canine to Five and Camp Bow Wow. I worked as a grooming assistant at Deporre Vet and also managed a company called PetCare AuPair doing pet visits and walks. I did dog training and consultations at Sit Means Sit for 6 years where they had a slatmill. Read more>>
Reema Sethi
My journey into the world of wellness and aesthetics wasn’t a traditional one; it was born out of a desire to shift from treating people on the worst days of their lives to uplifting them on their best. I was born in Windsor, Ontario, raised in Troy, Michigan, and eventually attended the Wayne State University School of Medicine. Read more>>
Donna Palma
I did not set out to build a large business. I began my career in community mental health and public schools while also seeing clients in private practice. Over the past two decades, private practice gradually became the center of my work. I knew I wanted to practice in a way that felt thoughtful, ethical, and sustainable. Read more>>
Lindsay Kennedy
I am Lindsay Kennedy, the owner of Dolcetto, Cheese, & Specialty Goods in Farmington. Dolcetto was born from the belief that great food shouldn’t feel intimidating. I’ve always loved how food has the power to bring people together, and I wanted to create a place where guests could discover incredible cheeses, wines, and specialty foods without needing to be an expert. Read more>>
David
DCWbuilds is a Chicago-based costume and prop maker, six-time competitor in the Crown Championships of Cosplay, and the 2026 Armor Division Champion. Since 2014, he has specialized in foam and 3D-printed armor builds while continually expanding his skill set through new techniques and materials. I have been making props and other things for as far as I can remember. Read more>>
Dan Levely
I started podcasting during the pandemic, when the entertainment industry basically went silent because the of Covid. Me and a friend of mine started a podcast called “Attention Span Podcast” which was kind of ironic because neither one of us has one. We basically talked about pop culture, sports and cracked funny jokes either on each other or something funny we saw on Social Media. Read more>>
Jackson Van Dyke
I started renovating buildings in Grand Rapids’s southeast side about 20 years ago. This led to a connection to the neighborhood in a way that was above and beyond the one I had just when I lived there. As a small family business throughout our existence we’ve had to pivot and change. Read more>>
Carah Gondek
I started my photography business 15 years ago with a love for capturing people and the moments that matter most. What began as a hobby quickly turned into something more as friends and family started asking me to photograph their families, babies and special milestones. Read more>>
McKenzie Gallagher
When my husband and I started dating, he was working at a local winery in the cellar. Our first date was a wine dinner, and we both just fell in love with the idea of wine. Read more>>
Jovan Martin
I like to say I fell in love in this order: filmmaking, music, basketball, and finally writing. As a kid one of the first creative things I remember trying to do was make a “movie.” I loved cameras. I’d make my whole family get involved in my goofy plans for movies, it created the best memories. Read more>>
Carmen Alcaraz
There are moments in life that change our destiny forever. I never imagined that one day I would have to leave behind my country, my business, my livelihood, and much of the life I had worked so hard to build in order to start over from scratch. Read more>>
Vanessa Rice
I went to college for Architecture and after completing school, I realized that it was not really ment for me. I had some money left over from students loans and listening to a few collage friends i check out a massage therapy school. I did a 9 month program and everything excelled from there. Read more>>
LILIYA FREYLAFET
My journey to becoming a classical homeopath has been anything but conventional. Before entering the world of natural medicine, I worked in Information Technology as a database administrator. While I enjoyed the analytical side of my work, I always felt drawn to helping people in a more meaningful and personal way. Read more>>
Haley Evans
My 20s were spent dabbling in different interests to see where I’d stick, which ended up creating a perfect mix of skills to run my own business. My past professional lives have been in elementary school art education, caregiving, graphic & ui/ux design, and marketing. Read more>>
Alana Abdal
People often ask me how Bodhi Yoga came to be… I think the best way to talk about my reasons why I decided to open a yoga studio is by exploring what yoga is and can be for each of us. Read more>>
Ricardo Morgan
My music journey started when my father was stationed in Aberdeen Maryland, not too far from Baltimore. I started producing at the age of 13 when my best friend Jared Paschall (JP) introduced me to Fruity Loops, now known as FL Studio. From there, I would make beats everyday and in high school, I started producing for local rapper named Poetik Genius. Read more>>
Alan Johns
I’ve always been drawn to creativity, personal growth, and community, although those interests have taken different forms throughout my life. Growing up, I explored a variety of artistic mediums, including charcoal, pastel, graphite, oil painting, and acrylic painting. As a teenager, I became interested in hip hop and music, which provided another outlet for creativity, self-expression, and storytelling. Read more>>
Nate Z
Started as just an avid outdoorsmen. I wanted to find a way to help other people promote their outdoor activity’s. I decided to start an instagram page dedicated to Michigan outdoorsmen, i would post any picture sent in and asked local businesses if they would also like to be promoted on the page. Read more>>
Katie Preece
When people meet me today, they often see the ending before they know the beginning. They see someone passionate about health, healing, and helping others transform their lives. What they don’t see is the 17-year-old girl who weighed 370 pounds. At that age, I believed my weight defined me. Read more>>
Hannah Wells
I am Hannah Wells and I have run Hannah Korte Photography for over 10 years now in the Metro Detroit area. I am a photographer, retoucher, and assistant photographer. Read more>>
Shaniece Hemingway
Well to shorten it. My dad and grandma sing. She always had us doing karaoke from youth to adults. My voice I felt was special so I start taking steps towards writing and making music trying to find my lane and style. Pushing on my own and ran into my best friend who is also musically inclined and we came together and start creating. Read more>>
Lukas van der Lende
I grew up in West Michigan. My parents were both artists, my mom a painter and my dad a commercial photographer. I grew up with a family that had a high respect for the arts and always encouraged me in my artistic pursuits. After dropping out of college I started working in my dad’s studio. Read more>>
laione Perkins
My name is Laione Perkins, and I’m the founder of Never To Late Fitness. My passion for fitness started when I was younger through karate, and over time I discovered weightlifting and group fitness. Those experiences showed me that exercise is about much more than changing how you look. It’s about building confidence, discipline, and taking care of your body. Read more>>
Nicole Yeager
I’ve loved photography for as long as I can remember. My very first camera was a little Barbie 110 film camera, and not long after that I got a Nikon Coolpix that went everywhere with me. I photographed everything: my family, pets, vacations, flowers, friends, anything I could point a camera at. Read more>>
Diana Alexander
At age 10, I wrote my first play and had my elementary school friends perform. From there I’d create comic books in high school with stories that had all the students and teachers wondering what would happen next, begging for the next book. Later, I began a career in Hollywood as a Development Executive, helping independent filmmakers package, develop, and pitch their screenplays. Read more>>
Sloan Inns
I was born in South Africa and eventually built my life, family, and creative career in Michigan. From early on, I was drawn to story, not just making things look beautiful, but understanding what makes people care, pay attention, and feel something real. That curiosity led me into directing and cinematography across commercials, documentaries, narrative work, and brand films. Read more>>
Carolann Price
I started drawing as a child. Some of my best childhood moments were made in my room doodling or making crafts and listening to audio dramas. My grandfather is a talented landscape painter. One Christmas when I was about eight he came to visit and gave me an easel and paints. Read more>>
Sara Young
25 years ago I took a weekend stained glass class with my sister-in-law. I could design the patterns I wanted to create and cut the glass without any troubles. But I couldn’t solder the pieces together to save my soul. Read more>>
Kaylin Meyers
My name is Kaylin. I go by the stage name That Juggling Girl. I am a juggler based out of Muskegon, Michigan (born & raised). I learned to juggle when I was 12 thanks to my middle school teacher (Mr. Jordan) teaching me the basics. Read more>>
Sam VerMerris
I started making films at 12 years old after being inspired by MacGyver, whose resourcefulness inspired more than just my first little short film. I continued making these little films with my friends, from horror to war movies, until COVID hit. Read more>>
Ronia Shamona
My name is Ronia Shamona, and my journey has been shaped by resilience, storytelling, faith, and a passion for helping people feel seen, heard, and inspired. For more than 20 years, I’ve worked in television, telling stories that matter. My experiences have taught me empathy, perspective, and the responsibility that comes with sharing someone’s story. Over time, my purpose evolved. Read more>>
Ashley Sanders
My career initially began in 2016 when I graduated college and started working full time as a procurement counselor. For 8 years, I served in this role helping small business win government contracts. While working this job full time, I would also do a lot of ‘passion projects’ on the Side such as website design, photography, videography, writing, speaking and teaching and much more. Read more>>
Nailah Hall
When I look back over my life, I realize I’ve been asking the same question for a really long time: What helps people thrive? I didn’t have those words when I was younger, but they’ve quietly guided almost every decision I’ve made. As a kid, I loved writing stories. Read more>>
Renata Portes
My story is really one of reinvention. I began my professional life as an attorney in Brazil. After moving to Michigan in 2015, I had to rebuild my career in a new country, a new language, and a completely different professional environment. Read more>>
Kayla Nangle
The idea for D2 Savings came to me a few years ago. I noticed that during Covid so many people were doing what they could to support small businesses. After Covid though I saw that enthusiasm go down. So I created a small business holiday coupon book for my local community to try and keep the momentum going in supporting small businesses. Read more>>
Alessandra Ryan
This all started when I was in school for my MBA at Huntington University. I had a business idea that my professor had loved and he believe in me, so he encouraged me to actually start an LLC while being an MBA student. So, I did! That business is called Luz Creative. Read more>>
Anastasia St. John
I’ve always been drawn to creative things. My journey really began when I started posting content online, where I shared what that inspired me and found ways to express myself through my personal style and aesthetic. After losing my dad in 2019, I threw myself into another creative outlet and started my vintage business as a way to combine my love of history and fashion. Read more>>
Cass Holowicki
I’ve been creating art my whole life, but I didn’t find a medium I was truly passionate about until my junior year in high school, when I first tried linoleum carving. I fell in love from the moment I printed that first carving and threw myself into learning printmaking. Read more>>
Millie Boella
We never set out to become polyamorous influencers. When the pandemic hit, we started our account, Decolonizing Love, simply as a creative outlet to share our experiences and pass the time. To our complete surprise, the platform went viral almost overnight. Read more>>
Tasnim Nehme
For most of my career, I was in the legal field. I went to law school, earned my J.D., and eventually landed the career I had worked so hard for. I truly believed that was the path I’d stay on for the rest of my life. Then I became a mom, and everything changed. Read more>>
Jordyn Zank
I’ve always had such a love for people, helping them in any way that I could and hopefully making a difference in their lives. I promised myself a long time ago that I would never invest in a career if it didn’t fully light me up inside every single day. Read more>>
Shauna Lewis
What inspired you to launch Slew Herbal Essentials? Slew Herbal Essentials was born from a passion for natural wellness and a desire to help people reconnect with the healing power of herbs. Read more>>
Kylee Lipinski
My name is Kylee and I am a professional hula hoop artist. I teach workshops, perform across the country, and create choreography! And it all started with a single video online. As a kid, I was always drawn to movement. I loved anything active and creative, whether it was gymnastics, dance, cheerleading, or simply picking up a hula hoop. Read more>>
Ronika Miller
I’ve always been passionate about entrepreneurship and creating opportunities for myself and others. I started my journey in the beauty industry nearly 10 years ago, building my business from the ground up through hard work, consistency, and a commitment to delivering exceptional service. Read more>>
Julie Fitzhugh
Recently my view of life has changed and become so interconnected it’s hard to know where to start for how I got to where I am and where I am going. I have always been a creative person. Since childhood my passion and curiosity for photography have always been there. Read More>>
The Croswell Opera House
Built in 1866, the Croswell Opera House is the oldest theater in Michigan, and one of the oldest in the United States. Within its walls, towering crusaders like Frederick Douglass and Susan B. Anthony once spoke. On its stage, John Philip Sousa conducted his legendary band. Read More>>
