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.
Leandra Nisbet
My path to entrepreneurship was shaped long before I ever launched a business. Growing up, I watched my parents run their own businesses, so the entrepreneurial mindset was part of my DNA from an early age. What I didn’t expect was how long it would take me to find my way back to it. Read more>>
Jared Woods
There isn’t anything brief about my story but I can give a short version to sum it up. It’s been a long journey, even though my work here is not done. To start I’d have to say my story started when I understand my Assignment. Meaning knowing my purpose. Understanding that as an adolescent, I had a different thought process than the norm. Read more>>
Blake Miller
Freedom Functional Medicine was an idea that had always been a passion of mine, even starting in residency and fellowship. After practicing in conventional medicine for 10 years, I was frustrated by the siloed care I could offer to my patients and I was functioning as a technician, not a physician. The knowledge I had gained from medical school, residency, fellowship, and medical practice. Read more>>
Codi Pepera
At age nineteen, I began my financial journey as a bank teller in Okemos, Michigan. When you start your career in a banking institution, you are immediately drawn to the impact that is made in people’s lives. The daily life events that everyone is going through and how they rely on their primary banking institution to help guide them was very eye-opening! Read more>>
Toyia Straughter
I graduated from nursing school in 2007 and have had the opportunity to work in many facets of healthcare, including med-surg, primary care, leadership, and nephrology. It was through my work as a nephrology nurse that I discovered how deeply I connected with my patients and developed a true passion for caring for the whole person. Read more>>
Katherine Cundiff
My story really starts right here at home, growing up in South Bend, I’ve always been drawn to the atmospheric, and the slightly surreal. For as long as I can remember, I’ve looked at the world through a lens of storytelling. That passion evolved professionally when I established The Yigosflower back in 2012, officially branded in 2022. Read more>>
Becky Milanio Koupparis
Currently I am the Chief Executive Officer of The Michigan Rocky Horror Preservation Society (‘MiRHPS’). Prior to becoming CEO, I was the Chief Operating Officer and served as Director for eight years. I also currently serve as the Chief Governance Officer of BL Rocky Productions in the San Francisco Bay Area. Read more>>
Gyona Rice
I’ve always been creative, and I grew up in a family where making things was just a normal part of life. My dad painted and sold clothing, my mom baked and decorated cakes, my grandmother sold food, and my grandfather built and sold BBQ pits. Read more>>
Kristen Mercado
Hi, my artist name is Larkn. I started writing songs when I was in middle school after I gravitated towards music from piano lessons. I enjoyed performing arts (singing, acting, poetry) and become more involved with them throughout my childhood, including starring in three of my high school’s musical productions, a summer fine arts camp, and self-made albums. Read more>>
Heather Tusi
My story has never really followed a straight line and I think that’s exactly what has shaped who I am today. I’ve spent much of my adult life serving others. I joined the military at a young age and have now served for more than 16 years, eventually becoming an officer in the Air National Guard. Read more>>
Tatyana D’Voce
My journey as an artist has been anything but linear. I’m a Canadian Ecuadorian singer, songwriter, producer, and independent artist, and music has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. Read more>>
Sylvia Suttle
Suttle Dance Company began in 2013 with just myself and two other company members. At the time, I saw a need for a space where dancers could continue performing, creating, and sharing their artistry without feeling like dance had to be their only career path. Read more>>
Mary Dudek
Every child is an artist and I was no exception. I did have an artist mother, though, who taught me as a child. The principles she instilled in me as a young age are the cornerstone of my artistic eye and teaching philosophy. As a kid, she would take me around church, museums, art festivals, and teach me how to see. Read more>>
Bell MacKenzie
I’ve always loved being creative just like my mom & my nana. I’ve always been the girl taking pictures, making videos, putting together outfits, decorating, and finding a way to make the little things in life feel special. Read more>>
Augustine Cruz
I started Envysion Entertainment in 2016 with a passion for photography, filmmaking and visual storytelling. What began as me simply wanting to create and learn quickly grew into something much bigger. I taught myself the technical side of production, invested in my own equipment, and continued developing my style through real-world experience. Read more>>
Roderick Evans
Hello, my name is Rodd Evans. I’m a businessman, writer, actor, producer and community development advocate. I got to where I am today by having a vision and seeing it through despite obstacles. I truly believe that God will show you your path, the more you have the courage to walk it. Read more>>
Ben Case
I’ve loved hunting as long as I can remember. My grandfather, father and brother who is 14 years older than me would always hunt together in the thumb of Michigan. Before I could even hunt I would join them and often bring along an old vhs cassette camcorder to video them with. Eventually I began hunting with them. Read more>>
Reanna Griffin
I was born on the South Side of Chicago and raised primarily in Detroit, but I’ve spent my entire life going back and forth between the two cities. Both feel like home to me in different ways, and I take a lot of pride in being shaped by cities with such rich culture, history, creativity, and influence. Read more>>
Jennie McClelland
In 2014, my family had just come home from a Saturday youth soccer game. We had driven by some sort of event that would have been fun to go to, but we didn’t know about it. Read more>>
Elle Lei
I started SUGOi Sweets in 2019 after my previous employer closed. At the time, I was already running an Instagram account under the name SUGOi Sweets to showcase the pastries and confections I made in my spare time. A growing following, along with event planners reaching out to purchase my chocolates, inspired me to turn it into a full-time venture. Read more>>
Dr. Kimberly E. Mallory
My journey as an International Award-Winning Author, an Executive Producer and an Entrepreneur began with a story I never intended to tell publicly. “There Is No Sound in My Scream: Drugs, Truth and Faith” is based on my true-life experiences. It is a very honest look at a chapter of my life that included addiction, struggle, difficult choices, and ultimately, faith, transformation, and redemption. Read more>>
Reese Oliver
My origin story: I served in the Army reserves for 6 years and my best friend in my unit at the time was gifted photography equipment. We picked a random day to head to Detroit and went to explore the old Woodmere cemetery, an abandoned old Detroit Police Office and an old high school. Read more>>
Kuja The Throat Singer
As a teenager I heard Throat Singing for the first time on a Netflix show. Since then I’ve been captivated, and spent many years learning. My journey has taken me across the world and given me the opportunity to learn from masters of several different ethnic groups. Read more>>
Jacob Jones
Well without going too much into detail let’s just say I had a dark childhood, and I needed regular escapes from it all. So naturally as a young rebellious boy I took to any kind f art I could find. Weather it be music (I play guitar, bass, drums). I was also a dj for a while and a tattoo artist at a local shop. Read more>>
lacey@backorchardbarn.com Wright
The Back Orchard Barn was built in 2023 and is located in the midst of farm fields and apple orchards at Leaman’s Green Applebarn in Freeland, MI. The Back Orchard Barn at Leaman’s Green Applebarn offers the perfect indoor and outdoor venue for weddings and other social gatherings. Read more>>
Emily Smith
My story has never been a perfectly straight line, but leadership has always been the common thread. I grew up with some adversity, which shaped me early on. I learned to be independent, resourceful, and resilient, and to figure things out and keep moving forward, even when things weren’t easy. Read more>>
Chelsea Olivo Benefield
My love for antiques and vintage pieces began in childhood, when my mom and grandmother would take me antique shopping. Those trips created so many special memories and taught me to appreciate the history and stories behind older items. My husband, Zach, has similar memories of visiting antique and vintage stores with his dad. Read more>>
Joe Weber
Four Star Mushrooms was founded on the core principle that we need to transition to a regenerative agriculture system, and that mushroom cultivation could play a keystone role in accelerating that transition. I started the company in 2019, after more than a decade of being interested in and learning about our ecological systems — how they function and where they break down. Read more>>
Shaunise Williams
My journey actually started in engineering. I attended Western Michigan University, where I earned my bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering, and later went on to earn my master’s degree in Engineering Management from Wayne State University. I built my career in engineering, but I’ve always had a love for real estate and everything that comes with it. Read more>>
Emily Keller
I was always a creative kid. I taught myself how to sew around 6 years old and would make clothes for my stuffed animals out of little scraps of fabric. Read more>>
Brandi Starr
For a long time, I was depressed, but I had lived in that place for so long that it became comfortable. I had lost myself somewhere along the way. I didn’t have much motivation to think about my future, and honestly, I didn’t feel like I had a purpose to live. I battled suicidal thoughts, sometimes randomly, without understanding where they were coming from. Read more>>
Dolores Garcia
My journey into skincare comes from a very personal place. Growing up, I dealt with really bad skin issues, like painful cystic acne and deep scars. The usual treatments I tried never seemed to fix the root of the problem, and no one took the time to teach me how to care for my skin from the inside out. Read more>>
Analisa Baumgart
I believe I was born with the gift of song with which to gift others. I played piano by ear when I was two years old and gained my grasp on vocal pitch around age six. My parents nurtured my gift. Read more>>
Grace Khruangsungnoen
It all began with a crayon… What started as a way for my mom to keep her toddler occupied quickly developed into an obsession. I would draw on anything placed in front of me and of course places that weren’t meant to be drawn on as well (I personally think the walls enjoyed being a canvas). Read more>>
Ashley Sullivan
Whenever I had a break between classes, I would spend that time reading fashion blogs and creating inspiration boards on Pinterest. The more I read, the more inspired I was. After a while, I told myself that ‘I could do this.’ and that’s when my first fashion blog was created. Read more>>
Deon Claiborne
I was a club kid in the late 70s and early 80s. I would dance all night starting on Thursday night and then Friday and Saturday all night too in a big gay disco called the ‘Monastery’ in Seattle. On Sundays, we would go to ‘Tea Dances,’– late afternoon or early evening instead of all night. Read more>>
