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.
Caprice Woods
Fluffy Gals & Hunky Fellas Lifestyle Brands grew out of a simple but deeply personal realization: plus-size women and big-and-tall men deserve more than limited choices when it comes to fashion. Our journey began in 2016 through community-based fashion experiences, events, and pop-ups throughout Metro Detroit. Read more>>
Tracey Martin
My love affair with thrifting started at the tender age of 10 but the legacy actually begins with a $4.80 silk dress from Lord & Taylor. My mom found it at the thrift store brand new Growing up in a middle-class household as the middle child of three, I always had a massive appetite for high-end fashion. The problem? Read more>>
Chris Tallarico
Boardwalk Subs opened in October of 2003 directly because I wanted to spend more time with my kids. I worked all the time, including nights and weekends. Sometimes 2 jobs. My family and I were nervous at first but we leaned on our community and quickly realized how many people were there to support this dream that we had. Read more>>
Angie Smith
My path to real estate has been like some of my favorite hiking trails in the state: winding and unexpected, with some commonalities that I cherish. Before becoming a REALTOR®, I spent many years in education and as a nonprofit volunteer. Read more>>
damon walker
I got started over 25 years ago. I was working at Chrysler and although it was a great paying job, I was trying to figure out how to get out. My mom invited me to go to a screen printing class with her. Read more>>
JazzoDaChief
I’ve always had a love for music and knew I wanted to do something with it, but I only really started taking my rap career seriously a couple months ago. Read more>>
Tonia Hobbs
My story has really been about creating a life and career that feel as intentional as the homes I love to create. I started my career in corporate America, but I’ve always had a strong interest in real estate, interiors, and the way our homes influence how we live. Read more>>
Sarah Schneider
I started at The Avenue Hair Studio and Spa in 2006. It was my second job at a salon, but I quickly discovered that this could be more than a ‘job’. This was a company that would give me the opportunity to make cosmetology a fulfilling career. Read more>>
Jenna Arcidiacono
My story starts in Manhattan where my parents met- Mom was from a little town named Kittanning in Pennsylvania and my dad immigrated from the Netherlands to Montana. They transferred to Grand Rapids for work at American Seating. My mom was a teacher. I grew up in Kentwood Schools and loved tennis and art. Read more>>
LISA CARPENTER
When I graduated from Central Michigan University in 1994 with my master’s degree in Professional Counseling, I don’t think I could have imagined where this career would eventually take me. I began my work in the substance abuse field while also counseling individuals struggling with anxiety, depression, trauma, and self-esteem issues. Read more>>
Krishna M
I’ve always loved traveling, especially to places that offer something beyond the typical tourist experience. Over time, that interest grew into a deeper passion for the outdoors and, especially, U.S. national parks. Read more>>
Veronica Brown
My journey into healthcare began with a passion for helping others and a belief that true wellness extends far beyond treating illness. I earned my bachelor’s degree in Food Science and Nutrition before pursuing nursing, eventually becoming a Board-Certified Family Nurse Practitioner. Read more>>
Hannah Hawes
I started my journey in photography back in the nineties in highschool. I developed my first roll of film very clumsily and printed my first black and white print which wasn’t very good.. but I was hooked! The magic of watching that image appear on a white sheet of photo paper is all it took! I took photography all 4 years of highschool! Read more>>
Jackie Gutowski
My journey with fitness started well before the idea of opening a gym ever entered my mind. I’ve spent nearly 15 years training, and over that time I’ve competed and trained in bodybuilding, powerlifting, and strongman. Each discipline taught me something different—not just about strength and building muscle, but about discipline, consistency, resilience, and what it really means to pursue becoming better. Read more>>
Goodness Paul
My business idea came during my twin boys child dedication in 2021. I was searching for a senator outfit online for my husband and our boys to wear for the dedication. I didn’t find nice cultural outfits online or matching wears for them and couldn’t make one from Nigeria as the event was getting closer. So we decided to wear something else. Read more>>
Lavelle Williams
I was born to 2 artists that never got to explore their talents. My dad was a singer and could draw. My mom, a poet. Ive been creating since I could remember. Drawing, singing, writing, building, designing. At 11 I began writing poetry just to organize the thoughts I couldn’t articulate. At 13 I really started getting into music of every genre. Read more>>
Thomas Mcdonough
It started with frustration, honestly. Back in 2013, music journalism was going through this weird phase—algorithms were replacing editors, playlists were replacing critics, and the whole landscape felt like it was losing its soul. I launched Music Addict because I believed there was still an audience that wanted real curation, real opinions, and writers who actually cared about the craft. Read more>>
Blossomland Pirates Parrot Head Club
I started out simply by enjoying Jimmy Buffett’s music. Then in 2005 I went to see him at Wrigley Field and became hooked. In 2006 on Thanksgiving I talked with my daughter about forming a local Parrot Head Club. Eventually we did form and I chartered my first club in April 2007. Read more>>
Robert Crawford
My name is Rob, but many people know me online as BigBack4Lyfe. I started creating content in 2023 after another content creator encouraged me to give it a shot. They saw my personality, my sense of humor, and how naturally I connected with people and convinced me that I should start putting myself out there. Read more>>
Trina Hannah
My journey as a content creator started when I was really young. I had always loved being creative and would literally pretend there was a camera in front of me, so eventually I decided to actually start making videos. Read more>>
MarShon Goode-Peoples
I started my own nonprofit Inspirational Youth for Christ back 1999 to empower youth through their talents. However, back in 2012, I was shot in the head while protecting teens from gang violence at safe haven event I was hosting. I wrote a memoir about my experience in my book titled Epiphany The Designated Bullet, telling my story of tragedy to triumph. Read more>>
Lyanna Moore
I love this question. I thought I knew what I wanted to do with my life; become a photojournalist. But as we know, life leads us to our true purpose. While becoming a parent, I found myself being a resource to friends, colleagues, and community. Read more>>
Bobby Caine
I’ve always been curious and drawn to adventure. My dad has been a professional fisherman my entire life, so being outside was introduced to me before I can even remember. My mom actually went into labor with me while they were out on the boat, so we joke that the outdoors was pretty much hardwired into me from the beginning. Read more>>
Tyeshia Howard
Absolutely Not Lol…This Has Been One Of The Hardest Journeys I’ve Ever Been On Man…Its Been Challenging Me In Every Way Possible… Funding The Business Out Of Pocket Is Stressful…You Building The Brand & In The Early Stages Celebrities & Influencers Hitting You For Free Merch So Of Course You Have To Weigh & Sacrifice What You Can To Grow The Brand..It Can’t Be Just About Money It Gotta Be Purpose In It..I’ve Definitely Cried More Than I’ve Celebrated But Thats The Process I Know In Due season Its All Coming Back Forsure. Read more>>
Josh Schaeffer
My family has always been around food. My grandparents had a restaurant that I would hear stories about and see photos of. My parents eventually opened up a couple of food trailers, and they wanted something for their burgers to taste good, so our Master Mix was born. Read more>>
Hattie Kingsley
Hearth and Craft Co. was born from a love of handmade goods, cozy rituals and the art of slowing down. What began in 2017 with a name—Hearth, the warm space by the fire, and Craft, the joy of making—grew into a homegrown candle studio. Quotes that started it all. Read more>>
Alicea Davis
I started in the 2000’s and now I paint with galleries in Paris (online). Read more>>
Betsy Gist
Turn the Page’s story began before Craig and I met, when he started the business primarily as an eBay store to teach his sons about business and responsibility. I had spent nearly 25 years working as a hospital social worker, but as an avid reader, I had always dreamed of doing something centered around books. Read more>>
Shavarr Goodloe
This all started with a Facebook post. I never thought in my wildest dreams I would be a baker. I was always interested in cooking since I was a child making breakfast with my dad on Saturday mornings. So I went to college and got my degrees in culinary and hospitality management. I also always wanted to go into business for myself as well. Read more>>
Danielle Zebell
My husband and I had just gotten back from a week long vacation in the dead of winter and it was the weekend, we weren’t ready for our vacation to end yet. We stumbled across an event happening at Czar’s. It was everything we liked, live music, Jimmy Buffet themed, and raising money for a charity. We knew it would be a great time. Read more>>
Loui$ Automatic
My journey began on the Westside of Detroit. Music has been in my DNA since a child. I’ve adapted to my circumstances my entire life. I’ve learned that in my professional life I need to take the same approach to being teachable and humble. That’s allowed me to develop as an artist as well as a person. Read more>>
Kieara Johnson
I have always known I was meant to be an entrepreneur. Even as a child, I knew that whatever career path I pursued, I wanted to build something of my own. I officially began my entrepreneurial journey at the age of 18. Over the years, I started several businesses across different industries. Read more>>
Haley Cassar
I have always been interested in skin care and art. While living in California, I went to Cal State for Art and Paul Mitchell afterwards to become an Esthetician in 2006. I did my makeup training through Laura Mercier and additional education through Dermalogicas, Dermal Institute in California. In 2010 I moved back to Michigan, where I am originally from. Read more>>
Mitchell Perkins
My professional background is in bars, restaurants, and golf. I have worked in bars and at golf courses throughout the past 10 years. When the opportunity to put those two experiences together became available; I took it. Read more>>
Brooke Sargent
I was born at 27 weeks with cerebral palsy and spastic quadriplegia, and have received medical care for as long as I can remember. At age 7, I fell in my front driveway with serial casts on my feet and chipped my 2 front teeth right as my adult teeth were coming in. Read more>>
Abolaji Obileye
I am a first-generation international student from Nigeria who moved to the United States in the Fall of 2022 to pursue a Ph.D. in Sociology at Western Michigan University. Read more>>
Sue VanDame
I lived in Santa Fe, NM for over 20 years. While I was there, I was fortunate enough to stumble into a metalsmithing class at Santa Fe Community College. I had absolutely no experience in metalsmithing but I knew I loved jewelry. Read more>>
RoseMarie Lewis
My journey with crochet began more than two decades ago, but I never imagined where a hook and yarn would eventually take me. I taught myself how to create without relying on patterns, and over the years, that ability to see something in my mind and bring it to life through my hands became the foundation of YubeHandmade. Read more>>
Camille Baker
If you look at my story from a surface level you would see a girl borded in her room during covid, Learning things she dident know about herself and having an itch to create something. its so much deeper than that! Read more>>
Spencer Haydo
I was fortunate to get started in the film industry pretty young, working as a PA on a no budget indie feature. That gave me an opportunity to be around a film set, learn how the different departments worked, and eventually find my way into the camera department. Read more>>
Savita Monroe
If someone had told me as a young girl of 12 arriving in the United States from India that one day I’d own a wellness business, teach yoga, lead a nonprofit, and inspire others through community service, I probably wouldn’t have believed them. A life of transformation and resilience and restart ing. Like many immigrants, my family came to America searching for opportunity. Read more>>
Taylor Isenberg
I’ve always been creative and love to create things. A few years after completing my undergraduate degree, I was yearning for a creative outlet, so I started making content on TikTok. It has since evolved from random videos to sharing another passion of mine, reading. Read more>>
Jane Sablich
I have a degree in zoology from Northern Michigan University. I used that to gain work experience at different zoos around the country. During that time I had always joked that I wanted to open a ‘zoo-wery’, a brewery where I could combine my love for craft beer with my passion for conserving the natural world. Read more>>
DuWanna Coleman
My journey has been anything but traditional. I’m a mother, aviation leader, author, and creative who has learned that becoming isn’t a destination it’s a lifelong process. For years, I poured my thoughts into journals, never imagining those private pages would one day become my memoir, In the Middle of Becoming. Read more>>
Tarynn Andrews
My journey into the beauty industry actually began with makeup. I loved helping people feel beautiful, but I quickly realized my true passion was skincare. I became fascinated by understanding the science of skin, uncovering the root cause of concerns, and helping people build lasting confidence through healthy skin rather than simply covering it up. Read more>>
Riana Scott
Creativity has always been a part of who I am. Music was where it all started—it began as something I did for fun with my family and close friends. When I released my first song, the response was overwhelming, and it made me realize that people genuinely connected with what I had to offer. Read more>>
Matthew Richmond
Before social media and the endless scroll of curated lives, young adults faced a rare luxury: true boredom. Back in 2006, sitting in my first apartment in Ann Arbor, I found myself with time on my hands and an itch to create. I grew up in a creative household with a mother who was always crafting, paired with an early fascination with fashion. Read more>>
Elisia Pothoof
I began creating content shortly after my oldest child was born in 2019, sharing our everyday life and connecting with brands that aligned with our family. Some of my first collaborations were with BabySteps BabyBox, Stallings & Son, HelloFresh, and several other small businesses. Read more>>
Keisha Turnbough
I always describe the start of my business as being birthed out of frustration. In 2018, I set out to remodel my home. At the time, I reached out to multiple companies for task such as flooring installation, kitchen and bathroom remodeling, By the time I met with the fourth company, I was both exhausted and frustrated due to feeling as though pricing was exaggerated. Read more>>
Elaine Dalcher
MY STORY, Elaine Dalcher I’m a Michigan-based painter whose work is grounded in direct observation, memory, and lived experience of place. Over the years, my paintings have evolved from intimate studies of trees, water, skies, and still life to an exploration of the contemporary Midwestern landscape as it is reshaped by human intervention. Read more>>
Amanda Shields
I mainly got started with photography as a fun hobby- taking self portraits or photos of my friends. That expanded into people asking for senior or family sessions, and then I ended up photographing a friend’s wedding which lead me to fall in love with wedding photography! Read more>>
