Life, Lessons, & Legacies

Through the work we do we are incredibly fortunate to find and learn about so many incredible local artists, creatives and entrepreneurs. Their stories, the lessons that they’ve learned and the legacies they are building inspire us beyond words. Below, we have highlighted a few of those amazing folks and we hope you’ll check out their stories and their responses to some of the fundamental questions the help form the foundation of our lives and careers.

Amanda Huang

Right now, a normal day for me involves a lot of moving around the city. I currently live in New York, and I am gearing up for fall programming and activities. This includes creating new menus and also planning out pop-up cooking classes in the city. I start my day early in the morning on my laptop responding to emails and doing other business work. Read More>>

Ashley Edwards

These days, my workdays look a little different than they used to. I work from home doing hair, which means I can blend creativity and connection with the comfort of my own space. Living with chronic illness means my body doesn’t always cooperate with my plans—but I’ve learned to adapt, pace myself, and make every ounce of energy count. Read More>>

Hallie Driscoll

Most mornings start slow and soft—some stretching, a few quiet minutes with my kittens, and then waking my daughter so we can get ready for the day together. I drop her off with my parents and head to my office job, iced latte in hand (the first of about five I’ll have throughout the day). Read More>>

Shakyla Petty

A normal day for me starts early. I am usually up around 6 a.m. to have a quiet moment before the kids wake up. I check in with myself first, whether that is journaling, prayer, or a quick grounding exercise. Then I shift into mom mode, which means breakfast, playtime, and all the morning energy that comes with two little ones. Read More>>

Ricky Terrell

A normal day for me right now begins with self care and reflection, prayer, reading, then painting. I normally use the first half of the day for myself and take care of any mundane tasks that need to be handled. Read More>>

Jerry Gontang

Thank you very much for bringing me onboard. I wake up around sunrise and ease into the morning with a cup of coffee, check my eMails, glance at Facebook, then prioritize the chores that need to be done. I know, how exciting! Being semi retired allows for this kind of behavior. Read More>>

Simone Hunter

No two days ever look exactly the same for me, but the common thread is creativity, strategy, and making sure I pour into myself along the way. Most mornings start with a matcha or coffee in hand and a quick check-in on client projects, anything from mapping out a social media rollout for a healthcare leader to reviewing creative concepts for a product launch. Read More>>

Alvaro Psevoznik

I wouldn’t call my days “normal.” Running a marketing agency and co-running an entertainment group with three companies across three continents means my calendar is a mix of time zones, teams, and projects that rarely repeat. I start early with a 40-minute Zoom workout with my trainer in Argentina, then sort my to-do list into what’s urgent, important, delegable, or only I can handle. Read More>>

Jack Vu

A normal day for me on tour starts with arriving at the venue in the morning by tour bus. Once there, I get set up and ready for the day. I usually spend part of the day editing video content from previous tour stops, while also capturing behind-the-scenes footage of the band and getting B-roll of the venue. Read More>>

Carol Killman Rosenberg

My day kicks off at 7:15 AM with a whirlwind of excitement, thanks to my dynamic duo of mini Aussies, Rook and Majesty. After some serious playtime with them, I shift gears to spend quality time with my feathered friend, Chiku. Read More>>

Lisa Jenkins

This is such a great question for a couple of reasons. Up until this past January, my days consisted of working multiple jobs across different industries, and constantly being on the go with little rest included. Read More>>

Tiffany Willett

A normal day in the world of Remi + Lola starts with waking up and checking the website for any new online orders. Then it’s time to wrangle my “co-workers” (the dogs!) and get them settled before I dive into creating. Early in the week, I usually focus on custom and wholesale orders so I can get goodies out to customers as quickly as possible. Read More>>

Benjamin Caleb The Quiet Giant

Well, I’m on tour these days, in South Africa right now, so my normal day is a little bit full of work than usual, and by the way, this is why I’m not on social media like i used to be, i spend most of my time practicing and touring since 2023. Read More>>

Sarah O’Mary Roberts

Each morning I have my coffee while I watch TODAY and wait for my daughter to wake up. I use this time to review my unread emails, or catch up on small tasks that I didn’t get to the day before. Once I have my daughter off to school, it’s go time. Read More>>

Brayden Smith

Nothing is really “normal” for me right now. Is it for anyone else? I’m in the middle of forcing myself out of my comfort zone and becoming an influencer, an online personality. I hope to build an audience as a filmmaker and make some relationships that will help me finance projects. If you’re a person reading this article, thinking to yourself, “Well wait a minute. Read More>>

Tiny Baker

What is a normal day for us? Busy, busy, busy! We are very blessed and have so many exciting things going on! As many know, but some may not, we are a family owned and run bakery. There are 4 of us – spanning over 3 generations: Cindy, Ana, Jane, and Christian. Read More>>

Rashia McCullum

A normal day for me is definitely a balancing act—but it’s my kind of beautiful chaos! I start my mornings early, getting grounded with a little quiet time before the rest of the world wakes up. Then it’s off to my full-time job where I oversee operations (and make sure the mailroom runs smoother than a fresh wax!). Read More>>

Alicia Rounds

For a long time, I dimmed my gift of bold, prophetic voice hesitating to fully speak out or share my insights because I worried about judgment or rejection. I held back my spiritual gifts and the fire inside me, trying to fit into what others expected rather than embracing the unique way God wired me. Read More>>

Huiyu Zhou

I believe this isn’t a pain unique to me—it’s something many of us carry as the years go by. I’ve learned to manage loneliness and moments of isolation; those emotions, while difficult, are familiar and somewhat within my control. But what remains truly hard to confront is the feeling of not belonging. Read More>>

Bre Khounphinith

My relationship with my grandmother truly shaped the way I see myself. She always reminded me that I was special, right up until she went to heaven, and her words still carry me today. The most important relationship in my life, though, is my relationship with God. Read More>>

Cat Wondergem

The relationship I have with myself has been the most influential relationship in my life. From the time we’re born we’re bombarded with the who, what, why, how we should be and it takes work to weed out what resonates and what is trash. Some feel comfortable in their skin from an early start, but that hasn’t been the case for me. Read More>>

Moses Ndubuzo

I learned early on that if you want to be surrounded by good people, you first have to be a good person yourself, the rest will follow. That mindset made me focus on being a better person, someone of value in whatever I do and to whoever I meet. Read More>>

Christopher Lee

My relationship with god & my family. All things done with pure and clear intention are the best. It takes a lot to get there but is well worth every single step. Read More>>

Markat

My relationships with my close friends and the people I choose to surround myself with impact me the most. I know that I can rely on them to give me truthful feedback, whether its positive or negative, they can keep me on the right path, celebrate my successes, and help cushion the losses. Read More>>

Edward Blair II

The relationship that has most shaped how I see myself is my marriage to my wife, Sierra Shanelle Blair. She’s been my greatest source of love, support, and encouragement, helping me see my worth even in moments when I doubted myself. Her belief in me has pushed me to dream bigger, work harder, and become a better man in every area of my life. Read More>>

Bailey Morris

My relationship with work has always been a tricky one. I was raised to work hard, always give 110%, and respect those you work for. <i>I</i>f there was something I wanted, my parents made me work for it, and I’m grateful for those early lessons. When I got my first real job working for someone else I quickly became addicted to working. Read More>>

Katie Melko

My relationship with my mom has been monumentally impactful and how I see myself as adult. She gave me the strength and push to always want more, push for more and let me know that I deserve what I set myself out to achieve. She inspired me to get my masters degree and always stood beside me with my passion projects. Read More>>

Carolyn Stovall

My relationship with my grandmother, Lorie Emily Lewis shaped my life in so many positive ways. My mother was sick, and gave me to my grandmother as a newborn. My grandmother gave up her job as a Practical Nurse to take care of me. She was a 68 year old widow at the time. Read More>>

Miguel Almario

I think my relationships with my close friends helped shaped the person I currently am and wish to become. One friend in particular, Antione Robinson (AKA Riley Escobar), has had one of most profound influence on me as a person and an artist. As a content creator himself, he encouraged me to step out of my comfort zone and fully embrace my passions. Read More>>

Jennifer Williams

The relationship that has most profoundly shaped how I see myself is my relationship with God. Before I truly came to understand who, God is and what it means to walk in alignment with His purpose for my life, I felt directionless, driven by external validation rather than internal clarity. Read More>>

Eliezer Rodriguez

The biggest relationship that shaped my perception of myself, is my wife she saw a lot of potential in me before I even saw it myself. She believed in me when I had nothing, she helped me a lot to see things differently, she poured into me a lot of emotional intelligence as well. Read More>>

Deborah Hadfield

As a teenager I worked as an usherette at a cinema. Not only did it give me the chance to watch movies while being paid but it led me to the greatest friendship of my life, Beryl. She became equal parts best friend and adopted Mother. Until her death we shared adventures, the longest conversations and a deep spiritual faith. Read More>>

Sarah Amrou

The relationship that’s most shaped how I see myself is my relationship to my culture, being Lebanese is at the core of who I am. It’s more than a heritage; it’s a mindset. Growing up between two worlds, and spending over a decade living in Lebanon, taught me what it truly means to be resilient. Read More>>

Megan Nager

I believe that God — or the universe, or whatever higher power you resonate with — plays a role in everything. When something doesn’t work out, I trust that it’s for a reason, even if I’m disappointed in the moment. I remind myself to stay confident in my path. Read More>>

Marie Lewis

One truth that is so foundational in my life that I rarely say it out loud is that everything I am and everything I have comes from God. My skills, my opportunities, my resilience — none of it is by chance. I believe He is the source, the sustainer, and the reason I am able to build, lead, and serve the way I do. Read More>>

Nicole Booz

For me, one of the deepest truths I carry — something so foundational I don’t often put it into words — is that *time is my most sacred resource*. Once it’s gone, you can’t get it back. I learned early on that just because you’re “doing something” doesn’t mean it’s valuable. So much of our culture glorifies busyness, but I’ve always quietly rebelled against that. Read More>>

Dorothy Krause

In my artist books, which allow me to rant, I try to focus on and articulate what I consider foundational truths about environment and climate, government and governance, individuals and society. Permian references the largest mass extinction in Earth’s history, Concordat examines the relationship between Hitler’s programs and the Catholic church, and DNA considers our uniqueness and our common ancestry. Read More>>

Xiao He

Hard work. I believe opportunities only come when you prepare yourself through consistent effort. If I don’t work hard, I won’t be ready when the right opportunities arrive. I don’t believe in sitting back and expecting good things to just happen. Good luck follows hard work. Read More>>

J’sun Tyler

One of the foundational truths in my life is the idea that “to thine ownself, be true.” I have it tattooed on my arm—not as a reminder, but as a fact. It’s a principle that guides everything I do. No matter the choices I make, whether right or wrong, I know they are made with authenticity. Read More>>

Georgia McClintock

I think it was 2012 or 2013 when I felt powerful as a business owner. My husband’s co-worker and friend, at the time, Demetrius, was a big fan of the Sophya D Radio Show. Read More>>

Amy Gumbs

My earliest memory of feeling truly powerful goes back to 6th grade. My mom taught at my school, so I had to stay after every day while she finished work. That fall, the gym teacher asked if I wanted to join the archery team since I was already there during practice anyway. Read More>>

Julyanna Ortega

I think more than feeling powerful, I have done things I am passionate about, even if I was scared or doubtful it would work. At the end of the day you have to trust yourself and know that even if things don’t turn out how you hoped, you are left with learning experiences that are very valuable. Read More>>

Bran Merritt

I’ll never forget this moment. I was six years old, in first grade. For some reason, our teacher, Denise Reed, stepped out of the classroom for a moment. Read More>>

Tracy Milgram

My earliest memory of feeling powerful was the moment I chose to take control of my health and undergo a preventative mastectomy in my 30s. It wasn’t just about the surgery it was about saying, “I refuse to live in fear.” That decision, rooted in knowledge and courage, became the foundation for BRCASTRONG. Read More>>

Tyler Gilbert

I would say the first time I performed live, stepping up to the mic and belting out everything I had. The way the audience responded to my voice which as growing up a shy kid, this made me feel special and powerful. Read More>>

Mr Marc J. Hawk III

This question is pride bait, LOL, but I’ll use it as an opportunity to show how quickly humility can come in. I graduated from Oakwood University in 2022 at just 20 years old. At the time, I didn’t know where I was going after graduation. Read More>>

Katherine Nichols

In the second grade, my friend and I were on the playground climbing the monkey bars. Despite being on the heavy side, she had no trouble manipulating the slippery surface. I made it to the top before her, but we both celebrated the great height we had reached by descending and running to the swings. On the way, the class bully tripped my friend. Read More>>

Yuwei Li

It was during my college years that I began to seriously consider a career in painting. However, it was only after graduation that I truly embarked on this professional path. The field of painting is highly engaging, offering endless opportunities for exploration and experimentation, as well as new challenges on a daily basis. Read More>>

Trina Bell

Wow- one of my earliest memories of feeling powerful was one of the very first times I performed for an audience. It was in my hometown of Gary, Indiana at the annual Easter Talent Show, which also happened to be my 7th birthday. Under the stage name Little Jesse &amp; Catrina, I performed alongside my big brother—the late R&amp;B singer Jesse Powell. Read More>>

Ellyse Grant

One of my earliest memories of feeling empowered was actually when I was around five years old. It might sound a little funny, but it stuck with me. My dad kept asking me what I wanted—either for Christmas or my birthday—and I kept rattling off the usual: a baby doll, a Barbie, some lipstick. But he kept pressing, “Are you sure? Read More>>

Jay Uecker

One of my earliest memories of feeling powerful was in 4th or 5th grade. A local grocery store was holding a Halloween coloring contest—you had to decorate one of their paper bags with a Halloween scene, and the winner would get a brand-new BMX bike. Read More>>

Candice Cherry

I’ll never forget the first time I walked into a gift show in Dallas and then Atlanta with a table full of my jeweled wine glasses. I packed every piece by hand, carefully wrapped in tissue and hope. My heart was pounding louder than my heels on that showroom floor. Read More>>