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 Dallas.
Tayler Bennett
I founded Rae Design Interiors in the spring of 2023 and while it has been a slow start, I am proud of the progress and clientele we have helped thus far. I love learning and growing as an interior designer and ensuring these same principles in my business. At Rae Design Interiors, we strive to create the perfect space for you and welcome all who are looking to create and beautiful and new space. Read More>>
Jahmir Noble
As the founder and CEO of iThrive, I’m committed to ensuring that every child has the opportunity to thrive—not just in school, but in all areas of their lives. iThrive fills the gap by providing the mental and emotional tools children need to navigate their challenges and succeed. We’re still growing, but our mission is clear, and the impact we’re making is real. I’m excited about the future as we continue to empower young lives and help them reach their full potential. Read More>>
Ashley Coleman
They’ve been affectionately dubbed, Ash Army, and I host annual conferences to empower, acknowledge, and teach the next generation of creatives/entrepreneurs who look to me for motivation. This year alone, I’ve give away $50,000 to Ash Army to help seed their own endeavors! I never want to be the only success story in the room. I want my entire table to be seated with powerful and impactful women. Read More>>
Erica Vitor
My name is Erica Vitor, a proud Latina mother, and I embarked on a journey to create a women’s activewear brand that honors and empowers all women. Based in Dallas, Be A Star was founded to inspire women of every age, race, and body type to discover their true potential through movement and self-care. Read More>>
Cameron Caldwell
I previously worked as a Project Manager at Teachable, an ed-tech company that empowers creators to monetize their audience through digital products. After helping to build their creator launch initiative as one of its early employees, I saw first-hand how everyday people could leverage the internet and its vast suite of tools to generate income that rivaled their normal 9-5. They could also do so by utilizing skills they already had. So, I set out to remove barriers to this life-changing information in the form of a blog during the pandemic. Read More>>
Annie Cavalier, Ms, Rdn, Ld
I went on to receive my bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nutrition and became a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist. While I was still on college, I started having so many people come to me asking questions about nutrition and how they could improve their overall health, so I decided to create My Healthful Life as a platform where I could share my nutrition tips, healthy recipes, and more. I have since had the pleasure of also teaming up with other companies and non-profit organizations to write nutrition articles and eBooks on a variety of different topics. Read More>>
Katie Wilson
Cosmetology school is like being in high school all over again, but it came so natural to me. I guess you could say it was in my blood. Halfway through cosmetology school I found out I was pregnant with my first son. I was still due to graduate that October with my son being due in November, but my pregnancy took quite a toll on me and I had to stop going to school as frequently. I took a one month break from cosmetology school to have my son and recover and I was back that November and graduated that following January. Read More>>
Dave & Stacy Dockins
What used to be our lobby is now the kitchen with a wood-fired oven and seating. It is quirky, unique, and so much fun. We have such a great community walking through our doors; the people we meet are the best part of it all. We’ve been open since March and have been overwhelmed by the response. We’ve expanded our menu to include beer, low-intervention wines, and artisanal ice cream. Read More>>
Canaan Baker
Pursuing state licensure requires much of my time, so I’ve had to put my life coaching business on the back burner for now. In the meantime, I sell motivational t-shirts and coffee mugs along with my self-coaching books, which can be purchased on my website. Read More>>
Brandon Lowery Jr
I started off YouTube when I was a freshman in highschool. The sacrifices I had to make along the way made me have no other option but to make it out. Sophomore year I took a long break from YouTube no posting no nothing then come along my junior year my friend 3k.jav told me I had potential if I stayed consistent. End of my junior year I started picking it up staying consistent and now I’m going onto my senior year and made crazy progress! Read More>>
Hailey Reid
I really did love biomedical engineering and it was a very interesting thing to study, but unfortunately due to the circumstances of Covid and how sudden it happened, the university system was prepared or set up to help those with learning disabilities. I don’t think anyone was really prepared for what we went through as a collective! Read More>>
Keric Burleson
My father was a husband, coach, golf player, a chef and so much more. He did everything with pride and honor and I never saw him complain about anything. I truly believe God gave me a purpose to use my voice to uplift and inspire people around the world to wake up with a warrior spirit and attack the day because we all know that life is to short not live it to our fullest potential. We are all going to face obstacles everyday, however my question to you is how will you overcome those obstacles? Read More>>
Ashley Johnson
Transitioning from a military career to the esthetics business was a significant and rewarding journey for me. After serving in the military, I decided to pursue my passion for skincare and beauty by becoming a licensed esthetician. Here is how I got started in the esthetics business from the military: 1. Identifying my passion: During my time in the military, I discovered my interest in skincare and beauty through personal experimentation and research. I realized that I had a passion for helping others look and feel their best through proper skincare techniques and treatments. Read More>>
Anais Paniagua
In the US Army, I quickly excelled and demonstrated what the “NY hustle” means, separating myself from my peers not only in my military career but also by obtaining my Master’s degree. 5 years past and I was diagnosed with Systemic Lupus and sadly that was my cue to leave the military. Through tears, fears, and the unknown I thought about what I would do once I ETS from the military and the little dream I always had about having my own restaurant came back in mind. Before transitioning from the military my mom came to Killeen to stay with me for support since I was about to give birth to my baby boy Ryan. Read More>>
Meloni Raney
Originally, I’m from a very small town in Oklahoma and couldn’t wait to get out and head to college. I loved math so I wanted to be a structural engineer but when I got to the University of Oklahoma I walked into the College of Architecture and the studio class was complete chaos and I thought “these are my people”! The further I got into the major I realized it was actually construction management I was drawn to because they are the one putting all the pieces together – so I picked up construction management as a minor. Read More>>
Ashley Alexander
I grew up as the friend that would alway be taking pictures of anything happening. My grandpa bought me my first camera and I had no clue what to do with it. I have taught myself over the last 10 years and have become truly obsessed with capturing the special moments of others’ lives. I finally decided back in 2020 that this is something I want to continue to do for the rest of my life. Read More>>
Lauren Burgin
In 2018, Lauren channeled her insights and expertise into launching her own business, dedicated to helping both women and men rediscover their style and boost their confidence through their wardrobes. Her work primarily spans across Texas with frequent visits to North Carolina, allowing her to make a significant impact on clients in various regions. Read More>>
Dhara Shah
My both hands and legs developed gangrenes due to vasopressors as I was told. I came out of coma after around 7-8 days. They amputated both my legs below the knees, my right hand below the elbow and fingers and half thumb of my left hand. I had a surgery of skin grafting also. Thus I had tons of surgeries one after the other. Read More>>
John Garcia
when i first got into photography, i was 13, and using my iPhone 4, taking pictures of everything you can think of: the sky, cars, flowers, walls, etc. so that i could have a cool tumblr feed. i continued that a few years after that, but it was strictly a hobby for me. i didn’t post any pictures i took, i just did it for fun. it wasn’t until covid when i started considering doing photography as my career. i always loved it, but i always wanted to take the traditional route of going to college and getting degree. Read More>>
Zunitria Butler
My mother was an upcoming actress before she had kids. So when she had kids she put me in acting classes, basically everything except singing. I didn’t like it at first but over time I grew to find acting my true passion. Over the past 3 years I have been doing auditions and submitting for performances nonstop. Read More>>
Mariah Madden
Luxclusive Studio’s journey began with a bold vision to redefine the salon experience by offering exceptional, personalized beauty and wellness services. Founded by me, Mariah Madden, the studio started from humble beginnings, driven by a passion for delivering top-notch salon services and a commitment to exceeding client expectations. Initially, Luxclusive Studio faced challenges such as building a client base, managing resources, and establishing a strong presence in a competitive market. Despite these hurdles, our dedication to quality and client satisfaction helped us overcome these obstacles. Read More>>
Amber Lopez
It hasn’t been a smooth road, but we’ve worked really hard and never lost our determination. We ran into some issues with our building and permits, which pushed back our opening—definitely a setback. But we chose to see it as a blessing in disguise, giving us extra time to fine-tune everything for our grand opening. Read More>>
Ashkan (Ash) Aminian
Throughout all of this I was always into streetwear and shoes as my wardrobe started to change as I was DJing more. The thought of starting a clothing brand didn’t occur until about 2022. It was always an idea. I finally decided to pull the trigger on that idea in March of 2024 where I came up with the name, the concept and the message behind the brand. I recently dropped my first ever drop in July of 2024 and sold out within a little over a month. Read More>>
Lyn Baskett
I’ve been in the fashion industry all my life! I have launched various brands, reworked brands, managed teams for brands etc. I took on Mauritius as one of my brands in 2016. They were a 45 year old company that made sustainable leather jackets and had grown to become the largest leather jacket company in Europe. I loved their story, so I brought them to the USA and Canada. I hired reps, developed showrooms, created a marketing strategy, built a distribution strategy and hired and trained a home-office team to support the business. Read More>>
Valeria Rodriguez
It all started with decorating for my nephews and nieces. My family members would reach out to me to help decorate for parties, and I found thrill in wanting to make sure I went above and beyond for them. I would create centerpieces, balloon garlands and theme backgrounds. I learned that I love helping create unforgettable parties! Read More>>
Brandon Threats
Like many athletes across the country, due to battling injuries throughout my entire college career, I graduated never getting a chance to see my full potential. However, with the passion still there to become the best version of myself athletically, and with the help of a little divine intervention, I met a professional track coach through a simple Uber ride. Read More>>
Briante Harris
I started doing YouTube Way back in 2015. Youtube has always been my passion since I was in middle school. I used to walk around my high school vlogging and creating YouTube videos. After High school , I took a break but in 2021 , I picked up my phone and started it again & ever since then , I continued my passion on TikTok . On TikTok @bigiceyydior, you would see that I am all about creating daily vlogs, hauls , or just doing the trends. Read More>>
Olusola Balogun
By trade, I am a board certified emergency medicine physician and enjoy EVERYTHING about working in the ER. I went to medical school and did my residency training in Chicago, IL. My husband and I moved to DFW about 8 years ago. Over the course of my 12+ year career, I have worked in county hospitals, rural settings, pediatric facilities, community hospitals and more. I really enjoy what I do. Read More>>
Leah Turney
After I graduated with a bachelors in fine arts, I started working in marketing doing model and product photography as well as graphic and web design. I was doing so much work in my own business on the side that I was able to quit my job in April of 2021 and have never looked back. Now, I serve clients all over the world and have made many friends in this industry and even a lot of my couples have remained life long friends. I am living my dream life doing the best job in the world. Read More>>
Rebekah Wade
As I grew, my love for creativity expanded into writing, designing, and encouraging those around me. These passions guided me through various phases of my life, from the exhilarating highs of artistic performance to the challenges of balancing multiple roles as a divorced mother of three. Today, I channel my creativity not only through my business and full-time job but also through my involvement in ministry at my church. Read More>>
Teena Pham
After eight fulfilling years as a dental hygienist, I found myself drawn to the beauty industry, captivated by the transformative power of aesthetics. I transitioned into cosmetology, specializing in nails, brows, lashes, and waxing. As I honed my skills, my passion for beauty only grew stronger. This led me to pursue a career as a Physician Assistant (PA), motivated by its flexibility and high demand. Even in this new field, my love for aesthetics persisted. I focused on enhancing my expertise, enrolling in various trainings, and building my own brand. Read More>>
Khe Dean
Khe (Key) is a professional stylist/trichologist and proud owner of The Boujee Hair Bar/KHE Academy Hair Weaving School Kansas City native who currently resides in Dallas Texas. She has been in the Beauty industry for over 17 years now. Khe’s passion for wigs was inspired by a family member who lost their battle to breast cancer and then created a wig collection to help women feel secure while going through a difficult time in their lives. Read More>>
Charles Vinson
In 2022, my father and I began to research opportunities in franchising. He has been in the franchising industry for almost 20 years writing franchise operating manuals with in his business, FranMan. After exploring multiple concepts and after careful consideration, he and I were granted the opportunity, and opened a WOW 1 DAY Painting franchise in 2023. Read More>>
Jamez Ingram
Jamez pursued higher education at Maui College, Devry University, where he earned a degree in Business. His academic journey provided him with a deep understanding of human movement, biomechanics, and sports science. To further his expertise, he obtained certifications from prestigious organizations such as the American Council on Exercise (ACE) and the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM). Read More>>
Ozzy Velazquez
Anything that could go wrong went wrong. We were scheduled to open December 2023, yet we opened June 2024. We had a very tight budget and our contractor knew so. His subcontractors disappeared for months, costing us an additional 150,000 that we did not have. We feared many times that we would never get to see our dream come true, we prayed and prayed loud, we held on to our faith and finally got the chance to open our doors. It has been tough overcoming our hidden location, but we have faith that everything will turn out ok, we’ve faced big battles and always come out victorious. Read More>>
Jah Born
The single would soon ignite my career..it won a grammy for Best R & B performance, and also appeared on the Baduizm album which won album of the year. Read More>>
Miranda Parker
I help sellers with design before listing their home, and I help buyers transform an ugly house into their dream home. I also work with investors by helping them find, design, and list luxury flip homes. My most recent project was a mid century modern flip originally built by architect Donald Speck as his primary residence, which was featured in Candy’s Dirt. This year, I also added commercial real estate to my business and I’ve loved it! Read More>>
Caitlyn Meyer
I absolutely love flowers and with becoming so close with my Brides, I knew I wanted to continue to be apart of their big day. I began creating flower bouquets and arrangements for weddings and just fell in love with the idea that no two pieces will ever be the same. There’s so much beauty in chaos and I thoroughly believe flowers are meant to look natural and whimsical. Read More>>
