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.
Anita Moore
I’m a classically trained opera singer and visual artist, painting portraits, landscapes and still lifes. From childhood, music and art have been the dual passions that have shaped my life and guided my path. I grew up in Oklahoma, but jumped in a U-Haul and drove to New York City right after graduating college. I lived there for 19 years while pursuing my dreams. Read more>>
Dezere Luna
My journey into chiropractic began long before I officially chose it as a career. I grew up in a holistic household. I was surrounded by natural approaches to healing and inspired by the quiet wisdom of the women in my family who taught me the importance of listening to the body and honoring its rhythms. Read more>>
Maggie Green
I’m a proud Oklahoma City native and former Division I basketball athlete. My journey has been shaped by pivotal, life-altering events—from being at the closest elementary school to the OKC bombing, to experiencing 9/11, Hurricane Katrina during my first weekend in college in Louisiana, and later, the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more>>
Samina Hussain
I have a Masters in Mass Communication, and have written about health and education. I’ve always had a natural rapport with children and genuinely love spending time and talking with them. Kumon seemed ideal to me where I could pursue both my passions nurturing children and education. I was undergoing training when I got pregnant with my oldest. Read more>>
Apostle Doris Williams
Born in Fort Worth, Texas raised in California I can say I have been an entrepreneur since I was very young selling lollipops to children in school and at church. From there my entrepreneurship grew in starting my own desktop publishing business for local business needing business cards, flyers, banners etc. Read more>>
IFEOMA IROKWE
I began my career as a registered nurse and spent over 20 years caring for people in various settings. From a young age, I was the one people turned to in times of crisis or confusion. Over time, I realized that what truly drew people to me was not just clinical skill, but the ability to bring calm, clarity, and hope. Read more>>
Alfredo Garcia
I would say I had a lot of learning experiences I had experiences as far as me breaking a windshield my first time at my parents house and even breaking small little things for customers cars on accidents I would say two big struggles that I had was one of my employees messed up a job and that job cost me a lot of money, but it was a learning experience and also taking on some pretty big projects without learning The ins and outs of it Read more>>
Rachel Tyler
My journey has been full of twists and turns, but looking back, I’m grateful for every opportunity that led me here. Today, I’m a Brand Strategist and Founder of Rachel Tyler Consulting, where I help businesses take their brand from unclear to unstoppable. What began as a small side hustle grew into a business I genuinely love showing up for every day. Read more>>
Kaleea Barbain
My name is Kaleea Barbain and I am 21 years old. I just recently started my baking business, ‘Beautifully Baked’, earlier this year in January! I’ve always had a love for baking since I was a little girl and I’m probably one of the biggest sweets person you’ll ever meet- I love it! Read more>>
Quoc Lam
Before I found my company, I was a structural engineer, design, building houses in Vietnam, Australia for 25 years. I came to US and work as a bridge designer and real estate investor for several years. Read more>>
Jennifer Landry
I grew up in a small town in western Pennsylvania, and my love for history started early. We didn’t have access to a public library, so my parents signed me up for a book-of-the-month club. One of the books I chose as a teenager was Antonia Fraser’s ‘The Six Wives of Henry VIII.’ I was completely hooked. Read more>>
Jacob Frenette
I originally started Dimensions Escape Rooms because I had a love for escape rooms. When I was away from home (I went to Chicago), there was an escape room I would drive by daily and each time I would drive by it, I would be fascinated by the themes they had presented on the outside of the building. Read more>>
Carlos Trice
I got into the Cigar Lounge business after living in Florida on business for about 3 years. Before living in Florida, I smoked cigars both for business and pleasure, but I knew very little bout the culture. Living in Florida and being deeply exposed to the cigar culture gave me a deeper view and appreciation of its origins, traditions, and values. Read more>>
Stacey Ritter
In 2016, I became a Birth and Postpartum Doula after the birth of my son—a birth that unfolded in no way according to plan. Just before I was wheeled back for my c-section, God made it clear: this is what you are called to do, to be the calm in the vulnerable space for women and families. Read more>>
Ron Friedman
I started playing piano at age eightand writing music at age ten. In high school, I realized that I didn’t want to be a starving artist, so I went on to college, medical school, and training in plastic surgery (you haven’t heard of starving plastic surgeons). But my first love was always music. Read more>>
Maria Hernandez
The story of Encanto Market & Cocina is one of a community-oriented Mexican food + grocery hybrid, serving both as a cultural hub and practical resource in their neighborhood. Our identity leans heavily on authenticity, family ownership, and blending everyday grocery with cooked food and treats such as homemade ice cream and Mexican Paletas. Read more>>
Anar Aliyev
My wife and I were looking for a business that would not only complement our music schools (Lakewood Conservatory, Park Cities School of Music, and Young Artist Music School) but also bring joy to children and families. Read more>>
Ryan Nix
I’m 30 years old and a disabled Army veteran. Growing up very poor in South Carolina, I saw my family struggle just to keep the lights on and food on the table. My grandpa owned a small sign company there, and that was my first spark — it showed me that business ownership was possible, even if you didn’t come from much. Read more>>
Melinda Wood Allen
I am a full-time minister of a VERY non-traditional spiritual center. We are in transition from our former iteration, ‘Church of One Love’ to our new one; ‘Unity of Farmers Branch.’ Our affiliation with Unity Worldwide Ministries is new–the new signs aren’t up yet and the website is still being built, but you can learn all about us at churchofonelove.org. Read more>>
LaTorri Richardson
’m LaTorri Richardson, born and raised in Fort Worth, Texas. My journey started with a dream and a deep desire to do more—not just for myself, but for those watching me, especially the next generation. I always knew I had something to say and something to give. Read more>>
Ricardo Jimenez
I grew up between New York and Puerto Rico, surrounded by strong family figures and the hustle of small businesses. My grandfather ran a restaurant, and I still remember the smell of food, the noise of the kitchen, and the joy on people’s faces when they took their first bite. Those moments planted a seed in me—work hard, serve people, and create something meaningful. Read more>>
cheryl Jackson
I often say I didn’t choose this work — it chose me. I grew up the daughter of a preacher’s kid who believed service wasn’t something you did; it was who you were. Years later, after losing everything and experiencing huger myself, I decided I’d spend the rest of my life helping others stand back up. Read more>>
Nathan Gumbiner
Connect Church started on Easter weekend 2022 in the Frisco Family YMCA. Born out of a passion to see the Kingdom of God expand, our family moved to Frisco, TX in July of 2019. This passion started for me while I was still in Bible college in 2007. I began to think and dream of what it would look like to plant a church. Read more>>
Amy Rodgers
The thought of “having my own business” still blows my mind! When I was in high school I remember having a Nikon Coolpix camera that I took with me everywhere. Whether I was taking photos of scenery or my friends and family, I have always loved documenting moments to look back on. Read more>>
Caroline Stovall
I moved to Dallas in September 2008 from Manchester England. I am a Chartered Accountant and worked at KPMG and BDO in the UK before moving to Dallas. I am now a Partner at a National CPA firm leading our Consulting Practice. I started volunteering at local rescue by donating and help with adoptions. Read more>>
Sam Kiniaru
I started working as a hobbyist mechanic in 2004, worked on my car and continued to learn about automotive and truck mechanics. i realized that i enjoyed engine rebuilding, therefore i looked for complex projects that required complete teardowns and rebuilds. I work in Healthcare as a profession and this hobby was and is a good balance for me. Read more>>
Jackie Robertson
It all began in the family kitchen in Fort Worth, Texas, during a rare snowstorm in February 2021. The Robertson family was snowed in, hosting visiting relatives from New Orleans. To keep spirits high, Jackie Robertson brewed a pitcher of his signature sweet tea—a recipe he’d perfected over the years. Read more>>
Janelle Montgomery
In 2022, Entrada of Texas approached me about a James Turrell Skyspace planned for Fort Worth at Keith House. Would I like to help them complete the project and then operate it? I deeply admire Turrell’s work and was thrilled to be part of bringing one of his pieces to North Texas. Construction of Keith House began in July 2022. Read more>>
Bina Bird
After obtaining my master’s degree and license in Marriage and Family Therapy. I spent the first several years of my career working in nonprofit settings providing therapy and later supervision and training others in residential, day treatment and outpatient mental health. Read more>>
Ramesh Ghimire
My journey started back in Nepal, where I grew up with simple dreams and a lot of determination. When I came to the United States in 2006, I didn’t have much—just hope and the willingness to work hard. Like many immigrants, I did all kinds of jobs to survive, but deep down I always believed that every struggle was preparing me for something bigger. Read more>>
Shenique Sparks
When I launched Let Sparks Fly in 2019, I never imagined it would become what it is today. At the time, I was working in HR and talent acquisition, a career I held for 16 years. I wanted a little extra income, and after some hesitation, I decided to give travel a try. Read more>>
Stephanie Sorrell
Luv Crepes was born out of a love for excellent service, a passion for creating a place for people to thrive and a joy in eating amazing food from around the world. Read more>>
Oluwakemi Aborisade
I have always been ambitious in doing things in a way that truly reflects who I am,, growing up as a young child I was passionate about everything beauty and that has been part of me, when I decided to pursue my dream, I went all out to make sure I achieved it. Read more>>
John Horn
I started as a blue collar warehouse worker, moved into the white collar world in customer service, then vendor relations, then marketing, and eventually found myself at StubGroup, a digital marketing agency. When StubGroup started over a decade ago, the founders brought me on as employee #1. Read more>>
David Jackson
I started working with a construction company when I was 13 years old roofing houses, and all types of exterior work. Continued later when my father and I started buying and selling houses when I was 19 and I was in charge of making sure that the houses were remodeled Correctly, efficiently and within budget. Read more>>
Peter Wright
After a lengthy career in Corporate Marketing, I was looking for my next career adventure. I was motivated by finding a role that would allow me to not only leverage my marketing and contract negotiation skill sets, but also find something that would allow me to help people and better contribute to the community. Read more>>
K.Rene Ford
I have been exploring art my entire life. I always dreamed of owning a business, made up different shops as a kid. Then, 10 years ago I started working on making something real. A buisness that could be done at home with my new baby. I tried out a few ideas and preserved botanicals were the most inspiring to me. Read more>>
Lindsay Puente
I am the founder and executive director at Ondas Cultural and Movement Arts, as well as a university professor. Both of these identities are deeply intertwined for me. I recieved my PhD in Comparative Literature, with extensive research on the Afro-Latin world, from the University of California, Irvine in 2010. Read more>>
