Every day we have a choice. We can support an up and coming podcaster, try a new family-run restaurant, join a boutique gym started by a local fitness champ or we could keep giving away our money to the handful of giants who already control so much of our commerce. Our daily decisions impact the kind world we live in; if we want a world where small businesses are growing and artists and creatives are thriving then we should support them with our time, money and attention. We’re proud to highlight inspiring creatives and entrepreneurs each week in Hidden Gems series. Check out some of our latest local gem features below.
Hector Hernando
The idea of starting my own mariachi came from a deep sense of responsibility rather than a business plan. I grew up surrounded by mariachi music—coming from generations of mariachi musicians—and from a very young age I understood that mariachi is not just music, but culture, history, and identity. Read more>>
Adrienne Edmon
In 2015, one of my Sorority sisters randomly asked me to do her makeup for her Bridal Shower. I had no experience doing makeup on others, but because she trusted me, I gladly accepted the challenge. The Bride received so many compliments on her makeup from her guests and several Bridesmaids asked to book me for her actual Wedding. Read more>>
Elise Southerland
I was born and raised in Oklahoma and now call Fort Worth, Texas home. From the age of 3 I grew up competing in rodeo queen pageants, horse shows, and rodeos across the country. I attended Oklahoma State University where I found my love for the story telling side of athletics. Read more>>
Paulina Pineda
My journey into beauty began long before brows became my specialty. I am a Medical Doctor by training. I graduated in Mexico as a General Physician, fully licensed, and practiced medicine for several years. During that time, I discovered a deep passion for aesthetics and skin health, which led me to train extensively in permanent makeup and medical aesthetics. Read more>>
Marissa & LaTrell
Soul Sent began with a sudden idea, one that felt clearly placed on our hearts by God. At the time, LaTrell and I were sitting together working through a business plan for something completely different. We weren’t thinking about candles at all. But in that moment, LaTrell casually said, “Why don’t we do candles?” Something about it felt right, simple, creative, and aligned. Read more>>
Phuoc Nguyen
I did my undergraduate at the University of Texas at Austin. At that time, I was taking courses to go into the medical field such as a nurse or doctor. During my junior year, my father’s friend that is in the field of Orthotics and Prosthetics came to visit our family. Read more>>
Shun Thomas
My name is Shun Thomas, Ph.D. I am a practitioner-scholar in human services, educator, and community leader from Plano, TX. I was an educator for 18 years with Plano ISD and am now an Educational Specialist for Children’s Health Plano. As a community leader, I am known for my ability to connect schools, hospitals, nonprofits, and families to solve problems. I hold a Ph.D. Read more>>
LaShelia Coffer
My Story: Faith, Resilience, and Purpose My name is LaShelia (Ingram) Coffer. I am 57 years old, a widow, a proud mother of five: (Marcellus, Shearren, Darren Jr, Aleesha, Aleesa & Jonny..bonus son) plus, a blessed grandmother of sixteen. I was born and raised in Longview, Texas, alongside two brothers—Derrick Horne and Aransome Ingram Jr. Read more>>
Nasser Samadi
Crown Chiropractic Clinics is a husband-and-wife–led practice rooted in a shared passion for healthcare and healing. Dr. Nasser Samadi and his wife, Neda Rahmat, were both established medical professionals in Iran before immigrating to the United States to build a new life—and ultimately, a new practice—in complementary and familiar fields. Read more>>
Armando Juarez
As a child, I was always an entrepreneur, selling all sorts of things, including a guppy fish farm business (that’s how I purchased my first pair of roller skates at age 9). Read more>>
Julie Hibbard
I entered the fitness industry at just 19 years old, working as a personal trainer while earning my degree from Texas State University, where I also minored in Theatre Arts. That foundation in communication, storytelling, and performance continues to influence how I lead, coach, and connect. Read more>>
Ricky Jordan
I’m from Lewisville area, just a few miles from our home office. This is home for me. My dad and his friend Bill Bernick started Fifth Gear Automotive Repair in 2004, and I’ve been involved since the beginning. At the time, the vision was simple: build one strong shop that could support the founders and provide great service to the community. Read more>>
Ahmed Elbur
My name is Ahmed, and I’m the founder of Maliqe. I was born and raised in the United Arab Emirates—what many people today know as Dubai. Just as Paris is synonymous with fashion, the UAE has a deep-rooted culture and appreciation for rich, expressive fragrances. Scent is part of everyday life there; it’s tied to identity, hospitality, and memory. Read more>>
Lisa Henry-Weaver
I grew up in real estate. My parents got their brokers license in the late 1960’s. When my mother sold her first house she made a donation to the church and bought me a little pink bike with training wheels and a white basket. I got my license in 1998 and shortly after I got my Broker’s license. Read more>>
DeAnna Arnold
I got started in the mortgage industry in 2005 as a Jr. Loan Officer assistant. My mom was a realtor and she suggested I get into finance since I had an accounting background and was always good with numbers. after working as an assistant for about a year and a half I went into processing loans. Read more>>
Noelle Pratt
I started Noelle’s Fitness to help others build strength and confidence. I’ve always had a passion for fitness, and when the opportunity arose for me to start my business, I took it. Read more>>
Christie Good
I’ve been working since I was 15 years old, and that early start shaped everything about how I approach life and business—work hard, stay curious, and don’t wait for opportunities to be handed to you. I graduated from Texas A&M University with a degree in Community Health, originally planning to build a career in public health. But after graduation, reality set in. Read more>>
Dr. Darnell Stokes
Dr. Darnell Stokes is a distinguished and compassionate leader in social services and finance whose work has made a lasting impact on youth and communities. Read more>>
Kayla Blodgett
My journey started with an online boutique that I grew from scratch into a full-blown brand. Eventually, we opened a physical shop, and I absolutely loved my customers. That part—the connection, the loyalty, the community—meant the world to me. Read more>>
alen kladusak
I actually started off in real estate as an investor — not as a realtor. After more than a decade in sales, I began purchasing single-family homes as a way to build long-term financial stability. I loved studying deals, comparing markets, and learning what made some properties soar in value while others stalled. Read more>>
Ashley Witherspoon-Shafer
I started working for this business I know own over a decade and half ago, working online, part time and really deciding I wanted to help others with their finances. Read more>>
Terena Hodge
My journey has been shaped by loss, resilience, and an unshakable commitment to truth and justice. Long before my professional career began, I experienced the tragic loss of my brother, followed by other significant family losses. Those early experiences introduced me to grief at a young age and instilled a deep sense of responsibility, awareness, and purpose. Read more>>
Jason Valentin
My story at One Line Design Studio is a unique one, and in many ways, it feels like a reminder that certain things truly happen for a reason. I graduated in 2013 with my bachelor’s degree in Interior Design in Orlando, Florida. I had my heart set on moving to Miami, a larger city with greater opportunity and a more established design market. Read more>>
Megan Martin
I’m Megan Martin—a San Diego native, born at Balboa Naval Medical Center. I grew up in Southern California but traded the coast for Texas as soon as I could. Today, I call McKinney home, where I live with my husband and our children. My journey with kids started early: I began nannying professionally and coaching cheerleading and gymnastics at 14 and continued through college. Read more>>
Heather Broner
I’m a mom, a longtime marketing leader, and the author of the Adventures of a Boy Named Brooks children’s book series, available on Amazon. I believe some of the most important lessons kids learn should come wrapped in laughter, love, and stories they actually want to hear. This series was inspired by real life. Read more>>
Allie Pearson
Provender Homes and Provender Interiors were founded with a clear purpose: to restore the quality craftsmanship and enduring design that have too often been lost to passing trends, while building genuine relationships rooted in trust. At our core is a commitment to designing and building homes that are as beautiful and relevant today as they will be 20 or 50 years from now. Read more>>
Gladys Wiggins
Hi, I’m Gladys Wiggins your Texas Realtor. My journey into real estate started with no prior knowledge or family background in real estate. I transitioned from serving as a correctional officer for several years and an assistant teacher. Prior to that I served in the United States Army straight from high school. Read more>>
neeta nayak
I grew up in Mysore, a beautiful city in Southern India. I was a severely asthmatic child and couldn’t run and play like most children. From there to becoming a physician triple boarded in geriatrics, hospice and palliative medicine, I have come a long way. I am grateful to be a 5 time awardee for Best Geriatrician by D Magazine. Read more>>
Megan Merritt
My love for the beauty industry started in high school. I was always playing around with different forms of makeup and that slowly bled into my interest for skincare. It started as a hobby that I never realized could turn into a career. The esthetics industry always felt like a very specific niche that i didn’t feel like I quite fit into. Read more>>
Tommy Hall
The struggles along the road where finding a place to stay for kids besides car food clothes wayto school in back money people I thought was in my corner left us to.starve in talked about us behind our back I mean treated us bad so bad Read more>>
Dr.Kenneth Nichols
My journey has been shaped by early life challenges that forced me to develop resilience, discipline, and a strong sense of responsibility at a young age. Sports became my first classroom for leadership, teaching me the importance of teamwork, preparation, and mental toughness—lessons that stayed with me long after the final whistle. Read more>>
Atefeh Raouf
The most significant turning point in my artistic journey occurred when I won first place in a calligraphy competition at the age of nine. That early recognition helped me understand not only my talent but also my deep passion for the arts. From that moment, I continued exploring a wide range of creative disciplines, including painting, photography, interior design, floral design, and musical performance. Read more>>
Susana Munoz
I’m a first-generation Latina, a mother, and a therapist, and my own healing journey began in motherhood. Becoming a parent brought old wounds, inherited expectations, and patterns I learned in order to survive into much clearer focus. I became determined not to pass that pain down, and that intention continues to guide the work I do today. Read more>>
Jamie Cumming
When I was about 12 I went to visit my great aunt and uncle’s farm and loved every second of it. That is when I first began to desire to have a farm, but then life happened. I grew up, got married, had 4 kids, adopted 2 more. Read more>>
Israel Alonso
We established our organization in October 2021, but we have been serving our community for over 11 years. Our journey began in the streets of downtown Dallas, where we started with a cooler filled with pancakes, 10 gallons of coffee, and a heart ready to serve. Read more>>
Fab Stolfa
Creating became a necessity. Faces turned into surfaces where I could place anger, grief, fear, and distortion. Makeup didn’t save me or fix my life. It simply gave me somewhere to exist when everything else felt unlivable. Read more>>
Confesssions The Poet
My story with writing actually began long before I understood what it meant. In the third grade, my literature teacher gave our class a challenge: we could write a book about anything we wanted. The top three students—those who read the most books that year—would have their work published by the Tyler Public Library. I placed first. Read more>>
Benny Jackson
I learned to love a beautiful space from my grandmother. From early childhood I found myself caring about aesthetics and beauty. Instead of wanting to go toy shopping, I wanted to go to the flower nurseries. In junior high, I traded my mom’s furniture in at the local furniture store and redecorated our home while she was at work. Read more>>
Linda Vanderford
I had worked 22 years in the service industry in every role possible and when my beloved restaurant closed in December 2021, I decided I’d done enough. At the prompting of a friend who’d been a massage therapist, I enrolled in school! It was one of those defining life moments when on my first day, I knew. Read more>>
Oleg Vaso
I was born and raised in Lviv, Ukraine, and came to the United States alone at 17, right after finishing up the high school. I didn’t know what was waiting for me since everything was new and different. Philadelphia is where my American journey started. Read more>>
Tovah Poll
Following my divorce, I decided it was time to do something for myself. I was never much of a jewelry person, but I loved making other women, and yes, even men, happy. Watching them choose their product, either individually or as matching memories, I enjoyed the smiles and excitement they shared when creating this moment. Read more>>
D. Angel
My story is kind of the same for many young black males, who have no hope or belief of acceptance, in America. Being in the streets at a young age. Making children at a young age. Then going back n forth to prison. My story changes course when I decided to no longer feel sorry for myself and be accountable for my actions. Read more>>
Esra Sakar
I came to photography through a need to understand how meaning is formed through images. What initially drew me in was not the act of taking photographs, but the question of why certain images stay with us while others disappear. Read more>>
Filippo Giusti
I am Italian and lived in Rome, where I trained as an actor and photographer. In 2017, I met Paulina, my fiancée, and one year later I decided to move to Mexico with her. At that time, painting was not part of my life. Read more>>
Beth Childs
In 2020, my husband and I lost our son, Luke, to leukemia after a year long stay in the hospital. While living in the hospital with him, we saw many young patients who were often alone and families who were struggling to cope financially while facing the biggest challenge of their lives. Throughout his treatment, Luke was unfazed by his illness and circumstances. Read more>>
Ta’Nya Thurmond
Charm Attention Boutique was founded on July 27, 2019, by Ta’Nya Thurmond—a young entrepreneur with a passion for beauty and confidence. Ta’Nya’s journey began in high school, where she first explored entrepreneurship by selling Kool-Aid pickles. By her senior year, her vision evolved into what is now Charm Attention Boutique. Read more>>
Tu Epicc
“My story really began out of necessity. I was a full-time college student from an immigrant household, so supporting myself wasn’t optional — it was simply reality. I needed something flexible, something that paid quickly, and something I could balance with my coursework. That’s how I stumbled into this line of work. At first, it was just a way to cover tuition. Read more>>
Digi Thorne
I emerged from the shadows in 2020. Remember that thing that happened then? Yeah, so I was in a couple bands at the time but we were told not to hang out and jam, so I sealed myself away and figured, hey, I have all of these drum machines, samplers, and synthesizers… Why don’t I just make my own thing? I was going insane. Read more>>
