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.
Jordan Funk
I had an early start to art thanks to my grandmother, who is a painter. She is a folk artist, and she would watch me after school while my mom worked. Read more>>
Lukas Nathanson
I was born and raised in Stockholm, Sweden, and got into music very early. I started creating music at home as a kid, which eventually led to me signing my first publishing deal at 16. My parents actually had to sign the contract for me. Read more>>
Hector Rios
My name is Hector Rios, a Venezuelan house music DJ and producer. I am 30 years old and currently living in Dallas, Texas. I arrived in the United States in 2024. My beginnings in music go back to childhood, but my passion for becoming a DJ started during my teenage years. Read more>>
Jordan Collins
My path into real estate was shaped by a lot of moving—literally. During my husband’s eight-year NFL career, our family relocated multiple times, often on short notice. Each move gave me a firsthand look at how emotional, stressful, and important the home-buying and selling process can be, especially when timing, family needs, and big life changes are involved. Read more>>
Elizabeth Sellers
I am the co-owner of Mop To It Cleaning Co. My business partner, Jeanette Randall, and I actually met in 2020 while she was a breeder and owner of Randall’s Golden Retrievers. I had lost a puppy due to congenital renal dysplasia (his kidneys were malformed since birth) and it was absolutely heartbreaking. Read more>>
Princess Williams
I was born in Fresno, California, and moved to San Francisco when I was ten years old. I grew up where the Fillmore District meets the Haight-Ashbury District, and later in the Potrero Hill projects. My mother was a single parent, and by the time I was ten or eleven, I was navigating the streets of San Francisco on my own. Read more>>
Vernon Wertz
Vernon began his career in the oil field in 2008, influenced by a strong family connection to the industry. Early on, he considered working as an inspector or entering the field directly, ultimately choosing the hands-on path of welding. A decision that shaped his career. His experience later expanded into structural steel, where he continued refining his skills and building a strong reputation. Read more>>
Kate O’Hara
As a child, I grew up inside this business long before I ever imagined I would one day run it. My mother founded the firm in the late 1980s, and as a kid and teenager I spent summers and after-school hours helping wherever I could. At the time, it just felt like family life. Read more>>
Joseph Jones DC, MBA, BSEE
My story has been a blend of structure, service, and building under pressure. I started out as an engineer (BSEE), which trained me to think in systems, solve complex problems, and approach challenges logically. I later earned my MBA because I wanted to understand not just how to build something meaningful, but how to sustain and scale it. My time in the U.S. Read more>>
Dr. Barbara Ivos
I’m originally from Croatia, and my journey into health and wellness started with a strong interest in science, seeing my mother take care of her sick parents at a young age (she is an OBGYN), truly inspired me to pursure healthcare, but in a different way… Read more>>
Barb Stewart
I like to say I’ve been an artist all my life. I attribute this to my natural father, who was a silversmith and sculptor at one point. In addition, like most artists and musicians, I’ve had early childhood trauma that I absorbed into the creative process. My natural mother passed away from rheumatic fever when I was 3 months old. Read more>>
Elizabeth DeRusha
My journey with dance began at a very young age, when a preschool dance program visited my school. That first experience sparked a love for movement, creativity, and performance that stayed with me as I grew. I went on to train extensively in dance and later spent over a decade teaching in my community, working with students of all ages and abilities. Read more>>
Andrea De La Rosa
Texas Taxes & Insurance was born from necessity, faith, and the belief that ownership changes everything. Our story didn’t start with a business plan—it started with family. My mother, Dolores, was a single mom raising five children, working multiple jobs just to keep us afloat. Like many families, we learned early on that hard work alone wasn’t always enough. Read more>>
Ariel Campbell
I started singing at a very young age. My first solo was at just two years old. and music has been a central part of my life ever since. I was born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri, and later gained national attention performing with my family group, The Fam, alongside my sister and my late mother, Tisha Boyd-Smith. Read more>>
Tony Moore
While in college, I started in the attractions business working as a part-time employee at Seaworld. Orlando. From there, I was quickly promoted into different management roles of increasing responsibilities. I was fortunate to have worked for some of the top attraction brands, including Discovery Cove, Aquatica Water Park, and Universal Studios. Read more>>
Xabdiel Cruz Rivera
My story begins in Puerto Rico, born into a Christian, musical household. My mother was a singer and songwriter, and my father was a percussionist, so I began learning how to play the drums at only 3 years old. I would join my parents in their many church events, where they would worship and minister through music. Read more>>
Gary Pike
I started out back in 2021, when I pulled over on the side of the road and took a picture of my truck with some bluebonnets. I submitted the picture to my company’s magazine (Eagle Eye News) and it landed on the front page on my first try. I was inspired to take pictures from then on and I seized every opportunity to do so. Read more>>
Jeffrey Buster
After spending many years with one of the largest MRO organizations—and working my way up from the ground level—I made the decision in 2015 to chart my own course. That decision led to the founding of Buster’s Industrial Supply. It was a moment marked by equal parts optimism and uncertainty; with no safety net, success would depend entirely on execution and perseverance. Read more>>
Jeff Bullock
I graduated from Xavier University of Louisiana (XULA) in 2008 and shortly afterward moved to the Dallas–Fort Worth area, where I spent the next 13 years building my career, businesses, and long-term relationships. Dallas was a formative chapter for me. It’s where I grew professionally, acquired property, and laid the foundation for everything I’m doing today. Read more>>
Dr. Tasha Mac
From Courageous Rebirth to becoming unbroken NOW. I did not just endure grief. I decoded the architecture grief disrupts. I did not set out to become known as the Grief Pathway Doctor. I became her because I could not find language for what was happening to me or to others. Grief, exhaustion, burnout, fear, and collapse are not the problem. They are signals of incoherence. Read more>>
Chris Hayes
My journey didn’t begin with capital, connections, or a clear blueprint. It began with necessity. I learned early that if I wanted stability, I had to become useful. I took on hands-on work—repairs, renovations, electronics, and technical problem-solving—often learning on the fly, fixing what others couldn’t or wouldn’t touch. Read more>>
Michella and Adam McCoy
Adam and Michella McCoy met in 2007 at the University of North Texas. Adam was a basketball player for the Mean Green, while Michella was working as an intern in the athletics department as she pursued her master’s degree in Sports Management. They continued dating through Adam’s professional basketball career overseas and started their family in 2013 with the birth of their son, Kaleb. Read more>>
Tiffany Miller Harris
Rooted in Legacy: The Healing Journey Behind Ismori Naturals By Tiffany Miller Harris Ismori Naturals was never meant to be just a company. It is the continuation of a legacy that began long before I understood what herbalism was. Some of my earliest memories are in my grandmother’s kitchen, watching her work with plants the way other people worked with medicine cabinets. Read more>>
Taylor A. Williams
I’ve always had a love for traveling, starting from a very young age. As I grew older and began earning my own money, that passion only grew. I’ve also always been extremely type A and intentional, so my trips were carefully curated and thoughtfully planned to create a true experience for everyone who traveled with me. Read more>>
Rex Miller
My career has unfolded at the intersection of performance, reinvention, and entrepreneurship. I moved to Dallas in 1977 as a USPTA tennis pro at Brookhaven Country Club. Competitive athletics shaped my early worldview; discipline, resilience, and the belief that performance is trained, not accidental. Read more>>
Kristen Thierolf
I didn’t come into this work because I had everything figured out. Read more>>
Shelby Taylor
I’ve always had a passion for doing my own makeup. Whether it was a full face, Halloween, a new trend, I was doing it. Eventually in highschool my friends trusted me enough to their makeup for prom and other events. My parents convinced me to attend cosmetology school after graduation so I could pursue my passion and be in the beauty industry. Read more>>
Alex Shaw
My journey started as an overweight teenager with very little confidence or self-esteem. Discovering the gym as a young adult ended up shaping the next two decades of my life. Building muscle, getting stronger, and changing my physique didn’t just change what I saw in the mirror, it positively impacted my career, friendships, and relationships as well. Read more>>
Tikisha Johnson
My journey started with a love for fashion and a deep belief that style should be accessible, empowering, and personal. What began as thrifting for myself and family quickly turned into styling others, curating unique pieces, and helping women see their confidence differently when they looked in the mirror. Over the years, I turned that passion into a business by blending creativity, resourcefulness, and vision. Read more>>
Marah Lago
I didn’t come from the military world. My background is in brand building, design, and entrepreneurship. I spent years co-founding and leading a global jewelry brand, learning how to build something from nothing, how to scale without losing soul, and how to tell stories that actually mean something. What I’ve always cared about is craft, intention, and community, not noise. Read more>>
Jarred Beaujean
To be honest, it took me a while to figure out that I wanted to be a mental health counselor. As a student in college, I struggled with what I wanted to do for a career. It wasn’t until someone very close to me proposed the idea into my awareness. Read more>>
deborah frempong
My journey in healthcare began in 2012 when I started working as a Certified Nursing Assistant. Those early years at the bedside laid a strong foundation for my passion for patient care and gave me firsthand insight into the day-to-day realities patients face. Read more>>
Sarah Carrick
I’ve always been a creative at heart. Making things with my hands has never just been a hobby. For years I ran small businesses and side projects built around crafting, always finding ways to turn creativity into something meaningful and shareable. Read more>>
Chris Post
Elite Concrete Solutions began in 2003, originally focused on poured foundations and flatwork within new residential community developments. Early on, we were presented with an opportunity to take on a stamped concrete project. That project was successful, and it opened the door to what would become a defining moment for our company—the discovery of decorative concrete. Read more>>
Mason Marquis
Spray Tex Painting began nearly ten years ago in a college dorm room. At the time, it was a simple idea shared by a couple of kids who wanted to learn, grow, and experience business beyond the classroom. We started with virtually no capital, just curiosity, grit, and a desire to build something meaningful. Read more>>
John C
How I started Liquid Radio was kind of an evolution. I became a fan of electronic music and industrial in my younger teens thanks to a late night live broadcast from a Dallas nightclub and DJ known as ‘Wild Bill Stanley’. I was also interested in messing around with electronics. Read more>>
