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.
Kamri Hickman
I’ve always been a very independent and business-oriented person. Even before starting my tarot and intuitive business, I launched a clothing line, so building something of my own has always been important to me. At the same time, I’ve always had a deeply intuitive and creative side. Growing up, I was very curious about life and felt there was always a deeper meaning behind things. Read more>>
Linda Dillard
My story begins back in August of 2013, when I treated myself and my adult daughter to a furniture painting class. Painting furniture was a big thing in 2013, with the ‘country chic’ thing going on. I thought it would be a fun way to spend time with my daughter. Read more>>
Ryan Banet
I played baseball my whole life and ended at a high level, the most memorable people in my life were my coaches through the whole process and I always wanted to leave that mark on kids, that’s kind of how I got started I never expected to have the appeal or gravity I currently have from children across north Texas in the baseball scene Read more>>
Joshua & Alaric Turner & Kyser
We are a father and son team,I (Alaric Kyser) started my automotive career in 1989 with a Nissan Dealership while attending John Patterson Technical School in Montgomery,Alabama. I worked for Nissan for 17yrs,Christian Brothers Automotive for 9yrs and Sign it Drive it Automotive for 10yrs, I’m a Nissan master technician,ASE master technician with L1 (advanced engine performance specialist) and C1 (automotive service consultant) certifications. Read more>>
Karla Ramirez-Santin
I am who I am today because of the people who inspire and uplift me. As the youngest of three, I always wanted to be like my older siblings. My brother used to draw, so I began drawing as well. In first grade, my teacher, Mrs. Marx, recognized my artistic potential and gave me opportunities such as creating the cover art for our class playbill. Read more>>
Lacey Wright
I decided to major in psychology in college during my senior year in high school. After graduating with my Bachelors, pursuing my Doctorate felt like the next natural step. Early in my training I had a vision of creating a space where people could feel safe and be themselves to further their healing. Read more>>
Jett Jeff
Born and raised from Dallas, Tx but whole family from Peru. Started doing music and having a passion for it at 8 years old rapping in front of my parents webcam. Doing random freestyles to Drake beats and at the lunch tables at school. Read more>>
Nora Garcia
My interest in makeup started in high school. I attended and graduated from a technical school that had the program for cosmetology but quickly realized what I loved was makeup and makeup alone, I had no interest in hair or nails. I started freelancing at 20 and practicing with my family. Read more>>
Dr. Stacy Page
I have always been passionate about helping people and knew that I wanted a career where I could help others with personal growth and wellbeing. I began my career in mental health in 2006 when I enrolled in a clinical psychology doctoral program at Argosy University. Read more>>
Zainab Ashraf
Ever since I was a teenager, I have always been into everything beauty related. I was the go to friend and person in my family for makeup. Any free time I had, I was watching makeup tutorials on YouTube. However, I never imagined myself making it my career. Read more>>
Jim Attrell
James has travelled all seven continents in his quest for knowledge and understanding and has conquered the impact of cancer, bankruptcy, divorce, death, and immigration; just to name a few. James built a successful construction and leasing business with over 100 employees and sold the business in 2009. Read more>>
Ashley Perkins
My great grandmother the late Katherine W English thought me how to hand sew when I was younger especially if my clothes needed a quick fix. I’ve always been into fashion or dressing outside of the norm. So in my adults years Sunday was the day of the week you put on your best for church. Read more>>
Will Moore
Of course! I got my start in a similar way to a lot of creators during COVID. When the world was shut down and there wasn’t much to do, I picked up my phone and started taking outfit photos and filming simple GRWM videos. Read more>>
Erika Shisler
My journey into photography began at the University of Michigan, where my first class—and the darkroom tucked in the basement of my dorm—completely pulled me in. I fell in love with the process: the quiet, the precision, the magic of watching an image appear. After graduating, I moved to Santa Barbara, where I improvised darkrooms in apartment laundry rooms and bathrooms, determined to keep creating. Read more>>
Jacob Rhodes
Building HoneyTree from a daydream into a thriving enterprise has been a life-changing adventure for our family. In 2017, my wife and I moved our family from Houston to her hometown in the Texas Hill Country. Fredericksburg has long been known for its B&Bs and its natural beauty, and we planned to take our savings and build a small cabin for some side income. Read more>>
Doyel Das
My journey began when I was four years old, when my parents enrolled me in Hindustani vocal lessons. Hindustani classical is a form of Indian classical music, and I have been learning it for 24 years now. That was the foundation – weekly classes every Sunday, hours of practice, honing the craft. Read more>>
Terrance Marshall
In 2024, I was the Marketing Director for a security company based out of Arlington and became frustrated with the decisions the company was making. Those decisions hindered the growth of the company so, I decided to start my own company. With over 20 years of experience in loss prevention/security, I felt it was time for me to have my own. Read more>>
Jessica Bishop
Hi, my name is Jessica Bishop, but many know me as Weave Tech—and others call me “The Cinderella Maker.” I was born and raised on the Eastside of Fort Worth, Texas—Meadowbrook—and my journey as a visionary began long before I thought it would become my career. As a kid, my sister and I always had our hair done—our mom kept us sharp. Read more>>
Jayden Derrick
So I started off working for enterprise cleaning over 50 cars a day then I realized how much more money I could make detailing vehicles independently since then I’ve been working for myself while also being able to provide jobs for others. Read more>>
Dylan Davidson
The first time I picked up a camera was for the 4-H photography contest when I was about 9 or 10 years old. My grandmother had a older Nikon camera and we spent a week traveling around our family ranch taking photos and then spent another week in Lake City Colorado taking photos of old abandoned mines, wildlife, landscapes and several other subjects. Read more>>
David Buckingham
After I got my first tattoo I was hooked! It took getting a couple more before I decided I wanted to tattoo for a living. Once I started doing it I apprenticed and worked part time at it for a couple of years. When I started, I thought that I had everything I needed, but boy was I wrong! Read more>>
Douglas Reid
My wife and I were big fans of a ghost show on TV. My daughter bought us a tour in Dallas as a present(2014). While on that tour, we kept thinking ‘We can do this.’ The original research took about a year before I thought I had Enough for a tour. Read more>>
Marquis Porter
NAI got started when I was 15 in high school how I got to where I am today was by working hard and staying consistent working on my crafts for years I did multiple songs and eps in the music I have out now it took months and months for practice it was something I had to really work for it wasn’t easy I got signed to nappycityrecords it was not the easiest it was sweat tears and hard work and dedication it wasnt given to me I had to work for it Read more>>
Matthew Cammarano
I grew up in the San Fernando Valley in the late 80s and early 90s I grew up amongst the amazing beautiful culture of graffiti street gangs LA culture with music fashion tattoos I got myself involved in graffiti at a young age which was amazing and beautiful and scary at the same time because it was fastly evolving into gang life in LA and that was a scary time to grow up Read more>>
Bunmi Aladekugbe
I’ve spent 8 years in the beauty and hair industry and repeatedly saw women make hair purchases they weren’t confident in, only to regret them two months later. They followed trends that didn’t reflect who they truly were and shrank in spaces where they should have been boldly taking up space. That gap became my assignment, and that is how BUNMI was birthed. Read more>>
Erika (TwistedwitE) Kidd
I began my loc journey during a time in my life that was both transformative and deeply challenging. I was first introduced to the craft by my ex-husband, who taught me the foundation and sparked my interest. After we separated, what once felt like a painful ending became the beginning of something powerful—I took that skill and turned it into my livelihood. Read more>>
Yayra Perez
Hello, I started in the permanent makeup industry back in August of 2022. I drove 10 hours to El Paso for my first ombré powder brow course. I was 20 years old and working in the car industry at the time. I worked 60+ hours in car sales + working on my business on the side. Read more>>
Hiro
I had a friend in college who used to suffer from regular headaches. One time she asked me to massage her neck & upper back. To my surprise, her headache was gone after a few minutes. From then on, I massaged her neck & upper back whenever she had a headache with the same result. Read more>>
Erica Harris
Chef Erica Oden Harris, affectionately known as Chef OH, is the visionary founder behind Dress Up LLC—a gourmet soul food and catering brand rooted in legacy, culture, and elevated flavor. Read more>>
Beth Smith
Hi, my name is Beth Smith, and I am an image consultant with House of Colour Dallas. I specialize in helping clients discover the most flattering colors for their unique, natural coloring—guiding choices in clothing, hair color, and makeup so they feel confident and authentic in their appearance. Read more>>
Cris Ross
I actually got my start in brand management in a pretty unconventional way. Early in my career, I was working with a professional basketball team here in Dallas, where I served as the assistant general manager. While my role was rooted in team operations, I naturally became involved in helping players think beyond the game specifically how they could build and monetize off the court. Read more>>
Joy Oha
I’m a Bsc holder in mass communication but I had passion for beauty. I was praying for a good job and I had a dream where I was asked to go learn makeup. I woke up from sleep and was thinking if that was what I really wanted as a career. Read more>>
Lyric Iman
My story begins at age 2, when my mother discovered the tender gift of singing that dwelled within me. She began to teach me the Gospel song ‘Encourage Yourself’ that would fuel my love for Gospel music and Christ Jesus at a very young age. Read more>>
Ashlyn Logan
Only Ash is a alternative/pop artist, currently making music and vibes with the support of my manager Justin from New York and as a member of Revolutionary Days alongside Noah Smith. My journey started with early experiments where I sometimes tried to sound like others just to fit in. Over time, I learned the importance of originality and started forging my own path instead. Read more>>
Maritza Lerman Yoes
I started my career inside some of the most iconic brands in the world, Tesla, Apple, Playboy, LACMA, the Hammer Museum, learning creative strategy from the inside out. What I kept noticing was that the most interesting creative solutions didn’t come from having the right answers. They came from asking better questions. That realization eventually became Future TrashCan. Read more>>
RE-LAX The Village King
Moved from Michigan in 2017, since then making music, doing events in DFW underground scene. Got sponsored by ASM and is a big part of expanding opening new locations and giving the community job opportunities and mentorship Read more>>
Hanifah Taylor
I wear many hats. But as of today I am focusing on my music career in Rapping. I started rapping as a child naturally rapping every song that came on the radio. Around six years ago I started taking my career serious and trying to make money off my music. It’s been a rough 6 years learning the ends and outs of the music industry. Read more>>
DJ $ickk
I started making music out of a real passion for expression and storytelling. Growing up, I was heavily influenced by artists like Tech N9ne, 2Pac, and Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, which shaped both my sound and my mindset when it comes to music. What began as just creating and experimenting eventually turned into something more serious as I found my own voice and consistency. Read more>>
Reigna Jaramillo
absolutely! I got my first camera on my 12th birthday and was insufferable after that haha. I was the definition of a DIY photographer, learned everything from youtube tutorials. I started dm’ing influencers on instagram to take photos of them and it took off! my husband and i have been doing wedding photography as our full time job since 2022! Read more>>
Diana Seo
I was born and raised in Korea and later moved to the U.S. after getting married. In the beginning, I focused on raising my kids and adjusting to a completely new life. Before that, I worked as a flight attendant, so my life was always on the go, busy, and a little chaotic in the best way. Read more>>
Dennis Jones
After 2 years of unemployment, MetroFulfill was created to utilize my 10+ experience in supply chain roles such as logistics, inventory management, and supply planning. The job market has been very competitive and I was determined it was time to take my power back and try to build something of my own. These days, no job is secured, unless maybe you’re in heath care. Read more>>
Francis Sylvest
I’ve been photographing and filming weddings for a little over 10 years now. I started out shooting in New Orleans, before moving to Colorado and now mainly doing destination work in Colorado, New York, Brooklyn, New Orleans and Iceland. I got my start my second shooting with a mutual connection and ended up shooting a lot of events that were way above my skill level. Read more>>
Tammy Esfandi
I’ve always known I was meant to be an artist—I just didn’t know what that would look like. In college, I followed a more traditional path, studying PR and Communications. That journey led me through roles at the San Antonio Express-News, into luxury residential property management, and eventually into the world of home mortgages as a loan officer. Read more>>
D’Asia Dickerson
My name is D’Asia M. Dickerson, and my journey has not been a walk in the park. Before I became the woman I am today, I had to survive storms that were meant to destroy me. I am a domestic violence overcomer. At one point, I had to jump out of a moving vehicle just to escape my abuser. Read more>>
Aaleyah Hicks
My story is really about learning how to pursue multiple passions at once and refusing to choose just one version of myself. I started dancing as a teenager, and it quickly became one of the biggest parts of my identity. Over the years, I trained and performed through high school, college, and even at a semi-professional level. Read more>>
Noah Duba
We a Recked a NuGaze band out of DFW. The band started 4 years ago with the goal to help people with music. We all have went through some difficult times and turned to music to get me out of it. That alone is what inspires us to create what we do. Read more>>
Moriah Shields
I started the journey of my business in San Diego ca in 2016. Moved in to Texas in 2018 where the vision was always clear community . Started a podcast called speakupspeakout nation297 which is spin off from the name I started in San Diego as Moriahdropthemic. Read more>>
Folashade Akande
I graduated college in June 2014 and landed a corporate job immediately after. Since then, I’ve built my professional career in the corporate space, and in 2018, I stepped into people leadership. Leading teams sharpened my ability to communicate, stay organized, manage high pressure situations, and support people through growth and change. These are skills that later became surprisingly relevant in my creative work. Read more>>
Tiana Rae
My journey hasn’t been a straight line—it’s been a mix of passion, resilience, and learning how to keep going even when things felt uncertain. I’m a mother of four, and for a long time, my focus was simply surviving and showing up for my family. But creativity was always a part of me. Read more>>
Adam Montgomery
Our story isn’t one of grand ambitions, but of a simple, urgent necessity. It began in early 2025 with a diagnosis and a dilemma. My wife was struggling with a persistent stomach issue, and while her primary care physician provided a prescription for ‘indigestion,’ the fine print told a different story. Read more>>
Miriam Escudero
I’ve been working as a graphic designer for the past five years, running my own design studio where I focus on branding and web design. Before that, I trained in international marketing, fashion brand creation, and graphic design, and I also studied business management at university. Read more>>
Chris Reinecke
I started freelancing about 15 years ago. I was just growing my career and things weren’t progressing at a very fast rate, so in my impatience, I started taking on clients, as a way of challenging myself to develop new skills, and change the way I think about business and problem-solving. Read more>>
Whitney Stuart
I started Whitness Nutrition with a clear goal in mind. I noticed that many women were doing “all the right things” on paper—eating less and exercising more—but still struggled with their weight, energy levels, and metabolic health. As a registered dietitian and diabetes educator, I recognized that the issue wasn’t a lack of effort. Read more>>
Nicole Adams
I started Kingdom Kids Academy in June 2005. My CHILDCARE started in my home and it was an opportunity for me to raise my two small children and educate them and prepare them for preschool while educating other preschoolers and toddlers. Read more>>
Mary Miller
I am a 30-plus-year educator, principal, teacher, and professor. Part of my tenure as a principal was in the Dallas County Juvenile Justice Center. There, I saw that students needed more than academic needs met: they also needed Social-Emotional, Cultural, and Economic needs met. Read more>>
