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.
Ceara Thornton
My journey has been rooted in faith, growth, and learning to trust the process—even when I didn’t have everything figured out. I began my career in the healthcare industry, where I gained experience in medical management, provider relations, and clinical data. That season sharpened my attention to detail, strengthened my ability to think critically, and taught me how to operate within structured environments. Read more>>
Stephanie Platt
For 10 years, I told myself I would never ever run a marathon. I’ve been a runner for as long as I can remember. I started in middle school, kept running through high school, and even signed up for running classes in college. Running was always part of my life, but I stayed in my comfort zone, 5Ks felt manageable and familiar. Read more>>
Deba Douglas
My story really started in education. Before becoming a full-time real estate investor, realtor, and mentor, I served as an Assistant Principal in the DFW area. During that time, I worked closely with so many families and saw firsthand how much someone’s home environment can impact their confidence, stability, and future. Read more>>
Gokce Sihman Hanli
Our story doesn’t start with me. It starts in 1999, not in a design studio, but inside the factories themselves, where my family began engineering and repairing the electronic systems that power hosiery machines. We were the people other manufacturers called when something needed to work better. By 2014, that knowledge had grown into something bigger, and we moved into full production ourselves. Read more>>
Radha Dalal
My story really began with a deep desire to help people feel less alone in the moments where life feels heavy, confusing, or like they have lost touch with themselves. Before becoming a therapist, I spent many years working in pediatric healthcare as a Child Life Specialist, supporting children and families through medical stress, fear, grief, and uncertainty. Read more>>
Stephen R. Orefice
Stephen R. Orefice has 15+ Years of High Level C-Suite Executive Experiences in Sales, Marketing, Operations, Business Development, and Leadership! From the bright lights of NYC and to NOW the Dallas Fort-Worth Metroplex which he now calls HOME! GOD led him to beautiful Dallas, Texas to rebuild his life and allow his WHY to find him and achieve his FIELD OF DREAMS Literally. Read more>>
Sara Huynh
My journey behind the lens began in 2016, initially focusing on portrait photography. However, everything changed in 2022 when I discovered the electric energy of live music photography. It started with seeing Movements (@movements) live, but the real spark ignited when their opener, a local Denton band called Jockey (@jockeyisabandfromtexas) took the stage. Read more>>
Courtney Villapando
I’ve always been drawn to design and how color, typography, and imagery can tell a story and make you feel something before you even read a word. I remember being on our first home computer in the 90s, creating documents in Word just to experiment with layout and visuals, long before I knew this could be a career. Read more>>
Courtney Walraven
I started my private practice in October of 2021 as an individual counselor specializing in trauma. I continued to expand my knowledge by getting advanced training in modalities including EMDR, SPACE, and ERP. These evidence-based interventions allowed me to help support many clients, and my services began to require a long waiting list. Read more>>
Morgan Nicole Richters
I began my journey while attending TCU, where I studied Entrepreneurship and Innovation. That’s where I first discovered how to turn creativity, passion, and business into something truly my own. What started as sharing my life, style, and vision during college quickly evolved into Morgan Nicole—a brand built through authenticity, storytelling, and a deep love for western fashion and lifestyle. Read more>>
Tamekia Thrower
I really got started during COVID, when life slowed down and gave me space to learn more about myself and what I actually enjoyed. That’s when I discovered my interest in crafting and creating. A friend of mine, serial entrepreneur Porsha Ingram, challenged me with some ‘homework’ to create something I could confidently walk into any room and sell. Read more>>
Ashley Sykes
I was born in Seattle and relocated frequently as a child, which taught me early on that a home is more than just a transaction—it’s a chapter of your life. After graduating from Washington State University and ultimately settling in the Dallas–Fort Worth area, I turned that perspective into a career built on empathy, clarity, and results. Read more>>
Madeleine Deep
I’ve always felt a strong pull toward creativity, t’s been a part of who I am for as long as I can remember. Social media naturally became an outlet for that, but more importantly, it became a space for connection. Read more>>
Clifton Eddington
In 2011 Clifton and Shari Eddington initiated the ministry of Liberate Church in Dallas, TX, being Dallas natives themselves, this city holds a special place in their hearts. They were first called to an assignment that is no limited to the walls of a church building. Read more>>
Jodi Henderson
My story really started when I was young. Growing up, my family traveled often during the summers, and those experiences opened my eyes to the world early on. I fell in love with exploring new places, experiencing different environments, and the sense of adventure that travel brings. Read more>>
Kalessia K Wallace
My journey started with a passion for beauty, but became something deeper, an outlet for creativity, confidence, and transformation. I began doing hair and makeup with a desire to help women feel seen, elevated, and powerful in their own skin. Over time, that passion turned into purpose. Read more>>
Mordecai Arthur
Yeah, so I started off in highschool knowing I wanted to create or build some type of business without knowing what I actually wanted to do. I bounced between wanting to start a clothing brand, graphic designing, sneaker reselling, and more. I have always been told that the best things come when you least expect it and that’s what happened to me. Read more>>
Travis Counts
What started as a moment rooted at my childhood skating rink grew into what would be my passion of bringing interesting music to the lives of many. In my early teenage years I started recording my own vocals and met some of the most important people in my life who continue to help me grow and learn in the music industry. Read more>>
Kid Splinter
I started making music back in the blog era of hip hop, and just been building ever since. It took a lot of trial and error trying to find my sound, not really fitting into any one lane, so I just started doing my own thing and creating what felt right to me. Read more>>
Nakeva Bryant
My Journey My journey into the entertainment industry began with a dream at just five years old. I always believed I would become a Grammy Award winning artist, but God had other plans. He revealed that to me through songwriting. I wrote a soulful R&B gospel record titled “Tired,” and when people heard it, they immediately said it belonged in a film. Read more>>
Jaiden Bishop
My name is Jaiden, and I’m based in Dallas, Texas. I spent several years in Memphis, Tennessee, before moving back to Dallas at the end of 2022. I’ve always had a passion for photography and videography, but for a long time I didn’t have access to the equipment I wanted. Read more>>
Carrie Iverson
I came to art through a deep curiosity about how things work—an investigative impulse that has been with me for as long as I can remember. I grew up building, fixing, and taking things apart, trying to understand the material world from the inside out. That instinct continues to guide my practice. Read more>>
Alyssabeth Castillo
I didn’t “plan” the Hot Mom Standard®—I built it out of survival turning into self-respect. I became a mom of two back-to-back, and like a lot of women, I hit that phase where I felt lost in motherhood. I was pouring everything into my kids, my home, my family… and completely neglecting myself. I lost my spark, my routine, my identity. Read more>>
Mabel Baez Navarro
I started bartending when I was 18 at a small local restaurant, and that’s where I fell in love with the craft, not just making drinks, but creating experiences for people. After I became a mom, my perspective really changed. I wanted flexibility, ownership of my time, and something meaningful I could build for my daughter. So in 2023, I started my mobile bartending business. Read more>>
Victoria Yampolsky
My journey started in IT consulting at Capgemini, where I built a strong foundation in technology and problem-solving. I then transitioned to Wall Street, spending several years at Deutsche Bank in research, where I deepened my expertise in finance, valuation, and analytical thinking. Read more>>
Jim Hampton
Common Ground was founded in 1998 through a simple but powerful desire: to support those in need—especially children. Its beginnings were almost accidental. Two separate groups arrived at the same school, each with the same mission: to help children facing food insecurity. After just a few meetings, that shared purpose became something greater—Common Ground was born. Read more>>
Ayushi Khandelwal
Hi! I’m a self-taught artist and a passionate creator at heart. My story started when I was a kid, sketching away for hours in my notebooks—completely lost in lines, shapes, and little details. What began as pure love slowly turned into a real talent. Read more>>
Rosy L.
I always knew I wanted to become a singer-songwriter since I was little. Although as I grew older, my dream of becoming a singer-songwriter felt unreachable. I was convinced that my love for singing can only be a hobby. I made Youtube videos of me singing for fun. I pursued other career paths, but my desire to sing and perform only grew stronger. Read more>>
Capri Synovia
My story really began in 2017, during a defining moment that changed everything for me. While my brand, Cute and Christian®, was officially developed years later, the foundation of my story started long before that. I struggled with deep insecurity—so much so that it made me question everything about how God created me. Read more>>
Maria Guadalupe Botello
My passion for cooking has always inspired my family and me to dream of one day owning our own restaurant. I started by selling tamales and catering for parties. Eventually, we had the opportunity to rent a space inside a marketplace called Plaza Latina, where we opened our first location. We started from nothing. Read more>>
BLK ROSE
BLK ROSE Is a multi-genre band based in DFW we officially got started in 2025 and since then we have grown into not only a band but a community. With this community mindset we have brought electric experiences to wherever we are. To Blk Rose music can heal the world in so many different aspects. Read more>>
Nancy Landrum
I decided as a child that I would have a happier, more loving marriage than my parents. Many years later I was married to a man I deeply loved, and he loved me…but we were fighting nearly every day. We finally admitted we needed help and eventually found a coach who taught us some simple communication methods and anger management skills. Read more>>
CAIN
My name is CAIN and I’m an up-and-coming Comedian born and raised in Dallas, TX. I credit my comedic sensibility to my upbringing in a family full of roasters. In my youth I looked for acceptance by making my older sister laugh, and that quickly sparked my passion for entertaining. Read more>>
Devron Roy
It’s been a rocky road for me. Started off switching majors in college because I didn’t know what I wanted to do. While I was looking I got back into photography and immediately fell in love with film. That’s when I wanted to pursue cinematography. I was going to film school full time, studying for my FAA license while also working full time. Read more>>
Paramvir Singh
We first discovered the brand while visiting family in California. What started as curiosity quickly turned into genuine interest after trying it for myself—I saw the quality, the experience, and the potential it had. It stuck with me. Coming back to Texas, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something like this was missing here. Read more>>
Michael Ryer
Amigos Internacionales is a 58 year old non profit. When I was 8 years old, the founder, Dr. John LaNoue came to our church to share about the work he was starting. I felt the desire to be a part of that work and Dr. John has been my mentor and friend since. Read more>>
Jacques Brown
I started my creative journey through music first. Producing music taught me how to pay attention to emotion, rhythm, atmosphere, and storytelling. After reaching a saturation point creatively with music, I realized I needed another outlet to continue exercising my creativity. That naturally led me into photography and videography. Read more>>
Marlyn Ingram
I was born in California and lived there with my parents and two sisters until I was 12yrs old. Then my parents decided it was time for a new beginning, so we packed up and moved to McAllen, TX in 2001. Unfortunately my sister’s stayed behind and I became an only child, I dove into drawing anime and fashion just to keep myself distracted. Read more>>
Ju Va
My name is Ju’Va, and I’m a 23-year-old multidisciplinary artist creating from a place that has always existed within me, long before I had the words to explain it. As a child, I was drawn to anything that allowed me to create. Painting was one of my first languages. Read more>>
Sola Osunsan
My name is Sola Osunsan, and I was born and raised in Surulere, Lagos, Nigeria. I attended Texas Tech University, where I majored in Industrial Engineering for undergrad and Data Science for my Master’s. I am the founder of Thaler Vault, our Money Machine — the first business to convert a vending machine into an ATM. Read more>>
Brenda and Calvin Allen
Bussiness was started in 1975 we just celebrated our 50 years in bussiness last year started out in small building in Stephenville Texas making handmade saddles and tack then in 1991 we got married and Brenda started adding a full line of western wear and hats in 1995 we opened our store in Hudson oaks where it is still located there today where we still build saddles tack chaps belts and do repairs in our shop that is at back of store we raise cutting horses and show for our hobbies Brenda bred her horses she shows going back to her own daughter of freckles playboy Read more>>
Stacey Shortridge
I’ve spent a third of my life happily living in beautiful East Texas. But my upbringing was typical of the 1970s in the San Francisco Bay Area of California. Both my birth and childhood, along with my eating habits, have shaped who I am today. Read more>>
Lynn Jenkins
When people see Sydoni today, they often see the brand first—but my journey into beauty started long before I ever created the company. It really began behind the makeup counter, working directly with clients every day. That’s where I learned skin, undertones, product performance, and how much confidence beauty can give someone when it’s done the right way. Read more>>
Robert Oldham
After a 37-year career in the oil industry, I retired and began looking for something that would keep me active and engaged. That next chapter started with a local party rental company, where I spent several years helping with events and day-to-day operations. Read more>>
Brooke Bankard
For nearly a decade, I worked in a corporate role at the same company, learning, growing, and leading a team along the way. But over time, I couldn’t ignore what was right in front of me: the disparity in how women were valued and compensated compared to their male counterparts. Read more>>
Patty Rodgers
I am a fine art painter so to make a living I started out as an art teacher, certified to teach in the public schools in CT then in IL. Having not been very good with managing a large classroom of kids, I signed up to teach guitar at the studio of a private piano and voice teacher in Illinois. Read more>>
LA Ken Allen
My story began as a country girl in Deep East Texas and in many yways that’s where my strength was built. Life was simple but it also came with challenges that taught me early about resilience, responsibility, and how to stand on my own. Those roots shaped how I move to this day, grounded, determined, and not afraid of hard work. Read more>>
Isis Brantley
I actually started my black natural hair braiding business in 1978, the first in Dallas, and have been in continuous operation since. My first location was actually in my home, with a sign in the yard. One day when Erykah Badu was a young girls she and her sister came by wanting braids like on my sign. Read more>>
Bralyn Williams
Beauty has always been a part of my life, but I never saw it as a career until 2020. At the time, I was living in New York, preparing to begin my journey in fashion. When COVID hit, the opportunity I had been so excited about slipped away. Read more>>
Erica Kaye
My story began around the age of ten. I was always experimenting with fun temporary hair colors—on myself, my cousins, and my friends. As I got older, that creativity only grew, and I’ve had almost every hair color imaginable. I’d like to think my older sister played a big role in inspiring my passion for hair. Read more>>
Lauren Fleniken
I was born and raised in Texas in a small town called Montague, barely half an hour from the Red River. I grew up with no siblings, just my parents and I, in an area so dense with nature our indicator of the house was the driveway. I shot cans with my Red Ryder and wrote love letters for the bird nests on the patio. Read more>>
Emily Williams
Of course! I had a very roundabout way of getting to where I am now actually. I grew up heavily involved in the ballet world and dance was my entire life! I had always found movement to be fascinating, so when I was nearing the end of high school I decided that I wanted to help dancers (and other athletes) with their performance. Read more>>
Dr. Rachel Sims, LPC
I always knew from a young age that I wanted to help people, and what stood out to me even then was the moment things clicked for someone, that lightbulb moment where something shifted in their understanding, their perspective, or how they saw themselves. I was always drawn to that transformation, watching someone go from confusion or pain into clarity and relief. Read more>>
Royston Burr
My journey into fashion didn’t start with the intention of building a brand—it started with a realization. There was a moment in a fitting room where everything looked right on the hanger, but the moment I put it on, it didn’t feel right. The fit was off, the proportions didn’t work, and more than anything, it felt like it wasn’t made for me. Read more>>
Valerie Gutierrez
I started by looking into schools and trying to decide what part of the beauty industry I wanted to be in. I knew since I was little I wanted to be in the beauty industry and own my own business. Read more>>
Tabatha and Mohamed Hassan
Last year my husband and I sat down one night and asked ourselves a hard question. What do we actually have to offer the world, together? We’d talked about a food truck. Egyptian food in Texas. We laughed about it. Five kids, two careers, and we’re gonna run a food truck? We let that one go. But we kept coming back to Egypt. Read more>>
P ‘Dr. J’ Theodorou
I’ve always been drawn to work that centers around people—helping, connecting, and building trust. That mindset was shaped early on through my time in the military, where I learned the importance of service, discipline, and showing up for others no matter the situation. It’s something that continues to guide how I approach both life and my work today. Read more>>
Wayne Dominick
After 25 years in the corporate world, including serving as a Vice President, I made a purposeful transition into the nonprofit sector. Community service was a value instilled in me by my parents who volunteered and donated to support a variety of causes. When I decided to shift careers, it was important for me to fully understand the community I serve. Read more>>
