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.
Christine James
I am Christine James, a wife of forty-Seven years, a mother of four, and a grandmother of five. I am a lady who comes from a lot of emotional trauma, my story begin at 8 years old and my journey of faith of a woman started at 18 years old learning yo understanding the miraculous touch and healing of God. Read more>>
Ashley Morton
“How did you get started in the industry?” It’s a question I get asked all the time. My journey actually started long before I became a cosmetologist. I spent the first 17 years of my life performing; from ballet and modern dance (or “modern weirdness,” as my mom called it!) to dancing on 50-yard lines across the DFW area. Read more>>
Dominika Thompson
I sometimes joke that my first business lesson happened before I even knew what business was. I grew up in Poland, and as a little girl I sold cherries from my grandfather’s garden. Looking back, that simple experience taught me something I still believe today: business starts with people. Read more>>
Lisa Quinn
I started making jewelry in 2011 when I was an undergraduate at Texas A&M. I started an Etsy store and continued it as a side hustle while I was in graduate school at Texas Woman’s University and as I started a career in School Psychology. Read more>>
TaKevalyn Butler
It all started back in college when eye lost my scholarship and had tew make a decision. Stay in college, find a way tew pay or drop out. My brain started turning and eye decided since eye love tew bake let me bake my way through & that’s what eye did. From December of 2013 eye had been in the love lab since. Read more>>
Lela Sankeralli
Panterra was born from a lifetime of exploring Baja California Sur and the Sea of Cortez. For more than four decades, I have traveled through the mountains, deserts, coastlines, islands, and communities of Baja—learning from its landscapes, wildlife, history, and, most importantly, from the people who call this extraordinary place home. Read more>>
Shanice Pagan
My journey into aesthetics was really a combination of everything I had already been building toward without realizing it. I graduated from Texas A&M University with a degree in Biomedical Science, along with minors in Psychology and Public Health. Read more>>
Jamie Goode
Jamie Goode is a creative entrepreneur, photographer, content creator, and host who is building a personal brand around one simple belief: life doesn’t get smaller after 40—it gets more interesting. Through her social media content, Jamie uses humor, honesty, and real-life conversations to connect with women navigating life after 40 and 50. Read more>>
Donna Alkarmi
With more than 30 years in the travel industry, I specialize in creating unforgettable honeymoons, romantic getaways, destination weddings, family vacations, friends’ getaways, group travel, and custom luxury escapes. I believe the best vacations are more than just a destination—they’re experiences designed around you. Read more>>
Rebecca Hendrickson
I started by creating custom decorated sugar cookies for birthdays, baptisms, holidays, and other special occasions for my family. It was a creative outlet that I really enjoyed, and over time I found myself learning new techniques, trying more intricate designs, and falling in love with the art of cookie decorating. Read more>>
Delta Circle
Delta Circle was formed in June 2024 by Earnest Spiva, Nic Ziter, and Darrell Anthony, three musicians with a shared passion for Southern Rock, Americana, and the kind of music that connects with people both onstage and off. What started as a local band playing bars and smaller venues has grown remarkably quickly. Read more>>
Kamona Nelson
I started doing tax preparation in 2019. I originally started working under a certified tax preparer, in 2025 I became a certified tax preparer certified by the Internal Revenue Service. In 2025 I established an LLC for my business Ascending Goddess Tax Services. Just recently I added new services to include: Credit Repair. Read more>>
Annessa Young
My name is Annessa. I’m 34 years old, born and raised in Dallas, Texas. I graduated from Clark Atlanta University and spent about five years living in Atlanta before returning home to Dallas after college. I began my career as a corporate recruiter in 2016. A few years later, my life entered an entirely new chapter when I became a mother. Read more>>
Zach Brock
I grew up in Lexington, Kentucky, surrounded by working musicians who happened to be my family. My grandfather played trombone and ran a music store. My mother taught voice and piano, and one of my earliest memories is hanging around our old upright while she taught and practiced. Read more>>
Morgan Wirth
I’m originally from Oregon, and photography really began for me while I was in college in 2018. At the time, I was working as a preschool teacher, going to school, and honestly had no idea that picking up a camera would eventually turn into the career I have today. I started photographing weddings and fell in love with them almost immediately. Read more>>
Misty Oliver
I made myself a promise long before I ever dreamed of owning a business: I would build something that let me provide for others, starting with a promise to be the first in my family to earn a college degree. I grew up with very little, but I learned early on that where you begin doesn’t have to determine where you end up. Read more>>
Dequan Johnson
My story is really a story of rebuilding. I went through a period in my life that could have easily defined my future. After serving three and a half years in prison, I had to make a decision that my past wasn’t going to be the end of my story. I knew I wanted to create something legitimate, meaningful, and bigger than just myself. Read more>>
Akiko Lewis
My journey has always been centered around people, connection, and community. Born and raised in Mexia, Texas, I spent 15 years as a salon owner, where I learned firsthand what it takes to build a business from the ground up, manage day-to-day operations, and truly listen to people. Read more>>
Charles Collins
I’d start my story in Kansas City, Kansas, because that’s where so much of who I am was formed. I grew up surrounded by family, and that sense of family, community, and connection has always stayed with me. Kansas City is also where my love for dance began. Read more>>
Gisbert Ischen
I was born and raised in Germany and at age 40 I got a proposal from inside the company I was working for, to fill a position at one of their US subsidiaries. Working in sales, I traveled every other week. At the time, unlimited phone plans were expensive, so to connect to the internet the first choice was to go into a coffee shop. Read more>>
Jessica Lauren
I’ve always been someone whose been very multifaceted and that’s created conflict in my life as I never really feel like I had a true place. I created this brand, Authentically Aligned, to inspire women to show up unapologetically as themselves each & every day. Read more>>
Chadae Sauls
My journey has really been a combination of creativity, family influence, faith, and simply being willing to say yes to the gifts God placed inside of me. I’ve always been someone who loved creating, serving, and making people feel special, but I didn’t initially realize those qualities would become the foundation of my career. Read more>>
Yasmine Perez
I started Salt Studio because I wanted to create a space where creativity, strategy, and storytelling come together to help brands grow with intention. After years of working in social media and digital marketing, I realized I didn’t want to fall into the traditional rat race where working becomes your entire life. I do not live to work. I work to live. Read more>>
Mako Weathers
I don’t remember what ‘called’ me to art, but I believe we all have an instinct to create something. We all start out as kids, doodling nonsense in the margins of our math homework. The only difference is I never really stopped- I just moved those scribbles onto a canvas, and eventually, those scribbles became something worth sharing. Read more>>
Arielle Artist
My story really starts with my personal experiences and the environment I grew up in. Mental health was something I saw the impact of within my home and community, and while I may not have fully understood it when I was younger, it sparked a curiosity in me about people, relationships, emotions, and the different ways people navigate life. Read more>>
Michelle Gibson
Founded in 1962 as Schola Cantorum, Fort Worth Chorale is the oldest independently operated, auditioned, volunteer, adult civic choir in Texas. In its storied 60-year history, the Fort Worth Chorale has presented hundreds of concerts in North Texas and cities across the United States and Europe. Read more>>
Valentina Thrift
If you had told me years ago that I would one day own a photography studio in Texas, I probably wouldn’t have believed you. My path here was anything but direct, but it eventually led me to build Valentina Vladi Photography in Allen, Texas. Before photography, I worked in engineering, so changing careers was a big shift. Read more>>
Chad Mantooth
I graduated from the University of Kansas with a degree in Broadcast Management, which led me to a career in radio marketing and promotions. I spent many years in radio, developing a real passion for helping clients build brand awareness and connect with their audiences. As traditional radio listenership declined, my position was eventually budgeted out. Read more>>
Miriam Fitzgerald Juskova
I suppose it all started in a childhood. I was born in Slovakia, in a mountain area of High Tatras. As a little child, I always like making things, building and creating wherever I was and using whatever was near me. Creativity was always part of my life. My dad was in the army, and he was very handy with everything. Read more>>
Wanae Smith
My story honestly isn’t a straight line, and I think that’s what makes it mine. I’ve always been someone with multiple interests and a need to create. Over the years, I’ve explored different spaces—from psychology and working with people, to modeling and acting, content creation, wellness, food, and community work. Read more>>
DJontheartist
The story starts in New Orleans. I was born to the city of music, though a lot of my time back then was just geared towards family and being a kid. I didn’t really take music seriously until I was in school. Read more>>
Manu Bhatia
I started off as an Engineering student at UT Austin. While there, I slowly began diving deeper into graphics and web design in my free time, and eventually branched out to social media marketing. Initially just for student organizations, and eventually for local businesses. After my Junior year, I realized that this was what I was passionate about, and changed majors from Engineering to Marketing. Read more>>
Janet Abigide Johnson
My journey with Massage Goddess started from a genuine love for helping people feel better, relax, and reconnect with themselves. What began as a passion for massage therapy slowly grew into a business that I’m truly proud of. Building my business hasn’t always been easy. Read more>>
Lisa Avila
My advocacy work began when I watched families in our local school district fall through the cracks. Students weren’t getting the resources they deserved, and it broke my heart, so I went back to school as a single mom of three boys and earned my Master’s in Education. I have also spent 25+ years in business strategy, events, and marketing. Read more>>
Cordia Leung
Cordia Leung was born in Shanghai, China, and grew up in Hong Kong. At the age of 16, she joined an international exchange student program and moved to Little Rock, Arkansas, where she lived with an American host family and began her life in the United States. Read more>>
Bianca Davis
As a 15-year-old girl living in The Bahamas, I never dreamt that one day I would be the CEO of an established, award-winning agency serving women and girls who had been trafficked or exploited. Read more>>
Terreon Randolph
I’m from Dallas, Texas. In high school, I was a two-sport athlete at Skyline, playing both basketball and football. After graduation, I played basketball at Temple Junior College in Temple, TX, and from there went on to play basketball at Grambling State. While earning my Master’s in Sports Administration, I worked at Louisiana Tech in their Marketing Department. Read more>>
Crystal Smith
Over the last 10 years, I have worked closely with individuals experiencing homelessness and housing instability. Through that work, I began to see how many people were still going without the services, resources, and support they needed for a variety of reasons. Read more>>
Tracy Pratt
This started out as a part-time job in downtown Fort Worth as a driver for classic carriages while I was going to college. I’ve always been Horse crazy so this fit right along and what I like to do. I worked for a couple of years and then the company owner got called about some draft horses that were going to slaughter. Read more>>
Angelique BusseyZ
Absolutely! My journey started about five years ago with what was formerly known as Your Eventor, and today, I’m excited to be stepping into a new era with our rebrand, EV + Co Event Design. My love for events and bringing people together goes back much further than the business itself. Read more>>
Kristin Tucker
I have always had an eye for detail, color, style and an affinity for design and fashion. I indulged my creative side in various ways throughout my time while raising my son. Upon his leaving to go to college, I went back to work after being a stay at home mom. I had a ball getting dressed, shopping for new clothes and styling my outfits. Read more>>
Brent Birnbaum
I have always felt a spiritual power from certain architecture and domestic objects. Before I had a language for my interests, I was drawing interiors, rearranging furniture, and collecting things to fill the space. Read more>>
Tyler Gage
My story really started before Dallas Hoop Scene. Growing up, my dad always told me that I should go into broadcast journalism. He saw something in me early on, and that idea always stuck with me. I loved sports, especially basketball, and for a long time I thought I might become a play-by-play announcer or find some other way to work in sports media. Read more>>
BigSleep Rich
My name is BigSleep Rich, founder and CEO of KnowSleep ENT and creator of The KnowSleep Lounge. My journey started with a genuine passion for music and a desire to help independent artists gain the knowledge, exposure, and opportunities they need to move forward in their careers. Read more>>
Michaela Willner
Over the past decade, Willner Weddings has grown from a small idea born while designing a family wedding into an established wedding floral design and coordination company that has served more than 300 couples across the entire United States. Founded in 2016, two people shared a dream of creating beautiful, seamless wedding experiences. Read more>>
Liz Comstock
My parents put me in ballet when I was 3 years, and I immediately found those classes to be one of my favorite parts of my whole week. I remember seeing myself in the mirror, watching the teacher, and paying such close attention to my movements as I tried to make my positions and motions as precise as possible. Read more>>
soshewept
We started back in September 2025 and initially just treated this band as a group of homies who had a similar music taste and wanted to jam, but we quickly got invested and it evolved into what it is now Read more>>
