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.
FlyGMafia 2FG 
A group of young men putting there dreams and goals on the line of life .. Music And fashion has always been at the forefront of our lives .. coming up in a tough hustle n bustle city like Dallas we’ve developed a style and charisma that goes right with the culture Read more>>
Joel Mays III 
My journey as a chef has never simply been about preparing food. It has been about creating experiences, building relationships, challenging the way people think about food, and showing that great meals can begin right at home. My career as a private chef began with the incredible opportunity to prepare meals for NFL and NBA athletes. Read more>>
Simone Higginbotham 
My story is one of resilience, reinvention, and purpose I was raised in Zion City in Baton Rouge by my mother, Florida Mae, a strong single mother who taught me two things that have stayed with me throughout my life: Help somebody. Don’t hurt them,” and ‘Ways take you further than money.” Those lessons became the foundation for how I live, serve, and do business. Read more>>
Tandis Esfandiari
I started my jewelry company when I was a sophomore in high school. I would make pieces by hand and sell them to other students, usually out of the school bathrooms, which definitely caused a little confusion among some parents. Apparently, “selling things in the bathroom” doesn’t immediately make people think jewelry. Thankfully, my operation was just handmade leather chokers. Read more>>
Marie Burgos 
My path to interior design was shaped by two distinct worlds: the refined elegance and historic Haussmannian architecture of Paris, and the vivid, sensory warmth of my home island, Martinique. Growing up in a family where creativity was the common language—my mother painted, my grandfather hand-crafted instruments, one brother is an artist and musician, and the other a gastronomic chef—expression was everywhere. Read more>>
Michael DePaulo 
Since I was a child I was always designing gowns and large homes. I was always interested in beautiful things. When it was time to go to college I decided to pursue a degree in architecture. I attended Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts. I received both the bachelors and masters degree there. Read more>>
YoShi Knight YoShiizMEI 
I always say I didn’t necessarily choose this path, in a lot of ways, it kept choosing me. Music was actually my first love. Before I ever understood what my relationship with it would become, I was dancing, performing and finding myself through music. Read more>>
Shay Adenuga
My journey as a makeup artist began with who I’ve always been at heart—an artist. I’ve always loved creating with my hands. I draw, I paint, I create ceramics, and I’ve always found joy in turning something ordinary into something beautiful. Eventually, my canvas changed. My canvas became people. Makeup and hair became another form of artistic expression for me. Read more>>
Shalon Morrow
My journey with Sister2Sister Wellness Spa started with a desire to help women feel comfortable, confident, and cared for. I built my business while continuing to work as a receptionist and administrative assistant, balancing a full-time job, family, and entrepreneurship. It took patience, sacrifice, and a willingness to keep learning. Read more>>
Deonna Crump 
Hello, My name is Deonna and my business name is Lynn’s Essentials. I am a 36 year old single mother of 4 from Memphis, TN. I moved to Texas around 6 years ago to better myself and my children. Read more>>
Jimmy Grayson 
In the early 1990’s, fresh out of college I moved to north Texas to pursue a music career. Quickly I established a presence in the country music industry, working over 3 decades with hundreds of country music artists enervating millions of country music fans from the worlds largest country music market, Dallas Fort Worth. Read more>>
CAROL PEVEY
When I first started in the floral industry, I mainly designed for family and friends—handling weddings, parties, and showers. My passion for the industry truly grew while working for a wonderful floral company in Lubbock, where I fell deeper in love with everything floristry has to offer. I also inherit my artistic eye from my mother, who always had a great sense for design. Read more>>
Marcella Kelley 
I think my story really begins with me trying to understand myself. I’ve always been a creative, but for a long time I don’t think fully understood what that creativity was asking of me. Art became the place where I could explore parts of myself that I didn’t necessarily have the words for yet. Read more>>
Tia Clarke 
The Riley’s Routines series really started at bedtime with my then 3 year old daughter. My husband and I were in a nightly battle with my daughter over her routine of getting her to brush her teeth and go to sleep. I remember thinking there was no way we were the only parents fighting this fight. So I decided to write about it. Read more>>
Sarah Swift 
Sarah Swift, 23, living in Lake Highlands; serving as Miss Spirit of Texas 2027; competing for Miss Texas in June following two consecutive Fourth Runner-Up placements in 2025 & 2026. The foundation of who I am was laid in 2010 when my family walked through the tragedy of losing my father to a heart attack. Read more>>
Vailet Yarijanian 
For a long time, I was very good at building a life that looked successful from the outside while quietly postponing parts of myself on the inside. I built a career in education that I loved, eventually growing from a teacher into a senior national leadership role. I earned my doctorate. Read more>>
Ethan Ith
Apocalypse started in 2021, right after I graduated high school. At that point in my life, I had a lot of ambition and belief in myself, but I was also lost. I knew I wanted to put my energy into something meaningful, but I didn’t fully know what I was passionate about yet or where I wanted that ambition to go. Read more>>
Tatiana Lucero 
‘My background was actually corporate. I worked as a paralegal before I made the decision to leave that career and homeschool my daughter. About a year later, we moved to Missouri because I wanted something different for my kids: more space, more freedom, a different pace of life. Read more>>
Colten Whitmarah 
I started my journey founding CCMarkets4Days Events with a lifelong passion for creating memorable experiences. From an early age, I immersed myself in events, starting with roles in high school where I worked for event coordinators and learned the fundamentals of catering and customer service. Read more>>
Ricardo Johnson
Not a native Texan but was raised in Arlington Texas. I was a shy kid growing up with my outlet being sports all the way to college. As I got older I started to take more risks in life. I figured it was the best way to learn more about me and expand beyond my initial environment. Read more>>
Sydney Peters 
I’ve always known I wanted to work in entertainment, but I definitely didn’t know exactly what that would look like. I went to the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and studied Emerging Media Arts in the Johnny Carson Center, and while I was there, I pretty much tried to get my hands on any experience that would help me learn the industry. Read more>>
Samuel Coello 
Hi, I dont know if this interview will be for my Gutter Business or about my Art work. Just let me know. I’m located in Arlington, TX., if is from the Gutters I had been 10 years in Business, and on my Art, I started during pandemic 2020 Read more>>
Jordan Fichter 
My journey as a multimedia artist started as far back as I can remember. Truthfully, I’ve always been a creative person, and my first love will always belong to the traditional medium of pencil and paper. Fun fact: My mom still has a magnet on her fridge that I made somewhere between 1st and 2nd grade, showing my conceptual understanding of 2-point perspective. Read more>>
Lauren Garrison 
I started my nursing journey after graduating from Baylor’s School of Nursing in 2019. I went straight into full-time bedside nursing as a night-shift nurse in Labor & Delivery. At the same time, I was working part-time at a plastic surgery clinic on the surgical side, primarily in pre-op and PACU. Read more>>
Jordan Hicks 
My story started with a simple passion for creativity, media, and serving people. Growing up in Waskom, Texas, I developed an early love for photography, videography, music, and storytelling. I’ve always enjoyed being behind the camera, capturing moments, and giving people a platform to share who they are. Read more>>
Rick Smith 
This is my Rock Bottom story. I was married 13 years, three beautiful sons and a coach in the community. Everyone thought we were the all-American family. We went to church every Sunday. We taught the FCA and Bible study at church with the teenagers. Sometimes what you see on the outside isn’t truly going on on the inside. Read more>>
Yurie Ono 
I’m a dancer, choreographer, and dance instructor from Japan. I started ballet when I was four and trained in classical ballet for about 15 years. When I was in college, I was studying veterinary medicine, but I joined a street dance team and discovered how much I truly loved dance. Read more>>
Amber Brown 
Hi! I’m Amber! I’ve been married to my husband for 21 years, and we have three kids, Emma, who is 20 and at OSU, Owen, a senior in high school, and Elle, a freshman. We have lived in Prosper for 11 years and watched it grow! Jesus and family are my number one! Read more>>
Valencia Wilson
My path into this work has been somewhat non-traditional. I initially set out to become a nurse, but after realizing that wasn’t the path for me, I pivoted toward community-based work. My experiences witnessing resource gaps, systemic barriers to care, and the ways those barriers affected individuals and families sparked a desire to advocate for voices that often went unheard. Read more>>
Terroni Espinoza 
My journey has always been rooted in hard work, entrepreneurship, faith, and a desire to create something bigger, not only for myself, but for my family and the people I have the opportunity to serve. Before real estate, I built my career in healthcare, working in billing and management, and today I continue to work in the industry as a Compliance Officer. Read more>>
Dr. REDDHYIA TAYLOR 
My story has really been about learning that I don’t have to choose between the different parts of who I am. Medicine has always been a huge part of my life, but so has creativity. Read more>>
Ashley Melgarejo 
My story with The Athletic Collegiate started with my own family. As a mother of two daughters, I began exploring how we could give our children a strong education while making room for sports, their interests, and the way they learn. As we explored more flexible educational options, I realized how much work parents do behind the scenes. Read more>>
Blondie Lane 
My story started when I divorced in 2002. I was a stay at home mom when the divorce happened. I had no money, no job or marketable skills, I had five children ranging in ages from 15 to 9 and also not a reliable car. Read more>>
Nicole Dixon 
I’ve always loved being in the kitchen, in fact some of my earliest memories are with my dad in the kitchen, standing up in a chair so I could see over the stove and watching him cook and ‘assisting’ as best a 4 year old could. Read more>>
Roshun Davis 
Makeup has always been more than beauty to me it’s therapy. As a little girl, I used to sneak my mom’s lipstick and eyeliner just to feel that confidence, even when I wasn’t supposed to. As I got older, makeup became something that helped me step into my femininity and feel more like myself. Read more>>
Rewa Sparks 
My journey with HerHalo began in 2017, rooted in my passion for hair, beauty, and helping women feel confident in who they are\. What started as a vision has grown into HerHalo Luxe Goddess Boutique, LLC—a brand built on quality, trust, and genuine relationships with our clients\. Read more>>
Ayanna Amar 
My journey began in 2017 when I graduated from Paul Mitchell School and became a licensed cosmetologist. I had always dreamed of building something of my own, and that dream eventually became Hairology Salon of Baton Rouge, where I served clients for more than seven years. Over the years, I’ve grown from being a cosmetologist into a serial entrepreneur, content creator, and haircare business owner. Read more>>
Frankie Wilson 
I started in music and ministry. I spent more than 20 years as a musician and singer, and eventually worked as a syndicated radio show host with affiliates nationally and internationally for 13 of my 25 years in radio. Read more>>
Dr. Deomrick Harris, DMD, M.S. 
My story is really a story about becoming. I was born and raised in Charlotte, North Carolina, on the west side of the city, where I was raised by my mother, grandparents, and aunt. Growing up, I understood that people could look at your circumstances and make assumptions about what your future would look like. Read more>>
Dedra Brembry 
Infiniteeworks began in 2008 as an idea to use my gifts and talents in multiple areas. I started by mentoring girls at my school. I had always had a passion for serving girls and women, and mentoring allowed me to grow in this area. Read more>>
Antonio Muñoz 
My journey in animal care began in 1998, when I entered the world of purebred dog shows, focusing on breed standards, conformation, beauty, structure, and presentation. That experience gave me an early understanding of canine anatomy, movement, coat care, breed characteristics, and the attention to detail required to present each dog at its very best. Read more>>
Christian Nguyen 
I am originally from Vietnam and grew up in NYC. Architectural photography was my first professional engagement, and after grad school I continued to explore structural space through video, installation, and eventually painting. The background of photography, video and drawing continue to play a role in my studio practice. Read more>>
April White 
I’m originally from Jackson, Mississippi, and I now call the Dallas–Fort Worth area home. As a first-generation college graduate, I earned both my bachelor’s and master’s degrees in public health. My professional journey has included work in healthcare, community health, and disaster recovery with FEMA. Read more>>
Annie Gee 
The story of Sweet Soul Collection really started one Christmas, close to my senior year of high school, when my mom and stepdad bought me a camera. I had always loved photos, everything about them. There was something so special to me about freezing a moment in time and being able to hold onto it long after that moment had passed. Read more>>
Brittany Hampton 
I began my career as a kindergarten teacher and had the honor of spending most of my teaching career in Lovejoy ISD. Over a decade in education, I learned so much about who I was, what I had to offer, and where I felt most at home. I knew I was meant to work with children. Read more>>
Deidra Mwalimu 
My story began long before I founded Network of Women NOW. I grew up in Mississippi, and at 15 years old, I experienced a medical procedure and treatment that ultimately left me unable to have children. At that age, I did not fully understand what was happening to my body or the long-term consequences. Read more>>
Isabel Alvarez 
My story begins in Durango, Mexico where I was born, the youngest and only female of three. At age 2 my mother leaves an abusive relationship which leads us to Texas. I grew up in Carrollton and Grand Prairie, TX. Read more>>
Bisi Alabi 
My story really began as a stay at home mom of three who always knew I wanted to do something more and build something of my own. I’ve always loved fashion and the way beautiful things can make you feel, which led me to create Life With Bisi, my fashion blog where I share my personal style and love for beautiful things. Read more>>
Latanya Hill 
Resilience and the Quiet Work Behind the Camera What started off as something fun during a really hard season of my life eventually became something purposeful. I never planned on being in the forefront. I honestly just pressed record one day—and one video turned into a journey I never expected. Hello, my name is Latanya. In January 2025, I relocated from St. Read more>>
Joe Brayton
I’m the CEO and Co-Founder of Pickler Universe and a serial entrepreneur with more than 50 years of executive leadership experience spanning healthcare, technology, finance, hospitality, and sports. I previously co-founded and helped grow Paragon Healthcare from a startup through its acquisition by Elevance Health, serving in executive roles including CFO and Chief Strategy Officer. Read more>>
Kelvin Fab-Eme 
I am Fab-Eme Kelvin, the founder of MiUKINS APPAREL located in Port Harcourt, NIGERIA. This journey started a long time ago. growing up as a twin, mum and dad would always buy us matching outfits. We always had the issue of identifying which one was whose. Read more>>
Wajahat Khan 
I grew up in a very large immigrant family. We came to the United States when I was very young, and we moved around the country while we got settled. Eventually we landed in Dallas-Fort Worth, where I’ve been since middle school aside from a couple of short stints elsewhere. I’ve always created art since I was a kid. Read more>>
Claudia Grandjean 
Atelier Carliza is a boutique dimensional art studio in Flower Mound Texas, founded by friends and family around a deeply personal mission: to create beauty and art as well as meaningful work and a professional environment where young disabled adults like our Carla can thrive. Read more>>
Ashley Smith 
My journey in the beauty industry started about 10 years ago when I became a licensed esthetician. Over the years, I’ve worked in different areas of the industry, but I’ve always been drawn to creating experiences that make people feel comfortable, cared for, and confident in their skin. At the same time, my career hasn’t followed a perfectly straight path. Read more>>
Damaris Mkubwa 
My journey began in Kenya, Africa. As a little girl, I remember playing in my parents’ backyard, where I discovered my love for braiding. I would braid the grass in our backyard, and I remember making my very first cornrow. I simply loved it! Little did I know that this childhood experience would one day become the beginning of my career in the beauty industry. Read more>>
David Watson 
My story starts a long way from where I am today. For years I was the guy who could talk his way into — and out of — almost anything, and it carried me to some dark places: a mugshot nearly every year, jail cells in two different countries, and eventually federal prison. I kept running when I should have stopped. Read more>>
Bryan Holguin 
I never expected to be an artist. As with most children, frequent drawing and coloring naturally led to unbridled creative play. For fun, and even out of boredom, I drew the people around me, the cartoons and animations I saw, and the characters I imagined. Read more>>
Tiffani Melcer 
My journey into entrepreneurship began from a deeply personal place. The Javen Venue was created in memory of my late son, Javen, so from the very beginning, this business has represented much more than an event space. It represents love, legacy, faith, and the belief that something beautiful can grow from something deeply meaningful. Read more>>
Liliana Perez 
Growing up in Oak Cliff, basketball was everything to me. I played throughout elementary and high school, and for most of my childhood, I believed I knew exactly where my life was headed. After high school, I earned a partial basketball scholarship to attend a university in Oklahoma. Read more>>
Fernando Camareno 
My story began more than five decades ago through martial arts, but over time, it became about much more than competition or physical achievement. I have practiced martial arts for 54 years and taught for 43. Read more>>
Molly Laughter
My career started in the very traditional world of finance, but the business I’ve built is much more personal. I spent several years in wealth management and earned both my CFA® designation and CFP® certification, but over time I realized the part I loved most wasn’t just the numbers. It was helping people feel less intimidated by money and more confident about what came next. Read more>>
Veronica Wilson
I spent more than 15 years in property management, and in February 2025, that chapter of my life ended unexpectedly. I had dedicated most of my career to one company, and when it was over, I had to decide what came next. Instead of rushing into another position doing the same thing, I started thinking about what I actually wanted my life to look like. Read more>>
