The heart of our mission is to find the amazing souls that breathe life into our communities. In the recent weeks, we’ve had the privilege to connect with some incredible artists, creatives, entrepreneurs and rabble rousers and we can’t begin to express how impressed we are with the incredible group below.
Melissa Moulton
Growing up I always wanted to be an OBGYN. So much so that I dressed up as an OBGYN for halloween in the second grade. When I got to college at UNF, I worked as a scribe in the emergency department to gain experience for my medical school application and realized I didn’t enjoy the hospital setting as much as I thought I would. Read more>>
Ginny Stephens
My love and interest for photography began in high school after completing a “Photography 101” course online. I was not trying to start a business, but rather, simply posting photos online that I would take of friends, family, and nature. Slowly but surely, people began asking what I would charge for a shoot. Read more>>
Ian and Franchesca Edwards
Franchesca and I met through a dating site. Little did we know, that we were going to the same art school. I was majoring in Digital Film and Video Production and Franchesca was studying photography. We soon realized that we had much in common including our professions. Franchesca and I became inseparable and were soon married. Read more>>
Corrie Garnet
I was first introduced to massage therapy as a child when my father, who is a carpenter by trade, decided to study massage. I have always enjoyed giving and receiving a variety of bodywork modalities and have been blessed to have many massage therapist friends throughout my life to trade with. As an adult, I have many years of experience in the healthcare field. Read more>>
Dicoy Powell
I started the business in 2022 in Ohio, with just doing taxes, personal finance and credit repair. I gained my first full time accounting/bookkeeping client in 2023 and then moved to Florida in 2024. Since moving to Florida, the tax side of the business has grown significantly. Read more>>
The Dushane Family
It all started after the pandemic. As a family, we decided it was time to start our own place, and the freedom of the virtual world of teaching allowed us to do just that. It wasn’t how we expected to start, but it was really taking off. We started doing Zoom Private Lessons for vocal, acting, and dance. Read more>>
Nikki Fama
My partner and I had a lifelong dream to help dogs in some way. I spent years as a vet tech, and dog handler. As a vet tech, I trained under a holistic vet and helped with nutritional consultations, along with standard medical issues. During COVID, I began experiencing compassion fatigue and left the medical side of pet care. Read more>>
Fred Thompson
I worked for a couple local companies , running work and working on getting my license. After learning the estimating and bidding process I decided it was time to try this on my own .. We opened the company in 1989 with a small electrical service department and went into commercial larger jobs shortly after. Read more>>
Sandreea Durham
My journey started during the pandemic when I found myself navigating uncertainty alongside so many others. I had already been practicing as a mental health counselor, but it was during that time that my purpose became clearer—to meet people where they are and make therapy more accessible, compassionate, and connected to real life. Read more>>
Jaclyn Chamberlain
I’ve been designing for many years, long before Designwaves ever became official. It started back in high school when I fell in love with architectural drafting and floriculture. That early interest became a true path for me, leading to formal education, industry experience, and years of work across many areas of design. Read more>>
Shanique Ampiah
My journey to becoming a psychiatrist began in Jamaica, where a bright-eyed three-year-old version of me met a pediatrician named Dr. Riley. I still remember the moment he let me listen to my heartbeat through his stethoscope. He had no idea he was essentially handing me my life’s mission—but that tiny act sparked a dream I never let go of. Read more>>
Mikayel Aslanyan
Born in 1977, I hold a Master’s degree in Cybernetics and Automated Systems and began writing software at the age of 15. I immigrated to the United States from Armenia in 1999, where I entered the furniture service industry and built what is now the highest-completion-rated nationwide furniture service company. Read more>>
Amanda Hoskinson
My journey into entrepreneurship wasn’t something I planned; it unfolded during a very unexpected season of my life. I spent 17 years as an ABA therapist working with children with autism, a role that taught me patience, compassion, and how deeply meaningful individualized care can be. Read more>>
Cindy Guthrie
The shift from Chief Operations Officer to launching RGKC Consulting was really born out of necessity. During my time leading multiple business operations, I consistently ran into challenges finding reliable, knowledgeable bookkeeping support—whether in-house or outsourced. Read more>>
Kelly Kronbauer
I became a Career Ownership Coach after a long career in public education. After working directly with kids as a teacher, Principal, District Administrator, and Executive Director, I decided I was ready to leave public education and try my hand at coaching and business ownership. I was exhausted of the politics and bureaucracy involved with the public education space. Read more>>
Emily Foltz-Holland
I ran track, the heptathlon to be specific, for college, which was may major focus at the time. After I graduated from college at Kutztown University with a major in Psychology, clinical counseling track, I was focused on continuing my focus on sports… assuming that I would go into sports psychology. I moved to Florida by myself… Read more>>
Shantoria Lowe
In the narrative of resilience and transformation, the sudden loss of my father while in prison became a pivotal moment in my life. His absence fueled a deep sense of purpose within me, driving me to pursue my cosmetology license as a means of honoring his memory and fulfilling my potential. Read more>>
Amanda West
Since I was a young girl I always had an eye for design . I was exposed to business and the construction world with my parents who were entrepreneurs owning construction companies . So you might say design and building is in my blood but it did not come into play as a career until I married a builder . Read more>>
Mariah Snow
I also hold a B.S. in Business Administration with a focus on Marketing from Old Dominion University and spent 13 years in D.C. working for KPMG Consulting/BearingPoint providing professional consulting services to more than 15 Federal Government agencies. I specialized in Business Process Improvement, software implementation, client relations, and training. Read more>>
Brittney Mannszz
I have been planning and hosting Events practically my whole life. I took the initiative to start my business in 2018 from being inspired while working at Merrill Lynch and and speaking with with High networth clients who were Business Owners/Entrepreneurs. I stayed up day and night studying my craft from the balloons, to custom decor, to Event Management and more. Read more>>
