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.
Kathy Wallis
My family was a musical one, so I grew up singing in choirs and ensembles, including in college. After graduating from Duke, I moved to the Jacksonville area in the mid-seventies, where I met Jim Johnson, the Founder of Beaches Fine Arts Series, who was the choirmaster at St. Paul’s by-the-Sea Episcopal Church, the home venue of BFAS. Read more>>
Lynn Yeager
When Jacob was three, we got the news—severe autism. That single word upended everything. Overnight, life became a whirlwind of appointments and therapies, a blur of experts and interventions. I couldn’t keep doing my old job; I left teaching behind so I could be there for Jacob, for every step and every milestone. Years went by, and communication remained a huge challenge. Read more>>
Ariel Richardson
How Girl Arise Inc started it started by making tiktok videos telling people what GOD told me to tell them and as I was reviewing some of the comments God Kept showing me that people was hurting and they was not receiving what they needed from an actual church so GOD lead me to start this ministry so that I could get his people back to him. He put it in my spirit to do prayer conferences , virtual Bible studies and etc . Read more>>
Cathy Goldstein, AP
Cathy Goldstein, AP Founder, Tru Energy® Skincare | Creator of the Energy Optimized® Natural Facelift System At 26, I was hospitalized with Crohn’s disease. It was a turning point that forced me to look beyond conventional medicine and begin exploring how energy, emotion, and cellular communication shape our health. Read more>>
Madeline Mumford
I have had a passion for Irish dancing since I was eight years old, and first saw Irish dance at a school talent show. I grew up competing with the Goulding School of Irish Dance in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, until I moved to Dublin, Ireland to complete a Bachelors of Business Studies in the Global Business Program at Trinity College Dublin. Read more>>
Nicole Grabner
My story….Well, I was raised around the military; I spent most of my life growing up in Germany. Met my husband after I enlisted during my first deployment after 9/11. We’ve been married for over 21 years and have two amazing neurodivergent children. We moved to Florida (Space Coast) when my husband retired, at the height of COVID. Read more>>
Lisa Aubley
I was working as a nurse in an assisted living facility during the pandemic. At that time there was no visitors allowed and I watched the families struggle to see their loved ones . I was also taking care of my mom who has dementia and lives a few houses down. Read more>>
Jeff Jibran
California, interested in tattooing at a very young age started getting his first tattoos at 13 years old and hand poking tattoos on his friends and schoolmates, eventually graduating to homemade rotary type tattoo machines through his teenage years and eventually professional equipment by the age of 18. Read more>>
Joel Stuckey
I led music for 10 years in churches in Jacksonville and felt a call to plant a new church in Riverside, where my family lived. We launched in January, 2021 and from the very beginning, knew we wanted to make a big impact in our community. Read more>>
Fuada Velic
I arrived in the United State as a refugee, carrying little more than hope, grit, and a deep belief in the power of second chances. Starting over in a new country wasn’t easy- I faces language barriers and cultural shifts. Read more>>
Ashley Baker
Baker’s Table Co started really simply, with me putting together boards for friends and family because I loved creating food that brought people together. I’ve always been drawn to the beauty of a well-designed table and the way food creates time and space for people to gather intentionally. Read more>>
Alison Singleton
As a teenager in high school, I took a few psychology classes that truly fascinated me. It was the first time in my life where I wanted to dive deeper into the subject than was required. Learning about how people’s experiences and relationships can profoundly affect one another, especially in abusive or traumatic environments, was both alarming and compelling to me. Read more>>
Scott O’Neil
Enlisted in the navy in 1976, achieved the rank of Aviation Machinist Mate Chief Petty Officer, earned my Bachelor degree in Management, received my commission as a Naval Flight Officer and retired after 23rys. of service. Through out my life I have been working as a mechanic, educated and trained in the systems on a continual basis.. Read more>>
Haley Morris
The beginning of my story goes back to my childhood. I was the sibling and cousin that everyone would come to when sad, stressed, or scared. I’ve never been much of a talker but was always good at holding space to listen. When I was exploring potential career paths, my mom recommended taking some psychology courses at the local community college, in Monterey CA. Read more>>
Adam McIntyre
I was a high school band director for 20 years before deciding it was time for a new chapter. I’ve always loved fishing, but for a long time I was hesitant to turn my escape into my profession. Read more>>
Genevieve Covington
Growing up in Jacksonville Beach, I’ve always felt connected to this community and its coastal spirit. I moved just up the shoreline to Atlantic Beach during my college years while pursuing my bachelor’s degree in Behavioral Medicine at the University of North Florida. Read more>>
Riley Muller
I found Elizabeth Soul and Fashion Haus Ink at the perfect time – it was really divine timing. When I saw this world of sacred tattoos and spiritual, embodied adornment, I knew I had to be a part of it. I jumped in, trusted the process, and since then I can’t believe how much I’ve grown in my artistry. Read more>>
Venkatesh Naga Damarouthu
I was born in a beautiful coastal town called Vizag (Vishakhpatnam) in Southern India, where curiosity was my greatest teacher. I was fascinated by how things worked — taking apart radios, computers, and gadgets just to put them back together. That same curiosity eventually took me halfway across the world — first to Australia, where I earned my master’s in Information Technology, and later to the United States, where I completed a second master’s in Business Analytics and began building my career around one mission: using technology to connect people in meaningful ways. Read more>>
Lenny Foster
My creative journey began in 1991 when I bought a second hand camera in a Pawn shop a few blocks down from where I co-managed the sales department at a Honda car dealership in Alexandria, Va. From the first roll I shot with that Pentax, I was enthralled with the process of making pictures! Read more>>
