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.
Kalin Anderson
I was born in Atlanta. My dad was in the Navy so that got us all here. Early years I ate everything the parents were eating, the purees didn’t last too long for me, so I was expensive early lol. Read more>>
Michellita Taylor
How I started? This is a loaded questions. As a little girl I struggled with self-confidence in myself. From how I look to how I sounded-they would serve as barriers to my overall gowth and ability to reach my fullest potential. Although, I managed to maintain a level achievement as a young girl, my teen years proved to be challenging. Read more>>
Anamaria Mani
My journey in the beauty industry started before I ever became a service provider. I worked at makeup counters, where I developed my passion for beauty, connecting with people, and helping others feel confident. At the same time, I graduated from the University of North Florida with a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, which gave me a strong foundation in branding, social media, and business. Read more>>
Sheree McArthur
11 Years ago I was a full time educator in the St. Johns County school system. It was the beginning of summer break and my mother had a stroke. I soon became her care taker as she moved into my home. I took family leave time to care for her. When my family leave time was over I had to make a difficult decision. Read more>>
Kedra L Curry (Quintana)
My story started long before I became a filmmaker. I was born in Key West, Florida, with deep family roots in Key West and the Bahamas, and I was raised in different places, including Hawaii, Maryland, and the Washington, D.C area. Those experiences shaped how I see culture, history, family, and storytelling. Read more>>
Courtney Robinson
Cee Kakes began in 2015 in my junior year of high school when I decided to make cupcakes for my grandfather’s birthday party. Afterwards, we had so many leftover i decided to take them to school and i sold out before 2nd period. Then Cee Kakes was born and now has blossomed into a safe space to INDULGE in the sweeter things in life. Read more>>
Dylan Russ
I was always obsessed with movies from a young age. Some of my core memories growing up surround watching them. I had worked on a few college short films with friends many years ago but never expected that to go anywhere. It wasn’t until I moved to Jacksonville that film really opened up for me. Read more>>
Diana Vasquez
My journey into sound healing began in 2019, after more than two decades in the wellness industry. I had spent much of my career as a master esthetician and spa owner when I experienced sound healing for myself and became incredibly curious about it. Read more>>
Jorge Pena
I used to think my story was about changing careers. Today, I understand it as a story about reinvention—and about discovering that the seemingly separate parts of our lives may belong to the same creative journey. I was born in Caracas, Venezuela, into a creative family where observation and imagination were quietly encouraged. Read more>>
Sydney Shomer
I have taken dress-up time very seriously since I was 4 years old. I practically lived in my favorite pink Barbie princess dress and wanted more than anything for the real thing. I have always loved clothes and fashion but cosplay was something that I grew to love later in life. Read more>>
Lacy Dowdle
My path into photography wasn’t exactly a straight line. Before this became my career, I spent more than a decade in nursing, primarily working in long-term care and management. Photography started as a creative outlet, but over time it became something I couldn’t ignore. Read more>>
Ryan Brooks
I was born in the 80’s and was addicted to music as a kid. My mother told me I said I wanted to be Michael Jackson when I grew up. I started playing guitar at 12 and have continued ever since. I played live for almost 20 years until I had an accident which injured me and prevented me from continuing to play live. Read more>>
Brent Martineau
My story started when I was a 11 or 12 years old. My youth league coach was also a radio personality in Rhode Island. I was very interested in watching the local sports personalities or listening to them on the radio. I read the newspaper (just the sports page) daily. Steve McDonald was my coach’s name. He would become my mentor in the industry. Read more>>
Oxana Rox
My journey into wedding photography began with a love for travel, storytelling, and the beautiful, fleeting moments that often go unnoticed. What began with photographing the places and details that inspired me eventually led me to weddings, where I discovered that nothing is more compelling than the way people love each other. Read more>>
Avianca McQuay
I’ve been a photographer for about six years. It started during a trip to California, where I found myself constantly capturing the scenery on my phone and fell in love with the process of finding beauty through a camera. Over time, that love grew into photographing people and creating concepts that tell a story. Read more>>
Sarah Olson
My story starts in the passenger seat of my mother’s car. I grew up in a very old house in Northern New Jersey — no shower, barely any heat — and every weekend my mom and I would drive through neighborhoods we couldn’t afford, dreaming out loud about houses we’d never live in. Read more>>
Lana Betts
Good day! I’ve been drawing since I was a young child. During later elementary school years, I clicked with the art of drawing people. Various hair colors, textures, eye colors, etc., inspired me. Drawing remained my primary hobby as I grew up; as an adult, I made sure to prioritize art as a way to maintain quality of life. Read more>>
Lance Asper
Started as a church creative, learned how to do it all and then at the end of 2020 that all ended and recently now working with Celebrities and huge brands and traveling around the world and having commercials on TV, with talent like: Jason Mamoa, John Cena, Son Heung-Min BigXThaPlug, Druski… contracted to work with companies like Prizepicks and Chime. Read more>>
Kristin Matthes
I started my apprenticeship in 2014, but my love of art began far earlier in life. I have enjoyed the act of creating for as long as I can remember. My parents encouraged my passion and curiosity through different mediums as I grew up, and drawing was always something I seemed to come back to. Read more>>
Justin Drain
I started photography is 2014 taking photos of concerts, from local to bigger shows. I somehow doing other styles of photography through the years because I didn’t want to do just one thing. Over time my work progressed and it got better. I plan more carefully now on my shoots for the best execution on the project. Read more>>
Jonathan Sooriash
After graduating from law school in 2010 I decided to get my Tax LL.M. (Masters of Laws in Taxation). After completing the tax coursework and obtaining my Tax LL.M, I worked for a law firm, an investment group, and a tax resolution company. Read more>>
Sher Clemmons
As a kid I grew up in Virginia hanging out at the salon with my grandmother who did hair for 40 years. This lead me to take cosmetology during highschool and ultimately graduate with my cosmetology license and high school diploma. After doing hair for 3 years in Virginia, I decided it was time for a change and moved to Jacksonville in 2016. Read more>>
Amy & Amy Rorvall & Nichols
We are a Jacksonville based business that is ran by two women! We both worked at Cruisers Grill back in 2016 and became fast friends sharing loaded cheese fries and ranch. As the years went on we would meet up for dinner and we were both working office jobs full time at this point. Read more>>
Manali Patel
My journey started with a passion for creating a better fast-casual dining experience — one that combines great food, convenience, and technology. With my background in hospitality and business, I saw an opportunity to build a brand that was different from traditional restaurant concepts. Tossgreen was created as a modern fast-casual restaurant inspired by global flavors. Read more>>
Karolina Guilcapi
More Than Vacations: From Passion to Purpose My journey into the travel industry began more than twenty years ago with a simple belief: travel has the power to change people. As an immigrant from Poland who grew up in Brooklyn, I was always fascinated by different cultures and the stories that make each destination unique. Read more>>
Derek Bradley
Growing up, I always loved photography. I got a cheap camera and took pictures everywhere we went. What I lacked in technical skill, I made up for—at least a little—with a natural instinct for composition. In college, I took a photography class, but I was put off a bit by the darkroom and developing film. It just wasn’t my strength. Read more>>
Carla Sweeney
I have has lived in Jacksonville, FL for most of my life. Because of my own Recovery Journey, God placed it on my heart to help others in the Recovery Community and in 2016 I formed a non-profit called Awakenings House, Sober Living for Women. Read more>>
Tori Murphy
I’ve always had an interest to travel, see new things and meet new people. In 2022, I attended by first convention (at the time known as Spookala, now Scaradise) and something in me sparked. I began attending conventions, many of which ended up being in Orlando, that brought me closer to the theme parks. Read more>>
Lynn Sposito
Ever since I was a young child I’ve been called to be creative in some way! Whether painting, drawing or writing, most of my inspiration has come from spending my childhood out in nature. I’d often be found lakeside or near a waterfall or babbling brook, sketching, taking photographs or writing poetry. Read more>>
Jorja Henwood
My story begins in Eswatini, a small kingdom in Southern Africa bordering South Africa and Mozambique. I grew up loving creating, whether it was sewing, crotchet, visual arts, or music. Although I did not always have the resources to create, it felt like I would be doing myself a disservice if I ignored my passion. Read more>>
LaDeirdre Forehand
My journey into the maritime industry began in 2019 when I stepped into a world that was completely new to me. I started at entry level as an Ordinary Seaman, determined to learn, grow, and create a better future for myself and my family. Read more>>
Dawn Kenney
Players Locker Room, previously known as Players Grille, started back in 1999 as a traditional neighborhood restaurant/sports bar. For nearly 25 years, this space was a reliable, staple for watching sports, great meal and ice cold beer in the Miramar and San Marco areas. Our current chapter truly began in June 2024 when my business partner and I took over the landmark venue. Read more>>
Kristen Smith
Originally hailing from Columbia, South Carolina, I made the move to Florida to further my education at Bethune-Cookman University. At BCU, I earned a degree in Sociology, participated in the 14 Karat Gold Dancers, and proudly served as the team captain during my senior year. Additionally, I was featured in the motion picture “Drumline.”with the Marching Wildcats. Read more>>
Tee Thai
My passion for nails started with something simple—I fell in love with how much creativity you can fit into such a small space. A nail may be tiny, but to me it’s a canvas where I can freestyle and create something unique. That passion pushed me to practice over and over until I became confident in my work. Read more>>
Kazeem Castrillon
10 year Navy Culinary Specialist who was stationed on submarines, who just wanted to help in a different way. I found alot of military and people in general don’t know about real estate. I truly enjoy educating people on these matters, and discussing future options/goals. Read more>>
Antinese Stinson
For most of my career, I’ve been an entrepreneur. I started as a licensed esthetician and built my skincare business from the ground up, Eventually expanding into education and business consulting where I help beauty professionals grow profitable businesses. Over the years, I’ve worn a lot of hats, service provider, educator, mentor, and business owner. Read more>>
Lena Fongeallaz
My journey into the hair industry started long before I ever picked up a pair of shears. My mother had been a hairstylist my entire life, so I grew up in salons and always knew I wanted to be behind the chair. Read more>>
