Over the past decade we have had the chance to learn about so many incredible folks from a wide range of industries and backgrounds and our highlighter series is designed to give us an opportunity to go deeper into their stories with to goal of understanding them, their thought process, how their values formed and the foundations of their stories.  Check out some incredible folks below – many of whom you may have read about already and a few new names as well.

Christina Beck

That’s what being an independent filmmaker is! There are no guarantees the film will get where you want it to be and that’s hard at times. I’m grateful to have given my all to my films and I can’t worry about praise. Of course it’s great to be acknowledged but when people ask what do you like most about the filmmaking? Read More>>

Gizem Atalya

This is something I’ve been reflecting on a lot lately. Everything around us is designed to make us crave external validation and it’s only human to want to be seen, praised, accepted. But when you really pause and look inward, you start to realize that this hunger doesn’t actually come from the outside. It starts within. It’s you judging you. You doubting you. Read More>>

Charles Reese

I felt heard and seen when I entered Morehouse College and met my mentor, the late Lamar Alford, who was an original cast member of the Broadway show Godspell. His kindness, grace, and honesty profoundly impacted my life, allowing me to embrace my calling as an artist and activist. Additionally, I formed lasting friendships at Morehouse that remain strong today. Read More>>

Rebecca Caputo

It’s so easy to get caught up in this twister bubble of traction. What I mean by that is it is so easy for early entrepreneurs to say yes to every opportunity. I think we’ve been lucky at Rif Care that we have always been intentional with our steps. Read More>>

Kris Gragson

Early in my career I made the choice to focus on helping small businesses succeed. I knew I could have gone in a different direction by working with larger companies and charging higher rates, but I wanted to make my services affordable for the businesses that are the backbone of our community. Read More>>

Amber Monique

One of the most profoundly proud moments of my life unfolded recently on August 7, 2025. As I occasionally do, I was out feeding the homeless when I encountered a 72-year-old woman I had met previously a sweet, outgoing soul who lived in her car. Read More>>

Megan Birney Rudert

I know I’m out of my depth when I’m staring at a problem thinking, “Wait…how do people even do this?” Honestly, that’s my favorite place to be. Some people seek comfort zones; I chase the moments where I have to figure it out as I go. That’s when I’m most inspired, most creative, and often most impactful. Read More>>

Bethanee Epifani

When you no longer feel connected with what you are doing. I think you’re out of your depth when you’ve forgotten your intentions. The question becomes: Why are you doing what you are doing? What is your motivation? Read More>>

Mikke Pierson

I think what many of my clients would miss most are the conversations we have, the ones they don’t have with anyone else. While much of my coaching focuses on their business, leadership, and strategy, the truth is that the work often goes much deeper. We talk about their company, their team, and their goals, but we also talk about life. Read More>>

Jacob James

I guess I’m battling the possibility of losing momentum and energy to keep pressing on as an artist. It can be tough, this is a full time job after all. So far I don’t believe I have as far as I’m concerned. I’m performing out just as much as ever and releasing new music at a similar pace. Read More>>

Blake Stargel

I believe that manifestation is real even though I cannot prove it. What we focus on truly grows in our lives. I have seen it time and time again where when my mindset is negative it feels like negativity starts showing up in every area, and when I focus on positivity I notice more good things happening around me. Read More>>

Lauren Cohen/Kwiatek

Magic is real. Magic isn’t something that you can touch or explain. People often label the things they don’t understand as magic, and while I’m not talking about magic in the literal sense, I’m referring to something deeper: non-literal magic. Those moments, experiences, and phenomena that spark awe, wonder, and unexpected beauty – things that transcend logic and defy explanation. Read More>>

Audrina Henry

I’ve come to accept that I’m a very misunderstood person. I’m not just a woman I’m a Black woman, an African American woman in America, raised in poverty, and honestly, I was naive about life and what it truly demanded. That journey from pain, love, wisdom, care, and sacrifice is what shaped my legacy. And sacrifice? I used to hate that word. Read More>>

Ra7ael

I’ve been feeling uncomfortable lately wearing stuff that I would never have been bothered with before. Handbag is a song that shows the importance of letting your opposite side flourish. It’s ok to not feel prepared or ready to explore new things, but don’t mess with whoever is living a different reality than yours. Read More>>

Fleur Reboul

That clay is just mud—and that’s exactly what makes it beautiful. It’s not important, not in the way society defines importance. Just like art, it’s “useless,” and I believe it should remain useless. In a world obsessed with productivity, profit, and efficiency, I think there’s something sacred about making things that exist for no reason other than to be. Read More>>

Mela LAVAL

My creative fire, the part of me that dreams big, dares loud, and doesn’t ask for permission. I’ve dimmed it to stay safe, to be liked, to avoid rocking the boat. But that light? It’s wild, it’s sacred, and I’m done tucking it away. Read More>>

Patrick Antonian

My first time being in actual love as an adult. That relationship definitely made a big difference for me. It was the first time I could totally be myself and I was loved and accepted for every strength and flaw. I always knew who I was, but that relationship solidified the my thoughts on the person I had become. Read More>>

Lena Ceja

I would say, my relationship with both of my parents. I feel like they always seen something in me that I could never see in myself. Read More>>

Malcolm Lee

My earliest memory of feeling powerful is charging over 20K for one of my first big photography campaigns. It gave me a huge battery in my back being that I started photography from barbering. For someone to want to pay me my worth based on my skill and work was a blessing and validated why I do what I do now. Read More>>

Talita Maia

I have a few early memories, so I can’t say with certainty which came first but I think this one was one of the earliest. I went to a private school in Brazil that had kindergarten, junior, middle, and high school all on the same campus. I was already a year ahead in school, so I was very young, still in kindergarten, when this happened. Read More>>

Doug O’Connell

The most surprising thing I’ve learned about my customers is how deeply personal their hair journey is—and how much trust they place in me to be part of it. What starts as a routine appointment often turns into something much more meaningful. Read More>>

Samuel C. Spitale

When I set out to write a book about identifying misinformation, I expected the audience to be concerned citizens who needed help navigating the information landscape. However, the more I speak to people at talks and signings, the more I learn that many are fairly capable of sifting through misinformation, themselves. Read More>>

Andrea LaRosa

Honestly? In how they approach relationships. Too many smart, driven people are dating like it’s a box-checking exercise—chasing a curated list of qualities instead of focusing on what actually creates a lasting, supportive, real relationship. We’ve become obsessed with the idea of “not settling,” but most people have that concept completely backwards. Read More>>