It’s more important to understand someone than to judge them. We think the first step to understanding someone is asking them the fundamental questions about who they are and how they became the person they are today. Understanding and empathy are essential building blocks for a better, more compassionate world. We’re incredibly fortunate to be able to ask these questions each week through our interview series. Below you’ll find inspiring interviews from in and around the Valley.
Artur Aslanyan
Art House Bakery grew out of a turning point for our family. After facing a serious health challenge, we began looking at food in a new way and started baking as a form of healing. What began as a few kitchen experiments soon became a passion for creating breads that were both healthy and exciting. Read more>>
Lisa Donmall-Reeve
I am originally from the UK. I moved to New York in early 2012 with my green card and a desire to continue my (then) long and successful musical theatre career onto Broadway. Read more>>
Chris White
After years of managing a successful family business, Mr. White established his own clientele and founded So White Carpet Cleaning LLC. Originally an extension of the White family’s esteemed carpet cleaning business, So White Carpet Cleaning was officially founded in 1995. Read more>>
Julio Rodriguez
I, Julio ‘El Chapin’ , first started training to become a professional wrestler back in 2015. I have since worked with international companies like WWE, Japanese companies like New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) , and television companies like Women of Wrestling (WOW). I have accumulated all these experiences to working as an independent contractor from producing to performing as a referee or wrestler. Read more>>
Suman Verma
My journey began with a simple observation — how much water we waste every single day without realizing it. Whether it’s tanks overflowing at home or inefficient water use in farms and industries, I saw a massive gap between awareness and action. Coming from a background in electronics and product design, I felt compelled to find a practical solution. Read more>>
Kristina Gabrielyan
I was one of those “gifted and talented” kids with an imaginary friend — which, in hindsight, probably just meant I had ADHD and a vivid inner world. While other kids were playing Neopets or The Sims, I was pirating Photoshop and architectural software from the early internet’s back alleys (IYKYK) and making “art” for hours on end. Read more>>
Takuya Sugiyama
I was born and raised in Japan I had always been interested in American movies and wanted to work in the film industry, but when I actually started working at a studio, I found it surprisingly boring. Read more>>
Elle Eliades
I grew up in Melbourne, Australia. My love for music started really young, for as long as I can remember I had dreams of being an artist. It started with singing, and over time, that naturally grew into learning piano and guitar, and eventually writing my own songs. Read more>>
~Pastor Deidre Campbell-Jones, PhD
My story is really one of searching for a place to belong. Growing up, I never completely fit into any group or club and always felt like an outsider, even with my two closest friends and ‘their’ friends. So, I put my entire focus on singing (and secretly, a writer). Read more>>
Brooklyn jai
I was always running a very popular food truck with my partner Ramon, called king Me Tacos, which became a hit in north hollywood with the neighborhood.. we unfortunately sold the truck only because we got super busy we touring, but I am now currently looking to get a new truck and brining the joy and good fried hardshell tacos back to North Hollywood! My whole career and existence is based off hard work, dedication, and still able to dream!! I still have a long way to go, but I also feel like the journey is an exciting and crazy ride! Read more>>
Griselda Valadez
My interest in skin started long ago, around my teen years. It eventually led to my passion and a genuine desire to help others achieve happy, healthy skin. Growing up, I personally struggled with troubled, acneic skin and a traumatic first facial experience. I would hide under makeup and was incredibly self-conscious about it. Read more>>
Rhonda Kap
My Story I’ve been an artist all my life. Both may parents loved to draw and paint. As a teenager and in to my twenties, all the after school and summer jobs were teaching art. One summer camp I worked at had a woman teaching metal sculpture. I asked her if she would teach me how to weld. Read more>>
Michelle Rozzen
My career started very young! It all started when I was a kid. My Dad used to ask me to massage his shoulders and paid me a dollar for every minute, and after 5 minutes I thought I was rich! When I was in high school and college I played water polo and I would massage my teammates. Read more>>
Mary Soracco
After burning out of a career in healthcare administration in 2013, I had plans to have a second child with my husband, and stay home for a few years. We ended up not being able to do so. Read more>>
Levy Lee Simon
I’m originally from Harlem USA, NYC. I’m a child of the 60s and 70s, when New York was NY and Harlem was, well Harlem, I feel blessed to have been born and raised there and at that time. I think I always had a calling to be an artist but wasn’t able to fully realize that until I attended college at Cheyney State in Pennsylvania. Read more>>
Haylie O’Hanlon
I took a circuitous route to get to where I am professionally – I started off getting my undergraduate degree from CSUN in Music Therapy, and worked for many years as a hospice Music Therapist in California, Utah, and Massachusetts. By chance, I ended up taking a training in Music Therapy Assisted Childbirth, and fell in love with all things birth. Read more>>
Elizabeth Francis
I was born and raised in Lawrence, Massachusetts, which is an immigrant city with lots of different cultures but is also an underserved community. My parents emigrated from Lebanon and created a life that very much reflected our Lebanese heritage. My home was one world and as soon as I stepped outside I was in another world. Read more>>
Sandra Cho
I started my career as a financial advisor at UBS Financial Services in 2003 in Troy, Michigan with ten other new advisors. After two years, I was one of only two new advisors left and could see the light at the end of the tunnel. I had started to establish myself as a successful financial advisor. Read more>>
Justine Romano
Justine Romano Unveiling Purpose: How I Turned Pain Into Beauty and Healing My journey began with a love for beauty and a deep desire to help others feel seen, safe, and beautiful not just on the outside but within. After losing my mom at a young age, I made a promise to live fully in my purpose, something she never had the chance to do. Read more>>
Sam London
From England to LA: How a Single Mom Built Three Companies Through a new wave of Performance Marketing A decade-long journey from event marketing to agency acquisition, and the hustle that made it all possible When I left England over a decade ago to move to the U.S. Read more>>
Xóchitl Nguyen
I started singing in Maria, an Oxnard dream-pop band created by Eric Bello, the mastermind behind Yay! Records, earlier this summer. Maria has been on a brief hiatus as we have shifted our focus from performing to recording our next album. During this lull, my dear friend Mikayla Mansir and I formed a girl band called Setsuna with our friend Emily Bradford. Read more>>
Seeta Narsai
I often say that Ayurvedic Medicine found me long before I found it. It runs through my bloodline, woven into generations of Indian women who healed with herbs, intuition, and love. My great-grandfather was an Ayurvedic doctor in India, and my great-grandmothers carried the wisdom of natural medicine through the kitchen — stirring healing into every spice blend and remedy. Read more>>
Matthew Taplinger
I started my career in photography in 1999 while on summer break from studying photojournalism at Ohio University. Interning at the alt-weekly magazine Real Detroit Weekly, some of my first assignments were shooting concerts happening around town – artists such as Hole, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Eminem, Pavement and Limp Bizkit, among others. Read more>>
Mckayla Fontanez
Originally born in Orlando, FL, I moved out to LA at 18 right after I graduated high school to pursue in acting. It was my old theatre teacher who sparked my curiosity for the industry as I honestly never really thought it was obtainable beforehand. Read more>>
Daniel Petersen
I grew up just outside Salt Lake City in a conservative community where mental health, emotions, and identity weren’t things people were allowed to talk about—especially for boys. On the surface, I looked like a “popular kid,” but underneath was a deep fear of not being good enough or being accepted for who I truly was. Read more>>
Chili Davidson
My comedy journey started very young. Born in Toronto, Canada and obsessed with 70s and 80s comedy, I knew making people laugh was my number 1 goal. I started doing improv and community theatre at around 9 years old. I also did my first standup comedy set in my 4th grade class. Read more>>
Lauren Logan
I’m 3rd generation in my business Juvenile Shop. My grandpa bought the original Juvenile Shop in 1963.That store closed during the riots. The valley location has been here since 1977.I told my mom I would work for her for the summer 1979 and I guess the rest is history. I never left. My mom is now 90 years old. Read more>>
Michael Mbakata Irene Wang
We started Molimo in 2020, as two people who really loved jewelry and wanted to express ourselves creatively while addressing the increasing need for sustainability and transparency in the industry. Read more>>
Catherine H. Fisher
I’ve always been a curious and imaginative person, even as a child. Growing up as an only child, I often created stories to entertain myself. Whether I was playing pretend with the neighbors, reading, or watching TV, storytelling was always a big part of my life. My mom raised me on her own, and there were times when I’d go to work with her. Read more>>
Natalie Alkoby
I started the paleo diet after my second son was born. I was overweight & knew I needed to do something about it so I researched different diets. The paleo diet stuck out to me the most because it was based on whole foods as well as natural sugars such as raw honey, pure maple syrup, & coconut sugar. Read more>>
Brady Dowad
I was an actor, to start. After graduating from drama school, I moved to NYC to chase auditions and juggle jobs. I got to work on some great projects; namely Read Dead Redemption 2 briefly, which was a dream, and Ivo van Hove’s View from the Bridge. Read more>>
Emelie Claxton
I am a genre-hopping writer and director based in Los Angeles. My love of filmmaking began at the end of a VHS tape. Read more>>
Steve Ustin
I’ve pretty much grown up in this business. I was around 7 or 10 years old when my mom would send me to work with my dad as a punishment — but the funny thing is, I loved it. Being at the bakery was never a chore for me; it was exciting. Read more>>
Monica Diprimeo
I have spent nearly 30 years working in the medical field as a medical assistant alongside some of the most incredible physicians and surgeons in the Los Angeles and the San Francisco area. Over the years, I had the privilege of working with both plastic surgeons and dermatologist, which gave me invaluable experience and insight into patient care and healing. Read more>>
Isaiah Frizzelle
Mental health has always been at the center of what I do. My degrees are in Psychology and Communications, so even when my path “shifted” — from acting to coaching, writing, and creating — I’ve always stayed in my lane. It’s always been about understanding people and helping them express and empower themselves. I started out as an actor, chasing a dream. Read more>>
Gabriela Pedraza
I grew up on the southern Texas border in Pharr, where the arts weren’t a common career path, but storytelling was everywhere — in our music, our culture, and our community. I fell in love with performing at eight years old through an after-school program called Destination Imagination, which led me to acting in school plays and competing in tournaments for both theater and dance. Read more>>
Melissa Balint
I’ve always been drawn to stories about people who don’t fit in and are trying to find their way through systems that aren’t built for them. Coming from the life of a neurodivergent multi-racial kid without many resources, I find them quite relatable. Stories are more than just a touchstone though, they are inspiration. Read more>>
Arpin Khostegyan
Coming to the United States at the age of eight, I shared a common immigrant experience, but my path took a unique turn when I was 15. Serendipity led me to a job at a dental office, a place that would shape my future in ways I never imagined. Read more>>
Veronica Yauri
My husband and I founded Hollywood Camera Sliders together, combining his innovative engineering talent with my operational leadership. He designs and develops our precision camera sliders, while I oversee the business side—rental operations, client relations, negotiations, and contracts. What started as a small family-run idea has grown into a trusted equipment partner for productions across film, TV, and commercials. Read more>>
DeEnna Holohan
I grew up in the Midwest, in an environment that taught me strength and independence early on, but also left me searching for a deeper sense of belonging. I learned how to adapt, how to push through, and how to find my own voice in spaces where it didn’t always fit. Read more>>
Cassy London
I’ve always been drawn to the arts, music especially. Growing up in Orange County, I was performing anywhere I could: talent shows, musical theatre, local fairs – you name it. I started studying classical voice at a young age, and over time, that foundation evolved into a deep passion for songwriting and creating something that truly felt like my own. Read more>>
Tia-Marie Ravi Jaspreet
I’m Tia-Marie Ravi Jaspreet — a vocalist, medicine musician, nonprofit CEO, sound healer, and single mama. Music has truly saved my life. As a Black and Native American woman from the Mattaponi Nation in Virginia, I grew up without deep access to the cultural lineages and ancestral wisdom that shaped my peoples. Read more>>
Quanie
If I had to describe my journey, I’d say it’s been about becoming — learning myself, unlearning what wasn’t mine to carry, and finding peace in who I am as a human being first, artist second. I started in front of the camera — acting, music, storytelling — and very early, I realized my purpose wasn’t just to perform, but to connect. To tell truth. Read more>>
Chris Hueftle
From the earliest age, I was always into music. In 1984 when I was 8, I saw Breakin in the theatres. I said to myself that’s what I want to do. I learned a lot of bboy moves by watching and danced all the time but as I grew older I got more into new jack swing dance and forgot a lot of bboy moves. Read more>>
Mike Baker
Mike Baker has been performing as an actor/musician for over 30 years. The recent acting slowdown(Covid then the SAG strike then just Hollywood slowing in general) led him to focus on songwriting again. Even with the slowdown he has worked a little recently as an actor. Read more>>
Bobbie Locke
My mother is an artist and roller skater of over 50 years. As a child, I would either be at her art studio until she finished teaching, or skating with her and my family at the local rollerskating rink. I have always had dreams of putting my drawing and rollerskating abilities to use, but I never knew how. Read more>>
Veronica Bane
Before the seed of my debut novel Difficult Girls was ever planted, I had always known I wanted to tell stories. From a young age, I was making up stories for anyone who showed even the slightest interest in hearing them. Read more>>
Linda Sue Price
I began working with neon in 2004 and started formal training in bending tubes in 2005 with Michael Flechtner at the Museum of Neon Art in Glendale.. My first neon exhibit was in 2009. Learning to bend is the hardest thing I have ever tried to do as I had not worked with my hands before. My background is in video production and computer graphics. Read more>>
Veronica Nichols
I’m a Director, multi-hyphenate storyteller and passionate creative based in Los Angeles, California. I’ve been a writer and a lover of words since I was a child in St. Louis, Missouri, scribing dramatic, emotional poetry sitting cross-legged under my parents’ dining room table and penning screenplays by hand in on loose leaf paper at recess. Read more>>
Lilly Travieso
My name is Lilly Travieso, and I am the Founder of the ELLA Sports Foundation. ‘ELLA’ is an acronym that stands for Empowering Leadership in Latina Athletes, and it also means ‘her’ in Spanish. My mother and I founded the organization due to the disparities present within my community for young female athletes. Read more>>
Cynthia Alsop
We didn’t start Las Casuelas Catering with money or investors. We started it with a dream and the will to survive. Two single moms who were simply done, done with layoffs, done being overlooked, and done building other people’s dreams. After years in corporate jobs where I was treated like a number, I knew I needed something of my own. Read more>>
Don Mehrabi
I did a six year combined college and medical program in Northeast Ohio. Then, I went to Emory / Grady Memorial Hospital for my internship and UT Southwestern Medical Center / Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas. Read more>>
Lizzie Horvitz
I’ve been in the sustainability space since I was 16, and fell in love with climate mitigation when I was lucky enough to live off the grid in the bahamas, surviving off of wind power, biodiesel-run trucks and solar panels. Read more>>
Ashton Alexandria
My story always sounds so “cliché”. I believe in some way we are born natural artists or creatives of some sorts, so storytelling and movement between worlds have always been a part of my life. I actually started in film not by accident, but by curiosity. Read more>>
MoodKraft Productions
Our Story — MoodKraft Productions MoodKraft Productions was founded by PunchBoi, cousin of SZA, and CDUPR3, two lifelong creators who grew up immersed in music, creativity, and storytelling. What began as a small, passion-driven studio has grown into a Dolby Atmos–certified production house, blending technical mastery with emotional depth to craft music and film experiences that move people. Read more>>
Claudia Koochek and Tricia Xavier
CLAUDIA KOOCHEK: My career advocating for students with learning differences (or LDs for short) spans almost forty years. It started when I was a teen volunteer for the Special Olympics in my native El Salvador. That’s what sparked my interest in serving kids with distinct learning styles, who I firmly believe have strengths and gifts that we have a responsibility to recognize and celebrate. Read more>>
Stephanie Allen
AirWorks Solutions began with a simple realization: homeowners deserve better. My husband Kevin was working as a technician for another company out of state when he started to notice how often customers were being overcharged or underserved. He takes deep pride in doing the job right, and it didn’t sit well with him. That moment sparked the idea for AirWorks. Read more>>
Robin Randolph
My journey really began with a deep love for storytelling and human connection. I started my career in media and production, working in fast-paced environments like ESPN, where I learned the power of timing, emotion, and visual communication. Over time, I realized that what drew me most to the camera wasn’t just capturing moments — it was preserving emotion, authenticity, and truth. Read more>>
Rosie Ortiz Liz Spano
Liz and I are Executives in Charge in the Entertainment Industry. We started together as Production Assistants over 20 years ago and have been climbing the ladder together ever since. We have worked on documentaries, docu-series, specials, games shows, reality tv, competition shows, music videos, commercials, and streaming platform shows. Over the years, we have traveled worldwide making lasting connections in the Entertainment Industry. Read more>>
Laura Tabanyi
I’d like to start by thanking VoyageLA for sharing my story! My journey into events began when I was 15, spending weekends entertaining kids and seeing firsthand how much joy a celebration can create. A few years later, I took that passion and teamed up with my mom to co-found our first business, Sweet and Social Kids Entertainment. Read more>>
Annie Taranto
He led a very tough life in the Brooklyn, New York. One of his first jobs was working for a bookie. He was the guy that collected the money but through the years he became a man that went to church regularly without running around bragging he was a Christian. He just quietly, believed in the Lord and lived his life much as a caring, decent man. Everyone loved my father. Took me to church every week and taught me to be a n empathetic woman. But that background did not help me in the ways you would think. Read more>>
Kelle Evans
I’ve always believed there are many paths to healing. Over the past two decades, I’ve explored countless modalities that bring comfort, balance, and transformation. My journey began when my corporate job announced a relocation to Texas — a fork-in-the-road moment that changed everything. I loved my work, but I chose a new direction: the healing arts. Read more>>
Anna Cooper
When I finally decided to pursue acting seriously, it wasn’t because everything was perfect. I just leaned into embracing action over perfection. Being where my feet are. Since then, I’ve been focused on building my craft, telling stories that move people, and creating a career that feels both meaningful and sustainable. Now, I’m in this phase of redefining what thriving looks like. I’m developing short film concepts that blend drama and dark humor. I’m super excited to continue building a creative life rooted in authenticity, joy, and purpose. Read more>>
Krishane Lee
I had been working on sets in various capacities for t.v. shows and films in the area. One of those jobs being tons of extra work on “One Tree Hill” which connected me with some actors who later became my clients. I had reached out to the management company of an actor/rapper that I was a fan of via Myspace (Aubrey Graham), before he really took off and landed a job as the Assistant to the Owner and Drake’s manager Terral Slack aka “T. Slack”. That influential time in my life and career holds a special place in my heart. Read more>>
Frances Kiradjian
That realization became the spark for founding the **Boutique & Luxury Lodging Association (BLLA)** over 16 years ago. At the time, “boutique” wasn’t even a common term in hospitality, but I saw its potential to redefine travel through creativity, authenticity, and personal connection. I wanted to give a voice and platform to the independent hotel owners, visionaries, and entrepreneurs who were shaping culture through their properties and businesses. Read more>>
