Local Highlighter Series

We are so thrilled to be able to connect with some of the brightest and most inspiring entrepreneurs and creatives from across the city and beyond and this series in particular gives us the honor of introducing these folks to you in a unique way – we go beyond the story of how they got to where they are today by asking them to reflect on a variety of deeper questions that we hope will help you better connect with them, their stories and their brands. Ultimately, our hope is that more of us will spend more of our money with independent artists, creatives and small businesses and we think getting to know one another at a deeper level is step one.

Brian Lee

What’s often misunderstood is the belief that dogs are the ones that need to be trained. In truth, the work begins with the human. Teaching a dog commands, sit and stay for dog treats does not address the deeper causes of behavior challenges. Lasting change comes from slowing down, listening, and meeting a dog’s fundamental needs. Read more>>

Mandy Fard

What’s most misunderstood about my business is the idea that resume writing and LinkedIn profile optimization are primarily about formatting, keywords, or “beating the ATS.” Those things matter, but they’re not the work. The real work is strategy; clarifying someone’s value, translating years of experience into a compelling narrative, and positioning them for the roles they actually want next. Read more>>

Alejandro Daniel Pina

Couples that want to go experience a couples counseling therapy session at an office have a few misconceptions. It’s important to build a therapeutic relationship with your individual therapist, but couples therapy doesn’t exist to build a relationship with your therapist, it exists to strengthen an intimate relationship with your partner. Read more>>

Deja Kreutzberg

Many people assume photography should be inexpensive simply because digital cameras exist. But portrait photography is about so much more than pressing a button. Behind every session is a small business, often run by a single person, wearing the roles of photographer, editor, marketer, accountant, client coordinator, website designer, and creative director. Read more>>

Elise Taormina

Swimwear is notoriously known for being on the more expensive side. We feel that swimwear pricing is commonly misunderstood. Visually, it’s such a small piece of fabric. To the outside eye, it seems that it should cost a lot less. Once we really get deep into production and manufacturing, we understood more about the cost that goes into it. Read more>>

Dina Braverman

Unfortunately, I don’t think most people understand the breadth and scope of the Professional Organizing Industry. I love when I get the opportunity to educate people about the various specialties that encompass the Professional Organizing Industry. Read more>>

Raphaele Cohen-Bacry

I am often told that I am so lucky to have a passion, that it must be so relaxing and fun. But in reality for me it is more like a way of life, a way of being in the world and not really a choice. Read more>>

Lindsay Morgan Snyder

Honestly? My day is a mix of ‘Divine Assignment’ and ‘Neighborhood Athlete.’ It always starts with coffee and God. I sit down and basically ask, ‘Okay, what’s the move today?’ because if He’s not in the blueprints, I’m not building it. Once I have my marching orders, I head to the local YMCA. Read more>>

Raven Rayanna

I currently live abroad in Southeast Asia. I’m in Bangkok at the moment, but I’ll be moving to Bali in two weeks. A typical day for me starts with my daily devotional, followed by coaching my students. I usually head to the gym afterward, then spend the rest of my day working by the pool or at the beach. Read more>>

Vicky Keisler

The relationship that most shaped how I see myself is the one I’ve built with my clients over the years. Working so closely with people through their skin journeys — often during vulnerable moments tied to confidence, health, and self-image — taught me patience, accountability, and the importance of trust. Read more>>

Jah Bruja

The relationship that most shaped how I see myself is the one I built with myself. Learning how to set firm boundaries, speak my truth radically, center my needs, and say no without guilt drastically changed my life. I took two years to step back and deeply examine who I was, what I wanted, and who I was becoming. Read more>>

LeRoyal Tutt

Talk about a motivational insight to articulate. Peace and perspective. At the time of my Jesus year, 33, I started to value the importance of peace. Realizing that peace is so important as a foundation to maintain a healthy mindset. Read more>>

Viktoriya Adamovskaya

There are a few truths that are so foundational in my life that I rarely articulate them — I simply live by them. One of them is that quality always matters more than speed. I’m drawn to a slower, more intentional path where there is attention to detail, meaning, and presence, rather than quick results without depth. I believe that anything truly meaningful takes time. Read more>>

Kendall C. Stark

The first time I felt truly undeniably human, I was in a home depot with my father. I was seven years old, and I had my first autonomous thought. I looked upon the people, pushing their carts filled with ply wood and brackets, and I felt so angry. Why was I given this body to puppet, I wondered. Read more>>

Brendan Peleo-Lazar

“Powerful” might be a strong word, but I’ll never forget the night of July 2, 2003, when my brother Chris took me to see The White Stripes at the Aragon Theatre in Chicago. That show changed everything for me. I walked out of that venue feeling like I suddenly had the power and confidence to make music full time. Read more>>

Andi Gibson

I remember vividly when I could make people laugh. It was my 2nd birthday at a park and it was time to bring out the cake. We had picnic blankets set up on the grass and when my mom put the cake on the blanket I made the clear decision in my 2 year old mind to sit in the cake! Read more>>

Ting-Li Tsai

When my film was selected by one of Taiwan’s renowned student film festivals, I was thrilled to finally have the opportunity to showcase my work to a broader audience. Walking up to the stage after the screening was a truly special moment; it felt like my hard work was finally being recognized and that my stories mattered. Read more>>

Britt Samuels

I used to believe that giving everyone the benefit of the doubt was always the right thing to do. I thought patience and understanding would naturally be met with the same in return. Now I see that belief was a bit naïve. While empathy matters, trust has to be earned. Giving too much grace to the wrong people can cost you time, energy, and clarity. Read more>>

Laura Massino Smith

Preservation of historic architecture in cities. Large cities tend to value the ‘new’, but preserving the past is important too. Read more>>

Alex Lazaris

As a lifelong athlete, I quickly learned about failure. Training from childhood to university as a soccer goalkeeper, becoming a professional downhill skateboard racer, and an amateur motorcycle and car racer, I learned to view failure as data, not a blocker. In all these sports one mistake is visible, costly, and often decisive. You don’t get to hide it. Read more>>

Suad Cano

I have learned that one must remain flexible and adapt if you wish to be successful over the long term. After moving into our space and building a reputation for having some of the industry’s best vessels for both the interior and exterior, we recognized that bringing plants and life into this space was a necessary next step. Read more>>

Dima Drapikovsky

We used to believe that building a creative business as a couple in a new country was too risky. We feared losing stability, blurring personal and professional lines, or not being ready enough. But over time, we changed our minds. We realized that our shared values, complementary skills, and mutual trust were not weaknesses. They were our biggest strengths. Read more>>

Ciara Freeman

The last time I changed my mind about something important was when I decided to pursue my doctorate in public health. I had been focused on my career and wasn’t sure going back to school was the right move, but I realized it would let me combine my passion for helping others with research and creating real impact. Read more>>

Jennifer Jonassen

I always feel the most joyful when I am dancing. As the Vicki Baum has said: ‘There are shortcuts to happiness, and dancing is one of them’ -Vicki Baum Recently I read a study that said that dancing was the number one physical activity when it comes to fighting depression. I believe that must be true. I know it remains true for me. Read more>>

Alexandra Benaim

Such an interesting question….I truly find joy in regimen. Waking up early, jumping on my trampoline, listening to my inspiring audios everyday, yoga, calling boutiques. That is actually what brings me joy. Things that make me feel I am bettering myself everyday. So I guess I feel true joy everyday. Read more>>

Paul Owens

I’m blessed to feel true Joy at least once every day. I recently celebrated my 50 year anniversary as a professional dog trainer and every time I say hello to my dog Lulu or greet a new client’s dog I can’t help but smile. It’s been and remains a true Joy to live a life with dogs. Read more>>

Kabir McNeely

It was a late night on the set of my latest film Fallaway. We were filming a New Year’s Eve countdown on a rooftop. It was already mid-January, but we were still counting down from 10-1, probably making everyone driving by think we were insane. Read more>>

Sasha Bogosian

Yes, definitely. There were times when I felt scared or sad, especially during hospital stays. Art therapy at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles really helped me through things like week-long sleep studies and surgery recoveries. Painting gave me something to focus on and helped me forget about the discomfort, pain, and how scary being in a hospital can feel. Read more>>

Ian Galloway

Magic definitely helped me when I was a kid to relieve sadness, anxiety, and moments when I may have felt scared in certain situations. I was a socially awkward kid afraid of approaching groups of people. Magic gave me the confidence to approach a group and show them tricks to get accepted into the group. Read more>>

Roxxy Haze

What helped me was TV and books. I grew up in a single parent home. My father worked a lot and my mother was never around and I would go months without seeing her. We were left home a lot so I always looked to TV and movies and found solace in those characters. In my head I would pretend to be brave. Read more>>

Brandon Wollner

Everyone I can. There’s always new information, new tech, a different perspective– you have to approach every day as a potential learning experience. If you’re always learning something new, you’re always growing. Everyone has something to share, be it clients, peers, my crew. Whether it be a good or bad experience, it’s always educational. Read more>>

Nadia Zueva

I rely most on the ideas of people who think in systems and feedback loops, especially builders who learn directly from reality. This approach is also deeply shaped by my co-founder, Andrei Rychkov, who is very data-driven and rigorous in how he thinks about decisions. He constantly pushes us to validate assumptions with evidence, not intuition! Read more>>