INSPIRING

Pamela Won

Before establishing PJW Speech and Language Therapy, Inc., I worked as a full time speech language pathologist in a public school. I also previously worked in hospitals and skilled nursing facilities. Read more>>

Katrina Ford

My journey into the beauty and wellness industry wasn’t exactly a straight line, but looking back, I can see how every chapter brought me here. Before becoming an esthetician, I spent years working in the fashion and retail industry, including management at Nordstrom. Read more>>

Eloiza Marlow

I’ve always been someone who loves to move. I’m an ultramarathoner, so endurance and showing up for the hard miles are pretty much how I’m wired. That love of fitness turned into a career early on. I helped scale Orangetheory Fitness, then served executive leadership roles at health, wellness, fitness, and sports companies. Read more>>

tstreetzoomusic@gmail.com Annaloro

I was born in Los Angeles but grew up in Oregon, where I attended middle school, high school, and college. Music was always a big part of my life, and during high-school and college, I played in a band called Peace & Turbulence. Read more>>

Christian Lomeli

A volcano project, a bus full of camcorders, and Apple laptops loaded with iMovie: that was the spark that made me passionate about video production in third grade. I’m still grateful to the teacher who brought the All the Arts for All the Kids Foundation into his classroom. Read more>>

Richard Favela

As far back as I can remember, music has always been a part of who I am. My journey began when I was just two years old, when my dad bought me my very first vinyl record: Thriller by Michael Jackson. According to my parents, I would listen to it and sing along all day long. Read more>>

Rachel Mireles

I recently took a trip to the Philippines in February of 2026. The trip sparked a cultural awakening and I had a strong desire to connect more with my cultural roots. I realized that my parents were getting older and once they pass, i will be a lot less connected. Read more>>

Emily Kolozsvari

I actually started my career in fashion! I went to FIDM in Los Angeles and spent about seven years pursuing fashion design and product development, graduating with my AA in 2016. In 2017, I got my brows microbladed, and that appointment sparked an interest in permanent makeup that quickly grew into something much bigger. Read more>>

Sulema Fernandez- Honn

My journey has always been rooted in creativity, culture, and a love for art. Before founding AMORFIRST, I spent many years in the beauty industry, working with brands such as Elizabeth Arden, Stila, Becca, and Cover FX. Read more>>

Jason Perez

I’m a proud first-generation Mexican American and the son of two hardworking immigrants who sacrificed so much to give my brother and me a better future. Growing up, education and soccer were my life. Read more>>

Mason Picerni

My journey in music began with the inspiration of my grandfather, Junior Walker of Junior Walker & the All Stars. His legacy played a major role in shaping my passion for music and motivated me to pursue my own path in the industry. Read more>>

Lisa Yoshida

I started my violin journey through classical music, and now my work crosses many genres and art practices. In my undergraduate studies, I told myself that I want to play music not just from the page but also from my heart. Read more>>

Moses Lopez

It’s 2022 at a Blackpink concert in Los Angeles that I first noticed social media marketing in action. iPhones, DSLR and mirror less cameras etc. being wielded by staff wearing touring merchandise and plastic lanyards that read ‘Artist.’ Their eyes were focused on capturing every detail and they knew exactly when to record whether it be a quick video or prolonged shot. Read more>>

Melanie Tongoc

I started photography more than a decade ago with a passion for photography but no clear direction on where to take it. I remember immersing myself every night with YouTube tutorials on how to use my camera, how to pose models, how to harness natural light, how to edit photos. It was such an obsessive curiosity to me and something I really became passionate about. Read more>>

Heesun Choi

My journey has always been guided by a deep devotion to music and its ability to connect communities across boundaries. I began my training in South Korea at Yewon School, Seoul Arts High School, and Seoul National University, before moving to Germany to complete my Diplom and Konzertexamen at the Robert Schumann Hochschule Düsseldorf and Folkwang University of the Arts in Essen with top honors. Read more>>

Ashley Oropeza

My love for the beauty industry started back in high school. I actually did my senior project on becoming a hairstylist and owning my own salon. I remember getting my hair done at a beautiful salon in Newport Beach and thinking how amazing it would be to own a two-story salon someday. It’s crazy to think that years later, I actually made that dream happen! Read more>>

Gabriel “VOTH” Acosta

Growing up, I endured a lot of trauma. I used to think the world was out to get me. I didn’t think I would make it to 18, but then I did and I wasn’t prepared. I knew I wanted to practice medicine but I also wanted to be a writer. Read more>>

Jonathan Moore

My journey has always been driven by a passion for fitness, business, and entrepreneurship. What started as a personal interest in fitness and a desire to build something of my own eventually grew into GymSciencx. I’ve always believed fitness is about more than just physical appearance. It’s about building confidence, improving your health, and developing the discipline to become the best version of yourself. Read more>>

Jericho Ventura

I was always surrounded by music because of my older brother. It always gave me an understanding of my own feelings when I wasn’t able to put it into words. I started to get into music production when I was 18. Read more>>

Michelle Le

Hi! I’m Michelle, and I grew up in a close-knit Vietnamese American family with my brother, sister, and parents, who immigrated to the U.S. from Vietnam. From a young age, I’ve always found joy in helping others and bringing people together. Some of my earliest memories are volunteering at local food banks and going on mission trips with my sister. Read more>>

Tifini Hartman

My journey in the beauty industry actually started with makeup! Nearly 20 years ago, I began working as a makeup artist, spending time in salons and traveling for weddings. I loved the creativity of it and helping women look and feel beautiful. I remember wanting to take certain advanced makeup classes but being turned away because I didn’t have a professional license. Read more>>

David Abrams

My name is David Abrams. Growing up, I was obsessed with superheroes, movies, comic books, and geek culture. I started writing film reviews on my social media back in 2013 and have recently been attending press screenings for major Hollywood blockbusters such as Spider-Man: Brand New Day and The Odyssey. Read more>>

Jessica Le

My background is in R&D Chemistry, and I worked in many industries including Aerospace, Food Science and Food Labeling, Regulatory Science, Cosmetic Chemistry, and Pharmaceuticals. During the pandemic, like most people, I did some self-reflection and thought about what I wanted to do with my life. Read more>>

Natalia Ghilascu

My journey has been one of reinvention, curiosity, and the courage to pursue a vision before I had all the answers. I began my professional career in Moldova as a journalist, where I discovered that the most meaningful part of my work was connecting with people and telling stories that deserved to be heard. Read more>>

teresa Pensel

Since I was very young, I have been creating with my hands. My grandmother taught me how to knit and sew, and I spent my childhood afternoons surrounded by wool and fabric scraps in her living room. Art was deeply rooted in my family—cinema, theater, and fine art exhibitions were a constant backdrop to my upbringing. Read more>>

Jordan Piantedosi

I’ve been working as a fashion designer full time for six years, I draw all my own prints myself! Read more>>

atlantisbuild@gmail.com Allah

When I consider where I am today and how I started it always goes back to my family. My parents set me on a developmental trajectory that was rooted in cultural competence, socioeconomic justice, and community engagement. Read more>>

Taryn Krekeler

The story behind one of Perris, California’s most unique event venues. Rock & Tree began with a simple dream: to create a place where music, nature, creativity, and community could come together. Founded by husband-and-wife duo Taryn and Anson Krekeler, Rock & Tree is more than an event venue. It’s a passion project, a family story, and a constantly evolving labor of love. Read more>>

Jacob Krieger

My first serious experience with creating art was in college. I always had this love of tea and I always enjoyed tea-ware, but there was very little I was able to consider about handmade pots until it was taught to me. Read more>>

Samantha Koury

Rewind to 2018 my boyfriend (at the time) and I rescued our first dog together and decided we wanted to take some holiday photos as a family – so I found a girl on Instagram and after the most fun hour with her I thought how cool it was that she just got paid to take memories we’ll cherish forever. Read more>>

Laura Siré

I’ve been drawing freckles on my face since I was 18, and they’ve always been something I loved. When I was 27, I decided to get my own freckles tattooed by an amazing freckles tattoo artist (guiltyfreckles), and that’s when I discovered that freckles tattooing was actually a profession. I never imagined that something I had been doing for years could eventually become my career. Read more>>

Marta Muñoz Bachiller

My journey as a tattoo artist began in Seville, where I turned my passion for art into a profession and took the leap of opening my own studio. Since then, tattooing has become a form of self-expression and a way to discover the world. Read more>>

Ozzy Alice

Started producing in middle school and kept going through high school, started releasing music after I graduated. I was nervous so I waited until then to put myself out there. Read more>>

John Pinnacle Jones-Gailes

I fell in love with becoming a dj in middle school when my father would work security at the Bergenfield skating rink and I wasn’t a good skater but music has always spoke to my spirit. All of the popular DJs at the time would work there and I was casually walk over to the booth and study them. Read more>>

Peri Martins

I started singing as early as I can remember, but when I was 5, Hannah Montana came out and I was in awe and knew that music is what I wanted to do. Since then I have been performing and writing songs. As I graduated high school, I knew there was only one school I wanted to go to. That was Berklee College of Music. Read more>>

Duvall O’Steen

I am one of those multi-hyphenates! A professional actor and freelance fine jewelry publicist, I often feel like the plate spinner in the circus, running between deadlines, clients, journalists, auditions, and more. I grew up in Texas and have been acting since junior high school. Read more>>

Heidi Gates

We created a tiny clothing company focused on graphic tees and tanks in South Pasadena California in 2004. We created a Chinese zodiac-inspired collection on American Apparel tees and tanks, which we sold to local boutiques and, surprisingly, Fred Segal Santa Monica. We decided to focus on colorful, vintage-inspired artwork mostly inspired by the 60s and 70s. I actually design all of the artwork myself. Read more>>

Dr. Marquisha Frost

My story is one of resilience, faith, purpose, and an unwavering belief in the power of people to transform their lives and communities. I often say that I am many things, but at the heart of it all, I am a woman who believes deeply in the humanity of others and the possibility of becoming. Read more>>

Lisa Jagodzinski

I began working in a salon at the age of 15 and quickly discovered that hairstyling was my calling. Through years of training and experience throughout New York and Connecticut, I continued to grow my craft, eventually opening my own salon after 15 years in the industry. Read more>>

Alexandria Carter

Alexandria is an Honors graduate of University of Memphis, 500HR comprehensive Pilates instructor, and proud Memphis native. Her lifelong passion for movement began through sports like tennis, cheerleading, and track. She has years of experience teaching yoga where she is 200HR certified and was eager to deepen her connection to mindful movement through Pilates. Read more>>

Lissie Yimiao Z. Smith

Your Next Opportunity Might Start With a Photograph What makes an artist’s portfolio stand out when a grant or residency committee is reviewing dozens of applications? What kind of visual direction helps a gallery’s social media presence attract not just more views, but genuine collector interest? Read more>>

Leah Abdenour

I’m Leah Estella Abdenour, a business owner, mother, experience creator, and magick maker. My creativity is so deeply inspired by the creativity of others. I absolutely love supporting it. I’m an experience creator for public, private, and corporate wellness with hints of magick (yes, with a K). I create retreats, rituals, spells, ceremonies, meditations, and workshops to ignite the spark of creativity in others. Read more>>

Alison Levinson

When I was a young girl in elementary school, I struggled with confidence and finding my voice. I was a hard worker, but I was afraid to speak up in school, had a hard time making new friends, and certainly didn’t consider myself athletic. In middle school, I came across a 30-day challenge in a teen magazine to work up to running a mile. Read more>>

Cooper Gillespie

Greg and I met bartending in Hollywood and started playing music together. Our musical project has had many incarnations over the years, but about 10 years ago, we moved to Landers, California, a tiny town near Joshua Tree. We wanted a change of pace from Hollywood, and boy did we get it. I’d been searching for a good band name for years. Read more>>

Nieve Malandra

Music and entertainment have always been a huge part of my life. I’m a professional vocalist and the founder of Malandra Talent, a Las Vegas-based entertainment agency specializing in live music, specialty performers, and creating memorable experiences for private events, luxury venues, and special occasions. Read more>>