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.
Roberto G Paschoal Neto
Hello Roberto G PASCHOAL, we are very excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story? My name is Roberto, I’m 34 years old and I’m married to an extraordinary woman, Graziele. Together, we have the privilege of raising our two amazing daughters, Emily, 14, and Liz, just 2. Our journey began in São Paulo, Brazil, but five years ago we decided to take a leap of faith and start anew in South Carolina, USA. Read More>>
Ronii Bartles
Then in 2016 on my 39th birthday, I found myself in the hospital for 2 weeks with a ruptured appendix. Up to that point, I had done all the things I was supposed to do and was “highly successful” because I was so busy. But with one trip to Urgent Care for “food poisoning” I had to cancel everything in my life. I did nothing but lay in a hospital bed for 2 weeks watching Fixer Upper on HGTV. But I made as much money that month as I did the month before working my butt off. Honestly, all I had really accomplished was creating busy work for myself. Read More>>
Joanne Taylor
Life changes when you have children. That moment you realize that you are responsible for another human being’s survival, well that’s intense. With Freddie’s diagnosis of cancer there was no way for me to fix it. It’s an utterly helpless feeling that forces you to let go of any sense of control as a parent. I couldn’t make him better with just my mom magic. Read More>>
Carolyn Arellano
Within the first year, I scaled my house cleaning company to multiple six figures, building a stable and successful business. About a year ago, I transitioned into full-time coaching and mentoring, stepping back from the hands-on work in my cleaning business. My primary focus now is to inspire and support others who feel unmotivated or uncertain about starting their own business. Today, I am a full-time creator, speaker, coach, and proud mother of two. My mission is to help others realize their potential and achieve success. Read More>>
Chanda Nash
My name is Chanda Nash, a 25-year-old entrepreneur and proud mother of one. Since 2022, I have proudly served as the founder of ItGirls864, a platform that evolved into the ItGirls: The Carolinas. My journey has been deeply rooted in empowering young women, igniting their passions, and guiding them towards fulfillment. With a continuing 18 years in the entertainment industry, starting from my early days performing at the Spartanburg Auditorium to owning my very own dance studio of 7 years, teaching and mentoring over 70+ young women, ‘The Sparkle Dance Factory’. Read More>>
Jenna Lachenman
I’ve led the global strategy, marketing, and sales motions for multiple B2B and B2C, public and private firms, serving as a brand ambassador and sales strategist for solutions across retail, travel & hospitality, media, and logistics. In addition to that, I’ve always harbored a passion for small businesses and communities. That has led me to entrepreneurship and owning and growing multiple small businesses over the years. Read More>>
Staver Gray
There are often times when we have a client who has a vastly different vision for the project going into it than we do. To be honest, those projects always turn out with an incredibly amazing result. I truly believe collaborations produce the best design. Internally, Christie and I both touch every project and bounce ideas off each other. Read More>>
Jameelah Muhammad
Im an urban streetwear clothing line owner of PASE. But also a designer. I specialize in doing many prom dresses. Some might know me from music, but I won’t get into that lol. If people don’t know my name, they know my fashion. Some may say I “dumb it down” by going the urban wear route, but I too need those comfy fly clothes so why not be the creator? Read More>>
Arischa Conner Frierson
A few years into my acting journey, I met my incredible manager, Natarsha Garcia of AGI Entertainment at an industry bootcamp. She introduced me to my agent, Joy and Jayme Pervis at JPervis Talent in Atlanta and my LA manager, Nick Roses at Artist Collective Entertainment. I love my team! They have put me in position for some amazing opportunities and I can’t wait to see what the future holds! Read More>>
Candice Watkins
My advocacy for life and supplemental health insurance developed after one of my clients ran into road block after road block trying to secure life insurance. I went to work! Researching different carriers, etc. I set out to study and applied for my insurance license. I got appointed and helped her by finding a life insurance policy that fit her budget. I absolutely LOVE what I do. The gift of helping others in some shape, form or fashion is inside us all. Read More>>
Kia Keeney
My journey hasnt always been a smooth road. Balancing the roles of a mother and entrepreneur has been a delicate dance—there were moments of self-doubt and times when finding my audience felt like searching for a needle in a haystack. But it’s those very bumps and challenges that have shaped who I am today. Read More>>
Grace Woodard
The praise I received from family member’s for the photos I would take gave me the nudge to dive a bit deeper into the craft. In both high school and college I spent time taking film photography courses, learning the history of photo, how a camera works, and learning the art of 35mm film. My heartbeat & approach to my current photography style can largely be attributed to this foundation of learning film photography and spending hours in a darkroom in my teenage years. Read More>>
Kimberly Butler Willis
In June 2018, GOODSTOCK Consulting was incorporated as an equity-centered organizational development firm specializing in strategic planning, project management, training and facilitation, and community engagement. Our primary mission is to change how organizations interact with and in marginalized communities. Every challenge has strengths. It’s our job to help our clients find them and leverage them strategically for mutually beneficial growth of the organization, its staff, and its consumers. Read More>>
Letasha Robinson-coleman
I grew up in foster care, and I believe that my imagination helped me rise above the difficult realities of my life. I frequently sought refuge outdoors or in shadowy corners where my creativity could thrive. This journey sparked a profound passion and love for the written word. My fascination with books naturally blossomed into writing my narratives. I felt a sense of freedom from the moment I picked up a pen. Read More>>
Aastha Bhaiyya
Thankfully, I had a lot of extra time on my hands and decided to use that to my advantage. I read up and learnt a lot about anything food media related, and eventually started loving that aspect of the food world as well. After a while of posting, a couple of companies reached out to me and started talking about collaborations and work opportunities. And before I knew it, the period of Covid had passed, and I had ended up working with more than 20 companies! Read More>>
Jessica Richardson
Growing up, I watched my mother work with young children as a Speech Language Pathologist in the public schools. My father owned and operated Dewhit Inc.,a chemical and janitorial supply company. As a result of my parent’s influence, I knew at a young age I wanted to work with children as well as have a business of my own. Read More>>
Chely Santos
Later in 2017 we decided to open a I.S Construction. It was a bit intimidating and we were very afraid, since we did not know many of the administrative things that a business entailed, by hen I got a job as a administrative assistant in a school in Maudlin SC so I was making a bit more money and I felt scare, but confident to keep supporting his vision. In 2020, in the middle of the pandemic, I decided to leave my job and help him with the administrative side. I call it “a God moment” because even though it was a very scary time, for what was happening, I knew it was the perfect time for us to work together as a team and grow our family business. Read More>>
Danielle Sweatman
I noticed a lot of my friends weren’t calling me to hang out any more and date night turned into takeout at home a lot of the time. I really felt like there needed to be more inclusive third places for people to enjoy. When we opened Sweatman’s Garden at face value it was a space to showcase our products but on a deeper level it is a truly inclusive cocktail lounge. We worked really hard for the opportunity to create this space and have really found a niche that doesn’t fit into any boxes of what a cocktail bar looks like. Read More>>
Tena Lampkin
I got started with phlebotomy by developing an interest in healthcare and wanting to work directly with patients. After completing my phlebotomy training, I gain experience in various settings, such as hospitals and outpatient clinics, patient service centers and American Red Cross. That gave me the confidence and skills that I needed to start my own mobile phlebotomy business. This allowed me to offer convenient, on- location blood draw services for clients who need flexibility or have difficulties visiting the labs. Read More>>
Allison And Bradlee Levan
Curated Thyme garnered its beginning a long time ago before private chef was ever a thought, it began with one simple question. Why are people suffering so much from food, the presumed sustenance of our physical existence? After both graduating from the Culinary Institute of America, we traveled the East coast, cooking in a wide range of settings. These included various fine dining and farm to table restaurants as well as premier wedding venues outside of NYC and the Three Michelin starred Inn at Little Washington, tucked into the foot hills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Read More>>
Shawn Mohammed
Despite the thousands of miles separating him from his brother and soon-to-be sister-in-law, he was able to successfully coordinate and plan every last detail of their big day. Shawn left a lasting impression on not only the bride and groom, but also on the hundreds of guests who attended the wedding Read More>>
Jeff Gilder
For the televised finals we paired the able-bodied winner against the adaptive winner. We were bombarded with interest and formed the Amateur Long Drive (which later became Ultimate Long Drive) series as the result. We’ve grown since then to hosting over 200 events annually around the world via sanctioned international qualifiers, leagues, the North American Tour, and the annual ULD World Championship. We’re an inclusive series with age divisions from 7U to 85+, amateurs, professionals, adaptive, military, and first responders. Read More>>
Alicia Silva Flores
I’m originally from Chicago, IL and have a strong connection to my Mexican heritage, with a background in the arts and cultural tourism. When I moved to Charleston, SC, in 2018, I felt inspired to start a flower farm that would focus on the importance of nurturing both nature and our community. Although I had no experience growing anything from seed, I dedicated myself to learning about the local climate and the specific needs of my community. Read More>>
Queen-ella Pringle Mft, Cfle, Cftp, Lpca, Pmh
One of my earliest memories of stepping into this role was on the day of 9/11. I was in high school in New York City, heading to my homeroom class when I noticed people crying in the stairwell. One girl was completely inconsolable. I stopped to talk to her, and she confided in me that her parents worked in the Twin Towers, and she was terrified for their lives. At the time, I didn’t fully grasp the gravity of the situation, but I sat with her, holding her as she cried, offering her comfort in a moment when her world seemed to fall apart. That was the first time I realized the power of simply holding space for someone. Read More>>
Tashi Marshall
My mom was the first person I saw practicing yoga. She used to practice at home from a book, the name of it escapes me right now, but yeah she was a total yogini before it was trendy to be one. I remember being at awe watching her spend minutes in headstands on the living room carpet, being really methodical and intentional getting into them and coming out. She’s always been my hero but seeing that side of her clearly made an impact. Read More>>
Paige Irene Bruns
Looking back, I think I always knew that I wanted to do something in entertainment. I grew up in West Michigan where I was surrounded by art and storytelling from an early age. I was really involved in local theater programs and productions which I attribute a lot of my passions to today. When I was three, I discovered The Wizard of Oz and instantly became mesmerized. I was completely enthralled by the world the filmmakers had created. So much so that I would run around the house convinced that I was Dorothy, refusing to respond to my own name. I guess that should have been my first clue at the direction life would take me in. Read More>>
Amanda Phagan
I knew that my mom had an old sewing machine that she didn’t use anymore—the same one she used to sew my baby clothes, my favorite childhood stuffed animal, and even quilts. She had always wanted to teach me how to sew, and I finally wanted to learn. My husband and I visited her one weekend and she taught me everything I needed to know to make my very own dog bandanas. She even surprised me by “lending” me her old favorite sewing machine. I practiced stitching all weekend, thrilled that my mom and I could bond over something creative that we both loved. We joke now that she knew she wasn’t getting that sewing machine back. Read More>>
Rebecca West-Remmey
Needless to say, we clearly thoroughly enjoyed it because we have now been full-time and quit our careers in 2016 to pursue our Devour Media dreams- and we now Have an office here in New York City as well as a full time team! We have had a lot of awesome experiences in the last 12 years of doing this full-time- We have had the privilege of covering major cities like Chicago and Denver and we currently cover Restaurants on a full-time basis in the the tri-state area as well as Charleston! Read More>>
Angie Moore
After 10 years working in healthcare, my love of photography drew me in. Once I decided that I needed to be a full-time child photographer I dived into photography education. I have learned from the best and have attended well over 25 workshops, either in person or online. I spent many years as a newborn photographer; creating beautiful set ups and handling the babies just came naturally to me. My clients called me a Baby Whisperer! I worked as a photogtapher for 8 years in New York before my husband retired from the FDNY. We just relocated a year ago to our forever home in Charleston, SC. We could not be happier. Read More>>
Faith Bergman
Now, a few years later, I work one-on-one and in event settings to help other individuals also find what lights them up and become the most authentic version of themselves. Life is too short to live on the terms of others and by tweaking our habits, getting ourselves in a new groove and finding what works for us, we can stop feeling like we are just “going through the motions” and really come back to ourselves. Read More>>
