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.
Marjorie (Marjy Marj) Boafo Appiah
My journey has been filled with incredible support, but it hasn’t been without its challenges. Along the way, I’ve faced stereotypes and biases, both personally and professionally, as I worked to establish my career. There have been moments where I was overlooked, underestimated, or even outright disrespected. However, with the guidance of mentors, the unwavering support of my family, and the wisdom found in some great books, I’ve learned to navigate rejection and setbacks. Above all, my faith, church family, and community have played an instrumental role in my growth and resilience. Read more>>
Tonya Tittle
I’ve been an athlete since age 14 — running cross-country and track through high school and college. Running was more than competition; it was stress relief, focus, and the spark for my lifelong passion for health. Around the same time, I picked up weightlifting — a habit I’ve kept ever since because it’s the key to staying strong, mobile, and resilient. It’s also one of the first things I teach my clients: as we age, strength training isn’t optional. It’s what keeps our joints happy, our muscles firing, and our lives active. Read more>>
Hope Smith-Dinkel
It hasn’t been a smooth road, but I am thankful for the journey. I have an ongoing thought process about the concept of “time.” Because of this, I frequently worry if I am doing enough or putting myself out there in the world enough. For example, I tried joining the military at one point, went to basic training, got injured, and was generally discharged due to that injury. I was worried about time which is why I joined to try, and then I was worried about time which is why I didn’t stay and heal. I do believe that the constant fixation on time that I have has caused roadblocks and obstacles, but I always continue to work through them. Read more>>
Sarah Macken
Entrepreneurship lit a fire in me. Running a laundromat wasn’t just about machines and detergent—it was about marketing, branding, strategy, and community impact. We’ve built partnerships with schools, teams, and local businesses. We’ve sponsored youth sports, Battle of the Badges events, and even hosted Free Laundry Days. Every initiative reminds me that business growth and community impact can—and should—go hand in hand. Read more>>
Charles Haspel
Along the way I met my soulmate, married her, and have three wonderful children with her. She was born and raised in South Carolina, but we met and spent many years in Los Angeles. On a trip to see South Carolina I fell in love with the state. During the pandemic we decided it was time for a change and moved, along with my parents to Mount Pleasant. We knew we had made the right choice immediately and are very happy to be living in the Charleston area. Read more>>
Caroline Calder
Although I pursued a Marketing degree at the University of South Carolina, art was always woven into my life. After college, I felt called to explore it more seriously, so I continued to study through Furman University, the Greenville County Art Museum, GCCA, and workshops with artists who inspired me. Those experiences helped me grow not only in skill, but in confidence to explore my own artistic voice. Read more>>
Daniel Quezada
I went home and started digging deeper, researching barbering, watching videos, reading articles, and imagining myself in that world. A couple of months later, I made the leap—I enrolled in barber school. From the very first day, it just felt right. The clippers, the conversations, the culture—it stuck with me in a way nothing else ever had. Read more>>
Morgan MacAnanny
I wouldn’t change a thing. One of my biggest struggles was the year that I dropped out of college to pursue my business full-time. I went to Baylor for my freshman year, and it was hard to leave a place I had grown to love so much in such a short amount of time. But I knew the future of my brand belonged in Charleston, and I was too full of ideas to put it off any longer. It ended up being the best decision I could have made for my business, but it was a difficult adjustment at the time. Read more>>
Jernae Webb
I became a mom in 2016, and while I loved my baby deeply, I felt lonely, angry, and unsupported. I didn’t know how to talk about it because although my mom & childs father was present I still felt like something was missing. One night, I saw a Facebook post about a postpartum doula training. I learned about postpartum depression for the first time, and something clicked. I knew I wanted to become certified and support new moms the way I hadn’t known I needed. That moment changed everything. Read more>>
Brandon Elliott
At InsureBoost, we make health and life insurance simple, personal, and accessible. We specialize in helping individuals and families navigate Marketplace health plans, Medicare, dental, vision, and life insurance in a way that’s easy to understand. What sets us apart is our commitment to education—we don’t just enroll clients in a plan, we take the time to explain coverage in plain language so they know exactly what they’re getting and how to use it. Read more>>
Jessica Romero
But honestly, the biggest struggle has been in the kitchen. Perfecting stuffed cookie recipes that hold their shape, taste incredible, and travel well was not easy. I went through a lot of trial and error — and maybe even more family taste-tests. My family, especially my daughter Jeneene, are my toughest critics, and they don’t let anything slide. If a cookie doesn’t make them pause and say, ‘Wow,’ it doesn’t make it to customers. Looking back, that finicky feedback was a blessing, because it pushed me to refine the recipes into what they are today. Read more>>
Kayla Fedor
By 19, I had the opportunity to cover as a sous chef with Aramark, preparing meals for 300 to 500 people, making 20 to 50 pizzas a day, running buffets, and handling catering orders. Later, I transferred to M&M Mars in New Jersey, where I worked the grill and created daily specials. That job became a turning point in my life because it is where I met the love of my life. Read more>>
Willis Christina Tant
We spent 10 years on that project and tens of thousands of dollars, only to have Mayor Tecklenburg decide that rather than give us a letter of support for our application to Greenbelt, that he would steal it out from under us submitting the first ever application during the same funding cycle for the same parcel and plan. Sadly, 5 years later the city has only annexed more property and had still done nothing with the site that we would have had educational and autonomous economic programs running in step with community needs and representation. It was a disappointing loss that we will be working to readdress. Stay tuned through www.GullahCVB.com + www.Quaponda.com & Local Pulse App social media. Read more>>
