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.
Ed Ball
For me, this company wasn’t born out of convenience — it came from years of hard work in the HVAC and plumbing industry, learning every part of the trade from the ground up. I started out in the field, doing the work with my own hands, fixing equipment that other companies said wasn’t repairable, and helping customers who felt overlooked or taken advantage of. Over time, I realized two things: Read more>>
Susan Heintzman
Over the last five years, we have also been deeply immersed in the health space as Certified Health Coaches, helping nearly 2,000 people transform their lives through metabolic health, weight management, and lifestyle change. Through our own personal and family health challenges, we realized how essential proactive wellness truly is. That calling is the heart behind Flo & Glo – to help people get ahead of their health instead of reacting to illness or waiting for crisis. Read more>>
Erica Booth
I always knew from an early age that I wanted to work with children. I dreamed of becoming a teacher ever since elementary school. After graduating from high school, I attended the University of South Carolina, where I majored in Elementary Education. After two years, I realized I wanted to do more than teach in a classroom. Read more>>
Crystal Cordoba
Originally from the coast of Downeast Maine, I have dedicated nearly 20 years to the practice and teaching of yoga. My path has taken me across the country through teaching, studio management, and ownership, eventually leading me to Greenville, South Carolina. My path to wellness wasn’t linear. It grew out of lived experience and a lifelong pull toward practices that help people reconnect with themselves. Read more>>
Shannon Howard
I’ve always felt most at home in nature. From a very young age, animals and the natural world were where I felt grounded, understood, and connected to something greater. That connection shaped my career, leading me into the field of conservation working as a biologist and animal care professional for over two decades. Read more>>
Erica McFadden
As a child I was always intrigued with doing hair. I began my cosmetology journey at 18, enrolling in beauty school right after graduating high school while navigating life as a teenage mom. After 14 years in corporate America, I followed my passion for hair and went to work for Regis Corporation as a stylist and later promoted to store/salon manager. Read more>>
Shaun Simmons
My story with S&S Sensations by Shaun began long before the business existed. I grew up experimenting in the kitchen and cooking alongside my mother and grandmother, who taught me early on that food is one of the purest ways to show love. As a child, I loved decorating cakes and trying out new recipes just for the fun of it. Read more>>
Catherine Johnson
“Just being with him brings me so much peace,” the young woman said as we walked together. She lived in an adult foster home and had asked to join me on my neighborhood walk with my dogs. The “he” she was referring to was Eli Blue, my white German Shepherd pup. Eli had a calm, gentle presence and eyes that seemed to invite people in. Read more>>
Adam and Torrey Roberts
We have both had a camera in our hands since high school and love creating art together. Photography has always been something we have enjoyed together whether it be personally or professionally. After we got married ( a long time ago) we worked in the mental health field but always felt the draw to create art full time. Read more>>
Adriane Lepage
I’ve been a baker for a long time, and bread had always intrigued me. In December of 2020, I was gifted a sourdough starter. Shortly after that, I decided to make a loaf of bread every day for a week. Read more>>
Dana Adkins
Growing up in southern West Virginia, my childhood was filled with love and complications. My brother and I were raised by our dad, who never missed a game or school event. We had dinner with my grandparents every Sunday and weren’t allowed to hang out with friends on school nights. My dad, who only finished 8th grade, made education our top priority. Read more>>
Ted Spencer
My story is rooted in faith—and in learning to trust the process long before I understood where it was leading. I grew up in a sign shop my dad owned. At the time, I never imagined that world would become my end game, but I enjoyed the work and absorbed more than I realized. Looking back, that shop quietly planted the first seeds. Read more>>
Shai Carter
I am from Charleston S.C when I moved to Asheville N.C 28 years ago I was pregnant with my first child. I knew that I wanted a steady career and provide for my daughter so I went to McDowell tech in Marion N.C for cosmetology. I always enjoyed doing hair growing up so school did not seem hard. Read more>>
Jodi Talarico
I’ve created a space where that practice can thrive. As a Registered Nurse with over 21 years of experience in healthcare and aesthetics, I’ve dedicated my life to helping others feel better—inside and out. I’m also the proud founder of Aesthetica Med Spa in Charlotte, a thriving medical aesthetics practice known for its natural results, clinical expertise, and personalized care. Read more>>
Dr. Emily Hayes
My Story: How I Found Chiropractic and Why I Built Sunrise Family Chiropractic Growing up, I was that kid with constant stomach migraines. The kind that sent me home from school and left me curled up, unable to function. Everyone told me, “You’ll grow out of it.” But instead of growing out of it… I grew into something worse. Read more>>
Rob Wood
Dr. Rob graduated in 2016 and Dr Jazmine in 2018. When the time finally came for us to start practicing together, we were so grateful to God we wanted to glorify Him in all we set out to do in helping our community. We turned to the Word of God to guide us and to scripture for inspiration. Read more>>
Jennifer Bilton
A large part of my story begins with the Indie Craft Parade, an annual festival of handmade art founded by the Makers Collective. I have been attending since 2012 and, as a mostly self-taught artist, always dreamed of being a vendor one day. But sometimes we achieve our dreams by coming at them through the back door. Read more>>
GREGORY WATKINS
What began as a simple mission to create a better tattoo aftercare product for my clients has evolved into something much larger — a healing solution with the ability to address a wide range of stubborn and painful skin conditions. Read more>>
Susan Nefzger
I’ve always been a writer, starting in college, as an English major. Living a dual life of having to make a living and following my inspiration, has finally– at mid life resulted in my ability to spend time doing so. I’ve been a PR pro for many years and I began writing on a personal level later in life while attending a writing retreat in Glastonbury, England. Durig the 90’s, I began a quest to discover what I felt was missing. Read more>>
Lauren Chapman
I actually started out as an artist. I chose to study what I loved in college, art, and decided I would figure out the rest later. Art was the one thing that always felt like home to me. People had a lot of opinions about that choice, and some of it was pretty hard to hear, but I stayed true to myself despite the criticism. Read more>>
