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.
Brecken Sullivan (Hobbs) Alisha Spangler
Breckеn Sullivan (Hobbs) and Alisha Spangler took very different paths that ultimately led to the same vision. Originally from Greenville, SC, Brecken moved to Nashville after college, where she launched her career and quickly distinguished herself in the business world, rising from Marketing Director to Head of Operations for three sister companies. While the experience sharpened her leadership and strategic instincts, a strong creative pull eventually drew her into the fast-paced world of music and commercial production. There, she became known for her ability to seamlessly blend storytelling, visual sensibility, and organizational precision. Read more>>
Cassandra Nelson
My journey in healthcare began in my teens with my own irregular cycles and significant monthly pain. Although I was often told this was normal, I wanted to understand why it was happening, and why didn’t seem to be a regularly discussed factor. After years of seeing multiple specialists and even being told nothing was wrong, I began to question my own body. Eventually, a specialist truly listened, performed a laparoscopy, and I was diagnosed with Endometriosis. The diagnosis was validating, but I still endured multiple surgeries and ongoing challenges. Read more>>
Allston Shore
Sisters Allston Pate Shore and Emerson Pate are the co-founders of Parsons & Lu, a Southern-rooted brand built on creativity, shared vision, and timeless design. At Parsons & Lu, handmade jewelry meets thoughtfully curated art and home decor—each piece created or collected with intention to bring warmth, beauty, and meaning into everyday life. Read more>>
Tracey Rankin
I started as a volunteer with Happy Wheels. When I entered the picture, there was one Happy Wheels program…in Charleston at MUSC Children’s Hospital. I started the program here in Columbia in 2009, on a volunteer basis. 4 years later, we acquired our own 501(c)(3) status and the third program was started in Greenville. Read more>>
Christine Conti
Well to start with, I never envisioned myself as a therapist let alone a business owner. I always found intrinsic value in serving others, and joined the Air Force with the intention of one day serving in the diplomatic corp. Life as always has other plans and I met someone, fell in love, and had children. Read more>>
Alisha Spangler
I’ve always had an entrepreneurial spirit. From early on, I knew I wanted to build something of my own, something meaningful. As I worked in the beauty industry, I began to notice a gap in our area. There wasn’t a space that fully embodied both exceptional service and a genuinely welcoming, accepting environment for clients and professionals alike. I felt called to create something different. Read more>>
Brian Smith
I went to school for engineering, after deciding last minute that a degree in videography wasn’t for me – a favorite interest of mine at the time. I had always been drawn to physics and math, so a career as an engineer seemed like a natural fit. I worked two jobs, for 6 years, as a Mechanical Engineer. Read more>>
Lex Campbell
Animals have always been at the center of my life. Growing up, they were everywhere. My grandfather had pigs, chickens, and horses, and I was the kid constantly rescuing animals, dogs, cats, birds, squirrels, anything that needed help. Caring for animals was never something I learned later. It was simply part of who I was. Read more>>
Kelly Childress
I began my career as a counselor immediately after completing college and graduate school. As a young therapist, I found myself in a role many early-career clinicians do—working with children. During those early years, I worked in a variety of settings, including in-home family therapy with at-risk youth, state agencies, and schools. The work was challenging. Read more>>
Frank Dominick
I was born in Baltimore, Maryland, to two loving parents, and I grew up as the middle child of seven kids. My childhood was spent in the Baltimore County working class waterfront community of Oliver Beach along the Gunpowder River. Life there revolved around the water and family. Read more>>
Paul Malott
I didn’t set out to start a company. I set out to solve problems that didn’t make sense to me. Read more>>
Amy Byers
I was born on July 21, 1986. Though raised in a loving home, I suffered a childhood trauma that resulted in crippling anxiety and panic attacks beginning when I was just 2-years-old and continuing into adolescence. Read more>>
Clint Avery
We needed swim lessons for our infant son ( Andrew ) since we had a pool added to our home. There was only one instructor in South Carolina. My wife, Melissa suggested I look into Infant Swimming Resource ( ISR ) to become an instructor. Since I had always coached the kids in other sports. Read more>>
Crystal Schroppe
When I became a mom, my heart wanted so much to be able to capture beautiful photographs of my sweet, angelic little babies. My photography skills, however, were not quite equal to the gorgeous images I had in my head. This gap in my desire and my ability began to draw me down a path toward the day I opened my photography business. Read more>>
Kristen Jones
For me, a sense of purpose has always been paired with an inner drive. I’ve always been a hard worker. I’m a go-getter with a relentless determination that doesn’t know how to stop. I earned my Master’s degree from Cumberland School of Law and hold a certification as a Certified Enterprise Risk Professional. Read more>>
Elizabeth Donahue
I worked a job at a production plant for ten years. In that time my son was getting older and needed me at home more and more. Also, I started my own little homestead with chickens and a garden. It was my little piece of paradise. Read more>>
Clarissa Hummel
I have always loved animals, as most people would say who work with them professionally. After getting my BS degree, I enrolled in a 2 year program for Exotic Animal Training and Management. There I learned how to work with all different species of exotic animals in varying types of situations. Read more>>
Chasity Pinckney-Rivers
I started my journey in the beauty industry in 2010 as a hairstylist with a strong focus on healthy hair care. Over time, I noticed many of my clients were struggling with hair loss, thinning edges, and scalp disorders, and there weren’t many professionals truly addressing those issues in a clinical way. Read more>>
Sarah Threatt
I am a mother, wife, grandmother, daughter, friend, sister in Christ, and Child of the Most High God. I was born in Canada, raised in New England, and have lived in South Carolina on a 20 acre farm for nearly 20 years now. I was a child with chronic gastrointestinal issues that were often misdiagnosed. Read more>>
Mandi Shrum
My husband and three sons bought me a stained glass kit for Christmas in 2020 during Covid. I had plenty of time at home to get started learning the craft then! I began watching as many online videos and tutorials as I could find and began making small pieces for our home and for friends and family. My first ‘commission’ came in late 2023. Read more>>
Jamesha Gore-Coggin
Jamesha Gore-Coggin State Farm Insurance Agent | Community Leader | Business Owner Born and raised in Little River, South Carolina, Jamesha Gore-Coggin has always been driven to excel academically and professionally. In July 2006, she was among the first 100 students selected to enroll in South Carolina’s Early College High School program, which allows students to complete high school and college coursework simultaneously. Read more>>
Sashani Ewar-Cargill
Sashani Ewar-Cargill is a dreamer with purpose—one who chose not to follow a predetermined path, but to courageously create her own. A Visual Arts educator, entrepreneur, content creator, wife, and mother, her life’s work is rooted in passion, service, and an unshakable belief in the power of education to transform lives. Read more>>
Dylan Hazelwood
I’m a 33 year old man from Charleston, I’ve been taking things apart to figure out how they worked since I was five years old. My dad was an HVAC technician, I grew up going with him on side jobs. Read more>>
Anna Wachler-Harris
I have always had a passion for women’s health–especially as it pertains to pregnancy, birth and the postpartum period. I chose occupational therapy because it afforded the flexibility to work in many settings although women’s health was not commonly practiced in the field at that time. Therefore, I began working in pediatrics after graduating from The Medical University of South Carolina. Read more>>
Mikhail Marcus
I started my journey through sports. I played football at a high level and ended up playing professionally in arena football for five years, along with time in the CFL. Early on, I thought my path would go a different direction, but after a severe car accident in college changed a lot for me, I had to rebuild and reevaluate everything. Read more>>
Chantel Graham
My background is in Tech working in User Experience (UX) and Content Design for major companies like Zillow and Home Depot. Essentially, my job was to design intuitive digital experiences for clients. Now, I’m taking those skills and my commitment to clarity, personalization, and high-quality experiences and applying them to a physical space. Read more>>
Angel Onley-Livingston
The Healer’s Journey When Spirit Shows up! I was 21 years old and was pregnant with my first child when I first got to experience my grandmother in spirit form. She would visit me spiritually every time I was with child. Read more>>
Cecil Dove
In April 2025, Eternal Pressure Intuitive Massage and Bodywork Studio opened in the BullStreet District at Image Studios. That same year, I secured an independent contract with Zeel, providing medical massages to retired military veterans. Soon after, I partnered with the University of South Carolina McCausland College of Arts and Sciences for my first university-contracted chair massage event. In 2026, my work expanded into sports massage, supporting elite athletes preparing for the NFL Draft through Apex Athletics. Read more>>
christie michaud
I’ve typically shied away from the spot light, preferring to listen, reflect, and encourage others. My internalizing and perfectionistic tendencies led me down a path of shame and depression. For a long time, I kept this to myself and suffered alone, but little by little, God opened my eyes and led me down a new path of restoration. Read more>>
