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.
Darren Callihan
It all started at Goose Creek High School, in Graphic Technology classes. I signed up for Autocad by mistake! But once in Mrs Moore’s Graphic Technology class, I found my love for graphic design and also printing presses and vinyl making. I did three years of graphic tech classes, becoming a ‘completer’ in Career and Technical education, and getting Adobe Visual Certifications all before college. Read more>>
John walker
my name is john walker. i am from travelers rest, south carolina. i began making flip flops in a barn near the home i grew up in. i built a small shoe factory with rudimentary tools and developed a ‘proof of concept’ factory to test my designs. Read more>>
Kristen Bollettiero
Our Story Hi, I’m Kristen—the owner, designer, and creator behind Golden Zen Boutique. You could say jewelry has always been part of who I am. My family’s jewelry business was established before I was even born, so I truly grew up surrounded by sparkling showcases, gemstones, and beautiful jewelry. Read more>>
Butch Anthony
The Museum of Wonder is my cabinet of curiosities, a place where art, artifacts, old relics, and found objects all end up together. Every piece has a story. Some I made with my own hands, some I stumbled across, and some simply found their way to me. The whole thing started when I was fourteen years old. Read more>>
Chad Singer
I graduated from The Citadel with a degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering with the plan to serve a career in the military. After graduating from The Citadel, I commissioned into the US Navy, where I completed multiple deployments to the Central American, Pacific, and Middle Eastern Theaters of Operations. Read more>>
Hatice Lance
I started as a teenager to take photographs. I cleaned offices for 4 weeks to get the money together for a small Kodak Pocket Camera with flash cubes. Self taught through books and later online education. Throughout the 35 years I evolved and kept learning to master my craft. Read more>>
Wendy Newman
I have been working as a professional photographer and fashion designer for over 50 years, been published in various media from magazines to greeting cards, and have won numerous awards. Read more>>
Shallah Dozier
Hi, I’m Shallah Dozier, a real estate and event photographer based in Charleston, South Carolina. My photography journey began in 2018 with drone, landscape, and interior photography. After picking up my wife’s Nikon D3300, I quickly developed a passion for the craft and became committed to learning everything I could about photography. Read more>>
Letícia Camargo
I was born and raised in Brazil, where I earned my degree in Veterinary Medicine and developed a deep passion for animal care. For over 16 years, I have dedicated my life to improving the health and well-being of pets, always believing that every animal deserves compassion, patience, and respect. Moving to the United States was one of the biggest challenges of my life. Read more>>
Alisha Badger
My journey into the bridal hair and makeup industry began as an assistant to a woman from my church. Makeup artistry had always been a passion of mine, but at the time, I believed it was a dream that was out of reach. I’ll never forget the very first wedding we worked together. Read more>>
Thais Costa
My story began at a point when I realized I needed to find myself again. I’m Brazilian, a wife, and a mother of two boys, and a few years ago, my family and I started a new chapter of our lives in the United States. After my second pregnancy, I went through a very difficult emotional period. Read more>>
RICHARD OUSLEY
I started my entrepreneurial journey as an Automotive Tech in 2011. I worked as a mobile tech for the next 3 years, performing general maintenance. In 2014, I decided to work in retail automotive parts sales. I became assistant manager by my second year with that company. During those times, I learned the ins and outs of management, administrative skills, and people skills. Read more>>
Jade Pruett
I started my career in SEO without a formal marketing background; I actually studied literature. I worked my way through agency and in-house roles, learning the industry by doing, before starting HelloSEO as a side hustle in 2020. The business grew quickly enough that I was able to leave my job and build it full-time. Read more>>
Wendi Matt
I grew up a dancer with dreams of being on Broadway, but troubled times caused me to leave home in search of sobriety and stability. After having kids, extra time, and post partum loneliness motivated me to find a new creative outlet. I picked up a camera in the hopes of capturing candid moments of my children. Read more>>
Alex Byers
I’m starting my third and final year of law school this fall, so I’m right at the tail end of this chapter. Honestly, the story starts somewhere a lot harder than a classroom — I went through domestic violence and had to navigate the court system as someone experiencing it firsthand. Read more>>
Adriana Ortega
My artistic journey started as early as I can remember. I was always drawing, illustrating and completely fascinated by animation. At the same time, music was always running parallel to that creative side of me. Both of my grandmothers influenced me creatively. Read more>>
Kate Schultz
I grew up in Mississippi and was always creative as a child. I started painting more seriously in high school and began taking after-school art classes. In 2012, I earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with an emphasis in Painting from the University of Mississippi. After college, I moved back home to Jackson and held various creative jobs. Read more>>
Julie Peak
I’ve always enjoyed creating order and finding practical solutions. What started as helping friends and family organize their homes quickly became a passion when I saw how much less stressed and more in control people felt after their spaces were transformed. Read more>>
Steve Koenke
I was born in Cooperstown, New York, and grew up in Bergen County, New Jersey. I discovered the guitar at age 14 after taking a guitar class at school, and it quickly became a passion. Read more>>
Gisele Broughton
I’ve had a passion for hair for as long as I can remember. As a child, I was always playing in someone’s hair, never imagining it would become my career. I started doing hair for friends and family in middle school, and my first paying client was while I was in college. Read more>>
Malcolm Vanhannegeyn
I got my start by making a last-minute decision just before heading to college. During my sophomore year at the University of South Carolina Upstate, I joined ESPN on Campus and began working in broadcast, which sparked my passion for sports media and production. Read more>>
Alex Husner
One of our biggest challenges was learning how to turn something people loved into a sustainable business. Audience growth and industry recognition do not automatically translate into revenue. We had to learn sponsorship sales, pricing, production, contracts and partnership management largely through experience. There were times when we underestimated the value of what we had built, said yes to too much or invested significant time into opportunities that did not ultimately move the business forward. Read more>>
Elliott Genther
My musical journey started in grade school. I played the violin in the orchestra and loved it. I quit when I entered high school thinking it wasn’t cool, which was so unfortunate. Read more>>
