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.
Jazmine Reed
My professional journey began seven years ago, but my love for beauty started long before that. As a young girl, I loved styling my Barbie and Bratz dolls’ hair. I also grew up watching my mom, my granny, and my mom’s best friend do my hair, their own hair, and the hair of others. Read more>>
Michelle Pinckney
My journey did not begin with a doctorate, a private practice, or a long list of credentials behind my name. It began with a desire to care for people, a willingness to work hard, and the determination to keep moving forward even when I could not see exactly where the journey would lead. Read more>>
Lauren Cook
Cornerstone has always been about more than just movement. We started as a neighbourhood studio with a simple goal: to create a welcoming space where people could move, feel strong, and genuinely feel like they belonged. Over the years, Cornerstone has grown alongside our community. Read more>>
Yotawana L Henderson-Chandler
About 18 years ago, my cousin and I could find a reason to plan a party for just about anything. We loved creating moments, bringing people together, and seeing an idea come to life. Around that same time, I became hooked on the TV show Whose Wedding Is It Anyway? Read more>>
Alison Ruh
Vitamin Bee Wellness Co. grew from the intersection of so many parts of my life: motherhood, wellness, nature, and a desire to create something meaningful for my family and community. Before starting the business, I worked as a naturalist, so I have always felt deeply connected to the outdoors and the way nature supports our well-being. Read more>>
Ashia Jones
My journey has been anything but linear, but looking back, I can see how every season has helped shape the woman I am today. I started my professional journey in the beauty industry as a cosmetologist, esthetician, educator, and eventually an entrepreneur. I built a business, taught future professionals, and spent years helping women feel confident on the outside. Read more>>
Miwa Robbins
I come from a family of healers – bodyworkers, energy workers, psychotherapists. But honestly I resisted the call for a while. But when I started down the path of healing arts things fell into place. It started with a dream that I was doing Thai Massage. Then I had that dream again, and that is when I listened. Read more>>
Gena Rainey
A couple of years ago, life changed very quickly for my family. Both my mom and my dad were diagnosed with cancer. Read more>>
Clevis Harrison
As far back as memory goes, art has always been part of my life. When it came time to decide what to study in college, my father gave me simple advice: do what you love. That led to art, and eventually photography became the language that connected everything I was interested in: people, culture, music, history, movement, and memory. Read more>>
Chasity and Nate Brown
We are Nate and Chasity Brown. We opened our very first brick and mortar in North Charleston on January 1, 2021. We offer a variety of sweet treats with our Charleston Chewies being our top selling signature item. We pride ourselves in having consistently delicious treats and excellent customer service. We started in 2011 when we had our second and third daughers yes! twins! Read more>>
Tara Kirkland
My first retail job was as a buyer and visual merchandiser for a really cool independent toy store in Asheville, NC- and from there I became a buyer and sales associate for a local women’s boutique- and I had always had some food service going too- everything from pizza to fine dining- but lots of service industry background- if you get my drift- Read more>>
Christy Thrift
I believe true success comes from doing what makes you happy – what brings you joy, peace, and strength. Money certainly helps, but it is not the source of genuine happiness or fulfillment. My journey toward that understanding began in 2008, when I took a two-month sabbatical from the hospital sleep lab where I worked and traveled alone to Uganda. Read more>>
Brandy Woods Snow
Brandy has been an avid reader since she picked up her first book (The Pokey Little Puppy) at age four and a writer since age six when she got her first typewriter. Read more>>
Nick Basile
Regarding my career with Groucho’s Deli, my story begins at the age of 13 in Columbia, SC. New in town and looking for buddies, I was delighted to find out my new friend at school, Max Miller, also happened to live on the same street as I did. Read more>>
Thomas Wilson Pace
In 2011 I was Cosmopolitan Magazine’s Bachelor of the year. From there, I had a few modeling agencies reach out to me. I started modeling shortly after, and then began going on auditions for acting as well. When Covid hit, the gigs slowed down, but I felt like I still needed to find a creative outlet, so I started making Tiktoks with my friends. Read more>>
Kristen Head
My name is Kristen Head, and I’m a 26-year old beauty, lifestyle, and motherhood creator based in Charleston, South Carolina. I began sharing my life online in 2018, when I was just 17 years old, filming and creating content from my childhood home. What started as a creative outlet quickly grew into a passion and eventually into a career. Read more>>
Quentin Sparks
My journey as a producer started with a genuine love for music and a desire to create something that people could feel. I’ve always been drawn to the emotion, storytelling, and soul within R&B and Neo Soul, and over time I began developing my own sound as Que Sol. Read more>>
Rodney Creel
I’ve always had a connection to music, and for me it started in a small church where my dad was the pastor. I grew up singing and playing guitar there, learning how powerful music could be when it brings people together. Read more>>
April Manigault
My journey began with a simple conversation between my son and me. One day, he asked, “Mom, what is your gift?” I jokingly replied, “I guess waking up.” He laughed and explained that he meant what I was truly good at. His question made me pause and reflect. I realized that I had always been creative and especially enjoyed designing celebrations for my own children. Read more>>
Miranda Carson
On October 15, 2015 i was diagnosed with skin cancer. This started my journey into the skincare and beauty industry. I wanted to provide affordable and more natural skin, hair and home products. In 2019 i attended esthetician school to become an esthetician to better my products and help with people’s skin health Read more>>
Tish Jordan
I went to esthetics school in my late 20’s when I already had two children. After graduating and spending 2 years working for someone else, I took the risk and opened up my lash studio outside of Greenville. I’m now 13 years into this career and I have been blessed to stay consistently busy, with some clients even staying with me since the very beginning! Read more>>
Sarah Smoak
Travel has always been a deeply rooted passion of mine! From reading National Geographic cover to cover as a child, to devouring Anthony Bourdain’s shows and books as a teen — it has been a constant lifelong passion. I studied Language & International Trade at Clemson, where I was fortunate to spend a semester abroad in Aix-en-Provence, France. Read more>>
Sridhar Rangaswamy
Can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today? My journey is a story of continuous learning, total faith, and finding the perfect harmony between two very different worlds: enterprise information technology and stand-up comedy. Read more>>
Jorg Hohmann
piece of property that was overgrown with bamboo. So I spent those many months with a chainsaw in hand, so that I could keep the bills paid and the new product coming so that we’d be ready once things got back to normal. Since then, thankfully, life and the store have leveled off and I think it’s safe to say now that I know what I’m doing and we’re better prepared for unforseen circumstances arrising. Read more>>
Lindsay Sales
I was born and raised in Pennsylvania, and from a young age, I always knew I wanted to eventually work for myself and build something of my own. After earning my degree in Marketing and Business and later completing my MBA with a concentration in Health Management from Moravian College (now Moravian University), I began my post-graduate career in property management. Read more>>
Shaihiem King
My story has really been about finding different ways to express the things I’ve always been passionate about. I’ve always loved anime, gaming, pop culture, and the worlds and characters that come with them. Eventually, those interests started becoming more than things I enjoyed watching or playing—they became things I wanted to create around. A lot of those interests started with my family. Read more>>
Stacey Manigault
There’s really no short version of my story because Essential Body Concepts didn’t come from one moment. My paternal grandparents, my father, and five of his six siblings all passed away from cancer. They lived and grew up in an area of our city where there was a railroad yard, and as a child, I would spend weekends with my paternal grandparents. Read more>>
Emma Clark-McGrath
I come from a family where creativity was just part of the atmosphere. My dad is a talented artist, former model and also took photos! My sister is an incredible artist like my father, and my mom worked for a local theater company. Read more>>
Eric Grover
The Story Behind Valhalla Ash & Iron Valhalla Ash & Iron was born out of my love and passion for cigars. It started simply enough. A few friends and I would get together, grab a few stogies, and enjoy a guys’ night. At the time, I knew very little about cigars. It was more about hanging out, having a few laughs, and enjoying the moment. Read more>>
Don Ogle
I began training in martial arts in 1980, when I was a young man looking for discipline, direction, and a deeper understanding of myself. I was never interested in competition — I wanted something deeper and more real. Over time, my study of martial arts showed me that many systems had gaps and weren’t truly suited for self‑defense. Read more>>
