Every day we have a choice. We can support an up and coming podcaster, try a new family-run restaurant, join a boutique gym started by a local fitness champ or we could keep giving away our money to the handful of giants who already control so much of our commerce. Our daily decisions impact the kind world we live in; if we want a world where small businesses are growing and artists and creatives are thriving then we should support them with our time, money and attention. We’re proud to highlight inspiring creatives and entrepreneurs each week in Hidden Gems series. Check out some of our latest local gem features below.
Andy Baker
I’ve had a varied and rewarding professional journey over the past two decades, beginning as a songwriter and record producer. After making music with friends, it became clear that they needed help getting it heard. Almost by accident, I found myself managing artists. The first band I worked with built a significant local following and generated a real buzz. Read more>>
Trent Denson
It all started with a missed phone call. A friend of mine, Adam, left me a voicemail when he was going through a tough season. At the end of it, he said, ‘I hope you’re spreading the positive.’ I think he was quoting a Kid Cudi lyric, but for whatever reason, those words stuck with me. I couldn’t shake the idea. Read more>>
Martina Mitchell
Well, it all started with a diagnosis and blossomed from there. I was sick and tired of being sick and tired. I made a decision that I never wanted to feel that way again, and that’s where my journey began. On May 1, 2021, I made the decision to go plant-based. Read more>>
Erin Wilson
Behind the Veil was born from a love for creative expression and a passion that’s been part of who I am for as long as I can remember. If you ask anyone who knows me, they’ll tell you I’m always the one taking photos or videos, documenting every little moment. Creating has always been my love language. Read more>>
Robert Gonzalez
My journey into photography was a little unconventional. By trade, I’m a student pastor, and a few years ago I took a day trip to a nearby waterfall with some potential volunteer leaders. They were all into photography, and although I had never really used a camera before, our youth department had a few cameras lying around. Read more>>
Brima Gassama
My story began in April 2020 when I was just 16 years old. During the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, I was a high school student in Memphis, Tennessee, trying to find a creative outlet during such an uncertain time. Read more>>
Daisy Sellas
It’s hard to know where to begin when it comes to my story– ups and downs is an understatement and somehow I wound up back in the west, making my way back to Nashville as much as I can. I’ve been playing music and writing songs since I could pick up a guitar on a ranch in Southern California and then attended Belmont University. Read more>>
Lord Goldie
I’ve been writing ever since I was 9. I used to rap my poems (lol). When I was in high school, my friends & I formed a rap group. At first we were Ice Water Records. Then we got together with other groups as school & formed TFP (Thuggin’ For A Purpose). That’s when I first started recording in studios. Read more>>
BRITTANIA CHINEY B WILLIAMS
First of all, I just wanna thank you guys for allowing me this platform to express myself and following up with me after all these years it’s been a pleasure. Thank you for your exposure. It is a pleasure interviewing with you. My name is Brittania Racine Jody Williams. Jody was my Nick name As a child my cousin Ewan named me. Read more>>
Alex Drummond
My name is Alex Drummond. I’m 27 years old, and I’m originally from Birmingham, Alabama. I’ve been singing for as long as I can remember, especially through high school and collegiate choirs, but I began playing instruments and writing my own poems and songs when I was 17. My first serious musical project was Zoo Culture, a band I fronted for several years. Read more>>
Austin Patterson
I came into photography less from a place of artistry, and more from a place of curiosity. I’ve always been obsessed with old things and how they work, and in my early 20s I began collecting film cameras. I bought off eBay a brownie box, a brick camera, and a Polaroid. Read more>>
Lauryn Dunkle
I have always been that “weird artsy girl”. At summer camp I had other kids getting drawn on by me with sharpies and pens. That’s when my bff Jori suggested I should become a tattoo artist. We were 9yrs old. Now at 30 I’ve been tattooing for 7.5 years professionally. Read more>>
Chris Arthus
My journey to becoming a business owner wasn’t something I planned for most of my life. In many ways, it was born out of one of the most challenging seasons I have ever faced. I was born and raised in East Texas, where I learned the value of hard work, accountability, and perseverance. Those values stayed with me as I pursued my education and career. Read more>>
Senika Lenise
SCLUSIVE didn’t begin as a business idea; it began through my own journey with God. For years, I found myself asking questions, searching Scripture, and trying to understand not just what God said, but how to actually live it. I realized that many of us know biblical truths intellectually, yet still struggle to believe them personally or apply them consistently in our everyday lives. Read more>>
Meenu Ananthh
My story really began in 2014, during a season of deep transition. I was preparing to leave India because of my former partner’s expat assignment, which unexpectedly opened the door to moving to Mexico City. Around the same time, I read Conversations with God by Neale Donald Walsch, and it quietly changed the course of my life. Read more>>
Aaron Kessler
Music has been the driving force of my life for as long as I can remember. Growing up, I had an upright piano in my bedroom, and as soon as I was tall enough to reach the keys, I was exploring sounds. By age five, I finally convinced my mom to let me take formal lessons, sparking a lifelong obsession with the craft. Read more>>
Addison Oaks
I got my start as a social media intern while I was in college, before TikTok even existed. In many ways, my career has grown alongside social media as the industry has evolved. Watching platforms change in real time gave me the opportunity to adapt, learn, and build a skill set that has continued to evolve with the landscape. Read more>>
Jessica Kelley
My story begins in San Diego, where I grew up the third child of a single, disabled mother in a low income home. Movement was my language before I ever had words for it my family loves to tell stories of me as a toddler extending my leg into ballet positions and forcing everyone to watch me twirl with scarves at holiday gatherings. Read more>>
Poet Williams
I honestly never imagined that my life would take me down this path. I’ve always loved writing and speaking, but everything changed after experiencing some of the hardest losses a father could ever face. Losing two of my sons forced me to make a decision: I could let the pain consume me, or I could turn it into something that could help other people. Read more>>
Brad Whited
Our family of four started in 2011. From the beginning my wife Natalie and I wanted to find a way to be as healthy as possible. Caleb and I had been gardening since he was old enough to do so and we were able to introduce that to Natalie and Anaya’s life since this was a family journey. Read more>>
Walt Fritz, PT
As a US-based physical therapist since 1985, I feel very fortunate to teach hands-on manual therapy and exercise strategies internationally to speech pathologists, voice coaches, and a wide range of other professionals. Though I had been teaching a more general style of manual therapy continuing education to physical, occupational, and massage therapists in the past, since 2013 my role has made a 180-degree shift. Read more>>
Jayla Stallworth
My name is Jayla, also known as Jay Hey Hey on all platforms. I am originally from Chicago, IL, and moved to Nashville in 2021. I started creating content about Hidradenitis Suppurativa (HS) after I found The Association of Hidradenitis Suppurativa and Inflammatory Diseases (AHSID). Read more>>
Michelle Lambert
I started studying music when I was really young, but when I became a teenager I went from studying music as something to accomplish to having a deep passion for writing pop songs. This path led me to study at a college in Boston and after graduating to hit the road touring. Read more>>
Breanna Faith
I got started on the journey of music at a very young age. Whatever country song my mom had playing in the car when I was 2 years old- I was singing along. Kenny Chesney, Blake Shelton, and Rascal Flatts were my favorites! Read more>>
Brad Byrd
I grew up in Arkansas, around musical parents. My mom sang and my dad played the guitar in a local band, mostly covering Indigo Girls and whatever else was popular in the late 90’s. People would always ask me, ‘When are you going to get up and play on stage like your parents?’ My response: ‘NEVER’. Turns out, I was dead wrong. Read more>>
Heather Victorino
Country music has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. Growing up, my Pops introduced me to the legends of country music and taught me that the best songs tell honest stories. Those moments sparked a love for songwriting and performing that has only grown stronger over the years. Read more>>
Mak Ray
My journey into music wasn’t something that happened overnight, singing and writing poetry as kid and seeing my dad also creative music all sparked my interest until it came to a point where it (my passion for creating) grew out of my life experiences. Read more>>
Jeremiah Stricklin
We met as college students at the University of Southern Mississippi. We get asked a lot about whether romance or music came first for us and the answer is always ‘the lines were always blurry.’ We’ve been married now over a decade and touring musicians for 13 years. We left Mississippi to live in Athens, Georgia and then tried van-lifing. Read more>>
John Wiser
I got started in Digital Marketing after my Father and I had to shut down his Electrical contracting company in 2008 because we were unable to keep a consistent flow of jobs coming. Our referral network dried up and we found that we were not equipped to advertise and were almost completely invisible online. Read more>>
Megan Lee
I spent eight years working for a General Surgeon here in Nashville. He taught me a lot—not just about medicine, but about integrity, high standards, and taking care of people. I’d reached the ceiling of my career as a Medical Assistant, and without going back to school- there wasn’t much room to grow. Then… COVID happened. Read more>>
Robert Gobelet
I’ve always believed that stories have the power to inspire, connect people, and leave a lasting impact. That passion for storytelling is what led me into filmmaking. Over the past decade, I’ve had the opportunity to work on more than 60 films and over 150 commercials, and several television productions in roles ranging from actor and writer to director, producer, cinematographer, editor, and production manager. Read more>>
Cory R.
Well it’s a long story so I’ll keep it brief. My name is Cory and I was born in Chicago IL, Raised in Gary IN, elevated and learned more about my dreams and goals in Lafayette IN and here I am now becoming a better man in the state of TN. Read more>>
Kyelani Sayers
My life has been a beautiful journey. I overcame many challenges personally from being homeless at fifteen to achieving many wins in activism, bussiness, community, and industry. I am transgender and have helped fight Tennessees unjust laws with my bussinesses. Im a makeup professional makeup artist, brand trainer, and passionate events bussiness owner. Read more>>
scott clarke
I’ve been an artist as far back as I can remember, drawing was my best friend as a child. I was born with a gift or two. The gift of creativity. I would sit for hours drawing my own little movie books and the Flintstones among others. Read more>>
More Weight
We are a three piece rock band from Nashville, TN. We started writing music in the spring of 2023, and have been gigging since that summer. We’ve touring independently a few times, mostly in the South East and East Coast, but at any given time you can find us playing in Nashville. Our style has really changed a lot over the years. Read more>>
Kelli Holland
I got opened Joyful Bites in March of 23 after a lot of push from my husband & close friends. I had 2 young kids & loved being a stay at home mom, but I also wanted to do more for my family. Growing up, I spent a lot of time with my nana & mom learning to cook. Read more>>
Tia Cristy
Like many great stories, mine didn’t start with a perfectly mapped-out plan—it started behind a microphone. I started my career in radio, working in major markets where I discovered just how powerful communication could be. Read more>>
Haili Holzworth
I moved to Nashville from Mansfield, Ohio when I was 22. I’ve been here for almost four years, and I have embarked hugely on a self discovery journey in my time here. I moved here on a whim, wanting to shed the sporty, work-til-you-die midwestern culture to embrace the creativity of this city and what it has to offer. Read more>>
