Over the past decade we have had the chance to learn about so many incredible folks from a wide range of industries and backgrounds and our highlighter series is designed to give us an opportunity to go deeper into their stories with to goal of understanding them, their thought process, how their values formed and the foundations of their stories. Check out some incredible folks below – many of whom you may have read about already and a few new names as well.
Taria Mills
I have always been told I have a unique speaking voice. Because my voice was deeper than most girls, people were always drawn in when I spoke or sang. It was like my voice was authoritative but sweet at the same time, it just commanded attention, My mother took advantage of that and would always teach me how to sing the low harmonies on songs. Read More>>
Annika Baylis
Without a doubt, my parents saw me clearly long before I fully saw myself! One of my favorite memories that illustrates this is from when I was in elementary school, around eight or nine years old, and completely obsessed with playing school. Read More>>
Rachael Mann
Right now my days are a beautiful mix of creativity, preparation, and gratitude. I’m currently working on brand-new music, with an exciting single, Didn’t Have to Do It, set to release on August 29, 2025. This follows my most recent release, Unfiltered, which debuted on June 27, 2025, and has already been touching hearts and making its way onto radio playlists. Read More>>
Lamain
One downside of turning your passion into a career is that you lose the ‘no stakes’ element. Sitting and playing or singing instinctually brings up thoughts of where this might go, rather than enjoying the moment for the moment. A hobby I started in my early teens was fly tying. Read More>>
Lindsey Castleman
As a woman, I had jobs in several organizations where there were some leaders who would prefer men in higher paid positions than women . I also had some women leaders who found other women doing well in the organization as a threat. Read More>>
Marlyse Moran
God….. . Lack of Evidence Some people don’t believe in God because they feel there isn’t enough scientific or observable evidence to support the idea. They may believe in things that can be proven or measured, and see faith as based more on feeling or tradition than fact. 2. Read More>>
Isis Swink
The part of me that has served her purpose is fear. She is no longer allowed her. She had me shutting doors that could have taken me to next levels. She had me turning down situations that could have me being better than i was. She had me afraid of my own greatness. Read More>>
Debbie Flood
That you have only “made it” if you are performing in big stadiums or selling #1 songs! The music business is nuts! There are so many different levels and scenes that you can find yourself. I have always been chasing that elusive big tour or #1 song. Recently, I started looking at music differently. Read More>>
Jordan Taylor Moed
That there is always a light at the end of the tunnel, and the hardest grinds lead to the most beautiful views. Life is full of ups and downs and being in this industry is definitely not easy. Read More>>
Ken West
Most definitely! I tell people all of the time, especially my children, even when no one is looking, give it your best shot at whatever it is you are trying to accomplish and be successful with. Just like if you’re posting on social media, post your talents, your work, your pranks, whatever it is that you feel comfortable enough to share with the world. Read More>>
AYLA METCALF
And here’s what drives me every single day: I don’t need praise or acknowledgment to be a decent human being and to make someone else feel good about themselves. The work is the reward. The transformation I witness is the payment. The light I help restore in someone’s eyes is worth more than any recognition. Read More>>
Mateo Palmitier
You know, it’s funny… I went through a fairly intense health scare several years back & during that time I really contemplated my life & how I’d lived it. What I realized was that there were so many things I had wanted to do, but I let fear talk me out of them. And so, I started to doing everything, & I mean EVERYTHING.. Read More>>
ANDREEA MIHALACHE
I am always chasing a better, improved version of myself. I think that only by evolution one can reach not only a deep potential, but also exceeds own limits. I think that progress is what makes us fulfilled, and not stagnancy, satisfaction with only a certain level of understanding or doing things. Read More>>
Katie Cole
I grew up in a pretty low-income single parent family. My sister and I didn’t have much, but we also never went without. I was never taught to believe I was special or different or talented. My Mum loved us, so that’s about the best support a young person can have. I was a pretty quiet and anxious child. Read More>>
Hannah Sears
Something I am working hard to unlearn is the thought that I have to be everything for everybody. As a child, I learned to keep moving and keep going whenever things got hard. To show up for other people before myself. That my value came from what I could be for other people. Read More>>
Denetra Smith
I believe—though I can’t prove it—that we have far more in common than we think. Our differences aren’t something to fear; they’re what make us beautiful, complex, and deeply valuable. If more people slowed down long enough to truly embrace what sets others apart, we’d find connection instead of division. Read More>>
Stephanie Wilson
One of the defining wounds of my life was abandonment, which left me feeling like I wasn’t enough. For years I carried that pain through addiction, but everything changed when I chose sobriety in 2019. Healing came through faith, forgiveness, and finally believing I was worthy of more. Read More>>
Michelle Donovan
There have been many defining wounds in my life. They range from my parent’s divorce, to an abusive marriage, to being homeless, to losing my husband to MS and my own battle with heart issues & breast cancer. Read More>>
Emily Steele
That too much awareness makes us just that. Aware. I’m probably going to catch a lot of heat for this but I hope people will hear me out. I think what makes the human race so incredible is that every single one of us is different and unique. And in that regard, we’re all the same. This is something children inherently know. Read More>>
Jeremy Zeller
One important truth that not everyone agrees with me on is that the Kingdom of Heaven isn’t just some far-off destination… it’s already here, living inside each of us. I believe Jesus meant it when He said, “The Kingdom of God is within you,” and that we’re invited to awaken to it daily. It’s not reserved for the religious elite or the afterlife… Read More>>
Travis Ross
The light I’ve been dimming is my desire to become a true craftsman—someone who creates lasting beauty and function with their hands. I dream of building furniture and even homes inspired by the old-world craftsmanship of the Arts and Crafts movement, like the work of Frank Lloyd Wright and the skilled tradesmen of the early 1900s. Read More>>
Sterling Miller
I wouldn’t say I’ve necessarily been dimming any lights, but I do feel like I have held back on my artistic expressions due to worrying too much what others will think or what’s expected. Luckily, I’m starting to grow out of that on this new album I’m working on. I fell out of love with music there for a minute. Read More>>
Josh Wilhelm
Without question, my relationship with my wife, Genevieve. She’s the kind of person who doesn’t just cheer people on—she challenges them, believes in them deeply, and holds them to the potential she sees in them. She’s a pusher in the best possible way, and I’m the proof of that. For most of my life, I’ve been interested in a lot of things. Read More>>
Chris Burke
Again, this is such an interesting question! As I have said, I have been singing and performing my entire life, maybe since I was about 5 years old in church. But there was a specific time that I felt very powerful on stage, maybe for the first time. It not only felt very powerful, but also very inspired. Read More>>
Brook Jones
My earliest memory of feeling powerful would definitely be through my early artwork as a kid. I felt seen everytime I showed off a crayon drawing or a graphite drawing. I felt most myself and like I could create anything. When I was younger I went to church camp and I felt the most myself there. Read More>>
Lauren Smithson
Kindness. I wouldn’t say it is a cultural value, more of a human value. Kindness is so important to me. In everything I do, I try to add a little kindness. We have so much hate and suffering in our world. Everyone could use a little kindness shown to them and radiate a little kindness of their own into the world. Read More>>
Javier Aponte
For me the most important thing between intelligence, energy, or integrity is integrity. Theat says everything about you and how you behave in terms of work, business and personal matters. Read More>>
Sosanna Coyne Will
Integrity matters most to me because at the end of the day, it’s what you’ve got to live with. Energy fades, intelligence can be misused—but integrity? That’s your name, your work, your word. In my world as a small business owner, if people can’t trust you, nothing else holds up. Read More>>
Wendy Jo O’Barr
Pet people are the best people. This may not be a huge surprise, but it continues to impress me how kind hearted animal lovers can be. If you have compassion for the innocent who don’t have a voice for themselves, that reveals something about your character to me. Read More>>
Nolan Sritan
My customers understand that life isn’t pretty. As someone who grew up in a broken home, I know first hand that life is hard and complicated. I relate to clients that also had a difficult upbringing or past. I try to shed light on them for as long as I can through photography. Read More>>
Amanda McNeal
After my dad passed I fell into a deep depression. I started creating conceptual self portraits to express the pain. I realized that this art I created touched other women and they no longer felt alone. Read More>>
Christy Lee Rogers
You think you’re the only one going through the pain, but when I started to put out artwork that expressed that vulnerability, I realized that I was not alone. There were so many other people with similar stories. So I started pushing through that and kept working, and magically the pain turned to beauty. It was truthful and there’s nothing better than truth in art. Read More>>
Emily Hope
I felt most loved the moment I heard and believed what Jesus Christ did for me (and for all of us) when He died in my place on the cross. No one else has ever loved me enough to die for me. I felt the most loved when I understood that God created me for a relationship with Him and designed me with a purpose. Read More>>
Cian Pedersen
I think I bet my company every day. I really don’t have a filter which is crazy to think since I use a microphone and talk in front of groups of people for a living. Things people won’t agree with or might offend them, but I think the great thing is that we live in a country where they don’t have to agree with me. Read More>>
