Portraits of Nashville

It’s more important to understand someone than to judge them. We think the first step to understanding someone is asking them the fundamental questions about who they are and how they became the person they are today. Understanding and empathy are essential building blocks for a better, more compassionate world. We’re incredibly fortunate to be able to ask these questions each week through our interview series. Below you’ll find inspiring interviews from in and around Nashville.

Mike Alidadi

Apadana Rugs & Carpets represents the pinnacle of luxury and quality in the fine rug market, established in 1980 in New York City by the Alidadi family. Drawing upon a distinguished heritage spanning generations within the rug industry, the family has cultivated an unparalleled expertise in the art of rug making. Read more>>

Debbie Millman

I began my career without a particularly clear plan, which, in retrospect, may have been one of the most useful things that could have happened to me. I knew I wanted to make things, and I knew I was drawn to design, culture, language and the way ideas could be given form, but I did not yet understand how those interests might become a life. Read more>>

Tony Carpenter

I was at the crossroads in my life, feeling stuck trying to figure out what I was gonna do. Read more>>

Alice Stricklin

I spent nine years working in nonprofit community mental health agencies—an experience I wouldn’t trade for the world. I gained invaluable knowledge, built lasting friendships, and developed professionally. However, I eventually needed to be closer to home and my children. The lack of local job opportunities led me to start my own private practice in 2016, operating out of my church. Read more>>

Mikol Frachey

I came to Nashville for the first time when I was seventeen and I didn’t know anything about the music business and my parents don’t speak any English because we’re Italians. Read more>>

Damon Mitchell

My grandparent’s, Pete and Pat Mitchell, met in the 40’s in small town in the cornfields of Illinois. My grandfather was 18 and my grandmother was 14. The high school my grandmother attended had a school gospel quartet. They were missing a baritone singer. According to my grandmother, he was cute, could sing baritone, and had a car. Read more>>

Angel Paez

I was born totally blind, and never really knew where my life would take me, or what I wanted to do with myself. Read more>>

Audrey Millwood

Audrey Marie Photography began during my freshman year of high school with a simple love for capturing meaningful moments, but photography runs much deeper in my story. My great-grandfather had a passion for photography, and I was born on his birthday, which has always made me feel a special connection to him and his love for preserving memories. Read more>>

Philip Alms

I’ll focus on my professional journey and start by answering a popular question I get asked which is what led me to want to become a professional mental health therapist to begin with. It’s felt like an innate wiring or a gravitational pull for me. Though I was born in the Philippines, I’ve spent all but one year of my life in the Nashville area. Read more>>

Addison Inniss

I was born and raised in San Diego, California, where I first fell in love with music. I grew up in a musical family with an older sister and a younger brother. We had an old upright piano in our kitchen, and I’d watch my sister play for hours before trying to teach myself the same songs. Read more>>

Emily Lordi

I’m a writer and professor whose work focuses on Black women artists, though I write about a variety of stars, forms, and trends. I’m obsessed with expressive details—the contours of a particularly virtuosic melisma; a slip-up onstage from which an artist recovers without missing a beat. Read more>>

Dewey Boyd

Forty-one Fifteen’s story and mine are closely woven together. I moved to town in 2009 with hopes of working in a recording studio and learning to make records on my own. I interned with two different people and became an assistant for Paul Moak at his incredible studio, the Smoakstack. Read more>>

Kendall Duffie

In 2018, a routine doctor’s visit changed everything. After being diagnosed with high cholesterol, my doctor handed me a choice: start taking prescription medications, or radically change my diet. Learning that cholesterol only enters our bodies through animal products, the decision was simple—I chose the plant-based route. What started as a personal mission to reclaim my health quickly turned into a culinary passion project. Read more>>

Maria Orf

I’ve always believed that where you start doesn’t have to determine where you end up. I was living on my own and had my own apartment by the time I was 16, so independence wasn’t really a choice, it was something I had to learn early. Read more>>

Daniel Fox

At an early age, music has been apart of my daily routine. There was a piano in the house, thanks to my Japanese grandparents. I used to run to it during commercial breaks to work out jingles I heard which developed my understanding of melody and basic harmony. Read more>>

Jerry Ivery

I’m originally from Memphis and my parents were church folks. My dad was a preacher. My mom’s father was a preacher. Her grandfather was also a preacher. So the oil runs deep in my family. I was born on the pew as some would say. These weren’t big mega churches. Read more>>

Cesar Gutierrez

I’m Cesar Gutierrez, a 34 years old Software Engineer from León, México. I’ve been in the IT industry for over 12 years, working with fellow Mexicans, as well as professionals from Colombia, USA, Germany, Belarus and India, collaborating in projects from healthcare, legal, eCommerce, finance and travel industries, using Microsoft technologies. Read more>>

Abhishek Raj Sinha

So I grew up in New Delhi, India, where my musical journey started with an Indian percussion instrument called the tabla. My family is a musical one, with my older sister and mother both being very talented vocalists. My older sister pushed me to pursue music more seriously and suggested that I should started learning the drums. Read more>>

Amanda Von Riesen

Art and life are inextricably linked; you cannot fully experience one without the lens of the other. My art took a brilliant leap forward during a month long stay in New York while my daughter attended the New York Film Academy. (I myself, once had an interest in acting, and was in the film “Shall We Dance”, with Richard Gere and Jennifer Lopez). Read more>>

Unfound Radio

Unfound Radio was founded by Nashville-based DJ/producer Alexion and airs every other Friday at 5:00 PM EST / 10:00 PM GMT on 1MixRadio. Each episode features a guest mix and interview with an up-and-coming DJ, giving emerging artists a platform to share both their music and their story. Read more>>

Kevin and Amalia Logan

North Star Nature Suites™ began with a simple belief: the most meaningful luxury isn’t found in extravagance—it’s found in having uninterrupted time with the people you love. In a world that rarely slows down, we wanted to create a place that does. Read more>>

Jeff Harris

I’ve never really fit neatly into one category. I’ve always said I was too rock for country and too country for rock, and I’ve always rooted for the underdog. Looking back, I guess I’ve always been an independent spirit. I don’t have the best voice ever heard, but it is distinct. That’s a good thing. When you hear it, you know it’s me. Read more>>

Alison Jacaruso

For a long time, if you looked at my life from the outside, it seemed like I had everything I had ever dreamed of. I built a successful career in Hollywood as a celebrity stylist, worked with incredible people, traveled, was on television, and checked off the goals I thought would finally make me feel fulfilled. But behind the scenes, I was exhausted. Read more>>

Cathi Edwards

I spent seven years working in the hospitality industry, and although it taught me a lot about customer service, communication, and creating memorable experiences, I eventually realized I didn’t feel fulfilled in the work. I knew I wanted a career that allowed me to be creative, build genuine relationships, and make a more personal impact on people. Read more>>

Abby Chipman

Growing up, I’ve always been drawn to creating. Whether it was making candles, designing sweatshirts, or painting, I was constantly working on something. Deep down, I always knew I wanted to build a business and sell my creations, I just didn’t know what it would be. Read more>>

Maddie Hogan

Music has always been my calling. I spent years performing at local venues, private events, wineries, restaurants, and anywhere I could earn a paycheck doing what I loved. Early in my career I gained national attention after receiving a golden ticket on American Idol, an experience that opened new doors and gave me the confidence to keep pursuing music professionally. Read more>>

Kelsey Thurman

I actually got my start in social media management right out of high school, managing accounts on the side while I was in college. That’s where I fell in love with the field. There’s something so rewarding about helping a business find its voice online and watching it connect with people. Read more>>

Viljar Røysi

I am Viljar Røysi, a Norwegian artist and lumberjack. I’ve always been kind of a showman, way back when I was a kid, but it wasn’t until my teenage years that the dream of an artist career took shape. I was, however, not a naturally talented kid singing or playing guitar, but I loved it anyway. Read more>>

Spike Polite

I started as a guitarist playing shows in NYC’s lower east side for protest rallies and counter culture concerts in venues that cater to adherents of punk rock culture. Later im time I had to sing as well as play guitar and book show events myself while being homeless. Read more>>

Ben Childers

My name is Ben Childers, and I’m from Tupelo, Mississippi. I am the creator and administrator of The Dolly Parton Discography, a fanzine dedicated to preserving the musical legacy of the undisputed Queen of Country Music. I grew up visiting the Great Smoky Mountains and Dollywood with my family, but surprisingly, I didn’t truly discover Dolly Parton’s music until 2013. Read more>>

Reid Shippen

I grew up in New Jersey playing and singing in church, theatre and one (bad) band, always trying to figure out how records actually worked. That eventually brought me to Middle Tennessee State University, where I studied Business and Recording Arts, then into the then-traditional Nashville path: intern, assistant, engineer, mixer. I’ve spent the last few decades helping artists make music… better. Read more>>

Sean Barnes

My journey into the world of the unexplained began long before I ever sat behind a microphone. Like many people in this field, I was fascinated by mysteries, strange experiences, folklore, and the questions that don’t always have easy answers. That curiosity eventually led me to become a certified paranormal investigator and spend years investigating paranormal claims firsthand. Read more>>

Cedrick Walker

I got started around 2020 during the height of the pandemic. I came across this social media app called Stereo. Which was a podcasting app that allowed you to go live with another creator and record your own podcast episodes. So from there, I met a host of different people from all walks of life. Especially creators from the UK. Read more>>

Emily Reinisch

I’ve always had a heart for caring for new families. Since I was a teenager, I’ve loved babysitting and being a second hand to moms. I always left the house cleaner and more organized than I left it because I knew how much parents appreciated those mundane tasks done when they got home (and as a mother now, I totally get it!). Read more>>

Allison Latimer

I started The Crystal Cat this past February from combining a passion for crystals and my love for cats. When I was younger, I started collecting crystals and have grown my collection over the years. When I realized I wanted to become an entrepreneur, I knew starting my own crystal shop was a no-brainer for me. Read more>>

Lila Gordon

As an artist I am always trying to improve my work. While its important to sharpen your skills, it would often cause me to compare my work to others and become frustrated. I realized that I needed to go back to my roots and find what caused me to love making art in the first place. Read more>>

Mannere Hussein

Nashville-born. Ghanaian raised, with a total of six siblings ( 3 brothers, 3 sisters), and an Islamic atmosphere that I still maintain in my life today. I lived in Ghana for almost 11 years. During my amazing and eye-opening time there, I fully tapped into my innate creativity, and it presented itself in the form of acting and illustration. Read more>>