The Most Inspiring Stories in St. Louis

Carol Watanabe

Sometimes challenges become blessings! One year, just days before Christmas, we had no funds remaining to help this young family through our Family Emergency Fund. Their middle child was battling cancer. They needed help with toys which we did provide, but they were losing their home off base because of financial challenges. Just the day before we closed for the holiday, in walked our mailman with an unexpected donation from a stranger! We sent out a wire that saved this family’s home. Again a testament to service, dedication, prayer and miracles! Read More>>

Trinatee Davis

My mom also helped me find my love for cooking at the age of 7 . I always loved watching her cook and watching cooking shows . It only took me one time to tell my mom I wanted to start cooking . Next thing you know my mom turned my life into a cooking show . She would bring home bags of random groceries and tell me to make it . I would look at her like mom I’ve never made this before & she would just smile at me and say I’ll figure it out lol . And somehow I always did great . Of course if I needed advice or guidance she would give me the answer but she always wanted me to be independent and know how to be able to navigate on my own . Now I can cook literally anything if I put my mind to it . Read More>>

Nicholas Kientzy

I shot that video on my Canon t6i and a small camcorder but I rented from the college I went to. Skip ahead 4 years. I now have dozens of weddings under my belt, I have state-of-the-art technology, the same cameras used to shoot the 80 million dollar production the Creator. My fiancé helps and supports me the entire way. I take pride in my work and treat each client with a customized experience to help their big day fly by stress-free. I truly love what I do, and being able to be a part of these couples’ big day is so special to me. Today my company “Kientzy Media” is growing each year. Read More>>

Byron Bishop

I have been a jazz recording artist and producer for twenty years, with 5 “Daddy B”, music projects released. The projects are, ” You Should’ve Known”, “Trinity”, “Blue Funk”, 3CD Set “Timbre” (Slow), “Timbre” (Medium), “Timbre” (Hard), “Colorology”. I am currently working with another 10 artists on a project called “Kairos”, helping them produce and release their sound to the world. For fun, I have worked as an actor doing mostly stunt roles in over 20 films, television, or reality TV. Read More>>

Kelly Allen

For years, I have struggled with situational anxiety, terrible sleep and other inflammatory issues. I chose products that I use daily to help ease those struggles naturally and focused my line on rest, relaxation and recovery. After a few successful weeks, I was approached to place products in a few local stores. Read More>>

Alada Poodtajan

I’ve always said I have a relationship with food. I love food and I love making food. I’ve always been able to taste something and identify the flavors and ingredients. I’ve had a lifetime of experience but I felt I wanted to hone my skills, so this past winter my husband and I went back to Thailand to see my family for the first time since I moved here, and I went to Natchajan Culinary School to earn my certification as a Thai chef. Read More>>

Hannah Valentine And Emily Orti

Drop Soda Vintage Market began as a vision by Hannah Valentine and Emily Ortiz, who sought to create a unique space for the St. Louis vintage clothing community. After years of selling vintage clothing, they noticed a lack of consistent, vintage-focused markets in St. Louis, making it difficult to build community surrounding vintage clothing. Determined to fill this gap, they launched Drop Soda Vintage Market—a monthly event at The Garage STL that celebrates vintage clothing of all styles and eras. Read More>>

Madison Climaco

My journey in the hair industry began when I was just 15 years old. I always knew I wanted to do hair, and by the time I was a junior in high school, I was visiting Paul Mitchell The School STL every chance I got. The staff there, including two incredible women, Marli and Ashley, often joked that I was at PMTS more than I was at my own Wesclin High School. While my choice of career wasn’t always met with the same enthusiasm as “more traditional” or “more successful” paths, I never doubted myself and refused to entertain the idea of failure. Read More>>

Ley & Kla

Hello, we are 71, a dynamic duo dedicated not only to the art of dance, but also to fostering connection through the unique events we curate and host. This may sound kind of funny, but our decision to venture into event planning stemmed from our own experiences as introverts. We recognized the challenge of finding spaces and events that cater to individuals like ourselves, and noticed a lack of easily accessible, welcoming environments. Our goal is to create a safe, inclusive space where people can connect and enjoy themselves, fostering a sense of belonging for those who may not always find that in traditional event settings. While we are relatively new to the event hosting industry, we have plans for significant growth and expansion of our events and parties in the near future. Read More>>

Sarah Lorentz

I had nearly a 4-year gap after completing my formal studies before launching as a full-time artist. In these years the dreams I had for my art fell second to everyday financial needs and time constraints. These don’t feel like lost years however, they instead strengthened my resolve. In that time away from art making I grew to better understand my priorities and desires. Read More>>

Ben Hanvy

Looking back, our journey has been a series of exciting discoveries, starting with our dating and love for creativity. Together, we formed Turbo Widget (www.benhanvy.com and www.turbowidget.com) and started to truly define our artistic vision. Through years of dedicated work and experimentation, we’ve reached a point where we can share our unique blend of music and art with the world. Read More>>

Ruwaida Alrammahi

We came to the United States in 2009. We are from Iraq. My parents passion is cooking My parents sold their deli that was located in South city about three years ago and we just wanted to do the it again share our authentic Iraqi cuisine dishes with the community. Read More>>

Torri Taylor-spencer

This passion deepened after becoming a teenage mother. My journey in healthcare began when my son was hospitalized in the ICU, where one of his nurses gave me life-changing advice: to ensure nursing was truly my calling. Taking that advice to heart, I began my career as a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) and quickly fell in love with the profession. Driven by a desire to do more for my patients, I continued advancing my education and career, becoming an LPN, then an RN, and eventually earning a master’s degree. I later pursued a post-master’s certificate to achieve my goal of becoming a Nurse Practitioner. Read More>>

Ruby Grein

I have always had a passion for skin and beauty, but I did not know what that would look like within my life. I began my journey on a similar path as many by heading off to college. My intentions were to help people with their skin through healthy dieting by becoming a dietitian. Quickly, I realized I was years away from starting anything I felt remotely called to do. With the support of my family, I made the decision to depart from college and begin an esthetic program.  Read More>>

Mark Schmitz

Take a knee, fish, hike, bond, meet other veteran organizations. We will have a service dog onsite at all times as well as a permanent veteran and their family living there full time serving as camp directors. We have a $13/month join the mission campaign which enables supporters to be a part of something bigger without breaking the bank.. You sign up once and you can cancel your support at any time . We are actively looking for corporate sponsors and partners. I also own and run www.wideiphoto.com; a professional photography, videography and drone business. We specialize in architectural and marketing products. This includes: commercial and residential spaces, products, headshots, marketing videos/photos, commercials etc, Read More>>

Jerrell Bourrage

Our goal is to provide custom painted swagger to those that are dream chasers, such as musicians, self operated business owners, producers, painters and models. Read More>>

Sz’nyia Williams

When I was younger, everything about beauty and fashion piqued my interest. I was a true girly girl: I loved playing dress up, doing my nails, and styling hair (mainly my dolls’) for as long as I can remember. As I got older, I took an interest in beauty competition shows and movies such as Beauty Shop and Hair Show. Little did I know, a career in cosmetology had been calling my name. Fast forward to my high school years, I got the opportunity to enroll and be accepted into North Technical High School’s Cosmetology program for my Junior and Senior year; just as my mom had been.  Read More>>

Thomas Fortenberry

The journey of Face and Junk began with a compelling vision: to transform men’s grooming by providing high-quality, effective products that cater to every facet of a man’s grooming routine. As someone deeply passionate about self-care, I recognized a significant gap in the market for products that truly address men’s unique grooming needs. Fueled by determination, I set out to create a brand that not only offered exceptional grooming solutions but also empowered men to feel confident and present their best selves every day. Read More>>

Chris Abell

Now, as the owner of Abell DJ Company, I’ve been able to combine my love for music with the joy of making people happy. From seeing the excitement of a couple’s first dance to keeping a packed dance floor all night, I can’t imagine doing anything else. DJing is in my blood, and I’m grateful every day for the opportunity to do what I love. Read More>>

Crash Planet

We came together through mutual friendships and formed the band in a garage in Auburn IL where we began writing and playing our demo at garage parties. After a couple of lineup changes, we started playing live at venues around Springfield and wrote our EP False Summit. After False Summit’s release, we immediately began writing what is going to be our first full-length album and are currently looking at setting up our first tour. Read More>>

Inner Outlines

After splitting away from previous projects, the band as individuals were ready to consider that the music world maybe wasn’t their place. But after a trip to Warped Tour that summer, Cody decided to message Matt for the first time in hopes of starting up a band just one more time. They met at a pizza shop in Carrollton, IL (Alfonso’s Pizza) and instantly got to work on original music. By the second week of practice, Andrew and Billie had joined, and the band met each other as a whole for the first time. We were all different, but shared a love for music creation and made a decision. One more try. Read More>>

Randi Zans

I was 12 when I got my first camera, and since then it had been attached at my hip. I’ve always loved being able to capture every moment around me. I always thought it would be such a dream to tell peoples stories and make a living from it, but never really took it seriously because I didn’t think it was realistic. Because of that, I always settled with it being a hobby here and there. Fast forward to 2021, my husband and I welcomed our son to our family.  Read More>>

Christiane Danna

Today, I work from a beautiful studio and showroom located at 3202 Morganford Rd in St. Louis, which I share with a fellow jeweler. Here, I personally design and handcraft each piece with a lot of attention to detail, aiming to create jewelry that is both timeless and unique. Read More>>

Destiny Giebe-beaulieu

I then added more to my healing tool box by becoming a certified spiritual healing practitioner. Within my certification, I focus on a person’s overall well-being by treating their physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual health, With my holistic approach I believe that the body, mind, and spirit are connected, and that disease is caused by an imbalance in the whole body. I treat my patients/clients as a whole, rather than just focusing on a specific condition. The moral of my story and how I got where I am today is the fully lit passion that lies in the discovery and embracement of natural beauty, rather than altering it. Read More>>

Danielle Halbert

When I began my career in 2010, I knew this would be a lifelong pursuit, even though I faced certain obstacles and took a six-year intermission. Like many of the girls in my area, I attended the National Academy of Beauty Arts and became completely immersed in the culture of the hair industry. It was fantastic! As a creative person, being able to express myself through hair opened up a whole new world for me. Read More>>

Kamia Kindle

My journey into entrepreneurship started way back when AOL dial-up was the thing, and that iconic “You’ve Got Mail” notification was pure magic. At just 11 years old, I was helping my dad with his business—learning the ropes of customer service, managing emails, and figuring out how to use the internet to grow a small business. I didn’t know it at the time, but those early lessons planted the seeds for what would become my passion for business and technology. Read More>>