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 St. Louis.
John Harrington
S.L.U.M.FEST originally started in 1999 as an underground movement for St Louis artists to showcase their music & increase their fan base through touring & merchandise. In 2010 after the hip hop stage got flooded in the Elvis Room in the basement of Blueberry Hill during the RFT Music Festival. Read more>>
Sean Kelley
I grew up in a family that struggled financially, and those early experiences taught me lessons about grit, perseverance, and the importance of creating opportunities for yourself and others. Looking back, those challenges became the foundation for my passion for leadership, personal growth, and helping people achieve more than they thought possible. Read more>>
Patti Porter
I have worked in retail most of my adult life. In 2010 started really thinking of opening my own shop. By April of 2012 my dream came to. I opened a shop in Kirkwood, MO it is a home accessory shop. I also include high end permanent botanicals to make custom florals for the home. Read more>>
Midwest Avenue
Midwest Avenue is a family country band built on faith, family, and a love for live music. The band features father and son Scott R. Phares and Scott Joseph Phares, along with cousin Steven Dale Vincent. Our journey really began when we stepped into a situation that could have ended the band. Read more>>
Amy Stuttle
I started Victory Men’s Health because of a personal experience with my husband. He took an over-the-counter supplement that put him in liver failure. Going through that experience opened my eyes to two things: the importance of knowing exactly what you are putting in your body, and the reality that many men avoid going to the doctor until something is seriously wrong. Read more>>
Tina Adams-Turnipseed
My story is one of perseverance, purpose, and service. I often tell people that my journey has never been a straight line, but every challenge, opportunity, and lesson has helped shape who I am today. Read more>>
Steven Tyler Moore
Music has been instrumental in my development since I started plunking on my grandma’s piano as a little boy. I started playing guitar at 11 and spent my early years playing in bands, writing songs, and trying to figure out who I was as an artist. Read more>>
AniYah Kennedy
My name is Erica “AniYah” Kennedy, and I was raised in the small town of Alorton, Illinois. My journey into wellness began at age 25 when I made the decision to take control of my health by changing my diet, eliminating toxins, and prioritizing self-care. Read more>>
Angela James
Honestly, I never thought I’d own a coffee company. I was studying healthcare at Missouri State and thought that was going to be my path. Then COVID hit and I think, like a lot of people, it made me question everything and really think about what kind of life and work I wanted. I lived in Springfield during college, and they have coffee shops everywhere. Read more>>
Susie B
I have always wanted to do hair. Even when I was younger, I used to do hair out of my bedroom then I moved to my parents garage and then of course going to school and graduating working in a salon and then getting my own salon suite. Read more>>
Raven Whitten
My name is Raven, and I am the owner of Bougie Bevs. My journey started with a simple idea between my 7-year-old daughter, Lo’gan, and me. At the time, I was a baker participating in vendor events, and Lo’gan had the idea that we should add drinks to our setup. That small suggestion sparked something bigger than we imagined. Read more>>
Venus Da Kid
I started out like any Gen-Z kid, bored and adventurous. What started as me just goofing around on my iPad late at night utilizing GarageBand, turned into a lifelong passion of music creation and personal development. Through the years, I dealt with hurdles and copious amounts of grief. Read more>>
Stephanie Bledsoe
I come from a long line of ‘savers.’ My grandmother and great grandmother saved every letter that my great uncle Thomas sent home during World War II. The receipt and owner’s manual to the first window AC unit purchased the summer after I was born was tucked away in the cedar chest with the family Bible. Read more>>
Raven Weinrich
My story definitely starts earlier than most. I started bussing tables for my mom when I was eight years old, and by sixteen I was bartending in a tiny small-town bar. Read more>>
Lisa Nichols
Technology Partners is a purpose-driven IT staffing and solutions firm that my husband, Greg, and I co-founded back in 1994. Before taking the entrepreneurship leap, we both spent the first 10 years of our careers working within Fortune 500 companies like McDonnell Douglas and Ceridian. While we appreciated that foundational corporate experience, we felt a distinct calling to build something different. Read more>>
Nikki Serenity
I always wanted to be a model since even before high school. I had a friend who helped me get into it. I started out modeling in January of 2016. Inevitable acting came along with it, then brand ambassador work, and then influencer work. Now I do all of the above. It’s really great getting to do creative and flexible jobs. Read more>>
Nancy Van Ness
I am an oil painter with a BA from the Kansas City Art Institute and an MFA from Fontbonne University. I started out as a graphic designer working for various ad agencies. I got married, had two kids and then my interest shifted to painting rather than working on the computer. Painting provides me with flexibility and motivation to paint what interests me. Read more>>
Darion Walker
My name is Darion Walker, and I’ve always been passionate about creativity, music, and building something meaningful from the ground up. Growing up in St. Louis, I developed a love for music, video games, design, and entertainment, which eventually inspired me to begin creating my own music as a rapper, singer, and creative artist. Like many independent artists, my journey hasn’t been a straight line. Read more>>
Wade Buckner
Before I got into media, i was majoring in Fitness and Exercise. Coming from high school, i was always on a sports team and working out was all i knew at the time. Thanks to the many peers that I surrounded myself around, I was influenced into changing my major. I attended Florissant Valley Community College and the University of Missouri–St. Read more>>
Dezzie Payne
My name is Destiny “Dezzie” Payne, and beauty has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. I was raised in the beauty industry by my mother, who has owned a salon and cosmetology school for over 15 years, so after school afternoons were often spent surrounded by stylists, students, and creativity. That environment shaped who I am. Read more>>
Byron Rogers
I attended Webster University, where I earned my Bachelor of Arts in Art History—a degree that served as my gateway into the university’s art department. Truthfully, when I first started college, I had no idea what I wanted to major in. I had chosen Webster because it was close to home, and the track coach had recruited me to run for their program. Read more>>
Amy James
Amy and Harley are the sweetest mother-daughter due and the owners of Petaled Pail and Company! Amy is an entrepreneur at heart and Petaled Pail & Company is her vision. After her corporate job was outsourced and she spent years at a desk that provided minimal fulfillment, she decided that she needed to choose courage and happiness for a new chapter. Read more>>
Patrick Recer
I started out creating animations and editing others’ footage for videos and quickly became addicted. Soon after, I bought my first camera and haven’t looked back since. Now, in year fifteen, I still love what I do and enjoy the challenge each project brings. Read more>>
Sara Brill
I’ve been a nurse for 17 years. Took time off to have children and during that time I became a Certified Personal Trainer and Nutrition Coach. My work is all about health and wellness. I see patients in their home and teach them simple exercises and food swaps. Read more>>
Fredrick Saunders
Fredrick “Smoooth” Saunders (Smoooth with 3 o’s) is the Founder and Owner of Smoooth Productions, a full-service media and entertainment company specializing in DJ services, hosting and emceeing, content creation, photography, videography, drone cinematography, custom apparel, and podcast production. Smoooth’s passion for production began as a young child and continued to grow after joining a band in 2000. Read more>>
Santiago Navarro
I was born and raised in Quito, Ecuador, where I developed an early curiosity about science, nature, and how innovation can improve people’s lives. That passion led me to pursue studies in plant biology and molecular biology, eventually bringing me to St Louis more than two decades ago. Read more>>
Toni Wieberg
I had always been the person in my friend group with the ‘millennial’ digital camera growing up. Then for my 20th birthday, my now husband bought me my first ‘good quality’ camera. From there I started taking photos for my family and friends just for fun. Read more>>
Ever Chavez
I moved here from Arizona in 6 grade, I looked for a barbershop I like everywhere. Eventually my brother found a shop called “Walts Barbershop”. He told me they did a good job, so i decided to go. I went and got my haircut and i loved it also really like how all the barbers looked like they were having a good time. Read more>>
Mary Louise Scott
I began writing at the young age of 12 and then not so long after, I developed the love for acting in highschool. I’ve gone form being invlolved with hybrid publishing companies to going back to self publishing. I have a total of 8 books published, and about equal amount in ebook formats. Read more>>
Jackie Rabbit
Originally from San Francisco, I’ve been a tattoo artist for 25 years. My work has taken me all over the country. My partner and I moved to the St Louis area 4 years ago and opened Eldritch Brothers Tattoo & Gallery. In addition to tattooing I am a painter and writer. St Louis and especially the art community here has been so welcoming. Read more>>
Daniel Seddon
I was born in 1992 and diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis when I was just four days old. At the time, my parents were told my life expectancy was around 30 years old. While I was too young to understand what that meant, that reality shaped much of my life growing up. Read more>>
Seletha Head-Tucker
I am a native of Memphis, Tennessee, currently residing in St. Louis, Missouri, for the past 8 years as an educator. I began writing over 12 years ago and had a few books published by independent publishers. The cost of these books was over 10,000 to get published. Read more>>
Erika Brooks
Throwing parties was always my thing. I started decorating my children’s parties and creating things for them. I was good at it. I began to think about doing this professionally but had yet to move on it. When the pandemic happened, I was trying to think of ways to make more money and what I could do to start my own business. Read more>>
Damenai Tiller
I was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland where I grew up singing in church with my family and on my Elementary school choir. When I was about 9-10 years old, I was introduced to songwriting by my stepdad who went by the name J-Bizo. He was a producer and rapper, and he built an in-home recording studio in our dining room. Read more>>
Sara Saric
Owning my own coffee shop had always been a dream of mine. As an avid coffee drinker, I’ve always appreciated how a great cup of coffee can bring people together, spark conversations, and create meaningful moments. For years I imagined of creating a place where people could slow down, connect, and enjoy life’s simple pleasures. Read more>>
Leylah Mon’e
My name is Leylah Mon’e, and music has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. I actually started my journey in entertainment as a dancer when I was around 12 years old. At the time, I was part of a group called Legit x3. Read more>>
Jim Marx
My woodturning journey started in the late 90’s as a hobby and now occupies most of my retirement time. I had originally made wood toys and puzzles for my daughters, as well as other small wooden projects, but I was always interested in other aspects of woodworking. I was introduced to the woodturning craft by Norm Abrams on ‘The New Yankee Workshop’ TV show. Read more>>
Ellie Redders
The true spark for Ellie Redders Interiors came from a series of relocations across the greater St. Louis area. Moving several times exposed me to a diverse patchwork of communities, including Webster Groves, Sunset Hills, Clayton, and Wildwood, with each area boasting its own distinct architectural style and unique vibe. Read more>>
Lucky Moore
The Falcons started as an idea of bringing something to St Louis that’s new and fresh. From the announcement of the team to dropping our very first logo, I had a massive support system of fans, players and staff across the greater metro area that then expanded from Lincoln County to Madison County to Jefferson County and everything in between. Read more>>
Jared Gilbert
I live inside my head. Much of my RAM is preoccupied with literally random amalgams of pop culture, literature, and poetry that resolve into one-hit wonders that I assume will only interest me. I have to put them somewhere; set them loose into the wild so that, maybe, they’ll distract someone else. Nichery Press became the clearing house of my benign psychoses. Read more>>
Meghan Shuh
My journey in the tanning industry began in 2010. While I loved the industry itself and the relationships I built with clients, I quickly realized that my passion extended beyond simply helping people achieve a tan. I became increasingly interested in skin health, education, and providing a more personalized experience for clients. Read more>>
Dennis Bush
I am 32 years old ever since early teenage years I’ve been wanting to run and start a business. I started working very early at 15 years old as a bus boy at a pizza restaurant then I moved to a chicken restaurant and stayed there 11 years got promoted learned a lot about money handling management inventory. Read more>>
David Crane
I’m David Crane, the fourth generation of Crane’s Country Store in Williamsburg, Missouri. Our family’s roots in the store business go back to 1889, when we started as the Harrison and Crane Store in Mineola, Missouri — just six miles from where we stand today. Read more>>
Birgit DeVae
I have been around photography most of my life. I began in front of the camera when I started modeling when I was twelve. After launching my first business, a children’s clothing brand called Johnny Banana Co, I completely immersed myself in the world of photography. Read more>>
Albana Dullovi
My name is Albana and I’m a permanent makeup and lash artist. My journey started with a passion for beauty and helping women feel more confident in themselves. I always loved creativity and detail, which led me into the beauty industry. Over time, I invested in training, practice, and building my skills in permanent makeup and lash extensions. Read more>>
Kirk Faubel
After spending 23 years in corporate America, I was ready for a change. Community engagement has always been important to me even going back to my high school days volunteering at youth sports camps. I found that in much of corporate America, the support to the community was often dictated by the corporation and offered little flexibility to support the causes most important to me. Read more>>
Shantay Caver
My name is Shantay Caver, I was a teenage mother and had my first child at 18 years old. I was young and still residing at home with my mother and decided to moved out of her house when I was 19 into my own apartment. Read more>>
Liz Victoria
My journey has always been about balancing logic with creativity, kind of like designing a perfectly structured outfit that still has a lot of personality. It started in college, where I double-majored in Mathematics and Computer Science. Walking into my early compsci and math classes, I quickly noticed I was one of the very few women in the room. Read more>>
Zakk Tompkins
I was born and raised in Mahomet, IL with my mom, dad and younger sister. Early on, I competed in wrestling and martial arts. We were blessed to travel as a family across the country competing together. Later in college, I got into rodeo and competed across the Midwest in calf roping. Read more>>
Samuel Choe
I got into content creating pretty much since high school. I really focused on it during the lock downs with COVID going on. I wanted to make people laugh with my commentary during shows like Law & Order, Real Housewives, etc, it took off really quick. Soon I was making connections left and right on TikTok. Then I was hit with those TikTok account deletions. Read more>>
Ellyn Cox-Hoff
I’ve always been a creative person but looking back, my artistic origin story is less ‘young prodigy discovers hidden talent,’ and more ‘third-grade injury creates accidental indoor gremlin.’ The summer before third grade, I broke my arm and suddenly found myself stuck inside while everyone else was outside having a proper summer. Read more>>
Jason LiCavoli
I was born and raised in St. Louis. Married with 4 kids. I’m a full-time real estate investor. I’ve done several rehabs, rentals and wholesale deals. I started investing in downtown condos doing Airbnb arbitrage.. Thisbhas expanded to different types of properties in different neighborhoods in the St Louis area. And then one day, I bought a cave. Read more>>
Candace Glass
in 2002 I was diagnosed with depression and started doing yoga and meditation as a way to manage symptoms. As an educator of young children, I wondered how teaching them these skills would impact their learning. I started researching creativity, meditation, movement, and the brain. Read more>>
Jessi Roderman
I grew up surrounded by family that liked yard sales, auctions, and had a true appreciation for ‘old’ things. They passed that love of the old things, things with a history and story to me. After surviving the Covid pandemic as an accountant in the medical field I needed a change and the idea of a vintage reselling came to me in mid 2021. Read more>>
Jake Bain
My path to becoming a foster parent was not a linear one to say the least. I have always know that I wanted to be a father for as long as I can remember. However, I never envisioned myself being a foster father. Not until I began working as a youth and family case manager in St. Louis. Read more>>
Blake and Trish Alvey-Pugh
We spent years in retail management before we became ‘stylists.’ The goal has always been about the same thing: watching someone put on the right thing and stand differently because of it. Fashion meeting confidence. In 2019, we started pulling creatives together in Dallas, mostly test shoots with local models, photographers, and friends. Our real break came in St. Read more>>
Debbie OBerg
Debbie had a wound on her leg for 2.5 years and seen 5 different physicians, 4 were dermatologist. No one was able to heal the wound. We then met the gentleman who developed our Red Light Doctor Pro edition bed at a conference. We were invited to do 3 treatments at his warehouse. Read more>>
Shannon Wood
I remember writing a song with my fraternal twin brother at the age of 5 or 6 and performing it for my parents. It was called ‘Hot Dog’. Shortly after, I got a toy drum set for Christmas. At the age of 9, I started drum lessons at a local music store in Ann Arbor, MI. Read more>>
