Houston’s Most Inspiring Stories

Every neighborhood in Houston has its own vibe, style, culture and history, but what consistently amazes us is not what differentiates the various neighborhoods but rather what they all have in common.  From the Fourth Ward to Sugar Land (and everywhere in between) we’ve been blown away by how many creative and talented people call Houston home.  Check out some of the inspiring stories we’ve discovered throughout the city.

Ting Wang

From the beginning, I had to stare financial restraints straight in the eye and I needed to raise capital. With the capital I raised, I had to budget wisely and plan things strategically to turn my vision into reality. After finding the location for Pepper Salt, the work began. Immediately, I ran into unreliable contractors who made things more complicated and that delayed the opening of the restaurant. Read More>>

Amaris Adams

Transitioning from a blog to an actual business has also come with its own set of challenges. One of the biggest hurdles has been managing the costs involved in running a business. Manufacturing planners, especially on a local level, can be incredibly expensive, and finding ways to make them more accessible to a larger audience has been a constant focus for me. Balancing my vision with the financial realities of production has been a learning experience, but it’s also driven me to be more creative and resourceful as I figure out how to grow sustainably. Read More>>

Kangel Quynh

Transitioning into injectables has definitely had its challenges, especially as a new injector. I’ll admit, there were moments of nervousness—knowing the weight of responsibility and the precision required for each treatment. Understanding the complexities of facial anatomy was a big learning curve. Every face is unique, and knowing how the skin, muscles, and blood vessels work together is crucial to delivering safe and beautiful results. Precision with placement and dosage is something I’ve been working hard to master to ensure my clients receive optimal outcomes. Read More>>

Nick Lockett

In addition to my academic pursuits, I am the father of a beautiful young lady by the name of Maliyah Lockett who is the driving motivation for me to finish my degree. Moreover, I actively contribute to the campus community. I serve as the President of the Undergraduate Student Government Association and as the Membership Director for the Black Student Association, roles through which I strive to make a meaningful impact on student life and campus engagement. Read More>>

Holiday Soul Nutcracker Market

The journey hasn’t been smooth. Like many start-up businesses, we’ve faced challenges with funding and securing start-up capital. We initially financed the business with our own money because we believed in its potential. Another significant struggle has been attracting large corporate sponsorship dollars to support our vision. As an all-women-owned and all-black-owned business, finding corporate sponsors willing to back a newly established venture has proven to be a persistent challenge. Read More>>

River Johnson

The studio environment, caring owners, talented directors and dancers helped form my passion for dance education. I have since taught at several studios in the Houston metro, completed hours of teacher training workshops, studio owner programs and passed the ABT NTC Pre-Primary through Level 3. I look forward to passing the American Ballet Theater NTC upper levels in the near future. After years of teaching in studios that helped to mold and progress my passion I was able to take the leap of opening my own studio in 2022. Ballet Elle is a dream come true for me. Read More>>

Titan Huang

As a small business And no one knows ” Hella Bubble” when We just opening we can’t spending too much money on the social media we spending almost whole year to make samples to every single customers who walk in to the store Read More>>

Andrés Castillo

I had my first food PR package from a company called Roots Farm Fresh. I couldn’t believe I was being sent free food straight to my house. I also became one of the influencers for the Houston Cinema Arts Festival, Houston Media Conference, and the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston (CAMH). CAMH was actually the first business I worked with, and I became super close with the team. Social media has really allowed me to explore my city to the fullest extent, and I look forward to continuing that in 2025. Read More>>

Hayley Kenner

I went on to work at several premiere training facilities in Houston to study under other trainers. I eventually gained the education and credentials to specialize in fear and reactivity, which are big passions of mine. After nearly a decade of experience and success with hundreds of dogs, I came across an opportunity to start a training business of my very own in 2021. After a few years of getting off the ground, I now own Revival Dog Training and its 2 locations with my business partner and colleague of 9 years, Yennifer Mejia. Revival Dog Training is located in The Heights and West University neighborhoods of Houston, and soon to be New York City. Read More>>

Anissa Ansley

I leaned heavily on my faith in God, therapy, and community for healing, but the challenges didn’t stop there. While navigating the emotional toll, I was also grieving the loss of my parents after nearly a decade as their caregiver, building a business, and reeling from being fired from my corporate job. Just when I thought I could finally step away to heal—planning a two-year sabbatical to Costa Rica—I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Read More>>

Soul Way

We were contacted by Victor Brewer of “Media tech Institute” of Houston to provide a live band for an engineering class assignment around 2023 right before Alec left. There we met an engineer named “Aiden Wogh”. Later on after Rocky had been in the band for a while we worked with Aiden to record live drums for the new EP’s coming. We just released a new song titled “Lazarus” and have an upcoming show at the house of blues, bronze peacock room on February 21st 2025. The coming EP title is not announced yet but we will be releasing music throughout the year. Read More>>

Chastiny Brown

My journey toward becoming a Program Manager and Senior Lead has been both rewarding and transformative, filled with lessons learned through both failures and successes. I got my start as a Program Manager at 3 Day Startup, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing entrepreneurial education and opportunities to disconnected youth who are neither working nor in school. My passion for creating opportunities and fostering entrepreneurial growth led me down an untraditional path of “learning by doing,” which opened doors to rooms I wouldn’t have entered otherwise—rooms that challenged me to embrace not always being the smartest person there. Read More>>

Bleak Barrow

Thomas Rife: I got into music at a very young age. My family growing up always had music playing when we spent time together and every single car ride, we never went anywhere or did anything quiet. After many years of my siblings and cousins showing me their favorite bands or artists, I experienced my first riffs. Something about Randy Rhoads guitar work gave me the most impactful and inspirational moment of my youh, and I knew I wanted to learn the art of RIFFING! Read More>>

Nancy Shepherd

After college I worked in retail sales and management and then the Fashion wholesale industry and loved the travel. After a few years I started my first company Design Savvy and worked with retailers to promote merchandising, marketing, sales and update their interiors. In my late 20’s I switched gears and took advantage of my Interior design education and worked as an interior designer for a furniture company in Portland, Oregon and taught design classes to the public. I also taught courses at the Design Institute and Portland Community College part time. Read More>>

Valentina Li

In 2020, I got married and moved to the United States, where I resumed my photography career in 2021. I had to relearn many aspects of the field, as much had changed since 2014. In 2023, I became a member of the Professional Photographers Guild of Houston and the Professional Photographers of America, which has greatly contributed to my professional growth. I am truly grateful to be in the USA, as I feel I have far more opportunities here than in any other country I’ve lived in. Read More>>

Reilly Wiggins

Something had finally clicked and the satisfaction this internal sensation brought me in that moment confirmed that I was finally where I needed to be. Once I officially enrolled at my studio, it wouldn’t take long before it would become my second home. I spent hundreds of hours throughout my adolescence dedicated to training and rehearsing at that studio and once I finished high school, I went off to college to study Dance and graduated with my BFA. Ever since then, I’ve been able to work professionally locally and abroad and I am so extremely blessed to be able to do so. Read More>>

Amelia Sofjan

One day, I stumbled upon Acton Academy, and its unconventional and innovative approach immediately caught my attention. Feeling curious, I delved into the book Courage To Grow, which describes a day in the life of Acton Academy. This book gave a fair warning that if you decide to read it, you might end up wanting to open your own Acton! Well, that’s exactly what happened to me! But, making such a life-changing decision wasn’t easy. So I decided to dip my toes in by experimenting with Acton methods in my college classroom. I was only able to implement about ten percent of Acton methods due to the constraints of the traditional education system. However, that ten percent sparked a transformation, Read More>>

Courtney Long

My name is Courtney Long Owner of Le Petite Southern Treats ! I’m a self taught cottage baker in spring Texas. Ever since I remember I have loved food cooking and baking and just wanting to put a smile on someone’s face through my flavors and designs. As all the other girls were playing with Barbie’s and baby dolls I was in my play kitchen whipping up all the best imaginary food and of course the iconic easy bake oven was my favorite birthday present of all time!  Read More>>

Allee Bales

Finding the perfect name for my boutique was tricky, because I had such a specific vision built up in my head for what I wanted the store to represent. Everything that I had come up with never really embodied the dream I had for the IMPACT I wanted my store to make. After literally reading the dictionary, and searching through endless words to feel that spark, Authenticity was THE word I had been searching for all along. Read More>>

Sara Cowle Englishbee

With my husband and I both owning our own businesses, the workload can be intense. Balancing two businesses, late nights, and the responsibilities of raising our two children has been a real challenge. There are days when the to-do list feels endless, and it can be hard to find that balance between work and family life. Read More>>

Malvin Traylor

The journey for Apex Tactical Institute and Dark Gift Combat has been far from smooth, especially during the tumultuous period marked by COVID-19 and economic hardships across the country. The pandemic brought strict closures and social distancing measures, severely impacting the ability to conduct in-person training sessions vital to law enforcement, security professionals, and civilians alike. For organizations focused on delivering hands-on, situational training, these restrictions posed significant operational challenges. At the same time, the economic downturn created additional obstacles, as many clients—whether individuals seeking personal safety skills or agencies investing in officer preparedness—faced financial constraints and budget cuts. Read More>>

Samone Scott

From here she only grew a deeper desire to perfect her craft which sparked the debut of her fan favorite project “Melanated” that gained $am1 her first 60,000+ streams and praises for her vivid storytelling and hard punchlines. Following this dark lyrical tone; she spent a couple years pursuing a larger fanbase by participating in multiple shows via SXSW, bar/lounge showcases, vlogs and personal interviews including: Read More>>

Lalo Montoya

Mr. Balloon Events HTX began six years ago with the dream of transforming every celebration into something unique and unforgettable. What started as a small project, driven by a passion for decoration, quickly grew into a renowned brand known for its creativity, elegance, and attention to detail. Since then, we have evolved to become leaders in luxury decoration, setting trends at every event we create. Read More>>

Benjamin Sunderland

It’s still just me and my partner producing and hand delivering all these meals, staying up from the late night to the early morning to have everything finished for the days deliveries sometimes only getting an hour or two of sleep.the best feeling to me is after a long day of deliveries seeing our customers thanks and posts to social media showing off their products WE delivered, the gratitude we get from our community and knowing that we’re making a difference in people lives whether it be for them to make better healthy choices or just saving them time cooking is the most fulfilled I’ve felt by my work in my whole career as a chef. Read More>>

Stephanie Tran

As a young girl, I grew up as an at-risk, ESL, and gifted and talented student. Those experiences shaped me in ways I couldn’t fully understand at the time, but they planted the seeds for a lifelong passion for education and equity. In 2014, I joined Teach For America to help close the achievement gap. While earning my master’s degree at Johns Hopkins University, I had the profound privilege of teaching at the same Title I elementary school I attended as a child. Standing in front of those classrooms reminded me how transformative education can be, not just for students but for entire communities. Read More>>

Brittnie Tran

That night, I ordered all of the supplies I needed to bake and decorate a cake, and a few days after watching that video, I fully created my own cake all from scratch, which is still on my Instagram to view. It was magical and thrilling to produce something so beautiful with ingredients most people already have in their kitchen like sugar, flour, and butter. I’ve always loved being in the kitchen ever since I was young, but I had never practiced with fully decorating a dessert before, so that was a new experience for me that I obviously ended up loving. After making numerous practice cakes, I finally gained enough confidence to officially create Kalabar Cakes, and now here we are! Read More>>

Nuari Le Blanc

My overall vision for creating works of art is to tell my story. I use all mediums of art including writing stories, Jewelry design, multimedia 2D artwork, metal work, sculpting, and collage work using magazines. Everyone here is born with a purpose, and my purpose is to tell the stories of my ancestors and inform people about the misinformation that is so widely spread about the cultural lifestyle and practices of indigenous people and Western African cultures. I’ve always found it easier to communicate my vision and perspective of life through creating artwork. Read More>>

Ayesha Youngblood

After earning my degree, I worked in a variety of settings, including college counseling centers, hospitals, non-profits, and private practices. These experiences helped me understand the diverse challenges people face in terms of mental health, whether it’s dealing with trauma, navigating relationships, or managing stress and anxiety. Through this, I learned the importance of meeting clients where they are, building trust, and providing them with the tools to help themselves. Read More>>

Krystal Baskin

You know, honestly, I can’t say that the road hasn’t been easy. I’ve been able to connect with some amazing individuals and have been exposed to some amazing things because of the ability to build relationships. I will say however, that because of some recent changes that have happened in my life, a few opportunities have ended due to changes made within my relationships. With those changes came grieving either the loss or the altered dynamics within those relationships. But, I’ve learned, with the help of the Lord, that my dependency on those relationships caused me not to have to exercise my faith and ultimately help me to put total trust in Jesus, and Him alone. Read More>>

Misty Campbell

Fashion styling has always been a passion of mine and comes quite naturally for me. I have been styling myself and others for years but made it an official business in 2019. Outside of being my own walking advertisement, social media has played a huge part in the marketing and growth of my business. Today my business has allowed me to work with music artist, authors, social media influencers and tv personalities. My work has been featured in fashion shows, the NAACP red carpet and currently scheduled to work with Bravo TV. Read More>>

Dominic Piggee

Me and my business partner started A1 in 2010 , around March. We started it because at the time there was no sites representing Houston. We had a original site called Backpackrapper . Com. But we kind of see where those artist went right? But in Houston they said A1 alot. And we was dealing with HipHop and rnb and alternative music. So we just put it together with HipHop and called it A1hiphop. Because we are not just a local site at the time so we wanted to make it diverse Read More>>

Michael Bass, Dania Murdock, And Robert Murdock

He then threw out an idea to the other “squad members” Dania aka “The Girl” and Rob aka “Cognac” to podcast together. We talked about it and decided we are kind of hilarious and we have different views but still can talk and come together and that is how “Cognac, Tequila and The Girl” came to fruition. With media flooded with podcasts and social media, it was a scary venture, but we knew we had a great thing and a great genuine dynamic that we can be authentic and represent not only ourselves but H-town which we hold near and dear! We genuinely appreciate our family, friends and fans and are excited to keep going! We’ve got spirit, yes we do, we’ve got spirit how about you? Read More>>

Donavan Harper

I always wanted to be behind a camera or in front of it . It started back in 2004 I had a TV production class at River Rouge Highschool. I actually meet my producer back in 2021 June. My Dj had canceled on me a day before my wedding , someone broke into his home. At the time my therapist, I was telling her about my issue and how it was crunch time and I didn’t don’t know what to do. So she introduced me to Princess who is now my producer and friend. She came out and saved my wedding. Read More>>

Kelly Beck

My dad, Eddie, and uncle Tim became managers of the Boat and Camper Storage, Inc. with my grandfather, while my mom, Kerry, left her job as a cyto-technologist and helped her mother-in-law with the antique business. It was a move of selflessness and my mom will tell you, directed by God. My grandparents also had other family members that stepped up to help them with the businesses including brothers, sisters, and cousins. Some of my earliest memories are riding around the “boat sheds” with my grandfather, dad, or uncle and running around the antique malls with my brother getting into all sorts of mischief! We could regularly be found whizzing around customers and upsetting dealers while riding furniture dollies up and down the aisles. These businesses were an integral part of my childhood. Read More>>

Gussy Corleone

During this journey of doing music I have encountered my fair share of obstacles. During my youth I didnt have the best means of transportation to get around so I had to learn how to navigate on the buses and trains to get from point A to B. I had friends who I thought was friends still music and opportunities from along the way. And at one point I had a hard drive issue which caused me to lose all the music I worked so hard to create, but still I pressed forward and continued. Read More>>

Valeria Charrabe

Passionate about discovering new places and creating memorable experiences for my children and family, I began exploring everything the city of Houston has to offer. From charming little spots serving traditional Arabic, Colombian, and Mexican cuisine to some of the largest and most impressive museums we’ve ever visited, I am always in search of experiences that are worth it—bringing us together as a family and offering others the chance to enjoy them at a great value. Read More>>

Orhan Caliskanturk

Moved to Cypress ,TX from Istanbul, Turkey just 6 months ago July 2024. The road is not always smooth, there can be bumbs or holes might come front of you. The most important thing is to BELIEVE yourself, belive what you want and believe what you are doing. New country, new people, new market, new demends, new learnings. All new but old me Read More>>

Blake Duplantier

I’m a private chef and caterer. I specialize in authentic Creole Cuisine. I’m known for my seafood gumbo, praline bread pudding, and Crawfish Monica. I’m most proud that my oldest daughter has found an interest in cooking from watching me get to do what I’m passionate about. I believe my passion, authenticity, dedication to freshness, and attention to detail are attributes that set me apart. Read More>>

Holly Cotton

I love that people find my story inspiring, but that’s just one of the chapters of Holly Cotton. I feel like I’ve survived so many other things and I never want one thing to define who I am. Thus the struggle of separating everything, but still using all of your life skills and experiences to create your brand. Being an author can be challenging. Finding new things to write about that are relevant is the key. Keeping up with marketing strategies to reach a broad audience can also be taxing. The key is to prioritize what’s important and focus on what you can achieve rather than becoming overwhelmed by the items you can’t. Read More>>

Meera Patel

The story of the Mocksy Bar has been unfolding for years. As second-generation Indian American women, my partner and I grew up navigating the complexities of cultural identity in environments that often clashed with our religious and cultural upbringing. In our 20s, we found ourselves feeling excluded from many social and professional events due to their heavy focus on alcohol. We got really tired of being left out of the party. Our hopes and dreams for The Mocksy Bar is that it makes more people like us feel more included. After all, there are non-alcoholic options beyond soft drinks and water! Read More>>

Perishia Jones

I started out as a young teacher, singing with a quartet group named Unity of Navasota, leading worship at my parent’s church Fresh Start Ministries Brazos Valley. After a 7 year battle with depression, I was able to dig myself from a horrible dark place, find God, go back to school to obtain 2 Master’s degrees, and write music. From those experiences, I am now a School Counselor and a solo artist under an independent label called WorkSonMusic. I released a Worship album on my birthday 12/5/24 called Embracing Me. This album has done very well and I have climbed 4 music charts in a short time including the Media Base Charts. Read More>>

Ludmila Claro

This loss required Ludmila to mature quickly and take charge of her own life. To support herself, she dove into education and hard work, driven by the belief that knowledge is the key to a brighter future. Over the years, she pursued studies in Computer Information Systems, Biotechnology, and Pedagogy, disciplines that broadened her skills and opened doors to new opportunities. Additionally, she enhanced her expertise by taking courses in film production and marketing, further equipping her to thrive in creative and strategic fields. Read More>>

Kelly Connell

Pursuing a music degree felt risky, but I knew it was my calling, and I had to pursue it. I graduated from the University of Dayton with degrees in music education and human rights studies, with a minor in philosophy. Dayton, Ohio, provided an incredible range of band experiences: from small, rural farm communities to inner city public schools to suburbs notorious for some of the nation’s top band programs – all within a 15-mile radius! This exposure challenged me to adapt my directing style, be resourceful, and be prepared for any and all band directing opportunities that might come my way. Read More>>

Hector Trejo

Woke up with tears in my eyes and so much relief as if all the weight I’ve been carrying was lifted off my shoulders. Still confused I knew for a fact either I just encounter Jesus or life was giving me a sign to change and keep going. My passion for music was slowly growing again. Eventually making an eleven track Album called “The Auxx” in 2021. A lot of people gave me positive feedback and encouraged me to pursue music instead the streets. I understood I had a choice, either die in this lifestyle I’m living or change for the better and pursue my dreams. I realized that everything leading up to that point wasn’t to hurt me but to help me learn from my mistakes. Read More>>

Loriza Rubio

Property management requires continuous marketing, strategic managing, coordinating repairs and preparing financial reports, on the hard days you play bad cop when it comes to discussing late payments, evictions, legalities, or other contract breaches, but on good days you pour love into your community and its people, and the gift of being part of their daily lives, and new journeys and memories are also just as fulling and why I am so passionate about what I do. Read More>>

Matt Mireles

Zegovia started this year with my brother and I and our friend/amazing bass player, Chandler Weber. We’ve released three singles and we have an album on the way, set to come out later this year! We’ve been working with Houston legend, John Allen Stephens. John has been bringing our songs to life in a way that we’ve always dreamed of. Zegovia’s sound is loud, raw, energetic, dynamic and complex. There’s lots of inspiration from alternative rock and hard rock. Read More>>