Every day we have a choice. We can support an up and coming podcaster, try a new family-run restaurant, join a boutique gym started by a local fitness champ or we could keep giving away our money to the handful of giants who already control so much of our commerce. Our daily decisions impact the kind world we live in; if we want a world where small businesses are growing and artists and creatives are thriving then we should support them with our time, money and attention. We’re proud to highlight inspiring creatives and entrepreneurs each week in Hidden Gems series. Check out some of our latest local gem features below.
Carl Stenberg
I began my career as a private equity and oil and gas attorney at Kirkland & Ellis, where I gained invaluable experience advising leading investment firms and energy companies on complex transactions. Read more>>
Melissa Perez Mueller
I began my real estate career after spending 21 wonderful years as a stay-at-home mom. During that time, I often found myself helping friends connect with the right realtor, lender, or home builder—always making sure each connection was a perfect fit. Read more>>
Marisa & Cesia Mann & Esparza
We first found FIT4MOM when we were looking for a way to stay active and connect with other moms. What started as just a workout quickly became so much more—it gave us community, support, and a reminder that we weren’t alone in motherhood. We fell in love with the mission and the way it empowers women in every stage of motherhood. Read more>>
Vanessa Iturbe
I’ve always been drawn to the intersection of culture, storytelling, and hospitality. Growing up between Mexico and the U.S., then earning my MBA in Luxury Brand Management in France, shaped the vision for Social Brand Boutique—a Houston-based agency that treats each restaurant as a story to be told, not just a business to be promoted. Read more>>
Karrie Hilliard
I first came to Houston after college through a program called Teach For America. I had never been to Texas before! I taught bilingual kindergarten for two years at Clemente Martinez Elementary in HISD. After that, I worked for Teach For America supporting new teachers in Houston, and then continued my work supporting teachers through the Human Resources department in HISD. Read more>>
Courtney Peper
Maybe you’re like me, and taking time to care for yourself does not come easy and you just don’t know where to start. From my earliest childhood memories, I remember riding my bike, always swimming at the neighborhood pool, jumping on the trampoline or over fences- my body was my vehicle of pure joy and happiness. Read more>>
Ashley Richard
I’ve been building things for as long as I can remember — not just businesses, but systems, ideas, and better versions of what already exists. When I was eight years old, I mailed a proposal to President Bill Clinton for a sea-life preserve I’d designed, complete with funding notes and diagrams. Read more>>
Juan Cuevas
I started my career in 1998 in New York City as a residential real estate agent. It was a very quintessential New York City experience as I worked in the Empire State Building. I was an evil Manhattan apartment broker. Everyone hated us because the fees we charged were the reason that most people were moving to Brooklyn or Queens or heaven forbid, Staten Island. Read more>>
Isabelle Ganz
Born in New York City, Dr. Isabelle Ganz began her career at the age of 10, performing the last movement of the Haydn Piano concerto in D Major with the New York Philharmonic, conducted by Leon Barzin. At the High School of Music and Art she majored in flute, performing the Bach Suite in B Minor for the school’s Bach Festival. Read more>>
CANAAN KING
I started my journey in Digital PR as a volunteer in a church ministry in Nairobi, Kenya, where I discovered the power of storytelling and digital engagement. After relocating to the U.S. as a permanent resident, I pursued a degree in Organizational Leadership with a minor in Digital Communication at Oral Roberts University. Read more>>
Tina Lau
I’ve always loved art and grew up spending hours drawing and painting. Initially, I was pursuing a career in animation, but everything shifted when my uncle, who is a wedding photographer, gave me my first DSLR camera. After helping him at a couple of weddings, I was completely hooked. Photography allowed me to combine everything I loved: art, storytelling, and connecting with people. Read more>>
Serenity Guzman
It started off when I was younger, I used to rescue German Shepherds sight unseen from the Manhattan Shelter in New York. I wanted to give as many at risk dogs a second chance at life. I would rehabilitate them and rehome them, otherwise they would have been put down. Read more>>
Catherine Couturier
My first job in the gallery business also became my last. Just out of college, I was hired to work at John Cleary Gallery, Houston’s only gallery specializing in fine art photography. Read more>>
Darren Rowan
The Houston Brass Band (HBB) was formed in 2000 by several brass enthusiasts inspired by the British film “Brassed Off”. In the early years, HBB performed at festivals, small concerts, and patriotic events. Read more>>
Carrie Niemann
I was 32, a single mother of 2 boys, and working as a dental hygienist. During an tumultuous marriage and ugly divorce, my older son (Gage), already very hyper, had developed significant anger management issues. My Mother, my best friend, had recently passed from a rather rare form of cancer, which traumatized both me and my older son quite a bit. Read more>>
Pam McGehee
I’ve always had a heart for hospitality and an eye for beautiful spaces. After years of managing my own homes and helping friends with theirs, I saw a real gap in the Galveston vacation-rental market — there were plenty of big-box and out-of-state corporate managers, but very few who offered the kind of personal, boutique-level service guests and homeowners truly deserve. That’s how St. Read more>>
Mark Davis
As a native of Dallas, Texas, I graduated from South Oak Cliff High School. I started preaching at the age of 10 years old. I have been preaching for over 49 years and I have been pastoring for over 35 years. I pastored the First Missionary Baptist Church of West Columbia Texas almost 13 years. I currently pastor two churches, Pastor of St. Read more>>
Kevin Hackett
Sustained Growth Solutions officially launched in early 2021, but the story really started a few years before that. Back in 2018, I started a podcast called The Homeowners Show. My co-host and I wanted to help homeowners make better decisions about caring for their homes — and avoid getting taken advantage of by bad service providers. Read more>>
Ryan Small
My story began at Texas Southern University, where a trip to South Africa for the World Cup opened my mind to global business and cultural exchange. Houston helped me build international relationships, with organizations like Rotary Skyline supporting the foundation of my business in many ways. Read more>>
Rhea Enifo
I was born in the U.S. Virgin Islands to a teenage mother, the first of her three daughters. When I was six years old, my mother had an opportunity that took us to New York. For five years, we built a life there until a fire destroyed our building and left us with nothing. That moment became a turning point for my mother. Read more>>
Alda P. Dobbs
I was born in Mexico but moved to the United States as a baby. I grew up in a neighborhood where everyone spoke Spanish, even at the ‘tiendita’ – the little corner store. I wasn’t exposed to English until I started kindergarten, and learning it was a real challenge for me. Read more>>
Andrea Barr
Andrea L. Uresti Barr (‘Andrea’) launched Barr Law, PLLC after launching and serving as a Managing Attorney of a multi-state boutique estate litigation firm for almost two years. After seeing how she could start and run a satellite office of another firm, she decided to venture out on her own and hang her ‘shingle.’ Read more>>
DiMon (Dyme) Henderson
My journey with Dyme Loc’d It started from a personal love for locs and the culture, creativity, and confidence they carry. I’ve always had a passion for beauty and self-expression, but working with locs became more than just styling hair—it became a way of empowering people to embrace their natural crowns. Read more>>
Chris Burres
I grew up a military brat, moving every two years, a rhythm that forced me to adapt quickly, read people well, and find ways to help wherever I landed. Read more>>
Michelle Mower
My path to private practice wasn’t a straight line. I stayed home for 14 years raising my five kids before returning to school and building a career that felt deeply meaningful to me. Along the way, I discovered a passion for helping people create healthy, connected relationships and embrace their sexual wellness without shame. Read more>>
Jack Jones
My journey started at the age of 8, my choir director Ms. Billie German called my mother in for a meeting. She was tasked with creating a children’s choir for the Challenger Space Shuttle tragedy. I was the first kid selected, she told my mother ‘Stevie is really gifted, he sees colors’ I had no idea what that meant and neither did my mom. Read more>>
Joseph Yoo
We are a church plant that was supposed to launch in 2020, but like everyone else our plans got… derailed. We officially launched as a church in September of 2021 and we are committed to letting everyone know they matter to God even if God doesn’t matter to us. Read more>>
Davie Orta
One summer, my brother and I — two Texas kids with big dreams — packed our backpacks and set off across Europe. We didn’t have much more than a rough idea and the open road in front of us. Over the course of the trip, we ended up wandering through 11 countries, crashing in hostels, hitchhiking, taking random trains — just chasing the unknown. Read more>>
Cheris Garcia
I was born in Houston but spent more than 30 years in Virginia raising my three children, working in retail management, and raising thoroughbred racehorses. In 2021, I returned to Texas and met my husband, Vince, an Army veteran and field service technician for Ford. Read more>>
Damon Williams
I’m a 4th generation son of 5th Ward, born at St. Elizabeth’s Negro Hospital just a few years after its desegregation. It’s an honor to share my story, as a Houstonian, and an aspiring steward of a family legacy that began in the soil of this community. I left Houston for the Navy the day after my 18th birthday. Read more>>
Tricetan Wesley
I originally joined the Army for college benefits, signing up at the age of 17 — I thought it would be a short stop on the way to my next chapter. But then 9/11 happened while I was in basic training, and everything shifted. Overnight, the mission changed for the nation and for me personally. Read more>>
Mark Lee
I started my career as a pharmacist, and while I enjoyed helping people in that role, I was always curious about investing and financial freedom. I began reading a lot about different types of investments, and real estate really stood out to me — it combined strategy, tangible assets, and the ability to make a real difference in people’s lives. Read more>>
Geoff Binney
I originally went to law school at night at South Texas College of Law in downtown Houston when I was working as an FBI Agent in the Houston field office. When I began law school I had no desire or plans to practice law – I just wanted to be a better FBI Agent. Read more>>
Christina Zsigray-Rodriguez
I’ve always felt called to walk alongside people during their hardest seasons. My path started in social work, where I worked with veterans, families, and individuals facing housing instability and trauma. Over time, I realized that while case management was important, my heart was in therapy—helping people heal, not just survive. Read more>>
Nicole Stagg
R. Nicole Stagg, a Houston-based attorney, started her outstanding career path practicing law over twenty years ago. Stagg received her undergraduate degree in 1998 from Stephen F. Austin State University in Political Science where she also became a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. In 2002, Stagg, opened as a co-founder and partner, The Law Offices of James and Stagg, PLLC. Read more>>
Ron Bates
My wife and I spent twenty years serving in Associate Pastor roles at two different churches (10 years each) before following God’s call in our early forties to move to Willis, Texas, and launch The Light Church. We held our very first service on January 8, 2006, at Lynn Lucas Middle School and continued meeting there weekly for about three years. Read more>>
Stephanie Wehring
Sterling Estate Solutions began in February 2022, sparked by helping a friend overwhelmed by the loss of her father and the task of liquidating his home. Though I’d long considered entering the estate sale business, this opportunity revealed both my talent and passion for the work. That first sale led to another, and by year’s end, I had completed 11 estate sales. Read more>>
Zel Saccani
I am a licensed Texas and Florida court interpreter and a Spanish => English translator certified by the American Translators Association. I am also a licensed Florida and D.C. attorney. Over the past 25 years, I’ve worked exclusively in language services. Read more>>
Anthony Scott
I was raised in a military household where discipline and structure weren’t just values — they were a way of life. That foundation, combined with my background as an athlete, instilled in me a mindset of hard work, focus, and consistency. I accepted my call to preach in 2003 at the age of 17, and that experience opened my eyes to purpose and leadership. Read more>>
Kathleen Hylen
In 2005, I had just returned from serving with the Peace Corps in Moldova, where I taught English to high school students. Shortly after coming home, a friend whose mother worked at ELS Language Centers (ELS), encouraged me to apply for an open Center Director (CD) position in Santa Monica. That opportunity launched my career with ELS. Read more>>
Paul Mata
It all started back in 2021 with an idea. I build Texas barbecue smoker pits from backyard units up to large commercial smokers that measure up to 27′ feet long. The idea was to build smoker pits and supply barbecue businesses with the tools they need to scale their businesses. Read more>>
